Tommy Lee Jones Movie:

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		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

The Big Town [Region 2] Reviews:
BIG TOWN(Not a particuraly big movie.)
2009-05-04 - I first saw this film in the theatre when it was first released and I liked it.I was glad to find it on DVD from Amazon.It's a period piece set in that almost mystical time when Ike was President,but Elvis was King!The action occurs in Chicago,the big town of the title.And it tries to do for crapshooting what THE HUSTLER and THE CINCINNATI KID did for pool and stud poker.It didn't quite work.The sets and costumes capture the period.The soundtrack with the music from the likes of Johnny Cash and Little Wllie John is spot on.The acting is more than good.And the heat between the leads Matt Dillon and Diane Lane is electric.The film's weakness is the subject itself.There's just nothing exciting about watching a crap game if you're not in it.Especially when the player you're watching never seems to miss a pass.Still this a pretty good retro movie.Just not a great one.

Interesting Sleeper
2006-08-10 - "The Big Town" doesn't break any cinematic ground but it's more than worth your while. How can you go wrong with a film that sports two Oscar winners(Tommy Lee Jones, Lee Grant) and three nominees(Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Bruce Dern) in the cast? Director Ben Bolt imbues the film with terrific period atmosphere and the selection of rock, rhythm and blues, and country and western music is impeccable. The film has a gritty sensiblity reminiscent of classic film noir. Dillon is fine as the kid from Indiana with a knack for dice rolling who seeks his fame and fortune in the seedy backrooms of Chicago. It's Jones, however, who steals the picture in an understated turn as the film's ostensible villain. Jones doesn't have to say a word. Just a squint of his eyes and a look at his craggy visage says it all. Good character turns from vets Grant and Dern as the couple who bankroll Dillon's endeavors. The two women in Dillon's life, Lane's exotic dancer and Suzy Amis' aspiring DJ are kind of underwritten. These two are kind of cliched in representing the good girl/bad girl dichotomy. The promised showdown between Dillon and Jones is kind of a fizzle. Another disappointment is Lane's less than erotic fan dance.

Worth a roll of the dice
2006-06-15 - The varied reactions to this movie by other reviewers are interesting, but nonetheless surprise me. De gustibus and all that, I suppose.

Released in 1987 but set in 1957, this is a well written and well acted drama with much of the feel of 40s and 50s noir. The look of the film, presumably deliberately, also has the style of an earlier era. The sound track, with Ivory Joe Hunter, Lincoln Chase, Big Joe Turner and others, couldn't be more suitable. The sleaze, of course, is much more advanced than would have been permissible thirty years earlier.

The hero, J.C. Cullen (Matt Dillon), is more complex than a pure country innocent corrupted by a wicked woman Lorry Dane (Diane Lane), a stripper at the Gem Club. A small town gambler trying to make it big in Chicago, he has his own dark, or at least not-so-light, side, which is why he takes up with Lorry so readily. Yet, he at least struggles with his conscience even if he doesn't always do the right thing. Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Dern are in fine form as villains, Lee Grant has just the right touch, and Diane Lane has never been more stunning or more credible in a role. The Big Town is not a big movie, but it is a good one.


Big Town, Little Movie
2004-04-13 - Matt Dillon stars in this Ben Bolt movie about a young gambler from the 50`s that goes to Chicago in order to improve his life. Diane Lane and Tommy Lee Jones also give standout performances here, and most of the cast is convincing enough. The problem seems to be Bolt`s direction, entirely average and bland, which doesn`t provide any particural memorable moment or scene. There are no impressive camera-angles here, so what counts is really the plot. The worse thing is that the plot is just adequate yet nothing special either, presenting a typical rags-to-riches storyline with cliched characters and unsurprising situations. The acting makes it work in a mildly interesting manner, though, so the movie still manages to be an entertaining pick for a rainy day. "The Big Town" is another average film worth watching once and be done with it.

Not a keeper.

Diane Lane is a feast for the eyes
2002-12-24 - The luscious Diane Lane was the reason I rented this movie (and would buy it as well, should it become available). I was on my Diane Lane binge when I saw this, along with Lady Beware, Priceless Beauty, The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. What can I say? I missed out on her movies as an adolescent. Seeing her in The Perfect Storm inspired me to seek out her earlier work.
The Big Town stands out as one of the better movies she was in, with an entertaining plot of a dice hustler played well by Matt Dillon. It seems they enjoyed acting together as well, having both been in Coppolla's Rumble Fish and The Outsiders.
There are a great collection of other character actors in this film as well, including Bruce Dern, Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Skerrit. Suzy Amis is sympathetic as Dillon's other love interest, but she doesn't hold a candle to the sex kitten Lane.