I can remember when STORMY MONDAY was released. To my
knowledge it never played in local theaters near where I lived. My first
exposure to it was in video form. With Melanie Griffith, Sting and Tommy Lee
Jones being popular at the time it was one I ordered for my shelves. Even there
it didn’t fare that well. It is another of those movies tossed out with no
fanfare that is interesting but never found its audience. That may change with
it being released on blu-ray.
The movie has several intersecting stories that culminate
into one as it moves forward. The first involves Kate (Griffith) as a waitress
and possibly part time mistress for a high roller. Unhappy with her life he
calls to have her go buy a new outfit and join him that night. The second is a
young man named Brendan (Sean Bean in his second major film role) who bumps
into Kate knocking her over at the mall while reading the want ads. He in turn
applies for a job at a local jazz club owned by Finney (Sting). Hired he’s sent
to pick up a visiting jazz band coming in from Poland. He takes them to a hotel
for their visit…where Kate shows to meet up with her part time boyfriend Cosmo
(Jones).
To tie it altogether it turns out that Cosmo is in town to
help celebrate America Days, a business effort with the city of Manchester. His
plans are to revitalize the area, tearing down current buildings and creating
new jobs and opportunities. His major problem at the moment is that the owner
of a jazz club, Finney, refuses to sell. Brendan meets Kate once more when he
stops into the restaurant she works in to eat.
While there he overhears the plans of a couple of thugs to rob the jazz
club and “convince” the owner to sell. The rest of the story unfolds from
there.
So a lot of the story here seems to be one piece of the
puzzle conveniently fitting into the next over and over again. I found that to
be a bit distracting while watching this movie. The fact that each of these
characters run into one another in a city the size of Manchester, that the
interest of all involved all revolves around one small club, just feels too
contrived to be believable. Yes, I know it’s a movie but still with this many
items one after the other (including the remains of a car wreck entering the
city later referenced which places the Polish jazz band working for both Como
and Finney) tying into one another it pushes it a bit far.
The film is incredibly easy to watch though. The
cinematography is wonderful with plenty of stylized lighting and sets combining
to make it appear to be a location that’s seen better days yet has several
areas of interest anyway. This is in part due to the fact that it was shot by
Roger Deakins who had shot SID AND NANCY the year prior and went on to shoot
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN,
SKYFALL and more. Director Mike Figgis also went on to bigger things including
directing LEAVING LAS VEGAS. For some reason his star never rose much higher
than that film though.
Arrow Video is releasing this and they remain one of a
handful of companies whose releases should be met with enthusiasm and
excitement. The prints they off are always the highest quality and this one is
no exception with a beautiful hi def edition of this movie. The extras here are
limited but make the movie itself more interesting. They include an audio
commentary track with director Figgis moderated by critic Damon Wise, a video
appreciation by critic Neil Young discussing the city of Newcastle and how it
relates to film especially this one, the theatrical trailer, a reversible
sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacey and for the first
pressing only a booklet written by critic Mark Cunliffe.
Fans of mysteries, film noir and British crime films will
find this a must have for their collections. Movie fans will find enough to
enjoy in the film itself. And if you love all things Arrow Video like I do, it
is one more movie to add to the shelf.
Click here to order.
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