STILETTO
US, 2008, 99 minutes, Colour.
Tom Berenger, Michael Biehn, Stana Katic, Paul Sloan, William Forsythe, Kelly Hu, Amanda Brooks, Diane Venora, Tony Lip, James Russo, Tom Sizemore, Dominique Swain, D.B. Sweeney, David Proval.
Directed by Nick Vallelonga.
Stiletto is, as from the title, a film about violence. This is a story of Greek and other Mafia-type groups in Los Angeles, their falling out, their rivalries. However, they all seem to be under attack from a mysterious killer.
The killer is, in fact, a Russian woman, who, at the end of the film, is revealed as being on a mission of revenge rather than a hit-woman or rather random killings. Her sister, coming from Russia, was taken up by the thugs, sexuality abused, becoming mentally deficient and kept in an institution. Her sister resents the people who participated in this destruction of her sister.
The film opens in a baths and some threats between leaders of crime families. Then the assassinations start – with Tom Berenger, of Greek background, also being stabbed. However, he survives, knows who the killer is and has had a past relationship with her. She blames him for what happened to her sister though, in fact, he did not know and was being betrayed by one of his underlings, played by William Forsythe.
The film is full of actors who have been well known in their time and appear as gangsters in films like this. They are led by Michael Biehn as a rather hysteric and violent thug who employs torture – and has in tow a most irritating young woman from London (Amanda Brooks).
The detection is undertaken by a crooked detective, played by the writer, Paul Sloan, who is indebted to the Greek boss. He has an on-and-off relationship with his partner, an Asian- American, played by Kelly Hu. The killer is played by Stana Catic who appeared after Stiletto in Quantum of Solace and The Spirit.
While the film does show a range of thugs and their thug-like behaviour, with betrayals and twists, there is a great deal of brutal violence, especially in the close-up look at the killings. The author also takes the short cut of employing crass language rather than any development of character by the use of intelligent language or intelligent exploration.
The writer and the director have made a number of similar films.
1. The popularity of this kind of film? Straight to DVD and television release? The audience appeal? Male? Female?
2. The Los Angeles settings? The wealthy homes of the criminals? The range of clubs? Detective precincts? The streets? The musical score?
3. The title, as used by Raina? The visualising of the stiletto killings?
4. The opening, Virgil and the other gangster in the baths, Raina’s appearing, slitting throats, stabbing Virgil? The hospital, his lawyer going with him? His survival and return home? His knowing Raina, the relationship in the past? His summoning Beck, getting him to track her down? His relationship with his underlings, Lee and his time in England, his irascibility and unpredictability? The contrast with Alex and having everything under control? Gus and his doing the tidying up? His relationship with his wife, her knowing what he was when she married him, wanting his name? Her way of life? Her love for him yet her hatred for him? Her concern about the children? The sequences between them, his tenderness as well as his violence and menace? The build-up to the climax, his shooting the man that Lee was torturing? His becoming weary? Encounters with Beck? The discovery that Alex had betrayed him? Raina’s arrival? His trying to persuade her not to kill him but to kill Beck? The ambiguity of the ending?
5. Beck, his work for the police? His partnership with Detective Hanover? Her anger at his not telling her the truth? Their relationship? His keeping her at a distance? Her being shot? Beck, his tracking Raina down? His presence in the clubs with the shootouts, the killings? His finding her? Her turning the tables on him? His handcuffing her? Going to see Alex, Alex’s death? Going to Virgil? His being injured, the final bullet – and the audience not knowing who survived?
6. Lee, his over-emotion, his being second in charge, time in England, bringing the girl back, her behaviour? His trying to keep her under control? The rivalry with Alex? Alex, quiet, despising Lee, sinister? The revelation that he had set up Raina? Eliminating rivals? His club? His death?
7. Penny, from England, her behaviour in the store, Lee having to keep her under control? Her confrontation with Raina and her death?
8. Large Bills, his character, in the club, the past gangster connections? His arrogance and smugness? His death?
9. Raina and her despatching of the other men who harmed her sister? In alleyways, in clubs, in the cinema – and the warning to the girl not to go back into the cinema?
10. The flashbacks, the sister’s arrival, her being taken to the club, the neo-Nazis, the sexual abuse, her collapse, in the dumpster, the rescue, in hospital, Raina going to see her?
11. The interest in this kind of criminal story – but the rather brutal and crass treatment of the story?
