THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

 Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Leonardo DiCaprio: 25-year-old Jordan Belfort

Matthew McConaughey: his boss Mark Hanna

Cristin Milloti: his wife Teresa

Jonah Hill: his neighbour salesman Donnie Azoff

Rob Reiner: his father Max

Christine Ebersole: his mother Leah

Kyle Chandler: FBI agent Patrick Denham

Margot Robbie: party-goer Naomi Lapaglia

Jean Dujardin: Swiss banker Jean-Jacques Saurel

Joanna Lumley: Naomi’s aunt Emma

REVIEW

Several times I was tempted to walk out because like a lot of discriminating viewers I am not comfortable viewing hours of debauchery depicted on screen. And I certainly do not like having to listen to dialogue you would expect from a member of the Hells Angles bike gang not from stockbrokers. It has been reported that the f-word is used 506 times in the film; frankly, it seems like twice that many. And it’s not just the guys who swear and curse: the women talk like that too.

And on top of that, it is too long, running almost three hours since a lot of the hard-partying lifestyle is repetitive. Total frontal nudity, acts of sexual depravity, explicit love-making and groping may be eye-candy to some, but not to me. Sorry, not my style.

However DiCaprio’s depiction of the real-life swindler has got to be one of his best and the main reason for hanging in if you can put up with everything else.

CLASSIFICATION

for sequences of sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout along with some violence.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• Geneva’s landmark icon, the Jet d’Eau, can be seen through the office window of the Swiss banker but it is obviously just a photo of the real thing since it does not move.
• There are just five steps leading up to the country club but in one shot directly in front there are at least a dozen steps, maybe more.
• Cell phones of the sort being used were not introduced until 2004, some five years after these events transpired.

AMERICAN HUSTLE

Crime drama

F.Y.I.

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the FBI sting operation code named Abscam targeted corruption of elected officials.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Christian Bale: con man Irving Rosenfeld

Bradley Cooper: FBI agent Richard “Richie” DiMaso

Amy Adams: Irving’s partner Sydney Prosser

Louis CK: Richie’s boss Stoddard Thomsen

Jeremy Renner: Camden NJ Mayor Carmine Polito

Elisabeth Rohm: Carmine’s wife Dolly

Jennifer Lawrence: Irving’s wife Rosalyn

Robert De Niro: Mob guy Victor Tellegio

REVIEW

Loosely based on the FBI investigation this is one terrific movie. Perhaps a tad too long at 2 hours and 18 minutes it is fast-paced, riveting and wholly entertaining. Production values are top notch with great attention to period detail. The script mostly rings true and is replete with humorous moments.

The performances are all excellent ranging from Academy Award exceptional-type (Bale, Adams, Cooper, Lawrence) to strong believable characters (Renner, Rohm, DeNiro). One more thing: any movie about a con man is bound to have more than a few plot twists: this one does not disappoint.

CLASSIFICATION

 for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence.

THE ICEMAN

 Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Michael Shannon: film lab employee Richard “Richie” Kuklinski

Winona Ryder: Deborah

Ray Liotta: Mafia associate Roy DeMeo

Chris Evans: Mafia hitman Robert “Mr. Freezy” Pronge

David Schwimmer: Roy’s most trusted henchman Josh Rosenthal

James Franco: small-time hustler Marty Freeman

Stephen Dorff: Richie’s younger brother Joseph

REVIEW

Having read the book this film based on the true story of Richie has several shortcomings:

• The absence of any background information about his earlier life provides no insight as to what made him tick
• No mention is made of the physical abuse his girlfriend (later his wife) had to endure: in fact he is portrayed as the perfect husband
• DeMeo’s relationship with the Gambino crime family is poorly defined
• Little or no attempt is made to clarify who most of the other characters are and why they have to be “eliminated”

The highlight of the film for me was the incredible performance of Shannon; I’m sure he nailed it.

CLASSIFICATION

 for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

When Richie gets out of the Cadillac to speak to the homeless man, the car is parked on the right hand side of the street but when he returns it has magically moved to the other side.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Scoot McNairy: low life thug Frankie

Ben Mendelsohn: his partner-in-crime Russell

Vincent Curatola: Johnny “Squirrel” Amato

Ray Liotta: Markie Trattman, manager of a mob-controlled poker game

Sam Shepard: legendary enforcer Dillon

Brad Pitt: Mafia hitman Jackie Cogan

Richard Jenkins: Driver, the mob’s lawyer

James Gandolfini: Mickey, a NYC Mafia hitman

and others no doubt

REVIEW

To be honest with you I had no idea this film is a piece of junk. Knowing that Brad Pitt starred in it, I never thought he would in any way be associated with something like this, a fiilm about unsavoury, corrupt, foul-mouthed low-life gangsters whose every second utterance is the f-word with a penchant for describing in lurid detail their sexual encounters.

They all exhibit some bad behaviour but having to watch a brutal up-close beating is revolting. I had to close my eyes and left as soon as I could right after. 

CLASSIFICATION

for violence, sexual references, pervasive language and drug use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• Russell holds a half-eaten ice cream bar in his hand as he approaches Frankie but in the next scene it has completely disappeared.
• Mickey finishes his martini and orders another but before it arrives he picks up the glass which is now full and takes a sip.
• Mickey downs a beer in one gulp but in the following scene it is now half full. 

P.S.

I was not the first to walk out: six or seven people with better sense than me left before I did. My excuse? I hung in as long as I could.

LAWLESS

 Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Tom Hardy: Forrest Bondurant

Jason Clark: his older brother Howard

Shia LaBeouf: their younger brother Jack

Dane DeHaan: Jack’s friend Cricket

Bill Camp: Sheriff Hodges

Jessica Chastain: Maggie Beauford, an exotic dancer

Guy Pearce: Special Deputy Charlie Rakes

Mia Wasikowska: Preacher Minnix’s teen aged daughter Bertha

Gary Oldman: Chicago gangster Floyd Banner

REVIEW

This telling of how things were in Franklin County, Virginia, the bootlegging capital of the USA during the Depression era has a lot going for it: high production values with particular attention to detail (except for a few items noted below) coupled with some fine acting and a strong story line.

But all that is mired in blood: this has to be the goriest movie I’ve seen in years as I purposely go out of my way to avoid that kind of thing. I get no pleasure in watching people being beaten to a pulpy mush, of seeing in close-up the blood spurting out while the victim struggles to survive, gasping and thrashing about. But the retribution enacted upon the instigator of the slashing is even worse. And we get to see it in detail.

The point being, this grisly depiction of violence is not just an incidental aspect of the film you could ignore. No, it starts with the very first scene when we see the older brother dispatch a corralled pig with a shotgun. I need not describe the result as cruelty offends most people’s sensibilities. And so it should.

  

CLASSIFICATION

for strong, bloody violence, language, some sexuality and nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Jack shows Bertha his new camera, a Brownie Target Six-20. Trouble is, Kodak only began selling that model in 1946, some 15 years after these events took place.

When Maggie is talking with Forrest her pink bathrobe is on or off her right shoulder depending upon the camera’s point of view, from behind or in front of her.

EDWIN BOYD: CITIZEN GANGSTER

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS.

Scott Speedman: World War II vet Edwin (Eddie) Boyd
Kelly Reilly: his war time bride Doreen
Brian Cox: Edwin’s father Glover, retired policeman

Kevin Durand: convicted criminal Lenny Jackson

Brendan Fletcher: Lenny’s sidekick Willie “The Clown” Jackson

REVIEW

Based on actual events, this portrayal of Canada’s most popular and notorious bank robber has a certain charm about it, mainly because of the lead character. The acting is generally first rate (although I could do with a little less of “the Clown”) with great attention to detail for the most part (apart from the several miscues as noted below).

However you will have to fill in the blanks from time to time as some of the dialogue is lost as incomprehensible whispering and mumbling.

CLASSIFICATION

 for some violence.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• The same license plate is on both the bus and one of the cars.
• The shootout with the detective occurred following a routine stop at an intersection and not in his backyard.
• This is one of my classic all-time favourite nitpicks: at the end of the telephone conversation Doreen hangs up and Eddie is left listening to the dial tone. In reality the dial tone is only heard after picking up the phone before dialling. That’s why it’s called a dial tone.

CONVICTION

Crime drama
Based on a true story

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Sam Rockwell: Kenneth “Muddy” Waters
Hilary Swank: his younger sister Betty Anne
Loren Dean: Betty Ann’s husband Rick
Conner Donovan: their oldest son Richard
Owen Campbell: the younger brother Ben
Minnie Driver: law student Abra Rice
Melissa Leo: Ayer Police Officer Nancy Taylor
Juliette Lewis: Kenny’s ex-girlfriend Roseanna Perry
Peter Gallagher: Attorney Barry Scheck
Ari Graynor: Kenny’s daughter Mandy

REVIEW
Despite the flashbacks-within-flashbacks somehow it all makes sense as the story unfolds of a sister determined to prove her brother is innocent of the crime he is serving time for. The relatively slow pace allows for character development of the key players in this riveting account that spans more than 16 years.

All of the cast do remarkable work but three are outstanding and they alone are worth the price of admission: Swank, Rockwell (in a supporting role) and Lewis.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and some disturbing images.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The producers great attention to detail resulted in my being unable to find even one real nitpick. The closest I came was when one of the boys says to his mother “Hurry up, it’s 8:15 and we have to go”. The wall clock behind her showed it to be 8:16. That hardly warrants being a nitpick. But at least I tried.

BAD LIEUTENANT

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Nicolas Cage: New Orleans police detective Terence “Terry” McDonagh
Val Kilmer: his partner Stevie Pruit
Eva Mendes: Terry’s call-girl lover Frankie
Michael Shannon: Mundt, the police evidence room clerk
Brad Dourif: Terry’s sports bookie Ned
Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner: a drug kingpin known to the police by his Alias/Street Name/Nickname as Big Fate
Tom Bower: Terry’s father Pat
Jennifer Coolidge: Terry’s stepmother Genevieve

REVIEW
Bad cop, good cop? He’s both.

In fact Terence McDonagh is almost a one-man police force in this fast-paced who-dunnit. As usual there are plot twists and turns although things do not always turn out as expected. And sometimes it can become a bit confusing: case in point, somebody wants to extort money from Terry but I’ve no idea why. But that doesn’t matter: keeping focus on the main story line is all that is required.

This has to be Cage’s best performance ever: his character provides him the opportunity to carry off a wide range of emotions reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That alone is worth the price of admission.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, profanity, sexual situations, nudity and pervasive drug use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• During an interrogation of a suspected drug dealer the papers on the desk are all nicely aligned. Although no one touches them, when Terry enters the room those on the right are now at an angle.
• Hearing a knock on the door Terry says “Who is it?” but does not get up from the chair yet the door is opened by someone pushing a cart and announcing “room service”. Only housekeeping and the security have master keys to hotel rooms; everyone else must wait to be invited in.
• Whenever Terry has an encounter with the nightclub patrons in the huge parking lot, every one of them is parked in the same space.

P.S.
In the United States more money is wagered on football than any other sport. In the world of sports betting, a dime equals $1,000. The point spread is a handicap placed on the expected winner of the game. For example if the Lakers are expected to beat the Clippers and the point spread is 6 points, anyone betting on the Lakers will win only if the Lakers beat the Clippers by 7 points or more.

P.S.S.
When Terry visits his girlfriend he benefits from the Movie-making Miracle of Available Parking Space which states that "whenever a character needs a parking space, even on the busiest streets in the busiest cities, one is readily available."

P.S.S.S.
As a matter of practice I truncate long movie titles because they run all over the place on my website making it look messy and untidy. Can’t have any of that!

THE INFORMANT!

Crime drama

F.Y.I.
The food additive Lysine is an essential amino acid, which means that it is necessary for human health but cannot be made by the body. For this reason, lysine must be obtained from food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Lysine is important for proper growth, and it plays an essential role in converting fatty acids into energy and helping to lower cholesterol. It plays a major role in calcium absorption, in building muscles, in recovering from surgery or injuries. It aids in the body's production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Matt Damon: Mark Whitacre, Corporate VP with Archer Daniels Midland
Tom Papa: A.D.M. Chief Operating Officer Mick Andreas
Melanic Lynskey: Mark's wife Ginger
Scott Bakula: F.B.I. Special Agent Brian Shepard
Rick Overton: Mark’s boss Terry Wilson
Joel McHale: F.B.I. Agent Robert Herndon

REVIEW
Loosely based on a true story and promoted as a comedy (even including an explanation point in the title), I didn’t see it that way at all. There really is nothing funny about corporate malfeasance nor the difficulties one encounters as a whistleblower.

That’s not to say there are no comic moments because indeed there are quite a few. But not of the gut-busting variety, just the incongruity of the situation that evokes a smile or two.

Matt Damon gives one of his best performances ever.

CLASSIFICATION
for language (in my view, hardly justified)

PUBLIC ENEMIES

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Johnny Depp: bank robber John Dillinger
Marion Cotillard: coat-check girl Billie Frechette
Christian Bale: F.B.I. agent Melvin Purvis
Billy Crudup: J. Edgar Hoover, F.B.I. Director
Stephen Graham: rival gangster Baby Face Nelson
Branka Katic: Anna Sage, “The Lady in Red”

REVIEW
Dillinger’s life was one of robbing banks, shooting it out with the police, spending time in jail, escaping from jail and repeating the process. So this is what we get to see for 2 hours and 20 minutes as it covers the last year or so of one of the most infamous criminals in the United States (the F.B.I.’s first Public Enemy number 1).

But apart from being repetitive, the major shortcoming is the failure to tell us anything about the man. I’m not suggesting a complete biography but 4 or 5 minutes of flashback would allow us to better understand why he turned to crime and the reason for his popularity, why he became a working-class hero (answer: his gang never took people's money, only the bank's money).

Not unexpectedly there are lots of criminals but the line is too often blurred as to their relationship with Dillinger: rival? associate? friend? Keeping it all sorted out is not made any easier by sub plots that go nowhere: case in point Dillinger meets with the Chicago crime boss who says he’s bad for business and the mob will no longer assist him. But then nothing is made of this so why include it at all?

Unlike most movies of this sort, there is a surprising lack of tension with the emphasis on the relationship between Dillinger and Frechette.

One thing that must be said though: the film looks good with great detail to recreating that period. Too bad they did not put in as much time and effort to edit it more stringently and provide some background narrative.

CLASSIFICATION
for gangster violence and some language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• An opening title indicates the year to be 1933. As Dillinger enters a bank, prominent on a teller’s window is the logo of the FDIC which indicates the bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This U.S. government agency to protect individuals from losing their deposits only came into effect in January 1934.
• When Dillinger first meets Agent Purvis he refers to him as “the man who killed Pretty Boy Floyd” which is true but that did not happen until October 1934, three months after his own death in July of that year.
• While stopped at a red light Dillinger sees 3 soldiers standing on the corner. In the crane shot of the car waiting until the light turns green they are gone but when the camera angle returns to inside the car they magically reappear.
• While getting ready to go to the movies Dillinger checks his pocket watch. The time is 5:00 but in the closeup about a second later it is now 6:30.

GOMORRAH

In Italian, Chinese and French with English subtitles.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Salvatore Abruzzese: 13-year-old Toto, a grocery delivery boy
Marco Macor: 18-year-old Marco, an wannabe gangster
Ciro Petrone: his buddy Ciro
Salvatore Cantalupo: Pasquale, a dressmaker
Gianfelice Impartato: Don Ciro, the middleman
Toni Servillo: Franco, a businessman in waste disposal
Carmine Paternoster: his young aide Roberto

REVIEW
From what I’ve heard this is an excellent movie; trouble is, I don’t have the patience to sit through it. The pacing is almost real time: if it takes a kid 3 minutes to climb up a drainpipe, it gets 2 minutes and 30 seconds of screen time. And there are five story lines about various areas of control exercised by the Naples mafia. Consequently it is well over two hours long.

Because it is based on actual events it seems more like a documentary than some fictionalized version of crime in Italy showing how these organizations impact every aspect of life in the community. It is a very ambitious undertaking and could easily be made into two movies.

Viewers should be warned: it does not hold back any punches (literally) to the point some might find it disturbing. One thing though: the brutality is short, over and done with before you know it, just like in real life I guess.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, language and nudity.

P.S.
Gomorrah was one of two cities destroyed by God by “brimstone and fire” (Sodom was the other one) and has become a metaphor for sin. Which is an apt title for the movie. However the title could also be a clever reference to the Naples-based criminal organization called Camorra. Your call.

DUPLICITY

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Tom Wilkinson: Howard Tully, CEO of Burkett & Randle
Paul Giamatti: Richard “Dick” Garsik, CEO of rival Equikrom
Julia Roberts: Claire Stenwick, an operative for the C.I.A
Clive Owen: Ray Koval, an MI6 agent

REVIEW
Since for a long time we're not made privy to what's going on, at the risk of spoiling everything just let me say this: with their backgrounds both Clarire and Ray are well positioned to enter the private sector, working for the counterespionage departments of competing consumer-products giants.

Typical of the James Bond-type caper, the action takes place in more than one exotic location with each flashback providing some insight to what has just transpired. All this gets a bit confusing though.

At 2 hours and five minutes it is a tad too long and there is at least one twist too many in this convoluted plot which will leave many wondering “who dunnit?”; me included.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and some sexual content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
1. When celebrating their success, the bottles of Stella Artois on the counter change position between shots although no one approaches them.
2. A waiter opens a bottle of champagne and fills Claire’s glass mostly with froth. While filling Ray’s glass the froth settles and Claire winds up with hardly any champagne at all. The waiter leaves and they toast something with Claire’s glass now magically half full.

POLYTECHNIQUE

Crime drama
Based on a true story

F.Y.I.
A polytechnic is a school of higher education offering instruction in a variety of vocational, technical, and scientific subjects. École Polytechnique is an engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montreal.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Maxim Gaudette: Marc Lépine
Karine Vanasse: Valérie, a mechanical engineering student
Évelyne Brochu: her roommate and best friend Stéphanie
Sébastien Huberdeau: friend of the girls and fellow student Jean-François

REVIEW
Filmed in the style of a documentary, it is not. Although the film faithfully recreates the horrific events that took place at the École Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989 it says little about the killer’s motives, hardly anything about the students and nothing about the impact it had afterwards on the victim's families, on those who were spared and on Canadian society.

Additionally it misses a splendid opportunity to explain the delayed intervention by the police (and subsequent change in police emergency response tactics) or the changes to Canadian gun control laws.

So I’m left with one unanswered question: why did they make the movie?

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing images.

JCVD

Crime\drama
With English subtitles as required

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jean-Claude Van Damme: JCVD, famous martial arts movie actor
Francois Damiens: Detective Bruges
Herve Sogne: Lt. Smith
Karim Belkhadra: Vigile, leader of the bad guys
Norbert Rutili: his partner Perthier

REVIEW
Fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme, better known as “the Muscles from Brussels”, will no doubt be absolutely thrilled to see their hero playing a more serious role. The rest of us probably could care less.

It seems the producers have thrown out the book on how to make a decent movie. The washed out colours, primarily a yellowish sepia, set a dreary tone as well as being downright boring. Perhaps to offset that the use of strong overhead lighting creates bright over-exposed areas. Weird.

Instead of sticking with a traditional linear time frame after seeing a snippet of action we are then taken back to some minutes before the action began to view again the first scene in its entirety plus a little bit beyond. Then the process is repeated. Weird.

Midway through the movie JCVD launches into a long monologue about his failing career, talking directly at the camera while somehow perched way above the others. It is entirely out of place and has no connection with what is going on below. Weird.

for language and some violence.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

2008 Best Picture
Best Actor in Supporting Role
Best Directing

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Javier Bardem: Anton Chigurh (pronounced "Sh-gurr")
Josh Brolin: Vietnam vet and hunter Llewelyn Moss
Tommy Lee Jones: Sheriff Ed Tom Bell
Garret Dillahunt: Deputy Wendell
Kelly Macdonald: Llewelyn’s wife Carla Jean
Woody Harrelson: Carson Wells, a bounty hunter

REVIEW
The outstanding production values come about from the unmistakable touch of the Cohen brothers (of Fargo fame) who wrote and directed the film coupled with the cinemaphotography of Roger Deakins (most recently The Assassination of Jesse James). Add to that the superb sound effects, great acting, a suspenseful well-constructed story and you get one dandy film.

Although it is over 2 hours long, it does not seem like it as it moves along at its own pace. There is not a lot that could be edited out, except for the last two or three minutes. Change the ending and it gets one more star.

CLASSIFICATION
for some language and strong graphic violence (and they ain’t kiddin’).

P.S.
I couldn’t figure out how the title related to the movie itself. Turns out it comes from a line in a poem and I quote:
“As a literal paraphrase, the first stanza consists of the speaker describing his former country, a place that is not oriented toward the aged.”

Sailing To Byzantium
by William Butler Yeats

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees etc etc

AMERICAN GANGSTER

Biography, crime drama

BACKGROUND
Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (1906–1968) was an American gangster from Charleston, S.C. who moved to Harlem in New York city with his parents as a small boy. He was given the nickname "Bumpy" because of a large bump on the back of his head. He was hired by the Genovese crime family to protect Mafia operations in black neighbourhoods against local Harlem criminals. Johnson was arrested more than forty times and would eventually serve three prison terms for narcotics-related charges. He served as mentor to future drug kingpin Frank Lucus.

Frank Lucas (born 1930 in North Carolina), as the oldest boy in the family he had to put food on the table. He began stealing food and later, mugging drunks. He eventually had to leave home in his teens, after taking $400 from his boss and setting the man's place on fire. Lucas headed for Harlem where he continued his life of petty crime. He took a step up when he caught the attention of mobster "Bumpy" Johnson and became his driver.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Clarence Williams: “Bumpy” Johnson, crime boss of Harlem
Denzel Washington: his associate Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe: New Jersey drug cop Detective Richie Roberts
John Ortiz: his partner Javy Rivera
Josh Brolin: Detective Trupo, chief of the NYPD narcotics squad
Lymari Nadal: Miss Puerto Rico 1970
Chiwetel Ejiofor: Frank’s brother Huey
Ruby Dee: Frank and Huey’s mother

REVIEW
At 2 hours and 37 minutes, it is way too long. I suspect the explanation is a pedestrian as the producers trying to get in the same league in terms of running time as the best of the gendre: “Scarface”, 2 hrs 50 min., “The Godfather”, 2 hrs. 55 min.
They should not have bothered because it simply prolongs a well made, good story past the point where sustained interest remains paramount. As with most movies of this type, the last 20 – 30 minutes are “must see” so you are almost compelled to hang in to the bitter end whether you want to or not. Chop out half an hour (an easy thing to do, starting with the extended court proceedings of Richie’s divorce case) and it gets one more star!

The acting thoughout is top notch with both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe at the top of their game. For that reason alone it is worth seeing.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
 Frank tells the telephone operator the international country code for Bangkok is 376; in fact it is 66.
 Richie calls in a code 10-13 on the police radio. That is a request for weather and road conditions. Given the circumstances a 10-71 (shooting has taken place) would have been more appropriate.
 When they visit Frank’s brother at his service station, the posted cost of gas is 30 cents a gallon. That was the price back in 1964 and had reached 36 cents a gallon when the story takes place.