Richard Fleischer (1916–2006)

“See No Evil” is a great early seventies horror / suspense effort featuring Mia Farrow as Sarah, a young woman recently blinded in a horse-riding incident and now living with her aunt and uncle in their Manor House in the English countryside. Sarah is slowly getting her life back on track with the assistance of boyfriend, Steve (Norman Eshley). Unfortunately a psycho-killer is on the loose and Sarah finds herself trapped and alone in the Manor House with him. The story by the legendary show more tv writer Brian Clemens isn’t intellectual fare, but it is ruthlessly efficient in building mystery and tension. He cleverly helps us identify and sympathise with Sarah, keeping everyone blind to the killers identity and motivations throughout. Director Richard Fleischer’s direction is clever and focussed on squeezing maximum tension out of each situation. He cleverly hints towards the killers mindset at the beginning, gives us a clever image (in the cowboy boots) to build a picture of the killer around and provides plenty of red herrings and misdirection. His low angle use of the camera helps exacerbate the tension by creating a degree of disorientation. Mia Farrow is first class in a difficult role and throws herself (literally) into it with plenty of energy and no little acting skill. Overall this is a clever, efficient, chilling little film and a bit of a minor classic of this genre of British film-making. show less

Although some elements now look a touch dated "Soylent Green" still remain a thoughtful, intelligent and prescient piece of science fiction cinema. The plot, from Harry Harrison's novel, is relatively simple: cynical detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) is send to investigate the murder of a rich oligarch. It looks like an open-and-shut case of a robbery gone wrong, but Thorn concludes that its an assassination. Warned off by his boss and getting increasingly paranoid, Thorn sticks with his show more investigation, even as it leads him to the powerful multi-national Soylent Corporation and some form of conspiracy around soylent green, their hugely popular food product. Richard Fleischer's film has an iconic, chilling climax, but it is the details that make the film memorable: the over-population, the environmental degradation, the cloying pollution, the impacts of global warming and the brutal economic inequity with the masses living in grinding poverty, while the super-rich elite live in luxury apartments that come with their own "furniture" - a euphemism for a live-in prostitute. It is a future that looks terrifying bleak and a future that is looking increasingly like the present. "Soylent Green" is an intelligent, engaging sci-fi detective story with strong direction, a decent central performance from Charlton Heston, all overlaid with a grim dystopian view of the future. show less

This is one of the best Hollywood autobiographies I've read. Fleischer, a director of minor note, with a few gems to his credit, gives the inside scoop on several films he worked on and, in doing so, gives real insight into what the movie-making process is like. It's interesting how almost every story ends up with people doing Fleischer wrong, or him being the person whose original ideas were right after all. But Fleischer isn't particularly off-putting as the self-defined "white hat" in his show more own story. While a bit covertly self-righteous, he does in fact seem to have had a fine head for the work he did, and his tales of egotism and hubris in Hollywood are nothing if not fascinating. I highly recommend this book. show less

The Narrow Margin is another taught and exciting crime film from director Richard Fleischer. Based on a story written by Jack Leonard and Martin Goldsmith, Earl Felton’s tight screenplay is executed with nail-biting flair by director Fleischer. Suspense builds, and a twist is thrown at the viewer before it is finally over, making this “B” sleeper one of RKO’s best from this period. A thriller set on a train bound for California, the viewer is aboard for a tense and action-filled ride show more they won't soon forget.

His partner is killed while picking up the wife of a mob boss set to testify before a Grand Jury, and Sgt. Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) is determined to get her from Chicago to Los Angeles by train in one piece. He knows he has been followed, however. His only advantage being that the killers sent after his charge don't know what she looks like. Not enamored of the kind of woman who would hook up with a gangster, he is a by-the-book cop, and keeps the somewhat trampy wife (Marie Windsor) stashed in his compartment while he plays cat and mouse with at least two men sent to kill her. He is impeded along the way by a bratty kid named Tommy (Gordon Gebert), who turns out to be not so bad after all. Tensions escalate, however, when Tommy’s pretty mother, Ann (Jacqueline White), is mistaken for their target.

Though the film is shot nearly entirely aboard a train, the interiors work in the film’s favor, adding a claustrophobic feel as Brown must stay alive so he can protect someone for whom he doesn’t have much use. Marie Windsor is excellent as Mrs. Neall, who may have a few tricks up her own sleeve — and a secret. Jacqueline White, so pretty opposite William Lundigan in Mystery in Mexico, another solid RKO “B” entry, is very nice as Tommy’s mother. When an attempted bribe comes into play, it is unclear just who the honest cop can trust. A fat man who always seems to slow him down and a car shadowing the train keep the viewer guessing. Plus, there’s a final twist coming you won't see coming.

Moving as quickly as the train it is set on, Fleischer’s film is a bona-fide classic in the suspense and crime thriller genre. Shot on a meager budget, it packs a bigger wallop than many films with a better pedigree, proving that money alone does not a good film make. A fun ride. show less