The House on Carroll Street (1988)

What starts intriguing and keeps on the right path seems to go off into a direction that doesn't quite take the audience with them. It's a well meaning return to the world of film noir that paints a fine picture of the dark world of McCarthyism and the still dangerous remaining members of the Nazi party in post war New York City. Kelly McGillis is a Life magazine photography editor fired after refusing to give names in the red scare. She is identified as a member of a subversive group out to improve society, obviously no real threat, but enough to make the government paranoid. A chance encounter with a young German immigrant brings her into real danger as the threats of a Nazi re-growth are revealed to her.For about the first 45 minutes, the film seems to be going down all the right paths, but all of a sudden, it starts to become a bit convoluted and unbelievable. The film does remain suspenseful and features a fun late 40's/early 50's look at New York City. Subway stations haven't changed, neither has Strand bookstore or off Broadway theaters. McGillis has a fine leading man with American agent Jeff Daniels, boyishly sheepish but handsome, and theater legends Mandy Patinkin and Jessica Tandy in major supporting roles. Peter Yates directs this modern film noir thriller with passion, but something is clearly missing. I can say that I enjoyed this more the second time as opposed to back in 1988 when this hit the theaters. My rating hadn't changed, but my observations about smaller details were greatly different.

All the time this girl was running. And at final reject an facile end. It was so natural from a woman point of view to reject an agent who loves she. She is blonde ?! I see now you need 10 lines to admit it is a comment. Well: All this movie I see this girl alone against all. Fighting for his Idea or right. You can see this girl as a "don Quijote" one. Impresionant is that succeed to convince the people around her ... is like a warm wind of springtime, arising the flowers up at sun. This was not a typical Hollywood movie, it was a MOVIE. Why 10 lines of text ? I'll repeat tree times the text. Is unfair: I have few opinions about to share and now I must make a dissertation about it ? well I am not Tolstoi ... All the time this girl was running. And at final reject an facile end. It was so natural from a woman point of view to reject an agent who loves she. She is blonde ?! I see now you need 10 lines to admit it is a comment. Well: All this movie I see this girl alone against all. Fighting for his Idea or right. You can see this girl as a "don Quijote" one. Impresionant is that succeed to convince the people around her ... is like a warm wind of springtime, arising the flowers up at sun. This was not a typical Hollywood movie, it was a MOVIE. All the time this girl was running. And at final reject an facile end. It was so natural from a woman point of view to reject an agent who loves she. She is blonde ?! I see now you need 10 lines to admit it is a comment. Well: All this movie I see this girl alone against all. Fighting for his Idea or right. You can see this girl as a "don Quijote" one. Impresionant is that succeed to convince the people around her ... is like a warm wind of springtime, arising the flowers up at sun. This was not a typical Hollywood movie, it was a MOVIE.

When I checked this one out of the library, I thought it might be an early 50's film-noir about spy smuggling but it turns out to be a 1988 effort to reconstruct an era circa 1951 when World War II memories were fresh and looking for Reds was becoming a national pastime.Unfortunately, the reconstruction of 50's scenes comes off a whole lot better than the picture. Jeff Daniels does a nice little job as the government agent with a heart but the story has more holes than McCarthy's logic.Kelly McGinniss spends the movie being pursued--in libraries, on roof tops, in train stations, you name it, but there's something lacking--I think it's called a plot.They would have been better off chucking the Nazi bad guy stuff and straying with the McCarthy smear of our heroine. Do it in black and white and build the picture of the sinister democracy it could have been.

Jeff Daniels(Fly Away Home,Dumb and Dumber,Speed) and Kelly MCGillis(Witness,Top Gun) star in thriller set in New York City in the summer of 1951. Emily Crane (McGillis) uncovers a plot by the U.S goverment to secretly bring Nazi war criminals to the U.S. But she has a man to watch for her!Jeff Daniels plays Cochran a federal agant sent to protect her. Eventually the two people fall in love. Then they must flee for their lives as the government knows that they know of the secret Nazi criminals coming over to America. The love story is OK for the movie , I just wish they would of shown us the criminals coming over , instead all we get those already here!!If you like love story thrillers, you might like this movie!!Or if you are either fans of Jeff Daniels or Kelly McGillis, you might like this movie!!If you decide to buy it, rent it before you do!!!It 's an average love story set during the era of post World War 2!!It has had neat ending , but i'm gonna give it away!!!So remember rent it before you buy as it may not be everything you though it was going to be!!!