On P List of Movie Reviews
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The Parallax View (1974)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
7/21
7/21:
If you're looking for another The Manchurian Candidate, this ain't it.
I've never been so frustrated for the longest time as I had been with The Parallax View. The movie just refuses to show
much despite the great start. What happened to the simple concept called "plot"?
Mainly, it's Warren Beatty, passing for a model with a huge head of hair, who's constantly engulfed in darkness as he moves
around. That being said, Gordon Willis has overdone it this time. Wow, what a long ending which helped me to prepare for bed.
There are a lot of parallelisms between this film and the RFK assassination.
However, I find it hard to believe that it said the FBI and the CIA weren't involved in any way, just corporations. Why would they
randomly kill? All these men in suits have to do is own a politician by paying him a huge sum of money and telling him what
to do. If the plan doesn't work out, they can simply replace him. Also, it's silly to see Warren Beatty's character unwittingly
becoming a patsy just like how Lee Harvey Oswald. If that's the case, he must be dumb for a reporter.
By the way, how did Joseph Frady, or whatever his name is, survive the boat explosion? Try explaining it to me with success,
and I will maybe tell you where Jimmy Hoffa's body is. On the other hand, the random slideshow adds nothing of value.
All in all, give me JFK, The Manchurian Candidate,
or Executive Action any time of the day, but no thanks to The Parallax View.