L.A. Confidential (1997)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Action/Mystery

Starring: Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, David Strathairn

Hollywood, L.A. and Vegas, that is what everyone dreams of achieving one day. The flamboyant lifestyle, the money and the riches. However, all that is shining on the surface is always dark on the inside. The movie shows the life of 3 police officers of the LAPD and their involvement with organised crime. Officer Bud White (Crowe) is a plain-clothes officer who fights for crimes against women. A new recruit in the department, Ed Exley (Pearce) is the son of a famous LAPD officer who intends to live up to his fathers reputation. Jack Vincennes (Spacey) works for the anti-narcotics department and is a movie star amongst the cops. He rubs shoulders with film personalities and receives tips from The Hush-Hush magazine for providing information about big celebrity arrests. Ed and Bud cross paths when Ed's testimony against Bud's partner leads to his partners' removal from the department. A violent mass murder takes place at the Nite Owl coffee shop that Ed starts investigating. The investigation starts revealing the filthy under-belly of the LAPD which involves sex, crime, drugs, hookers and money. The movie is a gripping tale of crime and mystery which keeps you entertained and glued till the very last moment. The performances have been fabulous across the board with every character developing a unique personality for themselves. A must-watch if you love a good crime movie set in the rolling '50s.

Thumbs up: Fabulous plot

Thumbs down: An extended run time

Rating: 8.8/10

The Kingdom (2007)

Genre: Historical Event/Action/Crime/Mystery

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman

Most of the wars fought in the middle east for the past half-century have more or less centred around oil. Inspired from two separate terrorist attacks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the movie focuses on 4 FBI agents who travel to the middle-each kingdom to solve a similar terrorist attack. A housing complex of an American oil company with American citizens residing with it, is bombed during a Sunday softball game that strains the relationship between Saudi and USA. FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Foxx), Special Agent Grant Sykes (Cooper), Special Agent Janet Mayes (Garner) and Special Agent Adam Leavitt (Bateman) are sent to investigate the attacks, in spite of disapproval from various US agencies. Col. Faris Al-Ghazi (Barhom) from Saudi State Police is put in charge of their security for the entire journey. Fleury is shocked to learn that he and his team are not granted permission to investigate and can only 'watch' the Saudi investigation which is far from acceptable. The movie narrates a good spy story with a lot of action and thrilling sequences to keep you entertained. Although the mystery solving goes well, its the climax that is a let down. An average ending with no twists is a huge let down to otherwise good movie.

Thumbs up: Good entertainer

Thumbs down: Average climax

Rating: 7.0/10

Shooter (2007)

Genre: Action/Crime/Mystery

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Danny Glover

A retired US Marine Corp Sniper, Sgt. Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) was double-crossed by the Army during combat when backup did not arrive and was left to die. Surviving and returning home, he retires with anger and rage against the government. Swagger was known for his sniping ability and one of the few people in the world who is capable of hitting targets from over a mile away. Col. Isaac Johnson (Glover) approaches Bob and asks him to help the government in a top secret assignment. There is a tip that the President will be assassinated from three possible locations and will be done from over a mile away. Johnson wants Bob to scout the three locations and derive which exact location is the President most likely to be shot from and help capture the assassin. The movie is a very typical action movie with American heroism and conspiracy theories. Mark Wahlberg puts on a good show but his performance is lost with lack of support from other actors and the movies overall plot line. If run-of-the-mill and watch-and-forget action movies is what you are seeking, then this movie delivers just that. If your hoping it would be something different or interesting, that probably wont be the case.

Thumbs up: Mark Wahlberg.

Thumbs down: A regular action feature with nothing unique to offer.

Rating: 6.4/10

Street Kings (2008)

Genre: Action/Crime/Mystery

Starring: Keanu Reaves, Forest Whitaker, Chirs Evans, Terry Crews, Hugh Laurie, Amaury Nolasco, John Corbett, Jay Mohr

Not able to come over his wife's tragic death-by-rape incident, LAPD detective Tom Ludlow (Reaves) is disillusioned, an alcoholic and slightly over the top. He works in the Vice Special department under Captain Jack Wander (Whitaker) and his team of undercover detectives who are known to regularly bend the law in order to complete assignments. A former unit member and Tom's ex-partner Terrence Washington (Crews) has removed himself from the corrupt life that his other unit members lead and decides to go clean with Captain Biggs (Laurie) of Internal Affairs. Tom is informed that Washington has made him his prime target and Tom wants to talk things out and reason it out with him. A situation of being present at the wrong time and the wrong place leads to Tom witnessing Washington's cold-blooded daylight murder in a grocery store by two masked bandits. Ridden with guilt, Tom wants to apprehend the killers but Jack does not allow him saying that he is the prime suspect of the murder and probing any further would only lead him to lose his badge. The movie is not the average good cop-bad cop story but is far more than just that. There is a good crime story which has a steady build up and an interesting climax. A decent mix of action and a parallel story of Tom's personal life, makes this movie believable and watchable. Although it has a good mix of everything that a crime movie should have, its not amazing that you could discuss for hours altogether.

Thumbs up: Good crime story

Thumbs down: The murder mystery aspect should have been deeper.

Rating: 7.3/10

The Oxford Murders (2008)

Genre: Thriller/Crime/Drama/Mystery

Starring: Elijah Wood, John Hurt, Julie Cox, Leonar Watling, Jim Carter

Lets have a math class, shall we? Complete the series; 1, 2, 3, ___. If you thought 4, Aurthur Seldom (Hurt) may not entirely agree with you. A well-renowned mathematician at the University of Oxford, he, like all other mathematicians, believes that a series may have infinite possibilities, depending upon the logic one applies. Martin (Wood) is a young American student who has come to study at Oxford and particularly hopes that Seldom would be his research supervisor. Martin is staying as a paying guest at the house of Mrs. Eagleton who lives with her daughter Beth (Cox). Mrs. Eagleton is murdered and her body is discovered by both Seldom and Martin together. Seldom claims to have received a clue during a conference which led him to Mrs. Eagleton's house. The clue contained a circle which, according to Aurthur, is the first symbol of a symbolic series and Aurthur suggests that there could be more to come. Martin and Aurthur start diving deep into murder solving and try to list down the various possible symbols that cold come after the circle and try to track the murderers next target. The movie is a fabulously well made whodunit that can keep you absorbed right till the very end. It magically uses maths, probabilities, science and logic, all together, to track every tiny move that the killer might make. The average viewer might find themselves getting lost amongst the numbers, the mathematical jargon and the complex logic that the movie throws up, but the actual charm lies right there. The climax is fitting for a movie of its kind, but some might classify it as too obvious. It does not have a fabulously great ending, but neither is it too ordinary.

Thumbs up: A hugely enjoyable murder mystery

Thumbs down: Too much mathematical jargon, climax could be improved

Rating: 7.8/10

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989)

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Crime/Mystery/Action

Starring: Kenneth Mars, G.W. Bailey, Lance Kinsey, George Gaynes, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Marion Ramsey, Leslie Easterbrook, Bruce Mahler, Matt McCoy, George Robertson

The sixth movie of the Police Academy series promises to be just like the previous versions, insensible. The series initially started out as depicting misfits who are shunned by society and intend on becoming police officers and hence join the Police Academy. The second movie maintained the 'academy tradition' but all movies subsequently followed the exact same plot line. A crime problem occurs in the city, Captain Harris (Bailey) wants a quick promotion and hence tries to prevent Commondant Lassard (Gaynes) and his team to crack the case and wants to hog all the lime light for himself. In the end he is the one who gets outdone whilst the others are congratulated. Been there, done that; far too many times. The movie can be far better only if the humour was improved and there was a healthy story to supplement that humour. Michael Winslow and his mimicry is astounding and the only piece of comedy is provided from Bailey and Kinsey. It's a nonsensical waste of valuable time, effort and money and one should confine themselves only to the first two movies and not dare venture beyond it.

Thumbs up: Michael Winslow's voices

Thumbs down: Bad plot, horrible performances, repetitive story compared to the previous movies

Rating: 4.5/10

Dial M for Murder (1954)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery

Starring: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson

Alfred Hitchcock, murder and crime in the same sentence go very well together. His movies have spearheaded the crime and murder investigation genre and put a heavy focus on detectives. Tony Wendice (Milland) is a reasonably well to do, married middle-aged man who used to love to play tennis. He married Margot (Kelly) who didn't want him to pursue the sport and for whom he was forced to give it up. Margot has an affair with an American crime novelist Mark Halliday (Cummings) about whom Tony later learnt about. His regret for leaving tennis for his wife and now she leaving him for another man pushed him to the edge where he started plotting her murder. His carefully crafted plan involved C. J. Swan aka Captain Lesgate (Dawson) who was to execute the plan and murder his wife. Yet the most well-crafted plan always has a flaw, the most obvious flaw that is undetectable but yet too obvious. The movie crafts a perfect mystery and the character of Tony Wendice, the smart and thoughtful man who thinks far and thinks well does justice to the plot. The only chink in the movies erstwhile formidable armour is in the plot itself. The entire crime scene is revealed early on in the movie with the murder itself taking place. Now that you know exactly what happened, it's only a matter of solving it. This leaves little room for a climax and a stunning end since the audience is more or less prepared for the outcome. A great murder mystery nonetheless which is simple and sweet, to the point and does not have any complicated parallel stories to lose focus of the main plot.

Thumbs up: Great performances and good crime scene

Thumbs down: Not a very strong suspense and climax

Rating: 7.6/10

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles

It's world cinema with a difference. An age old story, a classic, one that is embedded in the minds of most children and adults around the world. The tale of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles directed by Russian director Igor Maslennikov is a lovely adaptation of a much loved piece of literature.

Released on 21st May 2012 on DVD by Mr. Bongo Films, this Russian adaptation is a version that takes you back to the original writings. While it is not stylized like the new film version of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., nor is it "modern" like the British TV series Sherlock, it is reminiscent of the past in its approach.

There is no doubt that this adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is legendary and can withstand repeated viewing, but watching it in a foreign language (with subtitles) did bring about a new outlook to the entire proceedings. The background music, the photography, the locations, the overall feel with horse carriages and costumes seemed a bit more genuine and honest to the story (not that I dislike the new avatars).

Surprisingly enough the subtle humor and mystery doesn't die out in the adaptation either. It's all there and thoroughly enjoyable as well. I do have to admit that initially it did feel odd every time Dr. Watson introduced himself as someone from London in Russian, but then by keeping true to the story it does bring about a certain authenticity. The acting by all the characters, especially Vasili Livanov and Nikita Mihalkov, is very theatrical, although not over-the-top, and thus once again adds to the appeal of the film.

Starring Vasili Livanov (as Sherlock Holmes) and Vitali Solomin (as Dr. Watson), the story takes Sir Henry (Nikita Mihalkov), heir to the estate of the recently deceased Sir Charles Baskerville, to the countryside along with Dr. Watson while Sherlock Holmes stays back in London overlooking other matters related to the case. What follow is treachery, murder, love, heartbreak, and obviously a beast seen by a few and heard by many, the Hound of Baskerville. In short, it's typical extraordinary storytelling by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle full of suspense, mystery, eccentric characters, and that pipe smoking, deerstalker hat wearing detective par excellence, Sherlock.    

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of Baskervilles is cinema at its nostalgic best. If you are a Sherlockian then you will surely appreciate this adaptation, especially the moment when Sherlock makes his appearance for the first time half an hour into the film. If you love mystery and haven't read the books, give the film a try before watching any of the other adaptations and let it take you back to the original writings. If you love films in general, you will positively enjoy this world cinema-esq approach to the tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.                 

Rating 4/5 Stars for Authenticity, Acting, Nostalgia, and well I can never have enough of Sherlock Holmes. 

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller/Mystery

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux

Pronounced and read as: Mulholland Drive. Profound and deep movies with layered meanings and multiple interpretations are always a difficult watch for the average audience and appeals only to critics, movie fanatics and visitors of film festivals. Betty Elms (Watts) is a struggling actor who has arrived in Los Angeles to become a movie star. Her aunt is a veteran actor who is currently on vacation and has hence decided to leave her massive house to Betty to stay in. Meanwhile, a failed murder attempt inside a limousine sees the victim (Harring) escaping from the crime scene and sneak into Betty's' aunts house without anyone's knowledge. The victim cannot seem to remember her name and assumes the name of Rita. Betty's childish detective instincts come to life and she tries to unravel Rita's mystery and find out who she exactly is. Meanwhile, a movie director, Adam Kesher (Theroux) is threatened by the mafia to cast a girl of their choice for the lead role in his upcoming movie rather than the actress that he selected. The two major plots are flanked by multiple irrelevant smaller stories that do not make any sense or add up during the initial stages but some culminate right towards the end. The movie is ridiculously long, slow and heavy. Right after the very end the average viewer would have no idea what the past two and a half hours were all about and how does it link to the movies climax. One would probably need to Google interpretations and meanings of this movie just to simply come to terms with what they just saw. The performances are fabulous, no doubt, but the movie is strictly for minorities and not for the masses. That aside, the thought process that might have gone into this movie to create is an achievement in itself and much praise goes out to director David Lynch. Watch only with a lot of time and an aspirin in case your not prepared for it.

Thumbs up: Brilliant plot conception, good performances

Thumbs down: Too deep, profound, sow and heavy

Rating: 7.3/10

Hugo (2011)

Genre: Drama/Biography/Mystery/Adventure

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Emily Mortimer

A legendary film maker appraises another legend from a different era. Hugo Cabret (Butterfield) is an orphan whose father was a clock maker and a highly intelligent man. His father found a decaying automaton, a unique robot that has the unheard ability to write during the time period the movie is set in. After his fathers death, Hugo worked towards fixing the automaton and regularly stole parts from a toy store which was run by George Melies (Kingsley). Hugo eventually gets caught in the act and George discovers a notebook in his pocket which has Hugo's fathers machine drawings along with the automatons blue print. George confiscates the book without giving any reason, much to the disappointment of Hugo. Hugo befriends George's grand daughter, Isabelle (Moretz) who come together to solve the mystery behind the automaton, George's behaviour and Hugo's father. The movie is a brilliant work of art that can keep you stumped, awed and entertained for a very long time. It takes you back in time to the very first movies of human-kind to show the magic and bizarreness that it carried with it during that time.The climax and the mystery steadily builds up to take shape which eventually unleashes to the audience's satisfaction. The only downside of the movie is its speed. Its slow to start and gets a tad disappointing around the half-way mark but the eventual mystery is still gripping enough to keep you enticed right till the very end. An outstanding work of art that is true to the reputation of Martin Scorsese and a must-watch for all.

Thumbs up: Brilliant story, very enticing

Thumbs down: Slow at times

Rating: 8.9/10

Kahaani (2012)

Genre: Drama/Thriller/Crime/Mystery

Starring: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,

Good performances, an enticing storyline and a superb climax is just what the doctor ordered to make a good movie. Vidya Bagchi (Balan) arrives in Kolkata from London to look for her husband who mysteriously disappeared a few days ago. Her husband, Arnab, came for an assignment to Kolkata and suddenly stopped answering telephone calls and any form of communication. A local police officer Rana (Parambrata Chatterjee) agrees to help her in her quest to seek her husband. The hotel in which she claimed her husband was staying in denied him ever checking in along with the National Data Centre (NDC) the company in which he was supposed to have been working for. Suddenly Arnab Bagchi does not exist and nobody, right from his parents address, school records, professional records do not seem to match the claims made by Vidya. What does emerge is Arnab's uncanny resemblance with Milind Damji, a man with a shady past and an obscure link with Arnab. Vidya realises that in order to get Arnab, she must find Milind but Khan (Siddiqui) the commander-in-chief of the NDC warns her to step out of it or she might lose her life. The movie is very gripping and keeps you wondering and glued to your seat right till the very end. No matter how many theories you might cook up half-way through the movie, it would all go for a toss once the climax is out. The only low points was the forced romance in a true Bollywood style, which thankfully was without any unnecessary song sequences. The movie is beautifully shot against the backdrop of the Bengali festival of Durga Pooja which adds power and aggression to the movie and a huge scoop of character. Vidya Balan has shined once more with some superb acting and has definitely made a mark for herself in the industry, if The Dirty Picture hasn't already done that.

Thumbs up: Astounding performances, gripping plot

Thumbs down: Climax might seem a bit far-fetched to few, forced romance scenes.

Rating: 8.5/10

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

 

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery

Starring: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headley, Anton Rodgers, Ian McDiarmid

A nice, enjoyable movie with some mystery, humour, twists and a sprinkle of fun is always a good watch. Some recipes never go bad. Lawrence Jameison (Caine) is a suave and sleek Englishman who makes a living out of tricking rich women off their money. He is English in every aspect that you can imagine and has a very methodological, well-planned and characteristic form of executing his cons. Freddy Benson (Martin) is as American as anyone can be and is Lawrence's counterpart from across the Atlantic. They both meet in a small French town which is Lawrence's home turf that Freddy is threatening to overtake. Freddy's raw, unsystematic and shabby style of working fails to impress Lawrence who underestimates his skill. The duo decide to have a face-off where they both would try to con the same lady of the same amount of money and the first one to do it takes it all. The movie is a brilliant spectacle of fine performances from two very accomplished artists and is a delight to watch. The half-way mark feels a drag with slow developments but once you get past the poor patch, its a thrilling climax for an astounding twist of events. A great, light-hearted mystery movie without the usual crime scenes.

Thumbs up: Great performances, fun watch

Thumbs down: Can get boring and dragged in some bits

Rating: 7.0/10