Roulette

DVD, Smallville S9 (Roulette)

There's no better way of getting out of the dumps than having your life put at risk in a series of torture games, or at least, that's what Oliver Queen discovers in this conclusion to his latest arc. His feelings of guilt and self-hate, lack of desire to live, and even self-pity are resolved by a forced fight for survival, reviving his flagging self-confidence and honing abilities he'd abandoned in exchange for drinking, gambling and casual liaisons. So it's ironic that it's exactly these things that draw him in to the little sadistic game he must play. I was also at first drawn in by the surprising turn of events, though they were rather cliched, even for this series, as they've long loved to have one of the characters locked up somewhere with some villain enacting controlled peril for them in order to teach them a lesson they'll never forget, or make them suffer for the sake of revenge, or even some other motives, none of which spring to mind right now. I like it when a character has to get down and dirty, not hang around in smart suits, sipping drinks like they're James Bond, but pounding the streets, so it was a pleasant novelty to have a character lying in puddles, jumping through broken glass, or trapped in rusty cars, for a change. After initial intrigue I couldn't help but allow my cynicism about the series to surface, suspecting that all these tricks and striking imagery or situations wouldn't really go anywhere, and would be a disappointment, and if I'm honest, I was right, but not entirely.

I believed in the scenario, that it was somebody Queen had hurt in the past, and I was left wondering if it would be someone we knew, a comeback for a villain (though I never was fooled by the Lex Luthor coffin, as he was never likely to come back, unless it was in the final season, perhaps) - Queen suspects the Toy Man, which would be a reasonable guess considering he was in it recently (prompting Oliver's suicide attempt where he stepped off what he thought was a pressure pad for a bomb), and survived, so we know he'll be back. But it wasn't him, and he was discounted pretty quickly. It might turn out to be a new character that was nevertheless from Queen's past, but which we'd not heard of, and to be honest I didn't particularly care who it was, as I was more interested in the potential for the situation he was put in. I was on the right track, without realising it, when I thought this experience would force Oliver to dust off his skills and intelligence, and start to think beyond his own befuddled brain, something that could only be a good thing. And I was right, really, the message being that when you start to think about others, your own pain and problems become secondary, and shrink. Oliver still retained a sense of morality inside, despite his desperation and resorting to the dregs of his playboy persona to escape this higher calling, shown when he goes after the girl at the end, to save even someone who'd wronged him.

Everything had the air of unreality, a fantasy world that if it had been shot differently, or had been in other sci-fi, such as 'Star Trek,' I'd have assumed was a drug-induced hallucination, or something that was happening in his mind, or even an alternate reality, but although this series is fantastical (usually in the logic and reality of its settings and characters rather than a strange change in nature each episode!), it usually makes things happen for real, as outlandish as that can often be. It's become ever less grounded as the seasons have flashed by, so much so that almost anything could be possible - but I was thinking it wasn't real when he goes back to Club Roulette and then a guy starts fighting him for no reason. This is where I felt Chloe's script broke down (and spoiler alert, yes, it was all Chloe's plot, not some super villain - she'd make a great enemy for Superman in future, if she deemed it necessary!), with the grip on reality loosening almost completely. Where was he going with the girl with the dragon tattoo, Victoria? When she was shot I thought she was probably fine, just acting, another twist in the game - you'd think that he'd have gone somewhere other than the club where it all started when he came to, however. And then with the police, that seemed phoney right from the start - I hope the guys Chloe got to play those roles kept a low profile, I hear it's quite an offence to impersonate officers of the law! And then when the FBI man's telling Oliver that this supposed gang play this game on rich people, then suck their money dry, followed by him wanting Oliver to log into his account, well…

We can put Oliver's lack of suspicion down to bewilderment at the events that had happened to him, a shock to the system that had dragged him out of his slump of despair (nicely montaged in the opening scenes), straight into some kind of Indiana Jones film, or 'Buried' (though that film came out the following year, and being trapped in a coffin isn't an exclusive idea, anyway). From the first escape I thought this was going to be an ingenious series of puzzles Oliver would have to escape from, so I was mildly disappointed that he was soon out of the warehouse. It didn't immediately signal that the episode wasn't going to live up to the premise, however, as I quite enjoyed the fun little film night Lois had planned for her and Clark, with Clark having to keep making excuses for nibbles and drinks every time he needed to be out saving someone, which is always great to see. And I appreciated the contrast these domestic, social scenes made for Oliver's seeming life and death struggle, occurring at the same time. But even so, things did die down, and Clark helped him escape, even though his funds had been completely emptied. He had billions in that one account, and perhaps we were meant to think this was some kind of overarching access for all his individual accounts, because no one that rich would keep all his eggs in one basket, he'd have money invested in property, business, etc, so it couldn't have been true when Oliver says he's bankrupt! No one would even store that much money - if they had it, it'd be working for them. Okay, perhaps the interest was more than enough to justify it, but it gave the strong impression of dumbing down to keep things simple for a simple audience.

Then he decides to go back, and at the same time Lois is out looking for him, after a strange scene where they go to his place and she jumps straight on his computer and immediately finds a video of the night he almost committed suicide by stepping off the bomb platform, then blaming Clark for not telling her. This is where I felt the episode lost itself in the usual disappointing super soap strand of plotting, people shocked and whining at each other, and it was losing me. And yet again, it was odd that Queen goes back to Roulette, and Lois is a captive, he almost shoots her, but Victoria shoots at him, and then she runs off and gets trapped in an explosion in the next room… I guessed the answer mere moments before the mirrors turned round, that it was himself that the 'villain' had been referring to as the person Queen had destroyed, so while it wasn't a big reveal for me (even though it happened seconds later), I still thought it was a nice twist, though I didn't guess it was Chloe's doing, with the help of their Justice League mates. The fact we don't see any of the group, even though Oliver mentions how each one must have done this or that, really lets the episode down, making it seem cheap and missing something that it needed: a reunion where Oliver's morale is further boosted by his allies and friends. We could even have ended on a high and left it at that, which we did to a degree (with Green Arrow and The Blur standing together atop a skyscraper, with the intention of continuing their fight), but only in a small way.

I was also glad that the slightly boring subplot of the location of Kryptonian symbols/soldiers didn't play into it more than it did, revealing to the heroes they're around the globe (convolutedly by Clark noticing a symbol on the shoulder of someone he thought he'd beaten in a previous episode, on the footage of Oliver being forced to make his speech, and Clark asking Jor-El about it and reporting back), because we already knew it, so the good guys are playing catchup. It's not a plot I care about, I don't care that the new guy playing Zod, Callum Blue, has barely been in most of the episodes, because it just doesn't interest me, and Oliver's mental state actually was more interesting. But as a whole, even with Lois going all teary-eyed on Oliver, and him feeling a connection with her again, couldn't stop me from realising I'd rather enjoyed the story. It was beyond probable (how did Chloe recruit all these actors in her little charade, and why go to so much trouble when she could have had a serious talk with Oliver? - the second question's easier to answer: he needed a wakeup call to revive his life), but it had a positive, upbeat message, friends doing everything they could to help, and a greater sense of family. I hope Lois' tantrum over Clark never telling her about Oliver's brush with death on the bomb, won't become the next running theme, but as it stands, this is certainly the first episode of this season that I can comfortably say has worked for me. Just remember kids, never take sweets from strangers!

***

The Action

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (The Action)

Firstly, there's not a lot of action in 'The Action,' but that's probably because the action the title refers to is gambling action, and there is plenty of that kind of action. Once again, the motivating factor is another old family friendship of people we've never seen before, but the McDermott's are good friends with S&H, though maybe they aren't such good friends as all that, as Starsky hadn't seen Ellen since she was a fair bit younger (he and Hutch immediately start fighting over her in their usual way of undermining each other). Ted's in over his head with a dodgy gambling den run by Clay Hilliard, under cover of the legitimate Marlborough Health Club, and after he's worked over by the muscle (Ingie), S&H commit to taking their friend's enemy down. Vice has tried and failed, but they go in undercover anyway. Once again, I have to wonder why Hilliard has no idea of the identity of the two most famous cops in town - it's clear this is all happening within the city as Ted is taken to Memorial Hospital, so perhaps Hilliard isn't as informed about the area as he should be! Rather than play hicks or goofy flash Harrys, and in keeping with the more serious tone of the season, S&H play big spenders in the offshore oil business (we never hear their cover names) - rude, hard, but not that different from their real personalities. It's hard to imagine from this example what was to come in Season 4, with the undercover caricatures of 'Dandruff,' or how different they'd become from the dance club personas they took on in 'Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart' last season!

Being silly doesn't necessarily make things better, and can in fact make them seem ludicrous, but perhaps the balance was too far swung into blandness for this undercover escapade. It started promisingly enough, with Starsky's attitude, and Hutch's laid-back, but frosty approach, but it wasn't kept up, and they were soon getting excited and throwing dice around with abandon. The guy they really fooled was an easy target, poor Freddie a clear gambling addict that keeps going even though he knows he's going to lose wife, home and everything. He was a likeable character for them to interact with (and for whom they could do a good deed by telling him when to cash in his chips, though that was also part of the plan to get Hilliard to expose himself to their operation, and get a conviction), and a willing stooge for them to practice their high rolling credentials on, betting on everything from who could be first to get a drop of sweat to roll off their nose in the steam room, to the name of film stars' horses. It certainly fooled Freddie, delighted at their excess, though in reality they had only a little cash to play with. How they got their funds was a ridiculous twist - Starsky phones up Huggy at The Pits to reinforce the impression of his high-rolling lifestyle, and Hug takes his bet of a grand on Salty Babe seriously! The horse then loses Huggy his money, only the winner is disqualified and they win $18,000 to play with! I hope they gave Hug some of the winnings, even though he was a bit dopey not to catch on that Starsky was roleplaying. You'd think he'd be quicker on the uptake, but perhaps his mind's occupied with The Pits these days?

The story is pretty basic, although I liked the idea the villains use to keep the police from getting in on their action: the actual gaming table is situated in a lorry, and they take a drive to an abandoned warehouse to play parked up. It wouldn't have worked to play on the move, and they did a great job of simulating the jolting ride of a large vehicle in motion - I'm imagining they didn't really put a set in the back of a lorry and drive around as the logistics would have been too difficult compared to a set in a studio, and the step up didn't look high enough when they enter (searched for weapons by Ingie, it felt like 'Casino Royale,' except S&H weren't known to the villains - it might have been more interesting if they had known, and let them tag along anyway to get their money), and I'm sure they couldn't have got comfortable camera views from the real inside of a lorry, not to mention the fact we never look in the back of it and see the setup - whenever the doors are open, such as when S&H jump out, we see it from the side. The bad guys weren't that bad, and S&H have dealt with musclemen before (and dodgy health clubs, too, in 'Kill Huggy Bear'), so the only real threat was from the fact they couldn't take guns or wires in with them due to the metal detector (though Ingie just waved Starsky through without checking him!).

The impression of technology becoming ever present has been something fascinating to observe through the series - they started with massive radios and now have access to small wires, and security cameras have become more common (though I'm not sure most people would be comfortable with having one in a steam room, and it probably wouldn't do a lot of good for the equipment, either!), although either Starsky or Hutch questioned what it was when they saw it. Captain Dobey, who gets to go out on the road for a change, on the night trail tailing the lorry, and mentions he should probably get a helicopter up, so the force's technological capabilities were definitely improving. It might not have been such a good idea of their Vice associate, Hobart, to tell the truck driver of City Trucking Corp. (wonder if he knew Eddie from 'The Crying Child'?), who swerved out in front of them, that they were police, as it shows that they didn't think Hilliard had any brains, when he'd clearly outsmarted all previous attempts to convict him, and the driver was indeed a plant to bamboozle any attempts to track the lorry. You know Hilliard's a bad guy by the fact he has red curtains in his office, and as we all know, red is the colour of villainy in the S&H world (though Starsky might have something to say about that, regarding his car!). I should specify that red decor is the warning sign - I couldn't see whether Hilliard had the usual red carpet, too, but later in the episode you see that he does. And even the lorry is carpeted and draped in red! You'd think this would mean he was especially bad, but he's not so tough to take out in the end.

All it took were some rigged dice and the old trick of arguing with each other when they're forced to dig their own graves, then turning the shovels on their captors, which put me in mind of old Westerns. Maybe that was a deliberate homage, since John Carradine was in the cast list as a Special Guest Star, playing The Professor, who can help them with their underhanded gambling tactics, in between bouts of massage at Lana's Massage Parlour. He acted very defensive when S&H turned up, so perhaps he had a guilty conscience, or the parlour wasn't as legitimate as it could have been. Ginger was nothing to do with the characters of the same name in 'Death Notice,' 'Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart,' or 'The Committee' - it must be a common name! Talking of similar names, Ellen was played by Julienne Wells, but had nothing to do with the actress that played the Secretary in 'Nightmare,' though her name was Julian Wells. Victoria Ann Berry, however, had played two previous roles (in 'The Bounty Hunter' and 'The Las Vegas Strangler,' each a different character), this time as the Barmaid in the lorry. Gerry Black, the Sergeant who voices the opinion that Ted was worked over, had been a Policeman in 'The Plague Part I' (maybe it was the same character, promoted?), Hilliard actor Richard Venture had been in 'Snowstorm,' M. Emmet Walsh, as Freddie, had been downgraded from his Special Guest Star billing in 'Vendetta,' and best of all, the great Marc Alaimo was back for his third and final role in as many seasons (previously in 'The Bait' and 'Iron Mike'). Always good to see Gul Dukat of 'DS9' - even then he was playing nefarious types!

I thought I saw the bug-eyed man from various background appearances, one of the people on the lorry, though he was never in closeup so I couldn't be sure. And the grey-haired goon that runs along the side of the lorry with Hilliard to intercept S&H, was familiar, so he may have been part of the stunt team or a regular extra. The same may have been true of the actor that played Ingie, as everyone was credited at the end of the episode, even the little McDermott girl, except him! Either he was a stunt guy, or it was because he didn't have any lines so didn't need to have a credit, but it's odd when he was such a presence in the episode as the only real cause of concern among the villains, Eberly nothing more than a talker. Being in Season 3, there weren't a lot of references, connections or wacky characters (only The Professor, Ginger, and Freddie, a little), but Starsky warns Hobart, to leave his Dick Tracy comics at home - another authority figure for S&H to butt heads with, whom they instantly dislike, though it's clear this isn't their first dealings with him! The film 'Casablanca' is mentioned (Starsky didn't do his Bogart impression, sadly), as is Gene Autry (again), and Tonto. I would even count the Shakespeare reference, as The Professor speaks of 'the Bard.' As frequently seems to happen, the episode ends on a rushed note - just enough time to let us know everything's wrapped up, with Starsky playing cards with Ellen and the little girl. I wish these end scenes were utilised a little better to give us something good, rather than such a brief backhanded conclusion - 'Manchild On The Streets' managed to do something more satisfying.

So another average episode, perhaps felt more keenly after 'Manchild,' and although it's not like the other seasons were consistently good, they weren't, or even that this episode was humourless, because it wasn't, it's just that the story didn't have much to recommend it, the characters didn't all work as well as they sometimes do (give Ingie more villainy, maybe put Ellen's life at risk, who came across as a bit limp, and show Hilliard as more than just another villainous business type), and there wasn't much of a heart to proceedings, with Ted pretty much unimportant to the story, and, since this is the only time we've seen him, not very important to us in consequence. His wife's concern helped draw us in a little, and it was good to see Dobey and Huggy get marginally better use, but it's one of those episode that gives the impression it's running a little bit on autopilot - middle of the season, there's been some good episodes, but more verve was needed, perhaps. M. Emmet Walsh helped in this regard, with his funny, but real, energy, and it's not a bad episode with occasional examples of good direction (the shot moving round the side of the lorry as Hilliard and goons run round, was a stand out), but one that could have been more, though the story didn't give it much room to excel.

**

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

cinema, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) film

Having bashed out my thoughts after coming back from seeing the film, I planned to go through and edit them after a little more thought, time for the film to sit cogitating at the back of my mind. This worked for 'Interstellar,' which for a good week afterwards was often on my mind, but I think it's telling that with this film I never thought much about it afterwards. This is a shame, but it may be I'm expecting too much from this type of film - it's considered a popcorn experience, almost a ride to go on and then be forgotten. Except that's not how I felt about the first two, and even, to an extent, the third, which did stay with me, and I didn't have to struggle to recall the events and the story. Not to say my views have changed, I still think 'Rogue Nation' was a fairly enjoyable continuation of a film series I've liked for fifteen years, I just hope that the already-announced sixth film is more memorable and stylish, with a stronger ending. Having since found out that the ending was altered during shooting because they weren't happy with it, I have to say that it feels that way. I'm glad that there wasn't a stereotypical Ethan on bad guy fight as a climax (they couldn't top the desperate chase, ridiculously over the top motorbike charge and martial arts battle on the beach of 2, or the mad events atop a train in 1, as evidenced by both 3 and 4 having lacklustre final fights with either a baddie that was an intelligent opponent rather than a fighter, or an old man that Ethan struggles with at the parking garage), but neither was there a satisfying conclusion, though I can see they were trying to show the team were important when they face the enemy on all sides. But more on the end later…

I didn't used to think we'd get to a fifth film, it just wasn't something I considered likely since it was so long between each instalment, and Cruise isn't getting any younger (he's almost not apparently getting any older, either!). Not until they announced shortly after 'Ghost Protocol' that another film would be coming and it would be out quicker than the usual five year gap (1996-2000, 2000-2006, 2006-2011, 2011-2015), back to only a four year wait. On the other hand, knowing that 'Mission: Impossible' wasn't dead and, a sure bet to return, and added to the fact that 4 was a letdown, I didn't think much about it - my mission, should I choose to accept it, was whether to visit the cinema or wait for the DVD (as I did with 3). Nor did I keep my ear to the ground for bits of news, pay attention to the trailer, or even listen out for its release. It was just a wait and see job, although a couple of weeks before it came out, for some reason I got in the mood to see more 'M:I' and began to look forward to it, if only in small part. I didn't have high expectations, nor any expectations, I was just grateful the series continued, and that Ethan and Luther would be back. I wasn't keen on Benji and Brandt returning, as I've made clear in my 'M:I4' review, I'm not a fan of either the actors or the characters they play, in this or other franchises (Marvel, Trek, Bourne).

So that's where my thoughts were, if I had any: we knew from last time and the success 4 had, that that team would be returning, or at least Renner and Pegg would be, not Paula Patton as Carter. I can see the logic there, you want at least one new person, I suppose, but I was hoping she'd return and would have preferred Renner or Pegg to be replaced. Renner was set to take on the stunt reins from the ageing Cruise, and Pegg had already snatched the role of friendship and tech wizardry from Ving Rhames' Luther, so already there was a slight problem. But I was looking forward to how the team would interact with Luther back, and to what connections they might include to previous films in the series. To this end I was much disappointed (or I would have been if I'd allowed myself expectations), that we didn't see Hunt's wife, or have any mention of her. The only reference you could point to as an indirect influence, was that Hunt and Ilsa Faust, the disavowed British Intelligence operative whom he finds himself both working with and against, have a chaste friendship, which isn't the norm in this kind of film, and was one of the positives. If Hunt hadn't been married you would have had something going on between them, and you could read a slight undertone in her performance that she likes this guy, but he doesn't react to her because he's married, but if you didn't know that you might wonder at his atypical restraint and professionalism.

We really should have seen Julia, and I genuinely expected after first seeing 4 that she'd play a big role in 5, just because she's part of his life and so why wouldn't such a big role figure into the new plot? But they went the opposite route, ignoring her entirely, his IMF life completely separate from his home life, and here we're just seeing the IMF life in action (and to be fair, I probably did complain a little when they went down the route of seeing his home life in 3, as it took away from the heroic side). A phone call or mention from one of the other characters would have been enough, but she was irrelevant to the plot, and might confuse new viewers if she was suddenly talked about. So no Julia. But also no characters from any other films! I'm not counting Ethan or Luther, they're the stars of the show, but in 4 we had the arms dealer that lights cigarettes from the first film, as a great little Easter egg - yes, it didn't improve the story, but created a jolt of appreciation that the 'canon' was being recalled, in a series where every film is (supposed), to be very different thematically and stylistically. All we had were references to the infiltration of CIA HQ from 1, and the Kremlin from 4 - Hunley's role the perfect place to bring in a grizzled old Kitridge, or his underling from 1, perhaps Anthony Hopkins, even Laurence Fishburne. I thought the IMF was a branch of the American secret service, FBI or CIA, because Kitridge says in 1 that they taught them to be ghosts, etc. Here there's clear delineation, Hunley trying to shut IMF down, although it's spun at the end as a plan to smoke out the villain, when Hunley realises IMF's value. Hunt (or anyone else), never even assumed 'the position' (limbs outstretched), a visual hallmark in every film, unless you count when he's swirling around inside the cooling tank…

For much of the film I was left waiting for the team to start working together, because Luther, at first, seems like he's in just a cameo again with his minor assistance in the first mission, taking an age for them all to get together. Even then, Luther, I realised sadly, has become redundant. He was Ethan's friend and co-agent, the technical genius who could do anything with a computer, but since 4, Benjamin Dunn has taken over both those roles - he stands up to Ethan when he wants to send him home, and is markedly less irritating in general, but at the same time, I don't care about Benji and his quest to become a proper agent, which he achieved at the end of 4 - what I care about is the friendship of Hunt and Stickell, and that isn't explored except in the briefest of surface moments: Luther warns Brandt how loyal he is to Ethan, and if he ever shows the slightest sign of not being on the same side, it's not going to go well for him! Shame he wasn't around to see Brandt seemingly turn against Hunt (though actually he wasn't, it was a twist). Similarly, Luther helps Benji when he can't handle it, and every time he does anything more than standing around, it's great to have him, his distinctive, gruff voice such a part of this franchise. But in truth, the actor is twice the man he was (physically), and sadly people do age, Tom Cruise notwithstanding.

Maybe he can't run around so much, but he could have been included a lot better than he was, as more than just a spare wheel, there because they could get him. I'm still not sure why he wasn't properly in 4, but I am pleased that he was part of the team this time, even a minor part that was barely used. Switch Pegg and Rhames and things would have clicked a lot better for me - tell me Luther's life is in danger and it means something, especially as you'd think they might well kill him off, but Benji doesn't mean much, so his life being threatened is less dramatic, even if he is always the underdog we're supposed to root for. I entertained the thought that this might be Cruise's last appearance, perhaps dying tragically to save someone, but I'm so glad that didn't happen, because the film would have been unworthy of it - 3 was the last in the series I consider to be a properly good film, and I could have borne Hunt's death in that one, as it even seemed likely and imminent, and would have fitted with Philip Seymour Hoffman's excellent Owen Davian, a villain worthy of Hunt, to get this parting victory, though I don't believe the series could have continued without Cruise in some form (perhaps flashbacks, etc). However, when the films aren't that great I'm just happy the world continues, because you never know, one day they might make another fantastic film in the franchise to rival 2 and 1.

The truth is that Cruise is ageing and he won't be an action star forever - fortunately he's agreed to a sixth, but I have the feeling that could be the last, although some people, like Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis and Liam Neeson have made a career out of old action men, so who knows? As long as he stays fit and active and has the appetite to carry out the daring and imaginative stunts that drew him to the series in the first place, and as long as people want to see them, they'll keep doing them. 2016 may be the year they film it, which could mean it comes out for 2017 or 2018, an incredibly quick turnaround for the standards of the series (a mere 2-3 years!), though as this film felt more like the pilot to a TV series, and one I could have watched on DVD as comfortably as at the cinema, perhaps TV would be just as well for the future of it? I could imagine Cruise as a Jim Phelps role, the old Ethan masterminding the missions with a limited run of several TV films… The stunts are, I believe, what Cruise loves about the films, because he likes to do his own and the only image I had of the film before going in was that of him hanging off the side of an airplane for real. Knowing that, made the stunt much more impressive, although I was surprised it was at the very beginning of the film as I assumed it would be deep within the story.

One complaint I have about the recent films, 3 onwards, is that, because they're all by Bad Robot, JJ Abrams and his minions, they're not diverse enough: look at 1 and 2 (and 3), which are so different in tone and style, from directing to music. I couldn't tell you the director, I'll have to look it up (Christopher McQuarrie) - before going in I'd heard the name, but promptly forgot it, and don't even recall seeing it on screen! I like that they have a different director each time, but it needs to be a fully confident, probably well known creative with a specific visual style, as De Palma and Woo had. With Abrams it was like a step down and we've never had a big name director since. Same with the music - the first two films had wildly different versions of the theme, but these last three have let me down. And I'm so disappointed that they don't have the theme pound out during the action - I assumed it was Michael Giacchino who does one good theme in his films, then the rest is vanilla wallpaper, which is a real lack in the tapestry of the film, but checking the credits I see it was a Joe Kraemer, so obviously his style wasn't in any way distinctive. The bike chase would have been so much cooler (as well directed as it was, with a good impression of speed and risk - I was bothered when Hunt was safe inside a comfy car in the chase, thinking he should be on a bike, even though he used the car to great effect, so I was pleased he did get in on bike chase, too), if the theme had belted out, but I suppose these days it would be considered cheesy to do stuff like that. I wanted him to pick up the shades as the visual cue he was about to do something reckless and exciting, then the music kicks in and he roars off - that's the trouble with many modern films, they shy away from heroic actions too much, perhaps considering them cliche or silly, but to me risky heroics and self-sacrifice are what makes them worth watching.

Hunt was heroic, but there wasn't much of him sacrificing ease for keeping people alive. Not entirely, because he does risk his life and fails in the cooling tank, having to be rescued by Ilsa, even though I don't need to see the main character rescued by a woman to reinforce equality, it was well staged and she was terrific. At least the stupidity and things falling apart to make people look more laughable than heroic was kept to a minimum, even if I feel 'M:I' is its own thing and shouldn't follow the Bourne/Bond mould of more realism. It should be flamboyant and over the top, dignified, but cool, and perhaps the realistic nature has been taken too far in the recent films. But at least this time it isn't about gadgets failing or Cruise's failings being something to laugh at, as they were in 4. Things do go wrong, but the best moments are when we see the heroes adapt. Case in point, the sequence I felt was the cleverest of the film: faced with an impossible situation of two assassins about to take out a high-ranking official at the opera, Hunt can't take them both down, so he… shoots their target himself! That made me smile. It shows quick-thinking, wits, and ingenuity, as well as his willingness to take risks, not to mention marksmanship expertise (reminding me of 3 - how many bullets do you have left? Enough [shoots one bullet, hits target]). It's a surprise, and I don't often get that in films any more! It didn't matter that Ilsa planned to do the same thing, grazing a flesh wound to knock him out the way, it was just a great solution. In a lesser way I liked Hunt's escape from the pole he's cuffed to, Ilsa throwing him the keys, then he pulls himself upside down and shimmies up the pole upside down in order to pull his arms over the top - an incredible show of agility for a man in his fifties!

That was something else I liked about the film, it confounded my expectation that Brandt would be taking over the stunt side of things, as he's in the senior, coordinating role that I assumed Hunt would take after 4. I forgot that Cruise makes the films because of the stunts, so why would he let Renner take the glory and the fun. For his part, Renner gets a main role in a successful franchise, though I'd be more than happy for Brandt to vanish and never be seen again, like Julia, or all the one-shot wonders that played team member roles in the other films. I'd have loved at least one of them to have been recalled in some way - maybe get the chinese character from 3 back (if only Thandie Newton hadn't turned down the opportunity to return for 3, things might have been so very different!). With every film shifting locations and characters you never get a sense of home or place for Hunt and friends to inhabit. Saying that, I was delighted that London was a major location - just as seeing Bourne walk through London Paddington train station was a great novelty, it's good to see Hunt in front of Tower Bridge or the Tower of London. But I felt they really missed a trick in this whole part of the film, and sadly the last third was the weakest.

They've broken into Langley, they've infiltrated a villain's island lair and the top secret skyscraper of a major company, then they did the Vatican and the Kremlin. What could they do next? Oh, we need to kidnap the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Wow! How cool and exciting could this be? Oh, they just walk into an ornate hall, have a little chat, then shoot a dart at the PM. How disappointing. Kidnapping the PM could have been incredible, evading MI5 and MI6 (how I wish they'd retained numbers in the title instead of dull subtitles -they could have tied it into British Intelligence, and in 6, a crossover with Bond, maybe? No, it wouldn't happen, but a similar character to Bond, perhaps…). They could have used the Tower of London as a base after having to do a daring break-in… They'd have to be careful not to dent the PM's dignity in the interest of international relations, but the possibilities were immense! I can't say I liked the casting of Tom Hollander in the role, because after watching him in 'Rev.' everything he says and does is coloured by that, and it was worsened by the Dean (or whatever he was), Simon McBurney as costar, the other top-ranking English role, Atlee, head of intelligence! How can you take those two seriously, interacting as they did, after seeing them in the comedy series?! It also made the British secret service look very old-fashioned and uncool, old men in horn-rimmed glasses, while the Americans are casual and stylish! Perhaps a purposeful dig at one of their rivals, the Bond films?

The masks. I always have to comment on these, because they're so integral to making a great story, but it's another of those things that Abrams and his team seem to treat as a bit of a joke, another cliche that doesn't deserve respect of being used intelligently. Yes, they were used (once in Benji's imagination of finally getting to wear one - you can bet he'll do it in 6; and second, Hunt's impersonation of Atlee), but never in a really clever, impressive way that makes you go "Aah, I see." So we have most of the elements of the series (Luther, masks, the theme), but none of them are used effectively, and now we've gathered up other recurring elements that could just as well be shed, or how will we get new characters? It's like Cruise was driving a super car in the first one that, modded and souped up in 2, then got slightly dented in 3 and has never been to the garage for a tune up since. He likes this old car and keeps driving around in it, but although there are fluffy dice dangling from the rear view mirror, and maybe new alloy wheels, it's looking more and more dented. I missed the camaraderie of 2 and 3, with Luther and Hunt never really getting a moment together, Hunt's real connection being with Benji now, and Ilsa, for this film. I can't imagine Luther ever getting his position back, and I suspect he won't be in 6 if they do get rid of somebody, because he's just a weighty guy in the background that can also do computer tricks, and that thick accent and cool demeanour weren't used anywhere near their full potential.

The villains have been hit and miss (my ranking would be Sean Ambrose, Owen Davian, Jim Phelps, Soloman Lane, then that other guy), with 4 finally getting a weak opponent after three good ones, and now this. Lane wasn't as boring as the old guy from 4, and as I said, I was so relieved it didn't end in a punch out between Hunt and Lane, (or Brandt and Lane, or even Dunn and Lane!), trapped in a glass cubicle (what happened to the bullet impacts that he fired into the glass - in the closeup after he's finished firing, you can't see them any more!), triumphantly surrounded on all sides by IMF agents. He was mean and nasty, it's true, killing the IMF substation girl, and his own guard because Ilsa made a fool of him by getting his gun (and I must say, her signature move of snapping the legs round the neck of her opponents to bring them down was most impressive and gave her a little more character), and strapping a bomb to Benji, but, like the guy in 4, his motives were nebulous, more about the impression his organisation has made than showing what they've done - I thought it was a mistake for Hunt to unlock $50 million for him as an example of what he could get from the list of secret funds for the Syndicate, because that's still a weighty sum. He relied on the man's greed, which proved correct.

Cold and calculating, Lane just wasn't very characterful, so another thumbs down in the baddie department, although there were a couple of Bond-type sub-baddies for Ethan to tackle, the best being in the gantry fight above the opera (Kagan), as well as The Bone Doctor, taken out by knife fight with Ilsa. She was a good character, intriguing and with more to her than the female leads in 3 and 4, though the director did his best to leer at her whenever possible, which wasn't really in the spirit of the film. There was very little bad language, and the action was, regrettably, of the 'shake the camera and hope nobody sees what's going on' school of action filming, where I prefer to see or get an impression of action, in order for people to be seen as impressive in what they can do. There were little things I liked, such as Hunt's sketching ability being useful again, and it was interesting that Hunt is assumed to be foolproof and never likely to need any help, something of a downside for a spy working in a team, because no one's perfect! Luther says Ethan can take care of himself and Benji talks about the cooling tank mission as difficult, but he'll be fine, because they've seen what Ethan can achieve. Good job Ilsa didn't take that attitude or Hunt would have been a dead man! There were also little niggles like Benji, clearly an Englishman, using Americanisms (like closet for wardrobe, or cupboard, as an example), which with a very few tweaks wouldn't have mattered.

For the most part it was an acceptable instalment let down by some scripting issues, the ending, and failing to fully live up to the first third or so, of the film. It didn't take the routes I'd dreaded after seeing 4, but neither did it pull off anything dramatically different, and I always get tired of seeing people say each new film is 'the best one yet.' I'll be intrigued to see where they go with 6, whether they do bring back this accumulating cast (my advice: drop Benji and Brandt, keep Ilsa and Luther, get one or two new people, and bring back Julia), and whether they can sustain the intelligence and swift action that they managed to do for part of the time here. Will I go and see the next one at the cinema? Tough one, I think I'd need to know a little more about the cast and how much they get to do, but at least I feel a little more interested than I did when I came out of 'Ghost Protocol.' Oh, and that's another thing, what about calling it 'M:I5'? If not, at least give us a strong subtitle!

**

R: Racing

GameCube, R: Racing (2004) game

First impressions were of a competent racer, if a little bland, with a girl gamer-pleasing, female-focused (sometimes a little too much for good taste in the cutscenes!), story mode in 'Racing Life,' perhaps to counter the argument that too many games were based around a male character. But I have to admit, this did make me less drawn in to the story, perhaps because I'm used to there either being no real narrative to racing games, or for them to be male-focused. I wasn't particularly impressed with the game, as it seemed a little too easy (I played it on the medium difficulty, 'Normal'), and before long I'd polished off the story mode, which, to me, seemed to be just getting going when it suddenly stops. Game over, or so I thought. To concentrate on that for a moment, I was intrigued by the innovations, namely the Pressure Meter, used as a visual aid to show the pressure you were heaping on the opponent car in front of you, and which if forced to the maximum would cause this car to lose control, often spinning it out or making it drive off the road. This gave you a sense of power, and also a reason not to just ram cars and rush right on, especially in the sense of the game being too easy - it gave you something else to aim for, if winning wasn't enough, how about pressuring every other car and winning maximum pressure points?

The other innovation was a hit and miss affair, although it again made you feel more immersed in the experience as you clearly had an effect on proceedings: the radio chatter. This would come in either advice or encouragement (or reprimand), from your manager, Stephan, or in insults or surprise from your race opponents (I didn't appreciate being sworn at, something I wouldn't normally have expected in a Nintendo title!), and was context sensitive: depending on what action you took, the response would be different. It was a hit for the immersion, but a miss for the irritation and repetition after you'd played it for a while, and it was never used to its full potential. For example, in one of the latter races you were ordered by Stephan on the last lap, to place second, even if you were leading the pack, and if you disobeyed you'd fail the chapter. This created all kinds of moral conundrums, but pretty soon after this shocking experience, the game's completed, when I was expecting, having won my opponent's respect and a future with Stephan and GVI, that the game would really begin in earnest and I'd be doing a lot more racing. Well, I was right, but also wrong.

Though the 'Racing Life' ends abruptly, the game still has much to offer in the 'Event Challenge' mode. I couldn't help noticing how low a percentage of the game I'd completed (another reason I thought the story would be continuing), until I realised that to get 100% (more on this later), I'd need to unlock all the cars and win Events. 'Event Challenge' was where I grew to like the game and appreciate it more, the old tactic of the addiction of completion. I can't say the game was ever addictive, but the meagre percentage points for each win spurred me on. I don't feel that the game was very clear in a lot of ways. Not just the confusing expectations of the story ending so soon, but also in exactly how to go about getting all the cars and how much you needed to win in the Events - Sometimes your percentage complete score increased (usually by only 0.2 or 0.3%), but sometimes not. And once I'd earned enough Reward Points to purchase all the available cars (an easy way to do this was to complete one of the stopping challenges in Extras which could net you around 20,000 for a few seconds work), I still had some frustrating empty silhouettes in my Garage. Eventually I realised you had to replay chapters in 'Racing Life' with these cars to win them. It also took me a while to realise you had to play Events with specific cars or car types before you would be eligible to win a higher medal. Maybe I'm just slow, but it didn't seem obvious! I also failed to realise that once Gold was achieved you couldn't unlock more percentage for winning on Silver or Bronze, and that it was by playing 'Racing Life' (yet again!), on 'Hard' that my last remaining points were won.

I say last remaining, but actually I was only ever able to get a 99.8% score, that elusive 0.2% seemingly impossible, as there were two last Event races where you were forced to use a weak car, but were placed against impossibly fast competition. I assumed there must be a way to do it, and even discovered that the majority of the opponent selection was random, so if you kept restarting the race you'd eventually get up to four other slow cars to compete with. Unfortunately, there was always one souped up vehicle making catching up with them an impossibility. Having a look on the internet I found a good FAQ by kickle88 on gamefaqs.com which explained things (recommended if you need assistance), and if someone who would go to the trouble of making such a detailed guide wasn't able to get 100% I didn't feel bad about it: "I have found no solution to win the Gold in Event Challenge-Single Race 44 and 52. To do this you can use the Fiat 500 and the Renault Alpine, both Privateer Class. The problem is that you have to compete against a RUF RGT of GT Class 1! As you can see by yourself, even upgrading to STEP 2 these cars the gap is insuperable… On a french forum about the game they said that probably this is a debug of the PAL version, while in the USA and JAP version you compete against Privateer Class cars only." This is frustrating, as such a bug shouldn't have been allowed on a Nintendo console, but that's the way it goes - I spent a fair amount of time trying to win those two, but in the end I had to agree that it was not remotely possible - I'd hoped that changing the opponent selection (as mentioned above), might make a difference, perhaps with enough slow cars, the leader would crash, but no chance!

Another aspect of the game that was troubling was the throwing of that race I mentioned, your manager ordering you to let the other guy win. It wasn't so much that you had to throw the race, as that could have developed into an interesting side plot with your ambition and drive to succeed being affected by qualms about the management and what they were making you do. No, my problem with it was that nothing came of the situation. You obey the order (because you have no choice, otherwise you can't progress), but it's never mentioned again, and it never happens again. Being given specific instructions on what to do mid-race is an exciting concept and could have been extended - perhaps you need to do the next lap in a certain time to settle an argument, or a car's in trouble and you have to reach a certain point to help it, or maybe even ram off the road a dangerous driver who's ruining the race. There are many possibilities, but for there to never be any real consequences to your actions undermined it and showed that the moral side wasn't even considered.

After initial play I would have called the game a fairly average racer, but playing it over and over in Event or replaying the story, I came to like it about as much as 'Need For Speed Underground,' which had a similar mix of racing styles. It didn't look as good as that game, with many tracks having a slightly bland visual style, when it could easily have been vibrant (look at 'Burnout 2' as an example), but I did come to appreciate it more. The music was, as with all racing games, a mere annoyance to be shut off, but the selection screens were nice enough. The game helped me realise what type of racing I like best, thanks to its varied race and car types, from road racing, to drag racing, to rallying, to F1-type courses, it covers a range of disciplines. I'd never really realised how much I prefer the slip and scramble of rallying to the precise, corner-hugging of road racing, and although there are a good number of tracks, I could have done with a few more. Leaving aside the flaw in completion and my own lack of understanding in certain areas, where I could accuse the game of not being clearer, I would say it's a worthwhile racer for the GameCube. Maybe a bit repetitive (I never bothered to try out the 'Time Trial,' 'Arcade' or 'Vs' modes, as playing it without the satisfaction of completion didn't inspire me), when you have to replay and replay the same tracks or scenarios, but a few Events gave satisfying challenge (such as some of the Time Trials, which were tough), and the drive for completion got me through the easier bits, making it, overall, a good experience.

***

Manchild On The Streets

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (Manchild On The Streets)

Another episode to support the theory that the third season had a more serious approach, but this time in a good way, like 'The Crying Child.' Funnily enough, this also deals with childhood issues, this time adolescence and maturity, the difficult period in a young boy's life when he has to make tough choices and grow up. This would have been enough for poor Junior to cope with without his Daddy getting shot by a white cop, stirring up racial tension and lifting the lid on bigotry and perhaps even police brutality into the bargain. Bigotry is an interesting word as it's slightly more general and removed compared to the word racism, which cuts right to the heart of the issue, pinpointing the problem more directly. Perhaps 'bigot' was a term more widely used in the seventies than the 'isms' that took over, but whatever the reason, Officer Raymond T. Andrews is never labelled a racist, but is considered a bigot, which is an interesting distinction. At first he appears just a young, gung-ho rookie straight out of the academy, his lack of experience adding to his overenthusiastic desire to gain commendation in the force. To be fair, the car that Jackson Walters rides in with Walter T., sorry, Dewey, was the car used in the store holdup (they didn't need ANPR to know that), and Dewey was breaking the law with his drinking and driving (though I get the impression such rules were rather more lax than they are today - even Jackson doesn't bother with a seatbelt!), and it was partly his refusal to stop that raised the infraction to a pursuit. Added to Andrews' greenness and that he allowed his blood to be fired up, and we have the makings of the tragedy.

I'm not saying it wasn't Andrews' fault, but I think there was a little blame to be spread around: for one, his partner, who clearly was an experienced officer, didn't do anything to guide or instruct his young partner, he just let him get on with it, supporting him with gun drawn. Now that's not entirely wrong of him, they were facing men which for all they knew, had been involved in the firearms incident at the store, where Maurice threatened the owner by pretending he had a gun in his pocket, so they weren't taking any chances. And Clayborne couldn't have known that Andrews would fire on an unarmed man who was slowly approaching with his hands in the air. You can also point to Dewey's selfishness at running away rather than realising the game was up, leaving his mate behind. No blame can fall at the feet of Jackson, who was only trying to prevent a tragedy by standing in the line of fire, protecting his no-good buddy, and he couldn't have been expected to act much calmer than he did. No, Andrews must take the lion's share of the responsibility, but even then if he'd simply owned to shooting too quickly (possibly prompted not just by Jackson's approach, but also by frustration at not having a clear sight on the man who was driving and now escaping), meekly accepting he was in the wrong, the tension might have been slightly lessened and his position might not have been quite as wrong as it was. But he tries to defend his actions, claiming he felt his life threatened, when in truth he was over eager (he could have fired into the air as Starsky did to warn and discourage the fleeing felon in 'Pariah' who wouldn't stop for him, only then aiming for the guy), his partner had him covered, and the man held only empty hands in the air.

What I found most interesting about the whole situation was Captain Dobey's position regarding the incident. He's in what could be considered a precarious position, when black men at the top weren't as common in those days, but he refuses to sacrifice Andrews on the altar of race relations, his professionalism winning out over any loyalty to race or colour, only to the truth - I love the way he responds so sarcastically to Vivian Fellers, the witness, who still thinks in terms of factions, as if Dobey is selling out 'their' faction, brother, when in fact he's proving that a Captain in the police force has no faction, sister, there to uphold the law and make sure his men do the same. Having had the experience of being on the streets (something we don't tend to hear about, unfortunately), he knows what decisions can go down in those important seconds. So he won't throw one of his cops to the wolves, he awaits the due procedure of an investigation. I would have liked to have seen more of what Andrews experienced in the process, and what happened to him, because I don't think we ever heard if his suspension became permanent dismissal from the service - you could have seen him learn from the mistake, even though the price of that experience was too high. If we'd even had the impression that he regretted his actions, had remorse, it would have been something, but he wasn't one of the main characters, or even one of the main guest characters, he was a means to set up the story and explore the world through Junior's eyes.

In a different move, the credits were 'Introducing' Brian Whitley as Junior, so he must have been new to the acting profession. In some ways I could tell that he wasn't the most fully formed actor because he came across as a bit withdrawn and not as engaged or 'real' as perhaps most do, but this actually suited the character: he's already lost his Mother, living with his Grandma, Father and lodger Dr. Sammie Mason (whom I at first thought was his sister, then Jackson's sister, until I realised she was just renting a room from them!), and is going through the struggles of finding his place in the world. Already he's started on a bad path, out on the streets, being given drugs, and mixing easily with those that have already gone too far, like Maurice, and as terrible a thing as his Father dying is, ultimately it causes the growth and activates the maturity inside that sets him back on the right path. It's a powerful arc for a minor character, a guest of the week, especially in a series like this in the seventies, and despite the impression of detachment in the character or actor, he does a magnificent job of convincing as a young lad that has to grow up too fast. Maurice was quite the opposite, the actor was very natural, and as soon as you see him shuffling and staggering down the street, probably high, you know he's bad news.

Maurice was a dangerous influence on Junior, he thought nothing of pretending to carry a gun, steal cars or rob the pharmacy at the hospital - he was what Junior could have turned into, and seemed like a friend, but was really the worst person to help sort out his life, being already too far gone himself. It would be no surprise if it had been Maurice who had been shot after being stopped by police, because catch him in the right mood and you can imagine him pulling his fake gun racket and ending up dead. His baby face wouldn't have saved him eventually, so it was probably for the best that S&H caught him, and he had to stand trial for the store holdup (I loved how the woman on duty flew into a rage, and rather than be cowed by his threatening behaviour, she started fighting back by hurling groceries at him!). It's telling that it's only now that I come to mentioning S&H, since their role in the story is antithetical to their usual level of involvement - this time they're trying not to be cops. We see them from the start acting in the same way as Junior and his Dad, the four of them having a friendly game of basketball, and we learn that they're friends of the family (though I do wish things could be a little less episodic sometimes, and that we'd have been able to see the family before, like they did with Kiko, for example - it wouldn't have made the events more emotional, but it would have solidified their friendship with Jackson).

I wasn't entirely sure if Hutch was the good friend, and Starsky had got to meet them through him, or the other way round, or even if they both met the family through their police work, as there wasn't much backstory that I picked up on, though the informal, relaxed atmosphere of Mrs. Walters' kitchen was a lovely departure for the series, with people talking over each other, milling around and generally seeming like an extended family. Into the midst of this happiness falls the sledge hammer of reality as Jackson loses his temper at Junior when he wants to go off to the street - I got the impression that he'd put it behind him, at least for the present moment, so as not to ruin the meal and start his shift in a bad mood, but Junior's wish to rush off ends that plan. It's nice that Starsky is the one who has the bond with the lad and who tries to talk to him on his level, both when he's been accused by his Father, and when he's heard the news of his Father's death. Hutch's scenes tend more to the police work that has to be carried out, recording the witness statement of Vivian, the most biting and angry witness he's probably had to deal with (Helen Martin does a brilliant job of it, too, very similar to the performance she gave as Nellie in Season 2's 'The Committee' - it's as if whenever they want a character to be distrustful and resentful towards the police they get her in!). But the episode really does belong to Junior, or Jackson as he takes on his Father's role and name in accepting what's happened.

S&H continue the theme of not being police officers when they go to apprehend Junior and Maurice at the pharmacy - it's a delicate situation, as, if Sammie doesn't inform the (this time Midway), hospital that her keys were taken, she could easily be booted out, being only an intern. Yet if S&H can sort the mess out unofficially they can save Jackson Junior from going to prison. In the end the truth has to come out thanks to the destruction of a good number of drugs by the thieving pair, chucking stuff into a bag willy-nilly, and then Jackson having to smack Maurice with it (no doubt smashing some bottles inside), to stop him hurting Sammie, which he unwisely chooses to take as a hostage using his no-gun trick again. Jackson stands up to him, and with good character references from S&H, no doubt, and the fact that the hospital didn't press charges, he's fortunate not to be convicted. When he stands up in Dobey's office after the invitation to go with S&H to his Father's funeral, he's come full circle, having learned lessons and choosing to face the future rather than run away and hide. Starsky's great line: "That's what funerals are all about: paying some respect to love," is one of several that stood out, showing that not only was it a well acted, well thought out story, it was well written, too. Jackson's line, "Do you know how to make a black Mother comfortable after a white cop just shot her black son?" was another memorable moment, although the one I always remember, and stands out most for me is Mrs. Walters when she shows she's not the bitter, reproachful type, saying "God don't give you more'n you can handle."

Grandma Walters was one of the best characters of the piece, the terrible moment when S&H have to tell her what's happened to her son such a real and affecting moment, far more than if she'd just burst into tears. I know what it's like to tell someone that one of the family's died, and it's not an easy thing to do, but it's scenes like this that raise the episode a bar above the average, and make it one I always look forward to seeing again. It's helped by the direction, David Soul returning to that role after debuting with last season's 'Survival,' though for some reason he only got one slot this year where Paul Michael Glaser got two. I've mentioned before that I think Soul's direction was better suited to the series because it was a little more subtle and he wasn't trying to be too artistic, something which hog-tied a lot of Glaser's directorial work on the series, but at the same time, his style wasn't in your face (except one moment when it literally does focus on Starsky's sleeping face longer than necessary!), but he did try things out - the basketball game, though perhaps a little long, again, was well shot in handheld style. It does draw attention to itself a little because handheld wasn't common on the series, and we didn't often get a scene of leisure that didn't have much to do with the plot, but I liked the slight indulgence in that opening. Yes, he could have cut to Jackson finding his son's pills more quickly, but it made a nice to change to see S&H just having fun with friends (especially as Huggy's a no-show, probably not wanting to get too many friends of S&H when the focus was tightly on the story).

I also liked the shot where Starsky walks away from Mrs. Walters, the camera lingering on her tearful face as he disappears into the shadows behind. It's clear Soul was a natural Director. Another shot that worked well for me was the actual shooting, with the impact shown in slow motion as Jackson falls to the ground, emphasising the shock and horror of what had happened. There were other shots that stood out rather than melting you into the story, because they were more than functional, but nothing as strongly attention-grabbing as some of Glaser's ideas in the episodes he directed, reinforcing my appreciation of Soul's ability. It helped that he had such a good story, which, although it doesn't touch on every aspect (for example, was there the possibility of riots in the black community, in outrage at the treatment of one of their number, which would have just as much resonance now - because we don't really get a resolution on the investigation there's no sign of what other effects this miscarriage had on the city), it zooms in on one family and one member of that family, and shows his reactions, ending with probably the most sombre and serious final scene, that was also hopeful and optimistic.

This might gain the record for most previously used actors on the series, with five returnees! As well as Helen Martin as Vivian, Officer Clayborne was played by Chuck Hicks who'd been Cronin in 'Death Notice' (and I can't help but wonder if he was also a member of the stunt team, as there's often somebody looking a bit like him in the background or small roles, though this was only his second credit in the series). Fuddle Bagley (what a great name!), as Dewey, had also been in 'Huggy Bear and The Turkey' from Season 2, playing Walter T. Baker, once again providing what little humour there was in his confusion over how his car could have moved down the street (though he didn't give up the booze!). Dorothy Meyer, who gave such a strong performance as Mrs. Walters, had also been Mrs. Marlowe in 'Starsky And Hutch Are Guilty,' and J. Jay Saunders, Jackson himself, had played a Sergeant in 'Vendetta.' Maurice Sneed hadn't appeared before, but it must have been easier for him to respond in the role as he was playing a character presumably named after himself! Finally, I'd thought Officer Andrews was a returning character from an episode like 'The Committee,' since S&H knew of him (Hutch claiming he was a secret bigot), but W. K. Stratton hadn't been in the series before. Being such an atypical episode that wasn't about S&H for a change (and worked so well with them in the role of friends), the only reference I could dig up was an Eval Knieval slot machine in the background of the pool hall. We may have seen the rundown parts of the city (Junior hides in an old sofa at the rubbish dump), it was not a 'negative' episode and also dealt with hospitals and such, most importantly being an ultimately positive story of maturity from boy to man, and that's what Jackson would have wanted for his son, I'm sure.

***

The Collector

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (The Collector)

It has many of the hallmarks of the series, but S&H came across a little muted compared to their usual screen presence, and I think this is what lets the episode down, because, on paper, it wasn't bad, it had a couple of interesting villains, and… well, that's it, really, it was the villains who were the star of the show. I don't know the significance of Susan Tyrrell, but she was obviously somebody well known at the time since they give her 'With the Special Appearance of' credit, something they'd only done once before (for Mary Jo Catlett, Fifi in Season 2's 'Starsky And Hutch Are Guilty'), with usually a 'Special Guest Star' sufficing. Her character, Isabel Katherine Oates, was a tragic figure, but not in a sympathetic way - a former child star under the guise of Lil 'O' Annie (seen on the posters in her home), since fallen on hard times and turned to crime. It makes you wonder how she ended up, an acrophobic, living in a ramshackle junkyard atop a ramshackle house high above - if this had been made nowadays they'd probably be announcing a prequel series for her, showing how she got to that state! And in fairness that's probably an interesting story, maybe more interesting than this episode. I think they were saying acrophobic (the extreme fear of heights), but it could just as easily have been agoraphobic (fear of crowded spaces), as she's sequestered away living in a doolally fantasy world, reliving past glory. Not that we see her acting out roles or doing anything particularly strange, just that her personality is clearly unstable, a mix of childishness and ruthlessness, and she sits around in old dresses like a latter-day Miss Havisham.

When into her life climbs the friendly Jack Cunningham (an alias for John Gallagher, third on the most wanted list, apparently), a slimy individual that is actually far more interesting than the unexplored Annie. He gives us a little backstory so that we can actually begin to feel some sympathy (and a sympathetic villain is a good step towards a strong story), when he talks to Hutch's new girlfriend, Molly (Hutch sure got over Judith's departure at the end of 'The Plague,' didn't he - he's gone from a doctor to what appears to be a teenager, though it could be that she's just small and young-looking for her age). In a series of questionable decisions, S&H put her into their investigation as an undercover lure to trap Jack by pretending she's a worried young girl that, it's implied, needs money for an abortion because her boyfriend's Father won't approve. It's blatant entrapment (the same tactic they play on Danny Devito's character, John John the Apple, by having Starsky, whom he doesn't know, try to place an illegal bet, with Hutch, whom he does, watching - but how could anyone in that city, even the least-informed, not have heard of Starsky and Hutch as partners!). But back to the point, which is that Jack shows a concerned face for the only time in the episode, he's actually honest, as if the strict religious upbringing he had under The Sisters of Hope Convent, has at least instilled reverence for life. Unfortunately, much of his problems also stemmed from them, for the constant hitting over the head he endured, and that his Father smuggled him out in a suitcase!

None of which excuses his psycho behaviour, calmly blowing up Frank Carroll's barroom toilet by remote detonation while he stands right next to it, or smothering his gun in minced meat to fool Duvcha Khan, Annie's vicious guard dog, who can smell guns. He's shown to be a resourceful, if devious and violent, man, his only objective to get Annie's money (she somehow being the head of an extortion racket, or protection, or whatever it's called when loans are given at ridiculous levels of interest - how she ever met Joe Garras, or anyone, for that matter, is a mystery). It almost seems a wasted effort for the small handful of notes he struggles to stuff into his pockets wearing gloves, at the end, though he does survive to face justice. I just felt as if there was a disconnect between the potential of this wacky (in the true sense of the word, and we really haven't seen many this season, Annie the only other example of this episode), dangerous lone wolf, willing to do anything without mercy, and the actual investigation of S&H. As I noted, they seemed muted, they didn't have their usual level of jokiness, and not because of the gravity of the situation, they weren't entirely in the episode, it felt like. Nor did they get to take part in much action, really the only moment of excitement being when Hutch goes up the stairs and has a shootout with Jack. But even then, the crazy guy jumps out through a window in a reckless bid to escape, smashes through the wooden rail and plunges to a painful drop, so S&H didn't really have to do much to get their man!

S&H were definitely in the episode, it wasn't even that they were supporting characters to Dobey or Huggy, they were the focus, alright, but only as a secondary interest to the villains. Much of what they do is merely talk, whether that's to Molly's Dad, Lee, owner of a restaurant takeaway place (not of the highest health standards, either, as he smokes and makes sandwiches without washing his hands, and there was a general air of grime about the place!), Molly herself (when they're sitting in front of the desk at HQ, the camera pans rounds across the table, and at one end is Pinky or Perky, and the other is Mickey Mouse, and it makes it look as if they're almost part of the conversation, unless I was reading too much into it!), or the Captain. The scene with the water cooler in his office and his quest to get a simple cup of water, wasn't a bad visual gag, but it didn't stand out, it was simply a way to move the scene along and stop it being dragged down. Indeed, I would say it was pretty good from a directorial standpoint, it was the story that was the problem, and a lack of drive for S&H. Pedestrian is the word, yet it didn't have the overly serious air that I associate with Season 3, and that can make it seem dry.

The fact that S&H are on a three-day weekend should have meant something, but it didn't go anywhere, except that they were called back to work. Again there's that impression of a kernel of an idea, as if they thought up the basic episode, but didn't have time to flesh it out. Granted, it's halfway through the season and the creative juices may have been stuttering slightly, but it is remarkable the sense of inertia about the episode. Even the fact that it mostly takes place in rundown areas (sad that Hutch has to live in that area of town, as he confirms when they turn up at the place Joe was shot), doesn't mean much, as it's not given a negative view of the city beyond the physical streets and buildings themselves - it's not about the people. S&H do more than their fair share of manipulation, too - first with John John, then getting to Jack, and before that, trying to get Minnie Kaplan (Marki Bay's first role in what would become a slight recurring character), whom they dub a 'meter maid' (which was never going to get her onside - she corrects them, calling herself a Traffic Coordinator), to act as the lure before Molly steps up. Starsky threatening never to share cakes with her again doesn't stop her being useful to them in future! It shows them treating her differently based on her gender and not seeing her as an equal, but they also have a fun, teasing relationship with her, if I remember correctly, and she tends to get one up on them.

One important moment in the series occurs in this episode: Huggy first opens The Pits (or at least he would have if his liquor licence hadn't run out!), his first position as proprietor of a regular establishment since Season 1, that I believe continued for the rest of the series, finally realising that he needed a home base for S&H to visit him in, instead of appearing to be a wandering vagabond, almost! It's only a short scene, but it's good to see him getting his dues. Once again we have previously used actors popping up again - I hadn't realised that Robert Viharo, who played Jack, had been in Season 1's 'Running,' so it throws up some surprises if you keep track of the cast names across all the episodes. He did a fine job, although I got the sense he was putting on the Irish accent (the only one with a genuine Irish name was Jack O'Leary, who played Joe Garras), and concentrating so hard on it that he stumbled on his lines a few times (though so did Carroll, and he didn't have the excuse of doing an accent!). I always think Devito was in it more than he was, but it was a good character and he made you want to see this guy, he's so natural, and it's no surprise he went on to greater success (though I suppose it's easy to say that with hindsight), but I wish he'd had a regular role on this series. Lee Bristol was played by Dave Shelley who'd also been in Season 1, way back in 'Savage Sunday,' and Roberto Rodriguez (Mike Todesco, the guy that gives S&H the report at Joe's place of murder), may have been in it before as Robert Rodriguez (in Season 2's 'The Velvet Jungle'), the two names too similar, and I felt I'd seen his face before.

In regular categories we have Hutch turning up in jogging gear, having been out doing just that, Starsky berating him for walking over his car again, and references to Santa Claus, Gunga Din and Gordo. Annie didn't seem the type to have lots of money at first, until you realise she's pretty mad, keeping it in notes under her mattress rather than spending it on a decent abode, or clearing up her junkyard - I should point out she's in no way connected to Little Orphan Annie (aka Orange), from Season 1. The only other thing was the question of what happened to Duvcha Khan? Starsky says something about zapping the dog, but we don't find out what happened or how he went about it, the dog's just gone when all the action breaks out. And why did Jack have to be so clever: he could have simply shot the dog instead of sliming up his gun with meat. Finally, the bridge he drives over in Annie's neighbourhood looked very like the one Hutch used to live next to in Season 1, so it could have been the same location, knowing how they liked to reuse areas.

**

Echo

DVD, Smallville S9 (Echo)

Can you read my mind? I thought this was some superpower that had somehow slipped through the net and the writers had only now, nine seasons in, remembered it, but Clark's sudden ability to read the thoughts of those around him, in a spinoff from his super hearing, turned out to be a mere test from Jor-El. Good timing. Or was it? There wasn't really anything he did that relied completely on this power in order to save the day, it just sort of helped him work things out quicker. The real reason for it was not to be a test at all, but as a fun way of getting him more attuned to Lois. And it was quite fun, for the most part, without getting soppy - I'd even argue that the episode could have remained a whimsical, comedic episode without the need to cram in Oliver Queen's guilt, or Winslow Schott's long-awaited return… Sarcasm, of course. Winslow wasn't one of the villain's that has stood out as being an amazing, sequel-worthy enemy, but he got one anyway. It was only last season, in 'Requiem,' that he was dealt with (though he never saw Clark, as he didn't know who he was when he stops him), but he was tied into Queen's murder of Lex Luthor, so it made a certain degree of sense to involve him again. And because he's mad, none of his schemes that seemingly had no point, matter that they don't have a point. I suppose the point was to damage Queen's company and reputation, and in a roundabout way it did, although Queen himself was doing a perfectly good job of that on his own.

Strangely, I actually thought there was some subtlety at play, forgetting perhaps what series I was watching, because I initially assumed Queen's messing with bad people in a foreign bar was all an act, and he was secretly back to his old ways, trying to get information on something, not being a reckless, suicidal drunk! Even with the scene in the teaser, reminding us that he set fire to his Green Arrow costume, I still felt it would be natural for him to take up the mantle again, perhaps in a slightly different guise, but no, he really was hoping to die. His second attempt was affecting, as he's forced to read out a speech about all his crimes and failings in front of an audience, or the pressure pad he's standing on will set off a bomb. He steps off it once the people have evacuated, and admits to Clark he thought it was active, not on a timer, as was the case. The biggest stretch to credibility to the episode was the lifelike Winslow robot - it would just be impossible for a madman, even if he was a toy genius (they don't call him The Toy Man for nothing), to create something that realistic! It was quite a shock when Clark starts burning into his face with heat vision! What follows was, for me, the best part of the episode, as Clark and Oliver have a frank conversation without any irony, bitterness or reproach, just pure friendship and support, Oliver finally realising he has to turn things around. It took both Tess Mercer's pushing and Clark's understanding, but he's realised at last that moping around until he dies isn't the answer to his guilt. I also liked the reflection in the glass of 'Lex Luthor' (played by Ayron Howey, possibly the same actor that portrayed him last season, I'm not sure), showing the spectre of his act will still haunt him, even if he's started back on the path to life.

While it all came across as another episode that was a mishmash of plots and subplots, without getting deeply into a real story, and there were laughable developments like Jor-El putting Clark through a trial, and it being more like a chance for a fun time with Lois (who, in her usual airheaded way, completely misconstrued Clark's reason for not turning up at the Monster Truck event he'd invited her to, assuming that he was being clever so he could get the story, rather than the real reason of having to save people, but it is the kind of trick she'd play), despite these things, and helpfully, no Kryptonian soldiers waffle to further dilute the story, I enjoyed the lighthearted moments and found Oliver's portrayal one of the more realistic of recent seasons. Could it be that 'Smallville' characters are becoming more dimensional? Let's not get carried away, it was still a bit of a mess, and Winslow's role looks to be continued when Tess wants him, in his captivity, to work out how the Kryptonian heart mechanism from the first episodes, works. How he's supposed to do that from solitary confinement with no gear, I don't know. But it wasn't bad, and even the money-saving of the function in well-used bar, Ace of Clubs, didn't bother me. The season still has a way to go before an episode reaches the heady heights of being more than simply watchable, but if the quality of writing in the Clark/Oliver scene is any indication, there is hope. I just wish Clark could have kept that thought detection ability, it could have been a lot of fun.

**