DVD Review - Don't Come Knocking
Wim Wenders has made some outstanding films in his career- Wings of Desire, Paris, Texas and The American Friend to name just a few. His latest work Don't Come Knocking may not be on the level of those that I have previously mentioned but it is quite a good (and underrated) film.
Wenders has shown a fascination with the American west in the past in his film Paris, Texas. He once again teams up with Sam Shepard who wrote the screenplay for both films. This time Shepard is also the star. He plays Howard Spence, a washed up actor who has made a living playing cowboys. Spence has a history of booze, drugs and women and you can see the toll that this has taken on him by looking at his face. During the making of his latest film he decides to up and leave. He goes on a quest of finding himself and his roots.
His first stop is his mother's place in Nevada. He hasn't seen or spoken to her in 30 years. But his mother, (wonderfully played by Eva Marie Saint) being a mother, is happy to see him. During their time together she tells him that many years ago a woman from Butte, Montana came to her looking for Spence. The woman claimed that she was pregnant with his child. Spence can't believe that he is a father. But he is also curious about this and after he leaves his mother he heads to Butte. He finds Doreen (Jessica Lange) who is the woman in question. She leads him to his son Earl (Gabriel Mann) who is a singer in a local club. Earl is not interested in his long lost father. In fact, he loathes him. Earl has a strung out girlfriend named Amber (Fairuza Balk) who encourages him to get to know his father but Earl is having none of it.
There are two people who are interested in Spence. One is a mysterious young women named Sky (Sarah Polley) who is carrying around her mother's ashes. She tries to talk to Spence but he thinks that she is a wacko. The other person who wants to talk to Spence is a man named Sutter (Tim Roth). He works for the studio that is making the movie that Spence walked out on and it is his mission is to bring Spence back to the movie set.
The pace of the film is leisurely and it takes its time to unfold. That is a typical trait of a Wenders film and I, for one, like it. Shepard has created characters that are interesting and very real. All of the acting is up to par and I especially liked Polley's sensitive portrayal of Sky.
And Franz Lustig's cinematography of the western landscape is magnificent.
This is by and far a film about the need for connecting with others, especially family. Spence found this out late in life but as they say better late then never. I recommend that you take this journey with him.
Wenders has shown a fascination with the American west in the past in his film Paris, Texas. He once again teams up with Sam Shepard who wrote the screenplay for both films. This time Shepard is also the star. He plays Howard Spence, a washed up actor who has made a living playing cowboys. Spence has a history of booze, drugs and women and you can see the toll that this has taken on him by looking at his face. During the making of his latest film he decides to up and leave. He goes on a quest of finding himself and his roots.
His first stop is his mother's place in Nevada. He hasn't seen or spoken to her in 30 years. But his mother, (wonderfully played by Eva Marie Saint) being a mother, is happy to see him. During their time together she tells him that many years ago a woman from Butte, Montana came to her looking for Spence. The woman claimed that she was pregnant with his child. Spence can't believe that he is a father. But he is also curious about this and after he leaves his mother he heads to Butte. He finds Doreen (Jessica Lange) who is the woman in question. She leads him to his son Earl (Gabriel Mann) who is a singer in a local club. Earl is not interested in his long lost father. In fact, he loathes him. Earl has a strung out girlfriend named Amber (Fairuza Balk) who encourages him to get to know his father but Earl is having none of it.
There are two people who are interested in Spence. One is a mysterious young women named Sky (Sarah Polley) who is carrying around her mother's ashes. She tries to talk to Spence but he thinks that she is a wacko. The other person who wants to talk to Spence is a man named Sutter (Tim Roth). He works for the studio that is making the movie that Spence walked out on and it is his mission is to bring Spence back to the movie set.
The pace of the film is leisurely and it takes its time to unfold. That is a typical trait of a Wenders film and I, for one, like it. Shepard has created characters that are interesting and very real. All of the acting is up to par and I especially liked Polley's sensitive portrayal of Sky.
And Franz Lustig's cinematography of the western landscape is magnificent.
This is by and far a film about the need for connecting with others, especially family. Spence found this out late in life but as they say better late then never. I recommend that you take this journey with him.
posted by Film Fanatic | 8:23 PM
1 Comments:
Neat blog.
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