Reading Alex Morris’s superb article Ten Obscure Movie Masterpieces That Need To Be Watched on this very site over a month ago, inspired me to do a list of my own, not very original I know, but neither is shaving and I do that practically every day.
For people who enjoy films, but aren’t as obsessed as the rest of us, anything made before 1979 is probably a bit of a ‘hidden gem.’ There are some films though that are almost as unheard of as a memorable Bruce Willis performance, as rare as a Michael Winner watchable movie, yet more rewarding than the end credits of anything that part-time restaurant critic ever committed to celluloid.
I’m not talking about a made-for-television film that was on once in 1983 and not even the director has a copy, nor am I referring to Howard Hawks’ back catalogue. No, the films I’m recommending are easy to find- in most cases, a bit of googling will do the trick -yet are as rewarding as they are unknown, the sort of films, that surprise you at how they’ve passed you by all these years, such is their greatness.
Here’s my top five hidden gems, if you manage to find and watch them all, I may just treat you all to another five very soon.
1. Phoenix– starring Ray Liotta, Angelica Houston, Anthony LaPaglia and Brittanny Murphy. Some may argue its not ‘noir’ in the ever-so-classic sense, but it’s certainly not far from it. There’s the flawed anti-hero battling against his demons, the lack of any real truly law abiding, honest, characters, the double crosses and the impending doom that seems to underline the entire film.
Phoenix is set in Arizona- well in Phoenix rather unsurprisingly, and gives Liotta the chance to show there is more to him than Henry Hill as a gambling addicted cop who comes up with a plan to pay back his bookie, enlisting the help of his team of equally corrupt partners. I’m not spoiling anything when I tell you, the plan doesn’t go smoothly. Anthony LaPaglia, almost steals the film as the least moral of team of immoral law enforcement officers.
2. Small Time– starring Shane Meadows. Not only is it starring the man behind This Is England, it’s also written and directed by him. Meadows’ directorial debut is in many ways far more enjoyable than his breakthrough ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’ or his series spawning ode to the mid 80s.
Small Time is exactly what it says on the tin, a film made on a shoestring about a group of REALLY small time ‘hoods’ -and that’s being generous-in 90s Nottingham, trying to scrape a few quid together in any dodgy way possible. If you can get past the ridiculous wigs everyone wears, then the film is one of the better ways to spend just under an hour and half of your time. Watching it, there’s every sign that the man behind it, would go on to become the new darling of British cinema, but this is before he was forced to take himself a little bit more seriously.
3. A Prophet – French language film- lets be honest unless its City of God, how many of us watch foreign language films? Well admittedly i’m hardly the biggest connoisseur of films that have to be read as well as watched, but “A Prophet” is well worth the effort. The plot revolves around a muslim man sent to a french prison who soon becomes a low-level gofer for the Corsican gangsters who run the prison. Through his own ingenuity he quickly rises to become invaluable to the Corsican gang leader, and gets involved in shoot-outs and drug deals on his day release from the jail.
Had this film been English speaking there’s no doubt you would’ve heard of it, as it’s quite frankly awesome. A superb acted, quirky thriller, that deals not only with the grim reality of prison life and the hierarchy that goes on within it, but also throws in enough action to keep the excitement flowing.
4. Tony: London Serial Killer. This has to be one of the lowest budget films ever made, it’s almost as if someone grabbed a camcorder and a few mates then shot a film over a few days in London, what it lacks in production value however, it more than makes up for in shocks and realism.
The film, follows the anti-social ‘Tony’ thought of as a bit of a weirdo by his neighbours, who lives alone in a London flat and almost matter-of-factly occupies his days killing people he comes into contact with all from the comfort of his own home. Drug addicts, gay clubbers, even a TV Licence man are all despatched in a variety of ways. When Tony tells visitors “don’t mind the smell, there’s a problem with the drains” there’s a macabre humour to it all.
Tony: London Serial Killer isn’t the easiest film to find, but if you do manage to get hold of it, you’ll find it a slightly disturbing, yet utterly compelling to watch. Probably not the best advert for the forthcoming olympics.
5. Final Cut, starring the Primrose Hill mob. Okay a film starring Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Ray Winstone in a film directed by Ray Burdis and Dominic Anciano is about as appealing as a trip to the dentists, but this actually works quite well.
The film is filmed in a video diary/hidden camera style and despite the obvious flaws- low production quality, very few characters, it’s an interesting and entertaining film.
The ‘plot’ if you can call it that, centres around the wake of Jude Law’s character, who unbeknown to the attendees has been secretly filming them for the past few weeks, as secrets are revealed friendships broken and lethal twists exposed.
So there you have it, that’s my choice of five hidden gems, I’ll confess that they may not be to everyone’s taste, but on the whole I’ll hazard a guess that you’ll enjoy them a lot more than the latest Mission Impossible instalment or that Merchant Ivory flick thats; just started on Film 4!
