Soylent Green (Richard Fleischer, 1973)So what's the difference between schlock and one of the 100 best films ever made? Sometimes, I'll admit, it's a pretty blurry line. That's the case with this gem from the Richard Fleischer stable, a tale of a New York City with a population of forty million and a food supply that comes in little squares of red, yellow, and green.
Thorn (Heston) chews scenery. Roth (Edward G. Robinson) spends his life moaning about how things were better in the seventies. (If only they knew.) The two of them try to get through their lives scavenging from the rich, like everyone else in New York. They have an edge, with Thorn being a cop who treats corruption like a confortable pair of undershorts. A high society murder tips Thorn off that all may not be well with Soylent, the company that makes the majority of the world's food supply, and Thorn and Roth start digging deeper deapite warnings from the victim's old bodyguard (Stephen Young) and Thorn's lieutanant (Brock Peters). The production values are strictly seventies, and it's great to poke fun at various things in the film ("my god, it's 2022 and they're still listening to bad lounge music?"). And yet there's something undefinable about this film that propels it from the realm of bad seventies science-fiction exploitation into the realm of true genius. What that thing is, I don't know; when I figure it out, I'll tell you. But something clicked. Heston's patented god-guns-and-guts character is perfect for the role. Robinson actually looks convincing salivating over a stick of celery. And somehow the movie's last lines are delivered convincingly. It's incredible. Whatever magic they managed to make with this one, Hollywood needs to make more of it. **** 1/2
Detective Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) lives in a tiny, seedy apartment with his "book", Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson). A "book" is like an assistant, picking and assigning cases and performing research. To reach the streets, he must step over the dozens of homeless bodies camped out on the stairs of the apartment. Sol assigns Thorn the homicide case of William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotton). Simonson lives in a posh apartment complex complete with "furniture", which includes a woman. His "furniture's" name is Shirl. Shirl and Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding (Chuck Conners) were out shopping when the murder occurred inside the apartment. (Check out Shirl's "new" video game)
The murder is a puzzle to Thorn, who believes Simonson wasn't just murdered but assassinated. He steals two books from Simonson and has Sol research them. (He also steals real food, booze, soap, a towel, paper, and pencils items not available to the general public) When Thorn finds out Simonson was the director of Soylent and friend to Governor Santini, his chief attempts to pull him off the case and close it. But there's too much mystery surrounding the murder, and Thorn refuses to give up until he solves the puzzle of Simonson and the secrets of Soylent.
I loved this movie in the 70's and still love it today. Even though 'Soylent Green' was made in 1973, it's a rare movie that has aged well, and holds up it's integrity even today in 2008. It's sort of a 70's version of cyberpunk. There's pathetic poverty, dry empty landscapes, unbearable heat, long food lines, processing plants of heavy machine complexes, the loss of personal identity, and hollow, garbage-strewn city streets and alleys. Even the soundtrack aged well, and was quite futuristic in 1973. 'Soylent Green' has always been a favorite of mine, and if you've managed to go this long without seeing it, then it's time to pick up your copy and treat yourself. Those fans like me will want to pick up the DVD to add to your collection. Definitely worth a purchase! Enjoy!Soylent Green is one of those films that, as soon as I saw it, I wondered where had it been all my life? I though it was great, and made a point of telling all my friends about it.
It's based on Harry Harrison's book "Make Room, Make Room!", which is itself half story/half documentary about over-population and environmental damage. The film uses the environmental disaster the world has become, and the resultant starvation, as a kind of backdrop, while the main story, it seems, is simply about a murder being investigated by Charlton Heston.
The film very cleverly shows you all the realities of living in that bleak world by the way Heston brilliantly takes all sorts of terrible situations totally in his stride. As he leaves his apartment, he has to step over people sleeping on the steps; the air outside is murky and has a faint green glow; even though he's a detective, he sometimes has to get involved in food riot control and only has a helmet for protection; he has to recharge his apartment's batteries using a bicycle; his watch keeps breaking, but no-one is making new ones anymore. Similar small touches abound throughout the film, and taken together have a deep impact on you as you think about them after the film.
Edward G. Robinson, in his last performance, plays Heston's partner, whose speciality is information and where to get it. He's an old man, and, finally, despair at the state of the world gets to him. His ultimate fate, the murder that Heston is investigating, and the environmental hell all around them, are all brought together right at the end, in a gripping finale. As the horrible truth dawns upon Heston, he cries out the answer: a four word phrase that encapsulates the horror of the world all about them. A fabulous ending that really sends a chill up your spine.
This film features fine performances from two great actors, has good action, a fast pace, and really makes you think about the important issues at the core of the film. This truly is an excellent film.
Read Best Reviews of Soylent Green (1973) Here
I recently caught this film on television, and though I already knew the surprise behind the film's surprise ending (I won't spoil it for possible first-time viewers) the film's high-concept science-fiction caught me. This movie takes place in a latter-day twenty-first century not far-removed from our own: the environemnt is dying, the world is heating up and the oceans are falling apart. The world is devastatingly poor, overpopulated and food is running out. Heston, as a policeman named Thorn, is called in to investigate a high-profile murder and ends up uncovering more than he had bargained for. If you're looking for some excellent drama mixed with message-based sci-fi (along the lines of The Omega Man), then Soylent Green is for you! (Note: Watch for a great performance by veteran actor Edward G. Robinson as Solomon Roth, Thorn's mentor). Check it our and enjoy!Want Soylent Green (1973) Discount?
The DVD release of this great Charlton Heston classic is a marvel to behold. It's in widescreen format and all the TV/VHS fog is gone, gone, gone; the images and sounds are as clear and crisp as the dawning day.This film deserves such treatment. Along with _Planet of the Apes_ and _The Omega Man_, it's part of Heston's series of three 'last man' films, and it's much better than _The Omega Man_. (As movie buffs know, it's also the touching final film appearance of the late Edward G. Robinson.)
A classic in its genre, this film is based on Harry Harrison's 'Make Room! Make Room!' and is a somewhat heavy-handed morality play on the subject of Malthusian population dynamics. It's amazing that it works as well as it does. But it really does work; this is one of the all-time greats of SF filmdom, right up to and including its famous closing moments.
Put this on your shelf next to Heston's _Planet of the Apes_.
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