Charade (1963)

 

Charade - 1963

Coming up next we have 1963's "Charade", a film about a woman who returns from a holiday to find her husband murdered and three men after her for what they believe is the fortune that he stole from them.  The woman doesn't know whom to turn to or whom to trust.  Even the authorities seem to be corrupt.

The film's cast includes Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Dominique Minot, and Timothy Chelimsky.

Danger seems to stalk Regina Lampert when she's on holiday in the French Alps.  Don't worry, it's only a water pistol being handled by a young boy.  Regina finds the boy's mother and asks her, "Can't he do something constructive like start an avalanche or something?"

Regina meets an American named Peter Joshua.  The two hit it off right away.  Their witty repartee is classic.  When Peter asks Regina if they know each other, she says, "I already know a lot of people and until one of them dies I can't

possibly meet anyone else."  To which Peter replies, "Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know."

Their humorous exchanges continue.  "You're blocking my view," Regina informs Peter.  He asks, "Oh, which view would you prefer?"  Regina fires back, "The one you're blocking."  Peter decides to look Regina up when they return to Paris.

Regina returns to Paris to find her apartment inexplicably empty.  She wanders from room to room in disbelief.

She also finds out that her husband has been murdered.  When the police question her about her husband's activities, Regina can't answer them.  They give her what is left of her husband's belongings.

Peter Joshua arrives at Regina's apartment, and, seeing the state of things, finds her a place to stay.

At her husband Charles's funeral, Regina remarks on the empty room with no mourners other than the police officer wanting to find out who murdered Charles.

Suddenly, three rough looking men arrive in succession and view Charles's body while Regina and her friend Sylvie look on.

Regina is shocked at the men's unorthodox methods of making sure that her husband is really dead.

Later, Regina finds out from a CIA agent exactly what her husband was up to and why he died.  The three men who came to his funeral were partners with him in a crime that saw them steal $250,000 from the US government.  Charles double-crossed the others and took all the money for himself.  Now, they want revenge and the money.

(I love the opening exchange between the agent and Regina.  "Mrs. Lampert, do you know what CIA is?" he asks her.  Regina responds, "I don't suppose it's an airline, is it?")

Peter and Regina spend a lot of time together trying to piece out the puzzle of where Charles could've hidden the money.  They spend their evenings in Paris together, including a memorable game of passing an orange between teams without the use of hands.

Things take a dramatic turn when the three men at Charles's funeral begin to harass Regina.  They believe she has the money or knows where to get it.

During their times together wandering the streets of Paris, Peter and Regina continue to think about where the money could be.

Eventually, the three men who are frightening her end up dead.  There is someone they aren't suspecting involved who will stop at nothing to recover the $250,000.

And Regina herself becomes a target and must run and hide for her life.

I won't spoil the film by telling you who the killer is or where the money is.  I'll only say this, the surprises for Regina keep on coming right up until the last moment.

Cast rundown:

   Cary Grant..................................Peter Joshua

   Audrey Hepburn..........................Regina Lampert

   Walter Matthew...........................Hamilton Bartholomew

   James Coburn.............................Tex Panthollow

   George Kennedy..........................Herman Scobie

   Dominique Minot..........................Sylvie Gaudet

   Timothy Chelimsky.......................Jean-Louis Gaudet

And that's it for Charade.  Full of suspense, glamor, and intrigue, it's been called "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made".  Originally, Cary Grant passed on this film, and it was considered that Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood would star in it.

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Unknown (2011)

 

Unknown - 2011

Coming up next we have 2011's action/thriller "Unknown", a film about a man who wakes up after an accident and discovers everything he ever knew about himself to be in doubt.  His road to finding out exactly who he is leads to some surprising and dangerous circumstances.

The film's cast includes Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz, Sebastian Koch, Mido Hamada, and Karl Markovics.

Dr. Martin Harris and his wife Liz have arrived in a snowy Berlin, Germany, to attend a biotechnology summit.  Unfortunately, Martin leaves his briefcase containing his identification documents at the airport.

As his wife checks into their hotel, Martin hurries back to the airport without telling her where he is going.  On the way to get his briefcase, his taxi swerves out of the way on an icy road to avoid hitting something.  The car goes careening off of a bridge into the cold Spree.

Due to injuries sustained in the crash, Martin falls into a coma and ends up in the hospital for four days.  Knowing that his wife has no idea what has happened to him, he checks out of the hospital the first chance he gets.

However, when he finds his wife, Liz tells him that she doesn't know who he is, which confuses Martin.  She tells him and the hotel security that there has been some mistake because she has never seen this man before.

She even introduces a different man as her husband, Dr. Martin Harris.  This second Martin is able to produce travel documents and other means of identification to seemingly prove who he is.

In hopes of finding some answers, Martin finds the driver of the taxi that crashed into the Spree.  She now works at a diner, but he's relieved to know that she recognizes him.  Her name is Gina, and she's not particularly thrilled about seeing him.

Martin also enlists the help of Ernst Jurgen, a former member of the Stasi, the East German secret police.

Gina offers Martin a place to stay, and over the course of the film they grow closer.

The quiet of Gina's apartment is interrupted by a man who comes to kill Martin.  While he and Martin are fighting, Gina jabs a knife into his neck and kills him.

After doing some digging, Jurgen is able to give Martin some answers as to why he is in Berlin and his role in the biotechnology summit he came to attend.

And Martin finds out the full truth about himself when a man comes to see him and reveals that Martin is in fact an international terrorist who has set certain events in motion which this man does not want to come undone.

"You should've let me drown," says Martin after he tells Gina everything he knows.  "What matters is what you do now," she replies.

Martin decides to stop the assassination of a Saudi prince and a scientist who has developed a corn plant which will grow in harsh conditions, essentially ending world hunger.  The scientist wants to give this formula to the world for free, but certain parties want to exploit it for billions of dollars.

Saving these two men involves getting them out of the path of a deadly bomb that threatens to consume them all.

Happily, everything works out in the end.  Martin and Gina get new identities as husband and wife, Henry and Claudia Taylor.  They board a train in Berlin and head off for a new life together.

Cast rundown:

   Liam Neeson.................................Dr. Martin Harris

   Diane Kruger.................................Gina

   January Jones................................Liz Harris

   Aidan Quinn..................................Martin B.

   Frank Langella...............................Rodney Cole

   Bruno Ganz...................................Ernst Jurgen

   Sebastian Koch..............................Professor Bressler

   Mido Hamada................................Prince Shada

   Karl Markovics................................Dr. Farge

And that's all for Unknown.  Filming on location in Berlin was reportedly very difficult.  At the time the movie was being produced, the city was undergoing the coldest winter it had seen in twenty years.

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