Tough-Guy Cinema

We saw two vintage macho action movies at the New Beverly Cinema today: a double bill of Mike Hodge's hard-boiled 1971 British gangster revenge movie, Get Carter (starring Michael Caine); and Peter Yate's 1968 stylish cop drama, Bullitt (starring, of course, Steve McQueen and Robert Vaughn). One thing that struck me was how subtle both films were, compared with most action movies today. These flicks told their story without camera angles that hid the menace until too late, or music-video editing, or wall-to-wall background music, or constant expository dialogue. They trusted the audience to connect the dots.