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Point Blank (1967)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Outwardly a flashy revenge thriller, Point Blank reaches beyond its genre with inspiring visuals, an elliptical storyline and pure style. Right from the outset Point Blank slaps us with violence, a quick one-two as a pair of slugs rip into Walker (Lee Marvin). Gazing at cell bars from his bloody vantage point on the floor, can the lead character have been killed off so soon? Walker drifts back into the past musing on the circumstances which deposited him here, all of them centring on his old friend Mal Reese (John Vernon). The idea for a heist, on Alcatraz island, seemed foolproof and a great way to pay off Mal's debts. Unfortunately, Walker is lying here while Mal splits with both the money and Walker's wife Lynne (Sharon Acker).

A year or two later Walker is on a tourist boat trip to Alcatraz, being propositioned by a nondescript fellow known as Yost (Keenan Wynn). Either Walker survived his wounds or this is all a near-death fantasy, not that it matters. Yost knows where Mal and Lynne are and is willing to reveal this to Walker, just as long as he receives some information on a shadowy body called "The Organisation". Since all Walker wants is the money owed to him by Mal (and perhaps a dash of revenge) he agrees, registering scant emotion as he contemplates his forthcoming actions.

After a speedy relocation to LA, Lynne is mildly surprised when Walker bursts through her front door and plants several bullets into her bed. Annoyingly, Mal departed months ago, discarding Lynne as easily as he attempted to dispose of Walker. The reappearance of her husband flips an internal trigger within Lynne and she launches into a monologue of explanation. This has little impact upon Walker (he might as well be in the morgue for the reactions he exhibits), his only interest is in the next lead towards Mal. This is going to involve some serious skirmishes with "The Organisation" and a lewd car-dealer, Stegman (Michael Strong). Walker doesn't care.

Point Blank is possibly one of the most stylised and arty thrillers ever placed on celluloid. The early scenes are stuffed with curious camera angles, fractured time-lines and carefully constructed compositions. All of this tends to blur the story, leaving the audience without a guiding narrative path. Luckily, Lee Marvin strides out of this morass and takes the movie in hand, shaking it like a hapless victim. He might not speak much but his motives are clear (apparently) and he seems to have the ability to achieve anything (while being simultaneously manipulated). From here on the elaborate visual themes succeed because Marvin is resting at the centre, like an immovable slab. With him even a surreal nightclub fight, complete with screaming singer, works.

A notable aspect of Point Blank is that the movie makes fine use of wide-screen, seeming even more elongated than most other films. Villains are tossed from one end of the frame to the other, characters lie full length along the screen and architectural forms bulge from their foundations. The soundtrack also plays a key role, often fading into absolute silence with only the aural clues of slight movements to break the peace. Altogether, these elements (with a plot which appears straightforward) provide a stunning and thought-provoking experience.

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