Sidney Lumet RIP

[Danger Man]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/apr/09/sidney-lumetdies-86

He made some great films.

I think 'Dog Day Afternoon' might have been his finest hour. Or 'The Anderson Tapes'...or even 'The Offence'

So many to choose from.

[SavageHedgehog]

Dog Day Afternoon fo' shure! Not to take away from his litany of other fine work though; a versatile and talented man.

[Johnny Townmouse]

For me 12 Angry Men and The Verdict are two of the best films ever made. Lumet was so well regarded as a director partly because he always made well-written screenplays - he had a real thing for it. Mamet's The Verdict screenplay is quite the thing of beauty.

I also have a lot of affection for Deathtrap - a gloriously twisty-turny thriller with Caine and Reeve.

Spoiler alert

Who snog in it.

[close]

Feeling rather sad about this. For me Lumet carried on burning the torch that was originally lit by the great John Huston. I'm going to be well pissed off when Mallick pops his clogs.

[biggytitbo]

Wow he would have been a candidate for people who aren't dead...well before today. A real legend, 12 Angry Men, DogDay Adternoon, the pawnbroker and Network are rightly lauded, but the Offence is an incredible film and Connerys best ever performance in my book.

[Jemble Fred]

I suppose it makes me a philistine that the only films of his I've seen are Equus and Murder on the Orient Express – but visiting his IMDB page has at least shown me that there was a Hollywood version of The Sea Gull, which is very exciting, I'll have to track that down.

[Serge]

Another big fan of 'The Offence' here, a completely overloooked movie and I've always said that its non-linear chronology must surely have been a big influence on stuff like 'Reservoir Dogs'. And yes, it almost certainly does have Connery's best performance.

The first 45 minutes of 'Dog Day Afternoon' are among the tensest in cinema.

RIP Sidney.

[Doomy Dwyer]

I remember 'Q&A' being rather good. 'Deathtrap' is a good thriller. 'Serpico' is always worth a watch. But 'Dog Day Afternoon' is one of the greats. I may watch that tonight.

Cheers, Mr Lumet.

ATTICA!

[Jake Thingray]

Given that he was often associated with tales of New York, on the face of it he might have seemed an odd choice to make The Hill, as so much of it was rooted in the British class system. But he was the right choice.

Part of the reason he worked so well with actors was his grounding in live TV, at a time when the studios were based in New York, not Hollywood, consequently drawing a lot of energy, and talent, from the theatre.

[Retinend]

Network is my favourite film of all time. The guy had a long productive life, and can look forward to a warmly regarded legacy.

[Marty McFly]

Nobody has mentioned Running On Empty yet, which is a big shame because it's a beautiful film, one of the few that has the ability to actually make me cry.

RIP Mr. Lumet.

[non capisco]

but the Offence is an incredible film and Connerys best ever performance in my book.

Completely agree. Connery turns in a startlingly good performance in that movie, as does Ian Bannen. If only Connery had more turns like that in his filmography. It's almost frustrating rewatching The Offence and surmising that Connery was capable of truly great acting but was just a lazy get for most of his career. Lumet obviously brought out the best in him as he's also really good in 'The Hill'.

Regarding The Offence, it's also quite strange that a film that completely captures a certain type of 1970s British malaise was directed by an American. It sort of has the queasy feel of a public information film. It's what the botched Channel 4 adaptation of David Peace's 'Red Riding' should have felt like. A really fascinating film.

[biggytitbo]

Completely agree. Connery turns in a startlingly good performance in that movie, as does Ian Bannen. If only Connery had more turns like that in his filmography. It's almost frustrating rewatching The Offence and surmising that Connery was capable of truly great acting but was just a lazy get for most of his career. Lumet obviously brought out the best in him as he's also really good in 'The Hill'.

Regarding The Offence, it's also quite strange that a film that completely captures a certain type of 1970s British malaise was directed by an American. It sort of has the queasy feel of a public information film. It's what the botched Channel 4 adaptation of David Peace's 'Red Riding' should have felt like. A really fascinating film.

Yeah, Red Riding was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. The best examples of police corruption of thst era were definetly The Offence and the 1970s version of law and order.

[Vitalstatistix]

Haven't seen The Offence, I'll have to check it out.

Prince of the City is another brilliant Lumet. Night Falls on Manhattan is a really good, more underrated one of his too.