Queen and Country

#7 in my ranking of John Boorman's films. John Boorman's final film is the sequel to his earlier film, Hope and Glory, the last of his films that received serious critical and awards consideration, and the only other film of his that's explicitly autobiographical. I'd say that all of his films are somewhat autobiographical at…

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The General (1998)

#6 in my ranking of John Boorman's films. John Boorman had been getting more explicitly political for about a decade, but he moves his focus from far-away jungles to close to home, namely his adoptive home of Dublin. Based on a book by Paul Williams, Boorman wrote his script about the brazen and notorious criminal…

Where the Heart Is

#8 in my ranking of John Boorman's films. Part of that weird 80s and 90s subgenre of rich people having to interact with the homeless, John Boorman's Where the Heart Is is actually one of the more successful efforts, in the lines of Mel Brooks' Life Stinks. It's more clear-eyed and realistic in its portrayal…

Excalibur: A Second Look

#4 in my ranking of John Boorman's films. It's been obvious that John Boorman had his own little cinematic world. It was less distinct visually than someone like Fellini, especially across the films, but he was operating in a distinctly unique thematic space. In Excalibur, Boorman found the most distinct visual presentation of his style,…

Point Blank

#5 in my ranking of John Boorman's films. John Boorman, supposedly based on a positive review from Pauline Kael for his first film Catch Us if You Can, started receiving offers to work in Hollywood, and he attracted the attention of Lee Marvin who, at the height of his fame, was offered complete creative control…