UNLIKELY SUSPENSE
It’s interesting that three of the movies nominated for Best Picture Oscar from 2012, including the winner, fit into a very tiny corner of film categories. These are movies where you know the outcome and yet they are suspenseful throughout.
In Argo, we know the American embassy employees escape. In Zero Dark Thirty, we know that Osama Bin Laden is found and killed. In Lincoln, we know that the 13th amendment ending slavery was enacted. Nevertheless, in each of these films we’re on the edge of our seats!
There are a few other movies that fit this corner admirably. Ron Howard’s superb Apollo 13 (1995) has Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise in the true story of an aborted moon mission. There is an explosion in the spaceship taking out most of the oxygen and all of the automatic steering. The mission changes to getting the astronauts back safely. Yeah, they were. But wow! What suspense!
We know that Charles DeGaulle was not assassinated in 1963, though it was attempted. . But that takes nothing away from the suspense in The Day Of The Jackal (1973). Edward Fox is the Jackal, a skilled killer hired to gun down the French leader. His planning and execution are faultless, but luck robs him of success.
We know that Richard Nixon is exposed and forced to resign the presidency in disgrace. But All The President’s Men (1976) is a genuine nail-biter. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford are Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Their boss is editor Ben Bradlee, ably played by Jason Robards. They discover the Watergate break-in, orchestrated by Nixon’s inept henchman, and deliver one of the biggest stories of the century. This film won the Best Picture Oscar and a fistful of others.
We know that the USA men’s hockey team not only defeated the seemingly unstoppable Soviet Union team, but went on to win the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. But getting there is all the fun, and this movie provides it. Kurt Russell is coach Herb Brooks; the players are unknowns. Miracle (2004) is a heart-stopper and a splendid film about the best in America.
Finally, we know to our dismay that she is discovered and killed, along with millions of her Jewish brethren. But The Diary Of Anne Frank (1959) is incredibly suspensful. Millie Perkins is memorable as the unlikely heroine. Anne’s story is entirely inspiring and very sad.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. And all of them are fine for all ages but keep in mind little peoples’ attention spans.
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