The power of love vs. the love of power.
In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
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Character
Grave, classical in form, contemplative and plot-driven.
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- contemplativerelentless
- character-ledplot-driven
- cooloverwhelming
Who loves it, who doesn't
21 profiled raters. Loved most by The Sinceres; disliked most by The Prestige Hunters.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Nick Nolte the best thing in Mulholland Falls?”
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“Is the slow pace a feature rather than a flaw?”
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“Are the characters only there to move the plot?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Mar 20205/10
There ain't no falls in L.A. Mulholland Falls is directed by Lee Tamahori and written by Pete Dexter. It stars Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Melanie Griffith, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Jennifer Connelly, Treat Williams, John Malkovich, Bruce Dern and Andrew McCarthy. Music is by Dave Grusin and cinematography by Haskell Wexler. 1950s Los Angeles and four unorthodox detectives led by Maxwell Hoover (Nolte) are called in to investigate the death of a young woman found crushed at a construction site. The woman is revealed to be an aspiring actress who had recently had a relationship with the married Hoover. Can is open, and worms everywhere, and following those worms leads Hoover down murky avenues... It's the almost nearly great neo-noir movie, everything looks right in principal, it has a strongly assembled cast, the 50s visuals and cinematography are splendid, and the murder mystery element of the plot - with some added sex, sizzle and nuclear shenanigans - looks promising on the page. Yet it never delivers on that promise of being something dark, to be a labyrinthine noir thriller beating a black heart. It starts of so well, based on the infamous "Hat Squad" we reasonably expect
Read the whole review on TMDB - GenerationofSwineon TMDB · Jan 20231/10
Well.... Andrew McCarthy does an excellent job, but everyone else kind of phones it in, including the director. It's supposed to be a kind of Neo Noir, but it never really feels as gritty or as mysterious as a noir should and the femme fatales never really feel as fatal and ominous and devious as they should. The detectives aren't really hard boiled, not even Madison who always seems to be hard boiled. The detectives also never really get around to doing much detecting. In the end it's really, honestly, only Andrew McCarthy that even looks like he's trying. Other than that it's just four guys that drive around in a convertible and try to look tough or irritating as the plot unfolds around them... without really needing their involvement.
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Cast
- Nick NolteMax Hoover
- Melanie GriffithKatherine Hoover
- Chazz PalminteriElleroy Coolidge
- Michael MadsenEddie Hall
- Chris PennArthur Relyea
- Treat WilliamsFitzgerald
- Jennifer ConnellyAllison Pond
- Daniel BaldwinMcCafferty
- Andrew McCarthyJimmy Fields
- John MalkovichGeneral Thomas Timms
Crew
- Lee TamahoriDirector
- Peter DexterScreenplay
- Haskell WexlerDirector of Photography
- Dave GrusinOriginal Music Composer
- Sally MenkeEditor
- Richard D. ZanuckProducer
- Lili Fini ZanuckProducer
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Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Asphyx 197280% alikeBoth grave, classical in form.
The Revenge of Frankenstein 195880% alikeBoth grave, classical in form.
Shaft 197179% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
Murder by Decree 197976% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
The Night of the Generals 196776% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, plot-driven.
Farewell, My Lovely 197576% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
Johnny O'Clock 194775% alikeBoth classical in form, grave.
Garden of Evil 195475% alikeBoth grave.
Game · Both grave, classical in form.
Blackwell Unbound 200776% alikeGame · Both classical in form, grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
