Mulholland Falls **** (1996, Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chris Penn, Bruce Dern, John Malkovich, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Treat Williams, Jennifer Connelly, Daniel Baldwin, Kyle Chandler, Ed Lauter) – Classic Movie Review 10,522

Mulholland Falls (1996) is a great-looking, fine neo noir crime thriller with a fine cast to make it work. Nick Nolte stars as Max Hoover, with Melanie Griffith, Chris Penn, Bruce Dern, John Malkovich, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Treat Williams. 

Director Lee Tamahori’s Mulholland Falls (1996) is a tremendous-looking, extremely fine neo noir crime mystery thriller with an extremely fine cast to make it work. Nick Nolte stars as Max Hoover, but it is an ensemble cast with Melanie Griffith, Chris Penn, Bruce Dern, John Malkovich, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Treat Williams, Jennifer Connelly, Daniel Baldwin, Kyle Chandler, Ed Lauter, and Larry Garrison.

This film follows a 1950s special anti-gangster police squad in Los Angeles, the infamous Hat Squad, as it investigates the murder of a young woman romantically linked to prominent men who had taken secret films of her liaisons. Pete Dexter writes the story, with Floyd Mutrux, and the screenplay. The plot, characters and dialogue are all sizzling.

Lovingly crafted, with cinematography by Haskell Wexler and production design by Richard Sylbert, it is in the ballpark of Chinatown, The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential, Miller’s Crossing and Basic Instinct and a guaranteed winner for anyone who loves them.

There are also uncredited appearances by Bruce Dern, Louise Fletcher, Rob Lowe and William Petersen.

Richard Treat Williams (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2023) is remembered for The Ritz (1979), Hair (1979), 1941 (1979), Prince of the City (1981), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Flashpoint (1984), Smooth Talk (1985), Dead Heat (1988), Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995), The Phantom (1996), Mulholland Falls (1996), The Devil’s Own (1997), Deep Rising (1998), The Deep End of the Ocean (1999), Miss Congeniality 2 (2005), and Second Act (2018).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,522

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com