This was not exactly an opportune time to sing the director's praises, as he'd just hit the skids commercially and critically with the trio of "Casualties of War," "Bonfire of the Vanities," and "Raising Cain." For those of us who'd been enraptured by De Palma's sui generis pure cinema, wherein the filmmaker was clearly working ecstatic variations on familiar themes as so many great classical musical composers have done for centuries, aside from "Bonfire" he was actually operating at the height of his powers ("Casualties of War" is the best American film about the Vietnam War ever made). There are many other instances of Tarantino talking up a living filmmaking legend when they needed a boost, and, aside from his kind words for De Palma, I don't think he's ever been more righteously spot-on than the time he preached the gospel of Walter Hill.
Author: staff@slashfilm.com (Jeremy Smith)
Published at: 2025-07-12 22:20:00
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