A_Different_Drummer
For many IMDb members, the 70s may just as well be the 1870s, the disconnect is so large.Comedy? No it isn't.It was a 70s movie with hints of satire but not a comedy. There are no punchlines. There are no pauses for laughs.Caine at his peak shows how pleasant surroundings and a tight voice-over can engage the audience to a degree we seldom see today.This is pure entertainment. Ferris Bueller eat your heart out.One lead actor (Caine) one supporting actor (Rooney) and a bunch of people you never heard of.And it works.
wmss-770-394192
The people that are complaining that this film is "no Get Carter" are missing the point entirely. This film is more Get Smart than Get Carter. Just as that '60's television series was a send up of the James Bond films,this '70's film is a send up of the gangster films and pulp fiction novels that a lot of them are based on. In that respect,it shouldn't be taken seriously, just enjoyed for the sight gags and one-liners. Sure,some of it is ridiculously obvious. There is an actor that could have doubled for Bogart if he had been around in the '40's and '50's. Lizabeth Scott,a femme fatale from many noir pictures plays a "princess" married to a politician and making no bones about the fact that she got where she is by being good in bed. Michael Caine is fine as the hack pulp fiction writer that gets caught in a real life murder mystery. But the real gem here is Mickey Rooney as the over the hill former movie tough guy with mob ties that hires Caine to ghost write his autobiography. I was never a big Mickey Rooney fan. I didn't dislike him,but I never got into his Andy Hardy or "Let's put on a show" flicks with Judy Garland. In fact,except for this film,I've really only seen one other MR film that I liked,a little b-picture from the '50's called "Quicksand." So his turn here as the movie star/mob guy/practical joker was a surprise and a delight.
Scott LeBrun
"Pulp" is a diverting, interesting film in the careers of actor Michael Caine and director Mike Hodges that deserves another look. It's an offbeat, somewhat sedate, and quite witty send-up of detective fiction, done in style and filmed on location in Malta. Caine plays Mickey King, an author who's approached to ghost write a biography of retired actor Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), an American expatriate. King finds a web of intrigue surrounding him, with one striking encounter after another, as he determines to find out what sort of mess he's gotten himself into. The movie comes up with a fine and funny beginning, as we see a team of typists at work while King's narration is heard in voice over. In fact, it is the narration of King that is one of the brightest elements, as he makes commentary on his various situations in florid style. The role is one of Caine's better ones, and fellow screen legend Rooney is equally fun to watch, in his typical flamboyant manner. Hodges's sharp screenplay allows for a fair amount of unpredictability, and the audience will delight not only in the kooky charm of the movie, but in not knowing what to expect. Slick cinematography and excellent use of locations are a heavy asset, as well as a great supporting cast also including Lionel Stander as Gilbert's associate Ben Dinuccio, Lizabeth Scott as Betty Cippola, Nadia Cassini as Liz, Dennis Price as the enigmatic English stranger, Al Lettieri as the talkative Miller, Robert Sacchi as Jim Norman, and Leopoldo Trieste as Marcovic, with Luciano Pigozzi and Janet Agren in small parts. What with Sacchi resembling Bogart and Pigozzi resembling Peter Lorre, their appearances are welcome and entirely appropriate. The movie is breezy and enjoyable right up until its rather ingenious closing credits which leave us laughing; it may have its darker moments along the way, but it never loses its appeal. Seven out of 10.
Vincent
This starts of with quite a few good laughs some visual, some slapstick and a few situation based but gets a little more serious as it progresses.The acting is good with Rooney as the slightly mad client being especially good and Caine is his usual self in the lead.The one liners are delivered well and the occasional difference between what is narrated and what is acted out is amusing.The plot is a little thin and when it gets serious it doesn't do it too well.It's a watchable film with no bad bits and a few good ones but it's nothing special.
AD
