No Way Out (1987)

It's no coincidence that I gave priority this month to a political thriller set largely at a federal government building, namely the Pentagon. You may question my taste in doing so, but I assure you it bears vanishingly little resemblance to recent events.

Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner), a lieutenant commander in the Navy, falls for Susan Atwell (Sean Young) at an inaugural ball and starts an intimate relationship, unaware that she's also sleeping with another new acquaintance of his, Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman). Seeing Tom leave her home, albeit without enough light to recognize him, Brice infers Susan's infidelity and beats her -- accidentally to death. He decides to pin it on "Yuri," a rumored double agent from the KGB, because that would let national security handle the case instead of the police. Tom gets a pretty big role in the subsequent hunt for Yuri. All too aware that he's most likely to take the fall after the evidence comes in, he does what he can to delay that until he has enough of a case against Brice.

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

As often happens, I felt obliged to watch a movie featuring someone who recently died, in this case Sean Connery. He's one of the actors I've watched most, so there weren't many promising titles left. This one's pretty popular but has a bunch of other big names and countless speaking roles, so I wasn't sure it would showcase him well.

Based on a book that's at least partly based on reality, it tells of Operation Market Garden: In 1944, British, American, and Polish forces plan to use paratroopers and tanks to capture numerous bridges in the occupied Netherlands. Many soldiers doubt the feasibility of the mission, as it involves considerable travel along narrow roads, there's fog to consider, and even if the Germans don't send their best, they won't be pushovers. If you know this chapter of history, you know the doubts are correct.

Crimson Tide (1995)

Hmm, my last submarine film viewing wasn't all that long ago. While this is certainly a time to be dwelling on spatial confinement, I really ought to space them a bit more. Nevertheless, these two are about as different as the subgenre allows.

During the Clinton Administration, just because the Cold War is over doesn't mean Russia poses no further military threat to the U.S., particularly when Chechnyan rebels get their hands on nuclear missiles. The crew of the USS Alabama is well aware of this when a Russian sub attacks them. They receive an outside order to preemptively launch ten missiles at the Russian nuclear installation, but a second message is cut short when a torpedo damages the communications equipment. Commanding Officer Ramsey (Gene Hackman) wants to ignore the incomplete transmission, but Executive Officer Hunter (Denzel Washington) insists on waiting as long as possible for clarity: It could be a retraction. Neither man is willing to compromise, and seeing as the wrong decision in either direction could lead to a nuclear holocaust, they vie desperately for control.

Night Moves (1975)

This makes five Arthur Penn movies I've seen, along with The Miracle Worker, Bonnie and Clyde, The Train, and Little Big Man. So far, despite the efforts of a documentary short on the DVD, I can't find a pattern to his style. They're of different genres and moods, they have different major actors and themes, and there are no obvious signatures. Maybe that's why I've had trouble remembering who Penn is. But I don't hold that against him; the important thing is that he has a good track record, right?

LA PI Harry (Gene Hackman) accepts a case from a retired minor actress: finding her runaway jailbait daughter, Delly (Melanie Griffith). He tracks Delly down to the Florida Keys, but she resents her mom too much to comply right away. After coming across a sunken plane with a corpse inside, she wants to go home. Harry's not keen on remaining a PI after that either, but that won't be the last corpse he sees. And yes, both Delly and the plane are relevant to the larger case.