Mulholland Falls

This could have been good , but the writing is bland and the acting is flat and lacks believability. I don't think the actors have much to work with. It seems like they're all wading through mud with their performances. It's obvious from the first 10 minutes of the film who will die in the end, like a Made for TV movie.

The cast does well, and the movie is watchable but there are too many stupid things that happen to make the movie believable and be given a higher rating. *A police chief of a major city who is not afraid of J Edgar Hoover? *An LA detective who can assault three FBI agents with no repercussions? *The detective is patted down by MPs and relieved of two guns but they let him keep his club (sap)? *The security on an atomic base is so lax that the police can run around breaking through gates by shooting the locks off? *The detective alludes the MPs the second time he is there, finds the gate to the general's house locked, so just walks around the back and is able to get the drop on him sitting on his back porch? These annoying things, plus a slow pace, make the movie just okay.

I just happened to rent this movie because I was impressed by the cast. The plot was interesting but at times vague. I wish this movie was about an half hour longer, maybe then we see more characterization and plot nuances. The production design and costumes are excellent. I'm a fan of Nolte, Madsen, Palminteri, and Penn, so it's great to see them in a movie together. But I wish we could see more of these characters. They all display a charisma that is appealing. So if you're interested in a modern film with a classic look, Mulholland Falls isn't perfect but it's almost there. It's well worth your time.

William Petersen (that C.S.I guy) has a small uncredited role but it's the best part of the movie. His character comes across smart ass and tough, and it's a fun surprise to see him in this. He has a range that allows him to play just about anything. After his 5 minutes, it goes from looking cool to just nothing much. It leaves you hoping that his character will reappear in the movie but after 20 minutes you give up hope. The movie itself is pretty poor. Worth a watch on TMN or a pick up at the library but not much more. Too much of it reminds you of L.A Confidential except that where that movie starts to get complicated upon itself, this one is so loose, it steers everywhere but where it should. 2 out of 5 stars

Elleroy was my favorite character because he is played by Chazz Palminteri who is one of my favorite actors.

I think that this movie is a very good one. The plot is interesting and all the actors are doing their job. The one sad thing about it is that Ed Lauter - who starred in the classic western-movie "Breakheart Pass" - is only given about 10 seconds in this one.

Mulholland Falls is a crime-movie in the kind of Chinatown and would have had the attention it deserve - one year after L.A. Confidental. Nolte, Palmintieri, Madsen and Chris Penn are the "Hat Squad", a cool and violent police-unit. Unfortunately Nick Nolte is too much the center of the film - to the debit of Madsen and Penn. New Zealand´s Director No. 1 Lee Tamahori has made a good-old-stylish movie, at which Haskell Wexler´s cinematography and Dave Grusin´s excellent score would have deserved some Oscar- Nominations. The story is very interesting and give a look of the USA at the beginning of the 50´s (like L.A. Confidental). However the movie has missed the chance to a remarkable end. Unfortunately it´s only almost a masterpiece. (Translated by my little sister Antonia)

By far the main reason I rented this movie was to see Jennifer Connelly naked, and she definitely gets naked, in grainy black and white, during the opening credits. The rest of the movie is OK. Nolte does his usual, underappreciated job. Treat Williams plays the same evil villain he plays in The Shadow, and is both strange, unbelievable, and boring. He reminds me of a annoying actor in a small town theatre. Melanie Griffith is better than usual, but that's not saying much. The rest of the supporting cast, Chaz Palmienwhatshisname, Michael Madsen, and Chris Penn, are all very good. I wish the movie was about them, and I wish Jennifer Connelly had more * scenes, because WOW, what an amazing body, and I wish they were in color.

Mulholland Falls is a decent film -- some good performances, good props, but with a weak script that really didn't know what kind of story it wanted to tell (police corruption, federal gov coverups, Hollywood meat grinder, 50's noir, 50's innocence, etc etc etc). But make no mistake, it is NO L.A. Confidential. Not now, not ever. Not on any level. Nolte is no Russell Crowe, Treat Williams is no James Cromwell, Chaz Palminteri is no Kevin Spacey, and whoever wrote this script is no James Ellroy. Nor was its soundtrack on the same level -- noirish, but repetitive and without the period references like the haunting Chet Baker trumpet that punctuated Jerry Golsmith's LA Confidential score. Nor did it have the period songs that added that extra layer of period "feel" Simply put, Hanson's work was genius. Lee Tamahori did a fine, but ultimately paint-by-numbers workmanlike job.