Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Foreigner (1978)

Directed by Amos Poe
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)

"No Wave" film from New York City attempts to recreate the attitude of the more famous French "New Wave" films of the 1960s by tapping into the early punk scene, but is only partially successful. Writer, producer and director Poe does occasionally luck into some striking imagery of the city, which combined with heavily manipulated sound and music can create a menacing scenario for its cast of characters. However, as soon as dialogue or acting is required, amateurism runs rampant, ruining the mood. The thin plot revolves around "Menace", some kind of European secret agent, and "Harlow", a punk girl hired to follow him by people unknown. Menace is hassled by some punk thugs, played by the band The Cramps, and ultimately chased down and killed in view of the Statue of Liberty. There is lots of running through city streets, some concert footage of The Erasers playing at CBGBs, a cameo by Deborah Harry who's first line is, "Hey Blondie, got a cigarette?", endless shots of people talking on telephones and dirty feet, quotes of Herman Hesse, but little, if any, point to it all.

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