Oklahoma Crude (1973)

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

George C. Scott, Faye Dunaway, John Mills and Jack Palance (all Oscar winners) star in this comedy set in Oklahoma. It feels like a precursor to Daniel Day-Lewis' There Will Be Blood, in that the commodity's oil. Who's got it is keeping it, despite the fact there are those who will do whatever they have to to take it from them. Faye is John's daughter and, when John goes to hire hands to help Jane guard her oil rig, George C. Scott is hired. Once there, he finds out that Jane is cantankerous and quite an obstinate and independent person. She refuses to give an inch on any subject or let her guard down long enough to trust anyone. In fact, when the subject of the battle of the sexes (being a man versus a woman in the world) comes up, I got one of the biggest laughs I've ever had from a movie, from her severe and hardened disposition and attitude and the lack of the need for anyone in her world and George C. Scott's reaction to it. Jack Palance is the greedy opportunist who wants her oil and will try all he can to steal it from her. If you get a chance to see this wild and outrageous film, don't turn the channel. Watch and enjoy. It's an experience you're not likely to forget.

Arguably the best latter-day Stanley Kramer film (i.e. made during his lean 1969-79 period); being a light-hearted romp with a mean streak, it might also be his oddest. It features an eclectic cast, with both George C. Scott (as a drifter) and John Mills (as Faye Dunaway's estranged father) shining in their comical roles; Dunaway herself (in an unflattering black wig) and Jack Palance (as a menacing thug, what else?) are also well-cast. Henry Mancini's flavorful score (and song) adds to the film's eccentricity, given its proliferation of foul language and occasional bouts of violence. In essence, patchy but generally enjoyable - and occasionally uproarious (Scott's priceless reaction to Dunaway's Third Sex speech and the second Scott-Palance confrontation). I had this on a VHS of wretched quality for years (though the quality of Robert Surtees' cinematography is still evident), but only watched it now to commemorate Palance's passing.

I saw this movie in high school and have been waiting for a video release ever since. The screenwriter, Marc Norman, created a masterpiece, and Stanley Kramer directs one of his best movies ever. A great mix of intelligent dialogue, social critique, and sexual politics.If you're a fan of David Mamet or HBO's "Deadwood," then you'll love this vulgar and profane bit of Americana. The leads play against type and pull off some really great performances. Scott and Dunaway are terrific together; too bad they never paired up again.If you think this is a one-off, consider this: Marc Norman would go on to win an Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love." Mr. Norman, can you use your clout to get a DVD release?This is a great little allegory about the constant struggle between artistic filmmakers (drilling for oil) and the finance people who stand around the edge of the set, taking pot shots, while waiting for the gusher to pay off.

A neat cast and a decent script help make this unusual, romantic neo-western come alive. Dunaway is a humorless, stubborn, single woman, doggedly trying to derive oil out of her tiny homestead while a massive Oklahoma company pressures her to sell to them. The company's hired goon (Palance) will stop at absolutely nothing to secure her land. A shiftless drifter (Scott) attempts to aid Dunaway even as she resists him and goes out of her way to repel him. There is an interesting and entertaining dynamic between Dunaway and Scott and between them and Palance. Also on Dunaway's side for reasons of his own is Mills (who is as equally loathed by her as Scott is.) Scott gives a wonderfully thoughtful and delicately nuanced performance with bits of comedy strewn throughout the sometimes dark storyline. Dunaway is raw and unvarnished, completely tossing away her previous glamor-girl trappings and enjoying a vulgarity and earthiness that is startling, but effective. She has to stand as one of the most driven women imaginable. (She also, at one point, receives what has to be one of the most brutal and sustained beatings of any woman in a major studio film!) Palance discards much of the hamminess he had developed at this stage of his career and gives a strong and menacing, yet believable performance. His small army of henchman cut dashing figures in their bowlers and long coats. Mills is thoroughly winning and delightful, giving the film a dose of class and heart. Campos, as an Indian helper, couldn't possibly have a more thankless role. There is great cinematography, several memorable interchanges between Dunaway and Scott and a strong combination of character study and storyline. Grungy, frank and seemingly simplistic, this tale is surprisingly endearing and psychologically complex, showing real heart and occasionally touching emotion at times. The juxtaposition of violence and comedy is sometimes a bit hard to take, but that's the way life is.