Mulholland Falls

Director Lee Tamahori’s follow-up to 1994’s Once Were Warriors, Mulholland Falls follows a quartet of ’50s detectives (Nick Nolte’s Max, Chazz Palminteri’s Elleroy, Michael Madsen’s Eddie, and Chris Penn’s Arthur) as they inadvertently uncover an epic conspiracy while investigating the murder of a young woman (Jennifer Connelly’s Allison Pond). Tamahori, working with cinematographer Haskell Wexler, is clearly going for the vibe of an old-school film noir, as the movie has been infused with a proliferation of hard-boiled elements that prove effective at sporadically evoking the similarly-themed fare of yore. It’s just as clear, however, that the almost aggressively meandering sensibilities of Pete Dexter’s screenplay – as well as dialogue that’s often just a little too clever for its own good (ie it feels inauthentic and forced) – play an instrumental role in establishing (and sustaining) the film’s less-than-enthralling atmosphere, with the sluggish narrative subsequently weighed down by a myriad of undeniably needless asides and subplots. There’s little doubt, however, that Mulholland Falls boasts just enough positive attributes to warrant a mild recommendation, as the movie benefits substantially from both its myriad of cameo appearances and the presence of several admittedly electrifying stand-alone sequences (eg Nolte’s character takes on a trio of smug G-Men armed with only a blackjack). The end result is a watchable endeavor that’s nevertheless a marked disappointment, with the talent both in front of and behind the camera leading the viewer to expect something more than just an affable time-killer.

**1/2 out of ****