I want to see some more Walter Hill, wondering what people think of his films and if any stand out. I've seen three:

Supernova: liked it, I have a weakness for dreary sci-fi.

The Driver: dry and boring; didn't like it much more than Drive.

The Warriors: instantly became one of my favorite movies, I think; what a ride. Very funny too.

This inconsistency is the reason I'm curious for some third party evaluation. How is Hard Times, Long Riders, Southern Comfort, Johnny Handsome, etc.?

I'm really looking forward to Hill's next film-Bullet In The Head

Anyways, Iwould recommend:

48 Hrs: This film's impact was twofold, it brought both the introduction of the "buddy-cop" film and the hilarious comic stylings of Eddie Murphy, him and Nolte have a great comradery, he also shows he really knows how to direct action, shaky-cam happy directors like Greengrass should seriously start taking cues from Hill.

Streets Of Fire:Unique film that blends styles of the 50s and 80s together, plus it introduced the world to Michael Pare, one of the most underrated actors of all time IMO, it's a crying shame that this film flopped and Pare never really hit it big, guess it was just too different from other films at the time.

Extreme Prejudice: Entertaining modern western with another juicy performance from Nolte, and a top-notch all-star cast with Powers Boothe, Rip Torn, Clancy Brown, Maria Conchita Alonso, William Forscythe and Michael Ironside, it expertly weaves two stories together and they collide together in a truly epic fashion at the end.

Red Heat: Since Hill invented the buddy-cop film, it only made sense for him to do another one, this time it brings together from not just two different backgrounds, but different countries. Ahnuld's role is a change of pace, as he is more reserved and dosen't spit out clever one-liners, Hill leaves that position to James Belushi, who is engaging in the same way as Murphy was in 48 Hrs, again the action dosen't dissapoint, the bus chase at the end is far superior to say the end chase in Bourne Supremacy.

Another 48 Hrs: Dismissed by many as an inferior sequel, I think it nearly lives up to the original, with Nolte and Murphy effortlessly sliding back into their roles, it's more of a remake then a sequel.

Trespass: Crackerjakc thriller with the underlying themes of greed and betrayal(which have even more meaning since the film was released a few months after the LA riots, in fact it was delayed and it's original title
Looters
changed because of that) Ice T and Cube show that not all rappers are cursed with the inability to act.

His other films were pretty meh for me, Johnny Handsome and Undisputed have thier good points, they're well-acted but ultimately take too long to really get going, the former has a predictable tragic ending, the latter dosen't have much in the way of characterization, making it hard to relate to anybody or truly cae about the outcome.

I'm surprised you liked Supernova, Hill himself hated it, as it was fraught with executive meddling and bastardized far beyond what he had in mind, it's not a terrible film, but it dosen't feel like Hill's film at all.

I think that I have only seen the good ones lol. The Warriors is a very favourite film for me too, I own the director's cut in blu ray. I also enjoyed the underrated Street of Fire and 48 hours as a director. The TV series Deadwood was quite good in my opinion. As a Producer I liked the Alien movies

Cheers

Southern Comfort is great.



one of my favorites too(the theatrical cut, not the dvd with the comic book stuff added)

forgot about this, somewhat relevant considering discussions in the other thread(guess pulling ads was not not unprecedented)

The comic book stuff added in the Director's cut was as Walter Hill envisioned and taken away by the studio in the theatrical version. I loved the director's cut as clearly indicated cartoonist violence and it does not take any thing off the entertainment in my view. In Rotten Tommatoes this film is 94% fresh (including quite a few reviews as far as I can check from the Director's cut version)
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1023205-warriors/

I saw the theatrical version in VHS and it felt a bit more real (Missed it in the cinema, I do not even remember being shown in my town lol)


Now as Walter Hill introduces The Warriors in the blu ray version is loosely based on an event from human antiquity, the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 B.C.

There, north of Babylon, a leader named Cyrus the Younger an army of Greek soldiers -- into enemy territory against the Persian Army, which reportedly out numbered by one hundred fold.

Cyrus was killed in the battle, leaving his men stranded deep inside enemy territory with no ally, no sanctuary and no supplies. Clearchus, a Spartan general, assumed command of the fugitives, but there was danger, intrigue and betrayal at every turn in their way back home.

This is a cult movie as good as it gets and I highly recommend it. For me this film is the ultimate tale of survival (as a team) , of revenge, of power and corruption and the human spirit. The music is terrific too

Cheers

sometimes the studio makes good decisions. the comic book stuff is pretty silly imo(but I grew up seeing the theatrical version many times on cable, so I may be a bit biased towards any change to it)

Yeah, the director's cut is the only version I've seen. I didn't guess it was added til I checked wikipedia afterwards. It works; the outlandishness of the film itself meshes with it pretty seamlessly. The music placement is some of the most fun I've seen in a movie.

Just watched 48 Hrs; very good, much better than Lethal Weapon. James Reimar is good, so is David Patrick Kelly, as are the two leads. Hill's a real wizard at presentation; he sort of reminds me of Hawks. I didn't even realize he had a new movie next year; guess he's in camp with De Palma.



Do you prefer it to Mission to Mars? Supernova seems like a more classical example of cheap, but addictive, space sci-fi. Mars seems more unique.

Yeah I definitely like Supernova better, it had some good ideas and it could've a great film if the studio hadn't screwed around with it. Mission To Mars though, let's just say I agree with JB's review 100%, for me the only thing unique about "Mars" was how throughly ridiculous it was.

The definite starting point on Walter Hill is either 48 Hrs or The Warriors. Since you've seen them I then recommend:

Southern Comfort. This might be his best film of all time.

Streets Of Fire. Too much of a hybrid to really connect with a mass audience, this combination fantasy/musical/action/exploitation film has plenty of fun.

Trespass is an urban Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. Some similarities to The Warriors but more nihilistic in tone. Good performances from Bill Paxton, Ice Cube, Ice-T and William Sadler.

Undisputed. A throwback to classic Hill.

Geronimo. An American Legend. Underrated this one is.

Wild Bill. Also overlooked. Great performance by Jeff Bridges.

I liked The Driver better than you did. Didn't care too much for Red Heat or Another 48 Hrs, both of which came off like worn-out copies of the original 48 Hrs. Have yet to see Hard Times and Long Riders (making a note to add em to my Netflix que).

Sounds like Trespass, Southern Comfort, and Streets of Fire are the big items. Seems like his westerns are wild cards, but I'll definitely check them out. Deliverance is terrific, really looking forward to Comfort.



How bout some other campy space movies from around then, like Event Horizon, Space Truckers, Ghosts of Mars?

Ghosts Of Mars was easily the worst of them. Worse than Mission To Mars or Supernova. Event Horizon was pretty cheesy. But fun in a campy way. Red Planet was pretty bad. Although a firend and I came up with a drinking game involving how many times they say "algae" in Red Planet.

I think Ghosts Of Mars was actually the best of those and Carpenter's most underrated film, Event Horizon was pretty chilling and compelling, Red Planet was just plain mediocre, not really memorable in any way. Space Truckers was a unique, fun romp, too bad it's more well known among Gordon fans.

Southern Comfort: great movie. And Then There Were None meets Deliverance. I wouldn't quite put it up there with The Warriors, but it was certainly just as gripping a plot.

Throw in another vote for Streets of Fire.

Saw this as an impressionable teen, and it's stuck with me ever since. Loved the style, loved the soundtrack even more.

Tonight is what it means to be young, brothers.

I agree that Red Heat, Another 48 Hrs., and Tresspass are all generally underrated, especially the last two.

Hard Times is pretty good

here's a trailer for his new movie 'Bullet to the Head' starring Stallone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDiaXZiIJOQ

comes out Feb 2013

Looks pretty "bad-ass"! And it's being released just a few weeks after the new Ahnuld film "The Last Stand"

'Bullet to the Head' got decent reviews in variety & the reporter today.



http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review ... ead-390385