Bet You Haven't Seen This One In Some Time..."A Simple Twist Of Fate"

A Simple Twist of Fate (1994)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Steve Martin, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara

Directed by Gillies MacKinnon

The Story:

Michael McCann (Martin) lives alone making furniture for a living.  Into his life toddles a little one, and Michael adopts the child and names her Mathilda.  He uses an unconventional parenting style, but Michael and Mathilda form a loving bond over the years.  However, local politician John Newland (Byrne) is the girl's real father, and since he cannot have children with his own wife (Linney), they decide to sue for custody of the girl.

That's a simplistic narrative for a story with much more complex layers than that.  Based on the novel Silas Marner by George Eliot, Steve Martin adapted the story for himself to bring to the screen.

What he brings is a heartwarming dramedy where he plays a role unlike any he'd ever played before.

He's not wild and crazy. He's not tossing jokes left and right.

There are a few fun situations he falls into along the way, so it's not without humor.

However, it's a story of love and redemption that is worth a viewing.

Instead, the meat of the story takes place after Mathilda has grown and the court case to decide if she should stay with Michael, or go live with her real father who can provide for her in ways that Michael could never dream.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film, it had been about 15 years since I last saw it.

It still holds up very well in my eyes.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it, I simply must not let so much time pass between viewings next time.

Corruption In Detroit? Time For An "Assault On Precinct 13"

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Rated R - Violence & Language

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne

Directed by: Jean-Francois Richet


The Story:

It's New Year's Eve and a Detroit police station is going to close its doors one final time.  Sgt Roenick (Hawke) and a skeleton crew of police are holding down the fort when a prison transport carrying notorious mob boss Marion Bishop (Fishburne) arrives seeking shelter from a snowstorm.  Things go from bad to worse when the station is besieged by vigilantes looking to take out Bishop.  Imagine Roenick's surprise when he learns that those killers outside are actually cops, looking to take out Bishop before he can testify that there are dirty cops in Detroit!

Where's RoboCop when we need him??!!

"At Least They Aren't Remaking This Classic!"

I apologize, I've never seen the original version written & directed by John Carpenter from the 70s, so I am unable to compare and contrast the two films.

How Dare You Not Watch Our Version!

That said, I've watched this film on two different occasions.

I've enjoyed the film both times.

It's tightly scripted, well-acted by an impressive cast that also includes Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo and Maria Bello.

Someday I Will Voice An Animated Sloth And Become More Famous Than All Of You!!

It's a thriller that ratchets up the suspense with each passing moment.  The only hope the precinct has of survival is to arm the prisoners and work together to stay alive.

Of course, cops and robbers don't exactly trust each other, so it's an uneasy alliance at best.

Add to that the layer of intrigue by having the cops as the ones on the outside attempting to kill everyone inside, and you've got a pretty gripping tale.

It's a B movie that doesn't attempt to do anything but entertain the audience and tell a decent story.

On that note, it succeeds brilliantly.


Final Grade:  B

Would I Watch It Again?  Yes, it's entertaining and clips by at a decent pace.

Would I Purchase It?  I've had it on my wish list for almost a decade now.  Perhaps someday I will pull the trigger?