Mulholland Falls
Director: Lee Tamahori.
Screenplay: Pete Dexter.
Starring: Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Jennifer Connelly, Melanie Griffith, John Malkovich, Treat Williams, Kyle Chandler, Andrew McCarthy, Bruce Dern, Louise Fletcher, Daniel Baldwin, Ed Lauter, Titus Welliver, Richard Sylbert, Virginia Madsen, William Petersen, Rob Lowe.
“This is L.A. This is my town. Out here you’re a trespasser. Out here I can pick you up, burn your house, fuck your wife, and kill your dog. And the only thing that’ll protect you is if I can’t find you. And I already found you”.
Released in 1996, Lee Tamahori’s Mulholland Falls has largely been overshadowed by the Oscar winning L.A. Confidential – which followed a year later. Although I often find fault with the Academy, on this occasion, I’m not going to split hairs with them and argue that Tamahori’s film is as good, because it’s not. But that’s no shame in Tamahori’s efforts as, for me, L.A. Confidential is one of the best films over the last 20 years. Mulholland Falls is a very admirable attempt that doesn’t deserve to have become a forgotten addition to L.A. themed noir.
Plot: Post WWII, Los Angeles sees the LAPD set up a special crime unit known as “The Hat Squad”. It comprises of four no-nonsense Lieutenants: Max Hoover (Nolte), Ellery Coolidge (Palminteri), Eddie Hall (Madsen) and Arthur Relyea (Penn). They are tasked with controlling organised crime within the city – even if it means breaking the law themselves. But when they find the crushed body of a young woman, it opens up some personal demons for Hoover. Her death also implicates the involvement of the U.S. Army and attracts the attention of the F.B.I.
Over decades, L.A. noir has become a sub-genre all to itself. For many, Chinatown is the epitome but my preference is the aforementioned L.A. Confidential. I think Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland done a fantastic job in developing a coherent script from a very difficult James Ellroy novel. All that aside, L.A. noir isn’t always an easy endeavour. There are some that promise so much but fail to deliver – Ruben Fleischer’s star-studded Gangster Squad being a recent example of how it can go wrong. In order for stories of this type to be effective, there are many things that need to come together; the cast, the script, the cinematography and the music are all important to setting the mood and, for the most part, Mulholland Falls manages to capture all of these.
First of all, Tamahori assembles a very impressive line-up of performers which lends the film an epic feel and the script by Pete Dexter captures the requisite mystery and intrigue to hold your attention. Haskell Wexler’s cinematography precisely captures the time and Dave Grusin provides an evocative and dramatic score. The production design by Richard Sylbert is also flawless and you should have no problem feeling like you’re back in 1950’s Los Angeles.
Everything fits here, but it’s only as the film comes to the denouement that it starts to falter and if any fingers must be pointed, they’d have to be pointed to Pete Dexter’s script. Things make less sense as the film draws to a conclusion. The tempo is accelerated to the point that you feel like Tamahori may have been under studio pressure to finish within a certain running time. This is such a shame, as the film is genuinely entertaining and very particularly paced up until that point. It’s the exclusion of Chris Penn and Michael Madsen in the final third that lead to some questions over the film being butchered in the editing suite. And this comes just around the time of the film’s reveal. The reveal itself is acceptable but it would have been more effective had the delivery not been fumbled. That said, the only reason this stands out is because the earlier part of the film is so measured and involving.
Benefitting greatly from its attention to mood and atmosphere, there’s much to admire here. It’s a reminder of how strong a presence Nolte can be and he’s supported by an impressive ensemble. Mulholland Falls is a damn good slice of noir that enthusiasts will take plenty of enjoyment from.
Mark Walker
Trivia: Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Chief Bill Parker. He declined, but he did recommend Bruce Dern for the part.
July 7, 2017 at 2:02 pm
Nice review Mark. I’m a sucker for neo-LA noir, so this sounds right up my alley.
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July 7, 2017 at 2:26 pm
If you dig L.A. noir then this might be for you, man. I’m also a sucker for this kinda thing and I really liked this flick. Many critics were very harsh on it but aside from a few flaws here and there, I can’t understand the backlash its received.
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July 7, 2017 at 11:51 pm
This really doesn’t get the credit it deserves. There’s a cool background note here: Ridley Scott considered directing this at first but did White Squall instead. I also liked seeing a rather young Kyle Chandler in the film, among others. Great review and glad you’ve put this underrated neo-noir flick on your site.
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July 8, 2017 at 12:05 am
Hey! Thanks, man. It’s great to hear from another fan. This film sits at a very low rating among critics. And I’m astonished at how low it rates. It’s completely unfair.
There’s plenty going on here that warrants praise. The cast, the cinematography, the score.
I can understand Ridley Scott wanting a piece of the action. It’s a visual spectacle that he could have worked very well with. As it stands, it’s a solid flick and should be seen by more. It’s shameful that it’s been overlooked.
Thanks for dropping by with some supportive words, man! Appreciated. ! 🙂
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July 8, 2017 at 1:12 pm
I dig when you find underrated movies and present them to us, Mark. Half of the time, a lot of movies that fly under the radar are actually pretty great.
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July 8, 2017 at 5:30 pm
Yeah, when I was a teenager I seen lots of great stuff that just doesn’t get spoken about anymore, Vinnie. I’ve been revisiting a lot of them recently and most still stand up. This is one of them.
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July 8, 2017 at 6:17 pm
You’re doing a stellar job of it, Mark. I’m a big champion of underrated movies.
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July 8, 2017 at 8:43 pm
I do my best, sir. To be honest, it’s not a particular path I choose consciously. I just post about stuff that takes my fancy. I suppose there is some element of me posting to bring a particular film to people’s attention.
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July 8, 2017 at 8:49 pm
That’s how I do it. I just post about what I think I can write about and discuss with others.
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July 8, 2017 at 10:03 pm
That’s it, man. I used to write about everything I had seen but it was too exhausting. I watch a lot of stuff. Now, I just choose what I’ll post and let the chips fall where they may.
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July 9, 2017 at 7:30 am
I like your style. You can’t review everything, you’d be on here all day.
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July 9, 2017 at 1:30 pm
I used to review everything but those days are long gone.
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July 9, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Best to review what you feel like reviewing.
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July 9, 2017 at 11:31 pm
“This is L.A. This is my town. Out here you’re a trespasser. Out here I can pick you up, burn your house, fuck your wife, and kill your dog.”
Let’s hope it is in that order. I’m not down with movies that sensationalize people fucking animals. 😉
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July 9, 2017 at 11:34 pm
But on a more serious note, this sounds a little like Gangster Squad. Or, rather, this sounds like the film upon which that god-awful piece of shit was based.
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July 11, 2017 at 9:50 pm
Gangster Squad was a huge disappointment for sure. That film should have been much better.
I’ve heard a lot of criticisms for this flick too, though, but I didn’t see it that way. I noticed the flaws that the critics were pissing and moaning about but I managed to overlook them. They weren’t too big a deal.
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July 12, 2017 at 5:23 am
I was curious reading this to learn if it was in any way related to Lynch’s Mulholland Drive!
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July 13, 2017 at 10:42 am
No relation whatsoever, man. And the fact that Lynch’s film is a masterpiece. 😉
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July 11, 2017 at 9:53 pm
Thankfully there’s no dog fucking going on. But if you’re partial to Jennifer Connelly, then her scenes should please you no end. 😉
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July 15, 2017 at 2:21 pm
I remember when this came out that it got a decent amount of buzz, not least for the performances of Nolte and Penn. Man, Penn was a great screen presence.
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July 15, 2017 at 7:25 pm
Yeah, it’s a wonder that this has fallen into obscurity, Mark. It’s odd how that happens to some films where a new generation of film lovers haven’t even heard of it. I liked it way back in the 90’s and I still like. It was great to revisit it again and the whole cast are great.
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July 16, 2017 at 1:15 pm
My memory of it was that it was a bit of a disappointment. That might have to do with how excited I was about it given the pedrigree. Might be time for a rewatch. I’ll tell you one thng. Jennifer Connelly was gorgeous in it.
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July 17, 2017 at 8:00 am
It would seem you’re not alone on this one, Lloyd. The critics weren’t overly keen on it either. I thought it was great. It did rush things towards the end but the cast were great. More Jennifer Connelly wouldn’t have went a miss, for sure! 😉
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July 17, 2017 at 2:11 pm
Well I should re-watch then.
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July 22, 2017 at 6:18 pm
I know I’m in the minority but I’d still recommend giving this another go. See if it works second time round. 🙂
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July 23, 2017 at 8:25 am
Will do.
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July 17, 2017 at 2:12 pm
By the way how great is that poster?
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July 22, 2017 at 6:17 pm
Yeah, It’s a fabulous poster Lloyd. It certainly captures that L.A. Noir vibe.
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