Hell in the Pacific (John Boorman, 1968)
Taking World War II as a context, it narrates the confrontation of two soldiers, one American and the other Japanese, who have to confront their two cultures to survive. The film was starred by Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune, however, despite having this impressive acting power, the film has some inconsistencies in the construction of the relationship between both characters. However, Boorman escapes intermission by making the discourse around the cultural clash between these two unfold a very different survival drama from the archetype shown in other war films. More interesting than good, actually.
Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges, 1955)
Great intrigue and suspense film, where Tracy superbly plays a one-armed man who arrives in a desolate town in search of the man who saved his life during World War II, to present him with a medal for his heroism, finding a racist, hostile population that hides something in its strange behavior. It should be noted that the film has a first-rate cast made up of Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Ernest Borgnine, and Walter Brennan. The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Director, Best Actor (Tracy), and Best Screenplay. Similarly, he participated in the Cannes Film Festival, where Tracy received the award for best actor.
Paint Your Wagon (Joshua Logan, 1969)
This is one of the strangest and most uncomfortable combinations in the history of cinema, but also thanks to the great sense of action and adventure printed by its director in more than two hours, it has become a peculiar benchmark for both genres: the Western and the musical. Neither Marvin nor Eastwood sings shit, but both (especially Marvin) make their characters adhere to the progressive explosiveness of their solid script and characters, thanks to their sheer presence and great charisma. In a third plane, the director mixes these two disparate categories in a canvas of an adventurous odyssey, which will include all the elements and clichés of the genre to take them to a borderline narrative of the strangest, but at the same time entertaining and morbidly hypnotic.
The Professionals (Richard Brooks, 1966)
Richard Brooks's film starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, and Robert Ryan. A group of mercenaries is commissioned by an American potentate to rescue his wife, kidnapped by a Mexican bandit. One of the many great acting leaders of the cast, Marvin will be in charge of interpreting the leader of the mercenaries who will carry out the entrusted work. We are talking about one of the best combinations between the western and the adventure film, and that was even recognized in the category of his direction within the union and with Oscar nominations (which included photography and screenplay). We can even mark it as one of the great Westerns, even when it behaves a bit outside the standards of the genre.
Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967)
A masterful direction in Boorman's first film on American soil. A thriller with clear touches of noir, in which a criminal who, after a lucrative robbery, is betrayed by his wife and his best friend, who, leaving him for dead, does not expect his revenge and that h try to recover his share. of loot. Excellent Lee Marvin in the role of a cold assassin, a guy with a single idea in his head that he will execute cleanly and accurately. Undoubtedly, one of the rudest and most credible characters in 1960s film noir. It should be noted that there have been two remakes of this film, one in 1999 (Revenge) with Mel Gibson in the lead role, and another in 2013 ( Parker) with Jason Statham, but never at the level of what was done by Boorman-Marvin.
7 Men from Now (Budd Boetticher, 1956)
The climax of the association between Boetticher and Scott, the story of a sheriff who will hunt down 7 bandits that caused the death of his wife is simply a narrative treat for lovers of the genre thanks to two factors: first, Scott's approach to the archetype of the "wandering avenger", more similar to Eastwood or Leone's Bronson; the second, once again, the agility with which Boetticher narrates his story in another 70 minutes and with only 5 leading and secondary actors, building exciting footage that grows progressively in suspense and emotions until it reaches its climax, a classic and unforgettable duel to the death. Special mention for Lee Marvin, who gets a memorable antagonist.
