Frankenheimer directed Dead Bang back in 1989. It has Don Johnson as a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department gumshoe who has to track down the killer of a deputy. There's also gunrunning and militant white supremacy in the mix, so it's a bit heavier than your typical action movie. Johnson was fresh from his rather lighthearted take on police business in Miami Vice, so he rolled down his sleeves and got to work.
Johnson also permed his hair for the role, to more closely resemble the real cop on which the story is based. He says it was an "interesting choice" because as the perm unwound over the shoot, he started looking, as he puts it, "sort of goofy-looking." No goofier, I would imagine, than pushing up the sleeves of your sport coat. At least that look became a fashion fad for a time.
For a cop flick, how about a cop wine? Harbinator 2020 Cop Franc is a Cabernet Franc from the Red Mountain AVA, Ciel du Cheval vineyard. Pretty fancy for Washington state. It sells for around $50.
From 1964, The Train has Burt Lancaster masterminding a ruse to keep the Germans from absconding with artwork looted from France during World War Two. The movie makes the real-life story a lot more interesting than it actually was. In reality, the art train was merely derailed by endless paperwork. Life may imitate art, but art jazzes up life so we'll pay to see it.
As it happens, the Nazis also tried to make off with wine from the best French vineyards. A similar ruse kept the wine safe in République française. All this has me wondering why the war lasted as long as it did if Hitler's boys were so easily outsmarted.
All this spy-type activity points directly to Cloak and Dagger Wines and their Paso Robles red blend, Subterfuge. It's a mix of grapes that would feel right at home in Bordeaux: Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, all for $49.
Seconds is from 1966. It's a psychological horror film, a bit of a sci-fi, and a dramatic change of pace for the star Rock Hudson. There's no Doris Day here, and rom-com is as far from the scene as it could possibly be.
Hudson plays a New York banker who undergoes a complete change of identity. His turn as a Malibu artist does not go well. It's worth remembering that it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was reportedly freaked out that the main character, Mr. Wilson, is swirling in doubt about his choices and that the beach plays a central role in Hudson's Malibu Ken makeover. They say Wilson didn't go to a movie again for a couple of decades.
Movie goers at the time didn't care for Seconds, and the film was booed at Cannes. Time has softened opinions to the point that it's now considered a cult classic.
A second wine is one made by a top-shelf producer, using grapes that were deemed unfit for the flagship wine. The second wine from Château Margaux is Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux. This Bordeaux second wine can give you a taste of the $1000 bottle for less than $200, depending on the vintage.
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