Street Smart

Jerry Schatzberg's Street Smart opens with Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Reeve) failing to pitch several ideas to his editor. Then he comes up with writing a profile on the average New York City pimp. One problem: he doesn't have a pimp to write about so he makes one up. Then more problems arise when an actual pimp resembles Jonathan's "profile"...

Similar to Schatzberg's earlier film The Panic in Needle Park, Street Smart has New York City play as much of a role as those with lines. While not as decayed and grimy as it appeared in the earlier film, the city still proves to be just as lovely as it appeared back in the early '70s. But make no mistake -- it's just as sleazy.

And like Schatzberg's other earlier film Scarecrow, Street Smart has a litany of personalities in it. Using his photographer's eye, Schatzberg captures these figures with an acute sharpness. Every person has their own story to tell in how much screentime they receive, and Schatzberg utilizes that. Film is just photography in motion, after all.

That said, Street Smart falls just shy of Schatzberg's earlier films. Screenwriter David Freeman had a good idea -- basing it on his own experiences at New York magazine -- but the execution of it is limp. Still, it works about 80% of the time.

Street Smart admittedly falls victim to the standard conventions of late 1980s cinema but it's still pretty solid overall. Reeve works well with what he has, as do Morgan Freeman (who was nominated for an Oscar) and Kathy Baker. All in all, it's worth a look.

My Rating: ****

Scarecrow

The opening scene of Jerry Schatzberg's Scarecrow is a mostly static shot of drifters Max (Gene Hackman) and Lion (Al Pacino) trying to hitch a ride. Keenly shot by the recently departed Vlimos Zsigmond, it has the viewer wondering what's in store for these two.

Bear in mind that when Scarecrow was released, Hackman and Pacino were still relative newcomers to moviegoers. (Just the year before, Hackman won an Oscar for The French Connection, and Pacino got his big break in The Godfather.) The film further shows that not only did Hollywood get two promising stars but Hollywood was in the midst of a new film generation.

Schatzberg, who had previously worked with Pacino on The Panic in Needle Park, directs a film as more than your average road movie. It's also a character study between the two drifters. Max has his future all planned out while Lion is just going where the wind blows. Seeing the short-tempered Max and the clownish Lion interact adds to this study.

Back to Zsigmond's cinematography for a moment. Here he captures various American backdrops of the Nixon era. Like what he also did with McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Deer Hunter, Zsigmond depicts the disillusioned American dream. (Truly we have lost one of the greats.)

Scarecrow is easily one of the most overlooked titles of the New Hollywood movement. (Possibly understandable considering the other films Hackman and Pacino did in that era.) Hopefully it'll be one that gets rediscovered in the imminent future.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Panic in Needle Park

For every actor that made it big, there's always that one film that responsible for it all. Without it, they probably wouldn't be the same actors we know today.

Take for instance Al Pacino. His recent work may be lacking but during the 1970's, he was one of the most sought-out actors in Hollywood. His big break was in The Godfather, but it was an earlier work that convinced producers to cast him as Michael Corleone. The film? Jerry Schatzberg's The Panic in Needle Park.

As Bobby, Pacino plays someone who knows his surroundings yet is unaware of what will happen next. This is stark contrast to Helen (Kitty Winn). She is unfamiliar with both the city and its lifestyle. And yet both are complimentary to each other. Bobby guides Helen around the city while she stops him from getting into dangerous territory.

However both could destroy one another. Bobby has a heroin habit and wants Helen not to follow in his footsteps. Curiosity gets the better of her. (The exchange between them when he discovers she shot up is subtle acting at its finest.) They try dig themselves out of the hole they're in, but it's a losing battle for both of them.

The Panic in Needle Park gets monotonous at times though it shows a good portrait of drug addiction and the desperation that comes with it. Pacino and Winn are very good in their roles, showing Bobby and Helen as people who got on the wrong side of the tracks. Not exactly Requiem for a Dream, but it's still pretty good.

My Rating: ****