[yasr_overall_rating]
A crooked American businessman tries to push the shady influential owner of a nightclub in Newcastle, England to sell him the club. The club’s new employee and the American’s ex-lover fall in love and inadvertently stir the pot.
I really like Mike Figgis, who is best known for directing “Leaving Las Vegas.” He’s directed some remarkably powerful films which for me, include “The Loss of Sexual Innocence” in 1999, which is one of the most emotionally affecting films I’ve ever seen. If you were to distill Figgis to a style, it would be raw performances with tons of shots that linger a little too long on still objects. I’d actually never heard of “Stormy Monday” until receiving Arrow’s recent Blu-ray release. One of the highlights of reviewing these types of films is when I discover these types of gems. Like “Leaving Las Vegas,” the film is soaked in jazz. As a former jazz player, anything about jazz pulls at my heartstrings. The film is also an unofficial homage to “Get Carter,” that classic English revenge film with Michael Caine.
If telling you that Mike Figgis directed this isn’t enough to make you watch this, let me tell you about the cast. Sean Bean plays a young man named Brendan who is looking for a job. Post-“Dune” Sting plays a club owner named Finney. Tommy Lee Jones plays a corrupt business owner. And the best part is Melanie Griffith is in this. For the books, I think young Melanie Griffith was one of the most beautiful actresses ever and I’d watch her in almost anything.
The plot is nothing to write home about, Brendan discovers a plot to kill Finney to get his club. Finney, however, is ready to fight back against the gangsters. This isn’t the most exciting plot, but it doesn’t have to be. Mike Figgis is adept at filling the world of the film with other things that capture the viewer’s attention. There’s lot of neon, longing stares by people who love one another, whiskey, cigars, rain. It’s a movie that really succeeds in creating its own world.
If you like jazz or romance or can sit through imagery or just like a good film experience, I highly recommend that you watch “Stormy Monday.” I’m so in love with this film that writing this review has made me want to watch it again.
Now available on a 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray from Arrow Video
