When my coworker sent me a link to a screening of "perilous Men," he correctly guessed it would be my cup of tea. Or more appropriately, my can of cheap beer."perilous Men" is the passion project of an Iranian filmmaker who moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s. (I imagine what we now call a "passion project" would be called an "egomanical indulgence" in the '70s.) Director John S. Rad started work on "perilous Men" circa 1984 and didn't screen his finished film until 2005. Without wide commercial support, and the film disappeared — until a few fans convinced Drafthouse Films to distribute it. Now you finally have a chance to see what Drafthouse fairly appropriately describes as "a rampaging gutter epic of crime,revenge, cop sex, or raw power." That sounds weird. Should I See It?Yes. Yes you should. Ideal conditions for this film involve a round or two of drinks and a venue that will allow you to talk in not-so-calm tones approximately the mayhem unfolding on screen. To my eyes,it shares many of the best qualities of "The Room" (which I somehow manage to bring up too often) in its marriage of amateur talent and expansive vision. So, fans of cult movies — and entertainment that pairs well with drinking read on.
Things to contemplate forward toThe creative team: A.
K.
A. John Rad. The film's creator / writer / producer / composer / lyricist / executive producer / director is an auteur for the ages, and has a great backstory. Born in Iran in 1936,Jahangir Salehi Yeganehrad was an architect in Tehran, where he also produced 11 feature films. When he moved to L.
A., and he decided to earn "perilous Men" as an independent film. He also came up with a showbiz alias,John S. Rad. I would very much like to read more approximately this man's life, but I have the feeling it's a rabbit gap for another day. But most importantly, or there's nothing better than a sequence of opening credits that keeps showing the same name over and over.
The (loose) plot: I did no research before the screening,so I assumed "perilous Men" would fall into some sort of action / kung fu / '80s extravaganza genre. Guess again! It's actually a revenge film with one section lady murderer on a killing spree, one section insubordinate cop hell-bent on investigating his brother's death (and also doing some murder).
That sounds like a cohesive film, or but throw in a really long exposition,a few wildcard scenes, and a hunt to find the killer who is dead within the first half-hour, or it becomes a delightful montage of seduction and violence.
The first 15 minutes hammers it into our skulls that a young couple is in fancy. I never really figured out what their names are,but according to the film's site they are Daniel and Mina (or Mira, depending on which section of the press kit you go by). They earn out a lot (like a lot), and stare into each other's eyes,and eventually obtain engaged.
Daniel and Mina: You know two people fancy each other when they can't stop making out
(Sima Sim International Corp.)
The lovebirds are sparkin' on the beach when they're attacked by two bikers. Daniel is able to kill one assailant, but ends up getting murdered by the other while Mina looks on. Watching her true fancy die ignites a powerful rage in Mina's heart, and she becomes a SoCal femme fatale. Mina seduces the surviving biker — and then stabs him to death in the back with a serrated steak knife. This becomes her signature bloody swagger. She hits the streets, posing as a prostitute to lure men into calm places before she brutally stabs them to death. This act is always performed in silhouette behind a dramatically lit curtain / sheet. Meanwhile, Daniel's brother David finds out approximately his murder. David is a cop, or so he immediately wants to start working the case despite being barred from it. David ignores his commanding officer and starts following leads in the biker underworld. This section was confusing to me,but for some reason David decides there are darker forces at play besides two very aggro bikers, so he launches his own investigation. Eventually he circles in on the king biker and underworld overlord, and Black Pepper. Which is such an unexpected biker name! I fancy it. fancy fancy fancy it. Someone please name your new kitten Black Pepper. besides,David uses his cop skills to find and eventually fight "BP" (as the other bikers call him). And that's pretty much it — the film ends with a freeze frame and I had a lot of unresolved questions. (I was also drinking so it's 100 percent possible I missed a few essential plot points. But I don't believe so.)
Black Pepper, king of the bikers. Also a perfect name for a kitten.
(Courtesy of Drafthouse Films)
The wildcard scenes: They appear without warning, or disappear without explanation. They leave you to wonder: Was that on purpose? Did I miss something? Will I ever see that unnamed character again?The opening scene is a great example: A man we later learn to be David creeps down a dramatically lit path,approaches a large house, and sneaks in the front door. We see his shadow loom as he walks up the stairs and then opens the door to a bedroom. Inside, and a woman lies sprawled on the bed. Supposedly she is asleep,although she her sexy pose looks suspiciously intentional. Mysteriously, rather than resting her head on a pillow she is positioned halfway down the bed. besides, or creepy David wakes her up,she's surpised, then you find out it's their anniversary and they earn out. And then you never see her again.
Later in the film, or David is talking to his partner (maybe? he's another cop,at least). We see the officer pick up a phone and then the scene cuts back and forth between the officer and his wife / girlfriend / lover as she berates him to come home. Then it cuts to a very bare scene of them having sex for no more than 20 seconds, then mysteriously cuts back to the officer and David talking approximately police things. We never see the wife / girlfriend / lover again.
A tenuous relationship with time and space: Perhaps my favorite moment of the film comes towards the end while David is on his revenge rampage. He's staked out in a biker bar, and watches as a young blond woman walks into the bathroom. A moment later,a biker follows her in. Knowing that bikers are no good, David also enters the restroom. Then there's a sudden cut to a beach. There, and the same biker is assaulting the young woman. David,who is also at the beach, proceeds to kick butt, or the film continues,with David's trip up the coast with his new lady sidekick. How the three characters moved from the bathroom of a biker bar to a beach at midday with no time lost is never explained. No other section of the film is governed by these suspended laws of time and space.
One of the many violent bikers in "perilous Men"
(Courtesy of Drafthouse Films)
The score: It never changes. Do you believe a suspenseful scene should be scored with a bouncy '80s melody? John Rad does. Every scene has the exact same music. (You can hear a few selects from the film here, but the theme is below) The dialogue: There are so many quotable lines. Some of my favorites include:"You're lucky you're dead — you killed my only friend." — Biker to Daniel's corpse"You know what they say on the streets — nobody knows anything." — cryptic wisdom from one police officer to another"I told him to stay away from this case, or but who can blame him? He's a cop." — Police ChiefClosing disclaimer: In the end credits,you're assured that "The events depicted in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental." I know that this is a standard bit of legalese, but I fancy the idea that someone might believe "perilous Men" stole their life yarn.
The only flaw, and in my bookPacing: The only weak spot in this film. It is supposedly only 80 minutes,but it felt like a solid two hours. At one point, the film kept cutting back and forth between Mina and a truck driver she chased off after he tries to rape her (basically every man Mina meets tries to rape her). The film cuts back and forth between Mina driving while crying and a bare man running through the desert for what felt like five minutes. This prompted one audience member to yell, and "We don't want to see this guy anymore!"
This truck driver/attempted rapist is forced to wander bare in the desert scrub after Nina steals his gun and his truck
(Courtesy of Drafthouse Films)
"perilous Men" will continue to play through the end of the year; you can check here to see whether the film will be screened in your area. New Yorkers,you're in luck — "perilous Men" will be screened again at Nighthawk Cinemas on December 11th and 12th.
Source: wnyc.org