Actor Ralph Meeker
November 13, 2001 5:08 PM Subscribe
Actor Ralph Meeker portrayed hardboiled private dick Mike Hammer in the Robert Aldrich film "Kiss Me Deadly", a celluloid masterpiece of brutal cold-war paranoia that introduced the filmgoing public to the concept of suitcase nukes back in 1955. For some reason, I find the thought of Conway Twitty films far more disturbing.
Thee were giants back then. What a falling off since.
posted by Postroad at 5:14 PM on November 13, 2001
posted by Postroad at 5:14 PM on November 13, 2001
Kiss Me Deadly is a great, great film. Go rent it tonight, it's really worth. Ralph is great in the pic, he's the perfect Mike Hammer.
posted by cell divide at 5:33 PM on November 13, 2001
posted by cell divide at 5:33 PM on November 13, 2001
The scene where Cloris Leachman is tortured with pliers is quite possibly the most disturbing thing that I've ever seen in a movie from that era. And yes, Meeker is brilliant as Hammer...a total thug...virtually indistinguishable from the criminals he encounters.
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:43 PM on November 13, 2001
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:43 PM on November 13, 2001
Suitcase nuke? They never actually said what was in the case (a la Pulp Fiction). I believe it was referred to as the "Great Whatsis" or something. However, the apocalyptic explosion at the end after opening the thing was a big clue.
A great, great movie -- it has been said that all of film noir was working up to this one film. A crime drama with religious/mythic and wasteland themes describing the hope and failure of modern communication...they don't make 'em like they used to.
posted by drinkcoffee at 5:51 PM on November 13, 2001
A great, great movie -- it has been said that all of film noir was working up to this one film. A crime drama with religious/mythic and wasteland themes describing the hope and failure of modern communication...they don't make 'em like they used to.
posted by drinkcoffee at 5:51 PM on November 13, 2001
Oops, maybe I should have said
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
sorry.
posted by drinkcoffee at 5:55 PM on November 13, 2001
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
sorry.
posted by drinkcoffee at 5:55 PM on November 13, 2001
Actually, I thought about saying "the concept of stolen fissionable material" at first, but "suitcase nuke" seemed more appropriate given the [ahem] event that occurs at the end of the film. And since you've already given away the ending, drinkcoffee [grin], I might as well mention that Aldrich filmed two different finales: with and without explicit Apocalyse.
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:11 PM on November 13, 2001
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:11 PM on November 13, 2001
"My hair!! It looks like a piece of fudge!!" --Ricky Ricardo
posted by gimonca at 6:51 PM on November 13, 2001
posted by gimonca at 6:51 PM on November 13, 2001
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posted by MrBaliHai at 5:10 PM on November 13, 2001