#115 - Gangster Story

Since I didn't really remember any of the details about this movie I went on imdb.com to refresh my memory. Here's whats funny about that: the picture that shows up on the page for this movie is completely wrong. It has a color picture of Walter Matthau, and he's sporting a sweet 70's/80's era 'stache. Well guess what, this movie was made in the 60's, sans 'stache, and it's in BLACK AND WHITE. I don't know where they got that picture, but they must have thrown it on some DVD or VHS cover somewhere trying to sell some copies. All this boils down to yet another sign that you are watching a crap movie. If the picture used on the packaging of the movie to try and sell the movie is NOT from the movie for sale, the movie probably sucks ass. In this case, it does.

This movie was Matthau's first foray into directing. It was also his last. Now I don't wanna pile on good ol' Walt cause he's a good guy. I mean, how could you not like Walter Matthau? But this movie just isn't that good. I think it was made before he was a well known star, so I guess it doesn't count against his overall score. You see, it's just dull. No real soundtrack that I can remember. A bunch of static shots. A lot of flat dialogue. And here's the thing, the plot is actually a good one. As shocking as it is, you've got Matthau playing a gangster. He's on the run from the law and hides out in a small town. While there, he robs a bank or some small town gangsters and pisses some people off. Honestly, I don't remember too many details and had to remind myself of the ones I do have. I just remember a dull, plodding movie that could have had more suspense.

Here's the good news: this is last movie in the Classic Ganster Movies set. That means I don't have to try and remember details about an old movie rating anywhere from average to bad that I watched over a year ago. I get to do it with other crappy movies. Trust me, there are some crappy ones coming up. I don't have any bad news, I just didn't have a better way to start off this train of thought. Hell, I'm trying to figure out to end this thing with a clean break. I mean, I didn't say much about a movie I don't remember that well. That has to be fascinating to read. Just wait, there's more where that came from.