Subtly was not director Robert Aldrich's style. He saw things in very simple, blunt terms, and did not shy away from what other film makers might consider crude or over the top. When his films work, the punch to the gut knocks the breath out of you. THE GRISSOM GANG works like crazy. This backwoods gangster pic, set
during the depression, begins with a kidnapping that goes bad, then morphs into one of the most volatile, edgy love stories every made. Kim Darby plays the love object here: a rich socialite who must do all she can to survive the degenerate Grissom gang that holds her prisoner. Scott Wilson plays Ma Grisson's mentally challenged, psychopathic son, great with a knife but clumsy and tongue tied in love. Aldrich's approach, though often jaw dropping, gets under your skin. Darby was never better and Wilson should have been nominated for an Oscar.
February 26, 2011
