r/filmnoir • u/Diligent-Wave-4150 • 3d ago

James Caan looking for the big money in "Slither" (1973)

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Ex-convict Dick Kanipsia (James Caan) is meeting his pal Harry Moss who told him about a bunch of money. At this moment Harry is shot and out of nowhere an explosion happened and Dick jumps through the window. At least Moss gave him the name of a guy who knows about the cash: Fenaka.

On the road Kanipsia gets a lift from Kitty Kopetzky (Kellerman). The two of them team up in the search of Fenaka. A black van is following them ...

"Slither" is clearly on the lighter side of the spectrum (Kanipsia: "I'm 32 years old and I don't even have a bank account."). But it recycles scenes from older movies. The bingo sequence is inspirated by the auction scene in Hitchcock's North by Northwest. The ever appearing black van reminds you of the truck in Spielberg's Duel. The movie ends with a shootout at a vegetable stand.

Nice supporting cast with Sally Kellerman and Peter Boyle. Screenplay by W. D. Richter.

43 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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3

u/ContentWillingness56 3d ago

Fun movie. Hard to categorize. Parts were filmed in Mendocino County. Peter Boyle steals the show. Sally Kellerman great too.

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u/TheSilverNail 3d ago

I liked Caan a lot in Thief (1981) which I'd consider neo-noir, but hated the synthesizer score, a fad of the '80s. Also wish Willie Nelson had had more scenes.

3

u/Winnebango_Bus 3d ago

Oh man I loved thief with the soundtrack. It detracts from the “noir” but we have Heat if we really need some neo noir

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u/Diligent-Wave-4150 3d ago

I think "Slither" is a good movie for Caan, the best is "Misery" (1990).

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u/flopisit32 3d ago

A fad of the Michael Mann. The score for Mann's Manhunter (1986) really makes the movie feel dated too, but the movie itself is so good (except for the rushed ending) that it manages to overcome that dated 80s synth vibe.

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u/Diligent-Wave-4150 3d ago

I never liked "Thief". The MMA scenes looked like fake.

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u/TheSilverNail 3d ago

Do you mean the tool scenes? Those were real tools used in heists and the actors were trained to use them, per IMDb.