Friday, December 12, 2008

Mystery Train













Mystery Train is a 1989 anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises three different stories set on the same night. They are linked by one run-down hotel run by Night Clerk (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) and his dishevelled bellboy (Cinque Lee, younger brother of director Spike Lee), a scene featuring Elvis Presley's "Blue Moon" and a gunshot.

The first story, "Far From Yokohama", features a teenage couple from Yokohama, Japan, Mitsuko (Yuki Kudoh), a devoted Elvis fan, and Jun (Masatoshi Nagase), travelling across America and making pilgrimage to Memphis.

The second story, "A Ghost", follows a stop-over with an Italian widow, Luisa (Nicoletta Braschi), escorting her husband's coffin back to Italy. Stuck in Memphis for the night, she receives a vist from Memphis' most famous export.

In the final story, "Lost In Space", Johnny (played by former Clash front-man Joe Strummer). Having drunk himself silly after losing his job and brandishing a gun, Johnny, along with his buddy Will Robinson (Rick Aviles) and brother-in-law Charlie (Steve Buscemi), robs a liquor store, severely wounding the owner in the process, and spends the night hiding out in the hotel getting drunk.

I love the japanese couple's style, they look so cool!

One of my favorite Jarmusch movies, but then again, most of his movies are personal favorites.

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