Films of Walter Hill - by Brian Brems (Paperback)

About the Book

This book is an academic study of the work of an important American director working primarily in the action genre. The book explores the ways in which Hill's filmography reveals his point of view and intensifies classical approaches to storytelling.

Book Synopsis

This book is an academic study of the work of an important American director working primarily in the action genre. The book explores the ways in which Hill's filmography reveals his point of view and intensifies classical approaches to storytelling.

Review Quotes

The Films of Walter Hill reveals an underexplored Hollywood director who unleashed his fiery canon between genres (the Western, film noir), between New Hollywood and the blockbuster, between arthouse and action cinema, between Hawks and Peckinpah, and between myth and reality. Brian Brems traces Hillrsquo;s films (1970s-2010s) through their cinematic techniques and deconstruction of male hierarchies, leadership, and ethics. Integrating foundational action genre scholarship, interviews with Hill and his actors, and comprehensive knowledge of the films, this book remains accessible to students, fans, and novices looking for a lively articulation of where action movies come from and why they matter.

Walter Hillrsquo;s sharp, intelligent dynamic films have been a cult item among cinephiles and connoisseurs since the 1970s. Brian Brems expands this appreciation through an exhaustive comparative approach, illuminating the roots of Hillrsquo;s cinema in genre (noir, Western, musical), other filmmakers (Hawks, Peckinpah, Kurosawa), and contemporary cultural trends.

About the Author

Brian Brems is professor of film at the College of DuPage.