Find Your Film Director’s Spotlight: Walter Hill (‘Southern Comfort’ and ‘Last Man Standing’)

On our latest episode of Find Your Film, we spotlight director Walter Hill. Instead of going for the obvious movies (The Warriors 48 Hrs., The Driver), I chose Southern Comfort (1981) and Last Man Standing (1996). Show breakdown of our podcast and audio below!

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One big reason we cover Southern Comfort and Last Man Standing is that both films are now streaming on Tubi (btw this is not a sponsored ad – lol we barely even sponsor ourselves!!).

My introduction to Walter Hill was during my childhood, as I checked out 48 Hrs. with my aunt and uncle at a local theater in the San Fernando Valley. Back then, I focused more on the stars on the marquee than the actual director.

A VHS tape of 1989’s Johnny Handsome, starring Mickey Rourke and Ellen Barkin, finally put Hill into my conscience. Several years later I interviewed Hill and the cast members for his 1993 feature Geronimo: An American Legend. My press junket days would lead to another Hill interview for 2002’s Undisputed. That said, the one movie which stuck with me during my youth was Last Man Standing. I checked it out at a screening and then saw it a couple of more times in the theater.

Back then I was into lean and mean narratives, and the visual aesthetic behind Last Man Standing, with its pulp and desert noir shadings, had me hooked. There are still a bunch of Hill movies I have yet to check out (Streets of Fire and Hard Times are still unwatched!), but these days my favorite is Southern Comfort.

Take a listen to our Walter Hill episode on Apple Podcasts:

As a youth, it was the testosterone driven storylines behind Hill’s body of work that riveted me, and the sparse narrative of The Driver would eventually point me to the films of Jean-Pierre Melville.

Years ago I interviewed Peter Coyote (he starred in Southern Comfort) during the promotional tour of Bitter Moon and he talked about how, when writing, the reality of it is much more difficult than the “idea” of writing. I feel that way about Walter Hill’s work.

Now closing in on 50, I can actually process the loss and tragedy amidst all the violence, and that is why Southern Comfort resonates with me on a much deeper level than Last Man Standing. I’m more than willing to be entertained by Hill’s escapist fare, but it’s great to see that along with my all to slow maturation, my appreciation for Walter Hill’s contributions has evolved. I’m betting that I would have a much more positive opinion of Geronimo: An American Legend these days.

 

I forgot to mention that Last Man Standing was not just inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, since both works originate from Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest. Here is a show breakdown and full audio of our Walter Hill episode, feel free to comment on the pod and leave us your thoughts!

You can direct download our Walter Hill episode here.

Find Your Film Director Spotlight: Walter Hill (Southern Comfort, Last Man Standing)

2:44 – His movies are “tough guy” kind of movies says Eric Holmes (his early favorites from Hill include Streets of Fire and 48 Hrs)

3:15 – Bruce’s introduction to Walter Hill was The Warriors, Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs.

4:15 – We chose Southern Comfort and Last Man Standing because they are both streaming on Tubi. Since we picked those movies, another Walter Hill film has been added to the mix – Bullet To The Head!!

6:12 – “There’s not a lot of flash” to his films – Holmes on Walter Hill. 

7:30 – Bruce on what surprised him about Walter Hill’s body of work.

9:30 – We review/discuss Southern Comfort

10:50 – Bruce likens Southern Comfort to Predator.

13:15 – Eric compares Southern Comfort to Ten Little Indians.

16:30 – Eric loved the visual look and compositions of the movie.

16:52 – Bruce talks about the tense final act of Southern Comfort. “I loved it so much,” said Purkey, who cites Deliverance and Apocalypse Now in his review of the film.

19:00 – Bruce did not like the final shot of Southern Comfort, but that ultimately didn’t ruin the experience. 

20:21 – Eric thought the final shot worked.

21:00 – Eric on why he is not surprised Southern Comfort is overlooked.

22:27 – Basically, if you like Walter Hill’s movies and you haven’t seen Southern Comfort, Eric Holmes says “You’re in for a treat.”

22:52 – We review/discuss Last Man Standing.

24:17 – Bruce says Last Man Standing is a “moderately successful” movie.

25:13 – Eric on why Last Man Standing is kinda like Streets of Fire.

27:00 – I offer up my own thoughts on the first time I saw Last Man Standing and I reflect on the Geronimo press junket I attended (Hill directed Geronio).

29:45 – Eric says it’s not “top-shelf” Walter Hill, but he still enjoyed the film.

31:05 – Bruce says the movie should be titled “Gangsters Getting In And Out of Cars And Shooting.”

32:00 – Eric says there should be a Find Your Film spotlight on director Akira Kurosawa (Akira’s film Yojimbo was an inspiration for Last Man Standing – and both films are inspired by Dashiel Hammett’s Red Harvest).

40:00 – Last Man Standing was like Streets of Fire, but Streets of Fire actually goes for it. – Eric Holmes

42:26 –  Eric Holmes’ theory – Last Man Standing is a prequel to Streets of Fire!

43:57 – Friend of the show Angie Clark liked the Walter Hill miniseries Broken Trail, and that’s a project I’ll be checking it out very soon.

45:44 – Bruce’s final thoughts on Walter Hill.

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What are some of your favorite Walter Hill movies? Again, we’d love to hear your comments!! Southern Comfort is also available via Shout! Factory and I am definitely picking it up come the holiday season (it features interviews with late actor Powers Boothe as well as Hill, so I am sold!!!),

CinemAddicts co-host and Groupers director Anderson Cowan reviews/spotlights several films (including Sound of Metal) and gives an update on his latest collaborative project:

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