ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[southendmd]

IMDb:  When Arthur Davis, a junior bachelor in the British secret service's African section, is seen taking a file with him -to meet his girlfriend Cynthia- the brass fears he may be the leak to Moscow, and allows Dr. Percival to terminate the 'risk factor' by poisoning to avoid a scandal. In fact Davis's desk chief, Maurice Castle, is the double agent since the South African communists helped him smuggle out his black lover Sarah M., meanwhile his wife and mother of schoolboy Sam, to force him to cooperate with the Apartheid government. When Cornelius Muller, the South African official who failed to get him in Pretoria's power, visits London for the anti-communist operation Uncle Remus, he points out Castle still is the natural suspect...

[Fran]

From IMDb:  When a businessman who has had a double indemnity policy taken out on him dies mysteriously, his insurance company sends an undercover investigator to town to determine exactly what happened.

[memento]

IMDB: The story begins in Missouri following the Civil War as carpetbagger Barshee (Brian Donlevy) is buying up local ranches dirt cheap for the railroad which is to cross the land. He tries to by up the James Boys spread but runs afoul of the brothers. Frank (Henry Fonda) bests him in a fight and drives him off. Barshee returns with a gang and burns out the farm killing the boys mother (Jane Darwell). Jesse and Frank vow revenge and in a gunfight Jesse kills the carpetbagger thus beginning his life of banditry.

Along the way, Jesse courts and marries his sweetheart Zee and they have a son. However Zee wants Jesse to end his outlaw ways and when he doesn't, leaves him to return to her home with her uncle, newspaper editor Rufus Cobb (Henry Hull). Sympathetic Marshall Will Wright (Randolph Scott) had earlier convinced Jesse to turn himself in with the promise of a light sentence by railway tycoon McCoy (Donald Meek). Of course McCoy double crosses Jesse and Frank is forced to break him out of jail...

[southendmd]

IMDb:  Guddu and Charlie are identical twins born and raised in the slums of Mumbai. They dream of leaving the squalor behind and moving into a life of prosperity and dignity. Though they look alike, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. One lisps, the other stammers. One is an honest, diligent social worker while the other hedges bets at a racecourse. The brothers want nothing to do with each other. But when Charlie gets mixed up in a deadly get-rich-quick scheme and Guddu realizes that the love of his life has unwittingly put a price on his head, their lives begin to collide. They find themselves facing rogue politicians, drug dealers and crooked cops. As they uncover a sinister plot laid out by the 'political-police-underworld' nexus, their stories finally converge to a point when they realize they only have each other.

Keyword:  double cross

[Fran]

From IMDb:  An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner with the Archangel Michael.

Plot keywords include:  Double Impalement

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGE_zSdCzDU[/youtube]

[memento]

IMDB: Charles Bronson gives a splendidly steely and stoical performance as Arthur Bishop, a merciless and meticulous, but stressed-out aging veteran hit-man who lives by his own strict personal moral code. Cocky eager beaver Steve McKenna (excellently played by Jan-Michael Vincent) befriends Bishop. Bishop teaches McKenna the tricks of his lethal trade. But does McKenna have some other nefarious secret agenda concerning Bishop? Tautly directed in a supremely mean'n'lean stripped-down no-nonsense style by Michael ("Death Wish") Winner, with a crafty and ingenious script by Lewis John Carlino, slick cinematography by Robert H. Kline, a superbly shivery'n'spooky score by Jerry Fielding, and several stirring slam-bang action set pieces, this fine film certainly makes the grade as a very tense, exciting and suspenseful crime thriller. Popping up in nifty minor roles are Keenan Wynn as a crusty mob capo and Jill Ireland as an alluring prostitute. From its bravura laconic, virtually wordless first fifteen minutes to its startling double whammy surprise twist ending, this superior favorite never makes a single false step and delivers the immensely satisfying goods with exceptional skill and efficiency.

[oilgun]

Stockbroker T.T.Ralston has promised his neice Gwen to double it if she can raise $20,000. for charity. But he connives so those she asks refuse to give her more than the $10,000 she's already raised. Gwen secretly gives T.T.'s new partner Steve Bennett the $10,000 and asks him to double it. Later in a discussion with T.T., business partner Dick and client Van, about truth in business Steve bets the $10,000. that he can tell the truth for 24 hours. Having already accepted an invitation for a weekend on T.T.'s houseboat, Steve is subjected to 24 hours of attempts to get him to lie or divulge the bet, which would lose him (and Gwen) the $10,000.

[Fran]

From IMDb:  I was surprised to see the 7.1 (as of the time of this writing) rating for this movie. Really, I found it to be just plain bad. The dialog is nothing to write home about. The acting of Brando is ridiculous. The plot is full of holes. The worst part, however, is the editing. The scenes seem cut together haphazardly. There's very little exposition, and the audience is left to infer what they should be feeling based on vague references. The main character is on a hunt for his old friend because he was double-crossed. It's not served up as just simple revenge, though; there's an implied depth of emotion that is never earned by the protagonist. There's one scene in which Brando's character sacrifices his freedom for his friend, but there's very little explanation as to why he would do such a thing. There's not enough backstory to make this sacrifice believable. We're just thrown into the scene and expected to absorb the understood history between the men. Then his friend leaves him for dead. This would be fine if the scenes prior to that hadn't had him wasting precious time (with him barefoot and on the run) to find Brando, waiting for him to retrieve his ring (let's not talk about the realism of a stuck-up aristocratic RICH female STRANGER suddenly allowing Brando's character to grope her simply because he gave her a crappy ring), and then sticking with him through a chase scene where any seasoned criminal would know it's better to split up.

This movie is horrible.

[memento]

From IMDB: This movie is great, I had the opportunity to see it twice at Sundance, the first time it was very confusing. The second time, it makes sense, when you can understand all the story tricks and plot twists. I think this film is in t he same vane as Memento, Existenz or The Usual Suspects, you have to watch it twice to know whats going on. I had the opportunity to talk to Shane Carruth the maker of this film and aside from being a really nice guy, he explained that you simply have to watch it a few times and pay attention to the doubles and triples of people. This film won 2 well deserved awards at Sundance because it truly embodies the independent spirit of film making.

[oilgun]

Van Damme plays twins re-united in Hong Kong to avenge their parents' murder by local bad guys, but this lunkhead kick-em-up doesn't even take advantage of that gimmick; the basic story would have been exactly the same with just one Jean-Claude. Lots of profane dialogue and some gratuitous nudity for the kiddies.

Question:
"Q" can still be a wild card, right?