Aside from the top pick, it’s a classic movie bonanza at Instant Gratification this week.
Pick of the week: “The Imposter”: My full review is here. A teenage boy goes missing in Texas. Years later, a man surfaces in Europe claiming to be him. He looks nothing like the boy, but the family eagerly accepts him home. This stylish documentary has the pacing and twists of a Hollywood thriller.
Western of the week: “Joe Kidd”: Clint Eastwood is a bounty hunter blackmailed by wealthy men into hunting down a band of Mexican revolutionaries in this John Sturges Western, based on an Elmore Leonard story.
Drama of the week: “Blood and Wine“: Jack Nicholson reunites with “Five Easy Pieces” director Bob Rafelson in this dark tale of a wine dealer who partners with a crook (Michael Caine) to steal a diamond necklace.
Thriller of the week: “French Connection II”: Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) traces the heroin cartel back to Marseilles in this sequel, which doesn’t live up to the original but is still worth watching.
War flim of the week: “The Sand Pebbles”: An American gunboat runs aground in the Yangtze River during the Chinese revolution, putting the engineer (Steve McQueen) in conflict between his duty and his sympathy for the locals, in this 1966 Robert Wise film.