Stormy Monday [Import]

One of Mike Figgis' first films, Stormy Monday fuses an intriguing mix of American greed, crudeness, and innocence with British coolness, toughness, and civility. But added to the mix, interestingly enough, is a Polish element (more on that later).

One American is Melanie Griffith as a cocktail waitress and vaguely defined moll (or former moll) of the other, Tommy Lee Jones, a ruthless moblike businessman who plans on making Newcastle, England his own--commercially, of course. (Political takeover is a little hard to imagine circa 1988). Melanie emits a sexy blend of sensuality and innocence, pretty much irresistible. The British are Sting, as the owner of a club (a role he neatly reprised in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), and Sean Bean as his cleaning person/gofer. Both are civil and, as it happens, tough as well. And Sting's coolness is in the ultra category, a real neat piece of work.

Sean and Melanie meet and then do a whole lot more; they do the romantic thing, all the while being pursued, as is Sting, by Tommy's henchmen. Tommy plays rough, as it turns out. The mingling of Yank and Brit romantically (Melanie and Sean) is paralleled by battling of Yank and Brit commercially (Tommy and Sting).

The Polish element? Melanie's character is half Polish, and, as well, the band slated to play in Sting's club has an accident so the Cracow Jazz Ensemble (or some such), all Poles, steps in instead, among which is Andrej, a sympathetic band manager, the only one who speaks English. Andrej is destined to play a critical role in the film, but rather than provide a spoiler here, see the film to understand what this means.

Violence plays a large part in the proceedings, as is obvious from the above description. This is a well-plotted film that put Mike Figgis on the map. Doesn't hurt that he not only wrote and directed it, but also composed the music for it, an effectively moody jazz score.

Recommended.

Director Mike Figgis made this somber noir over a decade ago and hardly anyone noticed. This whole film is like falling rain at night. It is dark and somber, and very stylish. Everything works perfectly in this unusual film.

Tommy Lee Jones gives his typical wry bad guy performance as a developer involved in politics who wants to take over an entire town in England. The only thing left standing in his way is jazz nightclub owner Sting. Sting gives such a cool performance here you've got to believe he spent hours watching Steve McQueen films. Tangled up in this battle of wills is drifter Sean Bean (Boromir in Lord of the Rings) who meets waitress Melanie Griffith, who may do more than just waitress. As Irish drifter Bean begins a tentative romance with Griffith things turn dangerous and when Bean thwarts an attempt on Sting's life he goes to work at the club.

There are a couple of suprises in this film. Melanie Griffith tones down that sex kitten persona and gives a realistic performance as she tries to change her past and stick with Bean. The real revelation is Sting, who nearly steals this film with his ultra cool and natural performance. Maybe being in his home town of Newcastle brought out his best, not wanting to let the blokes down. He certainly doesn't.

There are solid performances from the always great Tommy Lee Jones and Sean Bean, and a memorable noir atmosphere. This has always been hard to find, and little known, but now that it is coming out on DVD maybe it will find the audience it deserves. This is a terrific film and you'll want to take a look at this one...

Because I like the genre (film noir) I sought out this film on advice of a friend. Although, at the time, it was scarce, I am glad I persevered! The cast is a surprise - imagine Sting as the standout in a dark drama! He nearly steals the show! The setting is interesting and the direction superb. This is one of those films that lets you fill in the blanks and causes you to concentrate on each scene so as not to miss a nuance or clue. I found that the second viewing was more than twice as entertaining! I have now seen it four times; each time very enjoyable. Sean Bean was an unknown to me when I first saw the film, but has now become just about my favorite actor - you can see him at his present best in LOTRFOTR as Boromir. In Stormy Monday, made in 1988, he plays a young, blonde, strangely naive fellow with a mystery past (never revealed). Tommy Lee does his expected great turn as the villian (among several in the tale), while Melanie Griffith makes the most of a role-type for which she is well known, the girl-gone-wrong who overcomes her bad luck. You will find a lot to enjoy in this dark story and a chuckle or two also - from the wild Polish rock band!