The Hit (Stephen Frears, 1984)

7.5/10
Nice U.K. road movie from 1984 directed by Stephen Frears. Terence Stamp is great as the man being led from his hideout in Spain to France to be whacked. Tim Roth (in his first feature role) plays the green, inexperienced helper to a tee and John Hurt is the man in charge with ice water in his veins. They're completed by Laura del Sol, a victim of circumstance picked up along the way. The characters may seem rote but they're all well-acted, Stamp in particular steals the show as the zen-like dead man walking. The movie is darkly funny and features some beautiful photography, reminiscent of Paris, Texas in its dry landscapes (and also the guitar-centric score). I would have liked the film more were it not for the ending, which I thought was a bit botched.

Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)

8.5/10
The story went in a different direction than I had expected and was more sentimental than I thought it would be, but it was still very enjoyable. Harry Dean Stanton's character goes through a rare, true "transformation" in the cinematic sense of the word and two of the scenes - the home movies and the final telephone conversation in the "hotel booth" - are just blistering. Ry Cooder's score was also exceptional.

The Legend of the Suram Fortress (Sergei Parajanov & Dodo Abashidze, 1984)

7/10
Another Paradjanov completed after his release from prison, this one is more conventional and less exciting than the previous two I watched, but still enjoyable.