Hello out there and Happy Monday. (Yes, Mondays can often suck, but this one is our last on this side of the flip! So, let’s see what we can do about celebrating it, huh? (-:)
I know we’ve done a fair number of these throughout our time together, but hopefully one more won’t hurt. (And I promise that this is one of those “sleepers” that we all hope to stumble onto when scouring the tube for something watchable.)
Five Corners (1987)
It’s Spring 1964, and the Bronx, NY is the setting for this offbeat, yet entertaining slice-of-life tale. The working-class neighborhood of Five Corners (a fictitious locale, perhaps some derivative of real New York City-area locations like Five Points and Five Towns) is home to a hodgepodge of characters, played by a host of future A-list actors you’ll surely recognize.
The genius of this New York story lies in its separate vignettes, with each of the disparate subplots eventually colliding with the others in the film’s final moments.
The opening sequence introduces us to Heinz (John Turturro), a menacing sort who has just returned to the neighborhood from prison. We soon learn that he was sent away for the attempted rape of Linda (Jodie Foster), a sweet local girl who has spent the last few years living in terror of Heinz’s inevitable return.
Meanwhile, Linda’s one-time protector, Harry (Tim Robbins), has proclaimed himself “non-violent,” as he is just days away from heading to the Deep South to play a role in the civil rights movement. (The back story is that the would-be rape of Linda took place in a local bar, where a then-embattled Harry smashed Heinz in the head with a pitcher of beer, subduing him long enough for the police to arrive.)
Other happenings in this less-than-idyllic world include the mysterious death of a local math teacher, (inexplicably shot with an arrow), two high school girls who end up in the company of German exchange students after a rough night of drinking and the attempts of the local police to find the teacher’s killer, while also keeping an eye out for the dangerous Heinz.
Mix that all together with music from the era, including tracks from the likes of The Beatles and Bob Dylan, a Saint Bernard named Buddha (an homage to Harry’s reformed self, now a pacifist and Buddhist), pressed into duties as a bloodhound and a memorable sequence on a freight elevator, and you’ve got quite a lot to manage.
And hey, just for fun, let’s throw in a couple of stolen penguins from the nearby Bronx Zoo.
I hope you guys will give this one a chance.
Have a great night!
JFish
@Copyright 2024 by John L. Fischer
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