The original story by Ernest Hemingway was quite simple really. The contract is put out on a man seems resigned to his fate causing the killers to wonder why this man was not afraid to die.
Pretty simple really. And in this, both film versions share a common thread, but that's where the resemblance ends.
In the Don Seigel version, there is a lot more grit and almost balletic presentation of the violence. Because this was a TV production as opposed to a cinematic one, the budget shows as just a little cheap. But that doesn't hurt the film since the emphasis seems to be on the character more than any other factor within screenplay. It's not surprising to me that this was considered too violent for television. It's always been a bit squeamish about the real world. When it comes to violence.
Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager are perfectly suited at the two hit men on a mission - find the mark and take it out. When I wasn't so crazy about was the whole John Cassavates as a race car driver in an affair with Angie Dickinson subplot.
POSSIBLE SPOILER!
Still, for my money any movie where Ronald Reagan gets taken out is all right with me. So long as didn't die in the presidency and become some kind of martyr, it is a plus for me when he gets offed on the screen.
This makes quite a great novelty that Reagan played a bad guy the last time, performing front of a camera (not counting presidential speeches.) Add to all of this mix, the deft hand of master director Don Siegel, the man who brought you "Dirty Harry" and what you get is a true gem that someone like Tarantino could only dream of topping or equaling.
And before I forget, the last line spoken by Lee Marvin is a gem. In a brilliantly conceived series of shots, Siegel, the director makes this one almost a classic. I say almost because of the slower parts in the film dealing with timing car races and silly love subplots.
While not the atmospheric film noir of the 1946 film, this one still delivers entertainment and then some.
Pretty simple really. And in this, both film versions share a common thread, but that's where the resemblance ends.
In the Don Seigel version, there is a lot more grit and almost balletic presentation of the violence. Because this was a TV production as opposed to a cinematic one, the budget shows as just a little cheap. But that doesn't hurt the film since the emphasis seems to be on the character more than any other factor within screenplay. It's not surprising to me that this was considered too violent for television. It's always been a bit squeamish about the real world. When it comes to violence.
Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager are perfectly suited at the two hit men on a mission - find the mark and take it out. When I wasn't so crazy about was the whole John Cassavates as a race car driver in an affair with Angie Dickinson subplot.
POSSIBLE SPOILER!
Still, for my money any movie where Ronald Reagan gets taken out is all right with me. So long as didn't die in the presidency and become some kind of martyr, it is a plus for me when he gets offed on the screen.
This makes quite a great novelty that Reagan played a bad guy the last time, performing front of a camera (not counting presidential speeches.) Add to all of this mix, the deft hand of master director Don Siegel, the man who brought you "Dirty Harry" and what you get is a true gem that someone like Tarantino could only dream of topping or equaling.
And before I forget, the last line spoken by Lee Marvin is a gem. In a brilliantly conceived series of shots, Siegel, the director makes this one almost a classic. I say almost because of the slower parts in the film dealing with timing car races and silly love subplots.
While not the atmospheric film noir of the 1946 film, this one still delivers entertainment and then some.