Great film this one, pity Oliver Reed did not do more Italian film work.
While on the subject of Oliver Reed, who I was named after incidentally, anyone remember this great television moment?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZMXIxIQmPw
I vividly remember Reed's appareance on AFTER DARK during the early 1990s, when he threatened to put his 'plonker on the table' unless he was brought a plate of mushy peas
I seem to also remember him declaring 'I'm off to have a slash' before walking off the stage. (In honour of Ollie, I've used that line at work a time or two, mostly in particularly boring meetings
.)
There was also a funny incident when Reed was interviewed by Patrick Kielty. Kielty asked Reed how long he had been in Ireland, and Reed replied, 'How long is your dick?'
Anyway, blasts from the past aside REVOLVER is one of my favourite films, full stop. I make a ritual of rewatching this film on my birthday, and I've got the US one sheet (carrying the BLOOD IN THE STREETS title) hanging in our spare bedroom.
It's a clever reworking of the major theme of LA RESA DEI CONTI. (In fact, wasn't LA RESA DEI CONTI originally written as a contemporary thriller, and then reworked as a Western in order to capitalise on the growing popularity of the Western genre in Italy? Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, I'm sure Sollima tells this story in the interview that's contained in Koch's Sollima box set.)
It also helps that Reed is one of my favourite actors.
The closing scene brings tears to my eyes, because through his actions Reed has alienated the person for whom he has been fighting: it's classic tragedy.
