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‘Kansas City Confidential’ is visually unique, methodical tale of personal justice

Cases of mistaken identity often make for tremendously entertaining thrillers. Alfred Hitchcock, in addition to being the master of suspense, was especially adept at telling nail-biting tales of men thrust into deadly plots because of who dangerous individuals or organizations mistook them for. Such a set-up offers a very different array of thrills for audiences, ones that most can easily relate to.

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‘Nest of Vipers’ showcases Giulio Petroni’s complex plotting and atmospheric set pieces

Nest of Vipers (Night of the Serpent) Directed by Giulio Petroni Italy, 1969 Though Giulio Petroni has only rather few titles to his name when compared with his prolific, and better known, counterparts, the Italian director does have the bragging rights of working with both Lee Van Cleef (Death Rides a Horse, 1967) and Orson …

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Essential Viewing for fans of ‘Django Unchained’ Part 3: ‘Day of Anger’ / ‘Death Rides A Horse’ / ‘Charey One-Eye

December was Tarantino Month here at SOS, and since January is dedicated to westerns,  I thought it would be best to whip up some articles spotlighting films that influenced Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Since I began my list back in December, I’ve noticed similar lists popping up online – all of which are somewhat suspect, since …

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‘The Big Combo’ comes up big where it counts

  The Big Combo Directed by Joseph H. Lewis Written by Philip Yordon U.S.A., 1955 A detective is obsessed with a case, tracking down either a killer or a thief which has eluded him for long enough for frustration to sink in. An antagonist who always has the perfect alibi to reinforce whatever fabricated story …

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Supporting Actors: The Overlooked and Underrated (part 1 of 5)

With the Academy Awards for the 2011 film year in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take a look at one of the event’s most consistently fascinating categories: Best Supporting Actor. The most interesting story in the category this year isn’t who got nominated, it’s who didn’t. More specifically, Albert Brooks was completely robbed of …

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