(Stephen Frears, US/Canada 1990, 110 min., 35mm)
This deliciously nasty neo-noir from a book by Jim Thompson (with beginning narration from producer Martin Scorsese) is counterpointed by Elmer Bernstein’s bright score. Roy (John Cusack) is strictly a small-time grifter, picking up small amounts of money from sleight of hand and fixing dice games. His girlfriend, Myra (Annette Bening) has a secret history as a long-con participant. Lily (Anjelica Huston) makes her money traveling the country fixing betting lines at horse tracks. When Lily comes to Los Angeles and Roy is put in the hospital, the three come into each other’s orbit and trip over each other’s business, to dangerous results. Bernstein contrasts the violence and double-dealing with an eclectic, jazzy score that both evokes the 1960s origin of the novel and balances it with playful precision.
Introduction by and post-screening discussion with Charity Lofthouse.
35mm print from the George Eastman Museum collection.