The hunt begins. This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986), the stylish psychological crime thriller that introduced audiences to Hannibal Lecter on the big screen.

Based on Thomas Harris’s novel Red Dragon, Manhunter follows FBI profiler Will Graham, played by William Petersen, as he is drawn back into the world of criminal investigation to track down a terrifying serial killer. But solving the case means confronting the psychological darkness that Graham has spent years trying to escape.

Michael Mann’s film has become increasingly recognised as a landmark of 1980s crime cinema and psychological thrillers.

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate what makes Manhunter so distinctive. We explore Michael Mann’s atmospheric direction, the film’s striking use of colour and music, William Petersen’s intense performance, Brian Cox’s chilling interpretation of Hannibal Lecter and Tom Noonan’s unforgettable Francis Dollarhyde.

We also examine how Manhunter compares with later adaptations of Thomas Harris’s work, particularly The Silence of the Lambs, and ask whether Mann’s film deserves to be considered one of the great serial killer movies and overlooked crime thrillers of the 1980s.

Directed by: Michael Mann

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

The Bat is back. This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Matt Reeves’s The Batman (2022), the dark, detective-driven take on Gotham City starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright and Paul Dano.

Rather than simply retelling Batman’s origin story, The Batman puts the world’s greatest detective at the centre of a sprawling murder mystery and neo-noir crime thriller. 

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths put The Batman under investigation. 

We explore the film’s noir influences, cinematography, performances, action sequences, score and detective story, while asking what makes this version of Batman different from the many that came before it.

Is The Batman one of the greatest Batman movies ever made? Has Matt Reeves finally delivered the definitive Batman detective movie? Or does the film’s three-hour running time and relentlessly grim tone work against it?

The case is open.

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Cinema Sleuths (Formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth.

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

A hard-boiled detective, a murder mystery and Kathleen Turner at the centre of the case! This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates V.I. Warshawski (1991), the crime comedy(??!) starring Kathleen Turner as Chicago private investigator V.I. Warshawski.

Directed by Jeff Kanew, the film is based on Deadlock, the bestselling detective novel by Sara Paretsky. But how successfully did Hollywood translate Paretsky’s sharp, independent female detective to the big screen?

In this episode, Cinema Sleuths investigates V.I. Warshawski, and its place among the female-led detective movies of the early 1990s.

We also examine the film’s connection to Sara Paretsky’s original novels and ask whether V.I. Warshawski deserves to be rediscovered as an overlooked private-eye movie — or whether this particular case is better left buried with the fishes.

Directed by: Jeff Kanew

Cinema Sleuths (formerly Mean Streets) is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth 

Edited by Luke Deckard 

Theme song by Luke Deckard 

Logo by  Phil Dragash 

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

Toons, murder and one very complicated case! This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the groundbreaking live-action/animation hybrid that helped change Hollywood animation forever.

Starring Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd and Joanna Cassidy, Robert Zemeckis’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit was an extraordinary technical and creative achievement — bringing cartoon characters and live-action actors

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth.

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

This week, Cinema Sleuths investigates Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential (1997), the acclaimed neo-noir crime thriller that took audiences into the dark underbelly of 1950s Los Angeles.

Based on James Ellroy’s bestselling novel, L.A. Confidential brought together a remarkable cast including Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger for a complex story of corruption, murder, celebrity and police brutality.

But getting the film to the screen wasn’t straightforward.

In this episode, your cinematic sleuths investigate the making of L.A. Confidential, from studio concerns and behind-the-scenes struggles to the controversial casting decisions that helped shape the finished movie.

We look at Curtis Hanson’s direction, the film’s intricate screenplay, its hard-boiled noir influences and the performances that turned three very different detectives into one of the great ensembles of 1990s cinema.

We also examine how L.A. Confidential balances its sprawling mystery with character-driven drama — and why the film remains one of the most highly regarded neo-noir movies of the modern era.

Directed by: Curtis Hanson

Cinema Sleuths is produced by Luke Deckard & Matthew Booth.

DISCLAIMER

All content presented in this podcast episode is the property of the podcast creator and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Any copyrighted material used in this episode is used under the principles of fair use for purposes such as commentary, criticism, education, and review. No part of this episode may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holder, except where permitted by law.

*All movie and TV clips used in this episode are the property of their respective copyright holders and are used here for the purpose of review and commentary under Fair Dealing / Fair Use. No copyright infringement is intended.*

For our first episode, your cinema sleuths take to the mean cinematic streets to explore THE BIG SLEEP (1946). We're wading through on and off screen scandals, how the writers worked around the Motion Picture Code, the odd changes to the adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, and how production meddling might've saved the film AND MORE!

Directed by Howard Hawks

Starring Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall

FIND US HERE:

ApplePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mean-streets-the-film-noir-podcast/id1733189837

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0mMUeJThoZk6mj0T2-BAEA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeanStreetsPC

COMING APRIL 2024