"Point Blank"

John Boorman's 1967 film "Point Blank" is really essential viewing, for everyone I know.

Lee Marvin in a truly bigger than life performance plays a mysterious man with only one name, Walker, who single handedly destroys a corporate crime syndicate known as The Organization, that was party to cutting him out of his $93,000 share of a large heist and leaving him to die on Alcatraz. The film leaves you to wonder if Walker is even alive, or if he is actually an avenging ghost, hell bent on destroying the people who betrayed him. This in particular would influence Clint Eastwood's brilliant western High Plains Drifter. I should mention that even though "Point Blank" is definitely Lee Marvin's film, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn and Carroll O'Connor, each give strong supporting performances.

"Point Blank" was only the second film directed by John Boorman, his first being the Dave Clark Five vehicle Catch Us If You Can, he would later go on to direct such films as Deliverance, Excalibur and Zardoz. But, "Point Blank" is possibly his most influencial film. In many ways I feel this film is occupys the same world as the characters in Michelangelo Antonioni's classic 60's film Blow-Up inhabit. With creative use of editing, and location, and being stylish as hell, "Point Blank" is one of the seminal films of modern cinema. Highly Reccomended!