Barfly is now available on Prime apparently. I put it on, surprised, and I wanted to celebrate this gem.
For a movie written by and centering around a first time screenwriter who outspokenly thought little of film, Barfly is a memorable, pretty, well-written movie that works on spite of, perhaps along with, its flaws.
I wish Mickey Rourke had toned it down a little, he approached the character slightly too flamboyantly. Still, it works. This is a character consumed by self-hate, who relishes being beaten to a pulp and degrading himself, but that self hate has fermented to poetry. Rourke's interpretation hits, and misses, but it always swings. But Dunaway-- her Wanda is a sorely underrated performance. Rourke isn't bad, but Faye steals the show.
This is definitely a movie written by a poet, and about a poet. I'm happy this is available on streaming now, I think it's a great film that deserves more praise. There's a reach for grittiness, based on a serious drunk's experiences, and the dialogue is sharp af. "Don't worry-- no one's ever loved me yet." I love the scene where Henry admires his wounds, and then another where a gaunt old man greats him after a fight, and they share an oddly tender, briefly vulnerable moment. The conversation between Henry and the rich girl pursuing him is pretty rich too... This is such a solid movie, and Bukowski wrote it reluctantly, solely for a paycheck. Dude couldn't phone it in if he tried. Barfly puts Factotum to shame so bad, I prefer to pretend it doesn't exist.
I've largely grown out of Bukowski, but damn, I still love this movie. Kudos to all involved.
Submitted July 28, 2018 at 10:15AM by s0mnambulance https://ift.tt/2NQrR32