Flashy noir tale precipitously falls

MULHOLLAND FALLS (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 

Readers of my reviews know I have a fondness for stories set in the 1950's that circulate around flashy cars, atomic tests, suburbia, police detectives, venetian blinds, luscious women with bright red lips, etc. All these elements make up most of film noir (excepting atomic tests to some degree, though there is that explosive ending from "Kiss Me, Deadly"). "Mulholland Falls" is a strikingly photographed neo-noir tale with flashiness being the operative word here to define the movie as a whole. Flashy, yes, but story and plot, as thin as a cigarette.

The movie shows promise from its first few galvanizing scenes. The Hat Squad, a group of police detectives led by burly Nick Nolte, get rid of a mobster (William Petersen) by dragging him from a restaurant and proceeding to throw his body out of a Mulholland Drive cliff. The mobster survives with a few broken bones but the message is clear: the Hat Squad will not tolerate undesirables coming in to their L.A. turf.

Such a powerful sequence with energetic direction by Lee Tamahori ("Once Were Warriors") leads to the investigation of a female corpse in the middle of the desert (played by Jennifer Connelly). Nolte knows who she is - he had an affair with her but it ended - but his involvement has become personal. It leads to porn films made by a "fruitcake" (Andrew McCarthy) and some footage of an atomic testing site and bandaged hospital patients that raises questions. One sequence stands out - the four men of the Hat Squad illegally enter a federally restricted site where they witness an enormous crater. Great scene, but it has nothing to do with the movie.

"Mulholland Falls" shines occasionally thanks to Nick Nolte, a vicious cop who believes in keeping personal issues to himself, such as deceiving his own wife (Melanie Griffith). But the movie never builds to much and contains few surprises or twists. It also contains little personality or colorful characters. Michael Madsen and Chris Penn are tremendous presences on screen but no weight is given to their characters - they are simply two members of the Hat Squad. Chazz Palminteri jazzes things up as the other Hat Squad member who is seeing a therapist. I also like the brief role of the sick General, astutely played by John Malkovich. And there is Ed Lauter in a role that is so juicy for merely less than a minute before he is (spoiler alert) blown away that you wonder what director Tamahori had in mind when casting such terrific actors.

"Mulholland Falls" could've been an expose of the real-life Hat Squad and their notorious and unorthodox methods of eliminating the criminal element. Instead Tamahori and writer Pete Dexter (who base this tale on a story concocted by Mr. Dexter and Floyd Mutrux) infuse noir staples that we have seen a million times before (excepting, once again, the atomic testing angle). Connelly looks the part of a 1950's gal and Nolte smokes a chimney throughout and gets to beat up a few FBI men and the cars, oh those stylish cars, just make the atmosphere very tactile (special thanks to the gifted cinematographer Haskell Wexler who can make a cemetery also look beautiful). If only the plot and characters were given such major scrutiny. The movie is a criminal waste of time.