Mulholland Falls (1996)

Investigating the suspicious death of an attractive young woman, four LAPD detectives uncover a conspiracy involving atomic energy in this mystery thriller set in the 1950s during the peak of the Cold War. Luciously shot by the legendary Haskell Wexler and accompanied by an appropriately moody music score, the movie succeeds in creating an experience that is part film noir homage and part 70s paranoia thriller homage. The performances are also uniformly excellent. The film bites off a little more than it can chew though. The origin of the title, for instance, is revealed very early on as we see how shady the detectives are, resorting to letting some criminals (who they cannot legally touch) dive off the edge of Mulholland Drive. For the vast majority of the film though, they are shown as far less corrupt, which is a shame because morally ambiguous policemen are always far more interesting. A subplot involving the lead detective's neglected wife does not quite gel with the story-line either and mostly feels like a distraction from the Cold War conspiracy that the detectives eventually unfold. Generally speaking though, this is a fairly enticing affair. Released after the end of the Cold War, the film benefits in particular from speculating over what may have been in terms of government whitewashes and corruption during this heightened period of international tension.

Mulholland Falls (1996): Dir: Lee Tamahori / Cast: Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, John Malkovich: This is a portrait of 1950's crime noir in a place where bodies are discovered and answers are sought. Nick Nolte plays detective Max Hoover who arrives at the bottom of an embankment where the body of a woman is found. Max recognizes her and immediately goes under denial mode as he struggles to find out who murdered her while keeping his relationship with her out of the public. His wife, Katherine is played by Melanie Griffith and she is frustrated with his lack of involvement until the truth surfaces. This leads to a conclusion that seems rather sudden and unresolved. The murder victim is played by the beautiful Jennifer Connelly and she is featured only in black and white flashbacks in all smiles engaging in sexual activity. Chazz Palminteri plays Max's loyal partner whose advice is often ignored but he steps up when his partner is in need of assistance. John Malkovich plays an ill General with a past with Connelly. Michael Madsen and Chris Penn play two of Hoover's men but their contribution is a total waste. Director Lee Tamahori attempts to capture the noir films of the 1940's but cannot rescue the screenplay from its corny delivery. It is a well crafted action caper that doesn't ask much other than to enjoy the view on the way down. Score: 6 ½ / 10

"Mulholland Falls" (1996) is not a bad film. The performances are more than adequate, the attention to period detail and the cinematography is breathtaking at times. The problem lies with the screenplay, and the editing (it seems that MGM saw fit to trim the original cut of the film down to a more acceptable running time), leaving much to be desired with character development (or lack thereof) and plot holes.The opening sequence is pure noir, or neo-noir as the genre that it falls into. "The Hat Squad" in which Max Hoover (Nick Nolte) is the leader is both comical and interesting. Unfortunately, the other characters (Chazz Palminteri, and particularly Michael Madsen and Chris Penn) are give little to do by comparison. And although Jennifer Connelly is featured prominently in the trailer and on the DVD cover, she also has very little do but look gorgeous and sexy (which she does very well) in a series of all too brief flashbacks and 8mm footage. Melanie Griffith, as Hoover's wronged wife, makes the most of her limited screen time but again, the film could have benefited from seeing more of her (and I say this as someone who is not particularly a fan, but she is extremely sympathetic and likable here). Andrew McCarthy gets the thankless role as the friend of Allison Pond (Connelly) who knows too much. John Malkovich seems to think he's in another movie, Treat Williams tries hard but never fully convinces as a military man. Blink and you'll miss Rob Lowe in a cameo and William Peterson is uncredited.The main problem with "Mulholland Falls" is that it does feel like two movies slapped together. The military/government angle felt very out of place; what started off as a promising detective story dealing with the murder of a young woman who has connections to both the police force and the corrupt underworld of Los Angeles turns into a bland maze of incoherent and uninteresting plot points.Some may argue that this attempt at neo-noir is unjustly compared to "Chinatown" (1974) and "L.A. Confidential" (1997), but it does fall short. As I mentioned before, perhaps the editing is to blame. It would be interesting if a director's cut exists. Perhaps that would make more sense out of the plot.Dave Grusin's score is nice enough, but only briefly evokes the feeling associated with the genre.In conclusion, "Mulholland Falls" is not a waste of time, it was an interesting premise that simply ran out of steam. Still, if you're an admirer of period pieces or films set in Los Angeles, you may want to give it a try.

This film looks fantastic and is chock-full of great actors(Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chris Penn, Bruce Dern, John Malkovich, Chazz Palminteri, and more).A low-brow Chinatown. The 'look' of this film, and Nick Nolte's performance are the only things that are even close to the level of that earlier, finer work.However, this is well worth a view - especially if you are looking for a throwback escape from all the new release trash that's out there today.Sidenote: Jennifer Connelly's breasts should be the standard of perfection.Some of the fine actors have to take a backseat because there are just so many involved here. Nolte, however, is the star of this show, and his performance is definitely noteworthy.It's Nick's performance, and Tomahori's attention to graphic detail that make this film above average. The plot is an atomic bomb.You'll like this if you liked: Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential(note: this movie is nowhere near that level), Miller's Crossing and Basic Instinct.64/100