Reviews

Killer whodunnit thriller couples smart noir with plenty of blood

Wim Wenders may be struggling to land a gig these days, but this 1977 noir thriller was his big-screen breakthrough. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel (and remade this month as Ripley's Game, see p145) it finds Dennis Hopper for once understated as art dealer Tom Ripley, who persuades dying Berliner Bruno Ganz to become a hitman.

John Milius' deeply personal take on the surf generation of the '60s is everything you'd expect from Hollywood's last great iconoclast. It's a sumptuous visual feast, an epic journey charting the testosterone-packed lives of three surfing buddies (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey) and an unbelievably heavy-handed extended metaphor, as the ebb and flow of the tide is mirrored in our heroes' lives.

Animated accompaniment to this year's sure-to-be-blockbuster Matrix sequels

Bearded psych-poppers' premature midlife crisis

Fine fifth studio album from Mr E

Thrilling mash-up of hip hop, dancehall and jungle from London rapper

Futurist jazz 10-piece from Norway

Ungainly gothic masterpiece marks partial return to classic rock

Reissue of lost avant-AOR classic