Directed by:
Barbet SchroederScreenplay:
Charles BukowskiCinematography:
Robby MüllerComposer:
Jack BaranCast:
Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige, Jack Nance, J.C. Quinn, Frank Stallone, Sandy Martin, Roberta Bassin, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Leonard Termo (more)Plots(1)
Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose; unfortunately, he’s also a skid-row alcoholic with a violent temper. He picks fights nightly with Eddie (Frank Stallone), the bartender at the local watering hole, the Golden Horn, and lives in a seedy tenement, stealing food and trying to scrape together enough money for booze. Fellow alcoholic Wanda Wilcox (Faye Dunaway) catches Henry’s eye at the bar one afternoon and although she has a reputation for being unstable, the two embark on a relationship with each other and the bottle. Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowski and directed by Barbet Schroeder, Barfly offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. (Via Vision Entertainment)
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Reviews (2)
Barfly is definitely not a film for me. I'm more interested in Charles Bukowski in book form, but when it comes to watching it on screen, I don't particularly feel like it's something I want to do. Mickey Rourke clearly enjoys the role and is great next to Faye. Not so in her case, but Mickey excels here.
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I like Bukowski's poetics, I like the lifestyle of the layabout and so I have almost all words of praise for Barfly. The actors representing the social underbelly are well chosen, and so in my opinion the only weakness is the one that should have been the biggest trump card, I can't help but think Mickey Rourke overacts a lot. Still, you have to like his character of a barroom lout who imposes almost noble, aristocratic elements on his loafing. But Faye Dunaway, what a great surprise! She’s flawless. Not only is she a good actress, but she somehow shines through without pounds of make-up and you can see that she is still a beautiful woman despite her age. But you know what? Sod this bollocks! Let’s go for a drink.
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