It's funny to think of this as a spinoff of a tv series as that usually implies a cheap ripoff, here Siegel expands on the characters and plotting by concentrating just as much on the crooks, especially the great Eli Wallach, and a ending, on a half constructed freeway that is fantastic.
What always set this film apart for me was not just the brutality of the chracters, but the casualness of it as well.
I have a dvd-rip and this used to show up on Encore mystery all the time, but it really deserves a full dvd release.
The Line Up
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brandonlinden
- Posts: 7
- Joined: February 12th, 2008, 10:22 pm
- Location: Chicago, Il
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The tv series "The Line-Up" was a weekly favorite in our house when I was a kid. As I recall it was very well made, but I don't think I've seen an episode since then. The movie is terrific. I saw it again sometime back on Encore Mystery and also would love to see it on DVD. It would be great to see it show up on TCM too.
John, the horrible thing about my introduction to THE LINE-UP in Nov 2007 was the other films that this guest host offered - I recorded all of them but one - and that was STAKEOUT ON DOPE STREET, which is the ONE film I ended up thinking of more than the others! Wouldn't ya know it?!!
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY was a film I've seen many times and always enjoy - it's got this who's who of 2nd-level actors (William Talman, Gene Evans, Charles McGraw) that force me to like this film.
MURDER BY CONTRACT with Vince Evans was the third 'revelation'.
All four of these films were guest-hosted to 'us' by author James Ellroy. I'm hoping he'll return and deliver more and different films from his knowledge base - this time, I'd accept all of his offerings as "required recordings".
ARMORED CAR ROBBERY was a film I've seen many times and always enjoy - it's got this who's who of 2nd-level actors (William Talman, Gene Evans, Charles McGraw) that force me to like this film.
MURDER BY CONTRACT with Vince Evans was the third 'revelation'.
All four of these films were guest-hosted to 'us' by author James Ellroy. I'm hoping he'll return and deliver more and different films from his knowledge base - this time, I'd accept all of his offerings as "required recordings".
I recorded all four of the James Ellroy picks and this is the only one I haven't got round to watching yet. I think there was a discussion somewhere else at SSO that talked about the general concept of guest programmers and I commented that most are worthless but a few are gems. James Ellroy was a real gem and I'd also love to see him return with more picks.
The only catch to that was that, from his own personal testimony and for very understandable reasons, he's stuck in LA in 1958. Three of the four films he picked were LA crime films from 1958. There can't be too many more of them out there.
The only catch to that was that, from his own personal testimony and for very understandable reasons, he's stuck in LA in 1958. Three of the four films he picked were LA crime films from 1958. There can't be too many more of them out there.
Ellroy's comments about finding films with LA's grittier side and knowing more about his own history makes these choices a bit more fascinating. THE LINEUP is, to some degree, without any grit and grime location shots except fro the pier scene. But the grit and grime of this movie is put in by Eli Wallach and Robert Klein instead of alleys and garbage cans. It's still there, and how-!
The San Fran locale has me wondering where Scotty's (James Stewart) house is at, if we're passing him while he's following Kim Novak around. "Maybe we'll see them at the aquarium!"
The San Fran locale has me wondering where Scotty's (James Stewart) house is at, if we're passing him while he's following Kim Novak around. "Maybe we'll see them at the aquarium!"