The Writer's Life 5/5 - Beware of the Dog

I suppose what prompted me to add Bullet Head (2017) to my Netflix list was its fine cast. A trio of thieves has just pulled off a non-violent heist. With cops hot on their trail, they take refuge in a huge abandoned warehouse where an even greater danger lurks. It is the site of a dog-fighting tournament, and the organizer's killer hound has turned on its caretaker, ripping him to shreds. Adrian Brody, John Malkovich and Rory Culkin play the crooks, Antonio Banderas the dog owner. It is tense despite its predictability. I'm sure most viewers will see the final twist coming. What differentiates this from other thrillers is the flashbacks into the lives of the characters of Brody and Culkin, both of which involve dogs. This had me wondering if a flashback of Malkovich's character didn't make the final cut. The flick is never boring and runs only 93 minutes. The staging is first rate, the blood-letting minimized by shadows and darkness. The dog-fighting occurs off camera. Curiously, the movie was shot in Bulgaria, which leads me to believe the actors accepted a quick payday. They handle the undemanding parts professionally. None phoned-it-in. 4000+ users at IMDb have rated Bullet Head, forging to a consensus of 5.3 on a scale of ten. I won't argue with that. It was written and directed by Paul Solet, an American in the early stages of his career. Those squeamish about violence should pass. Only the most sensitive of dog lovers are likely to be outraged. Here's a still of the trio:

My bank statement was MIA this month, so I stopped into HSBC this morning to make sure nothing suspicious had happened to my accounts. I hit the ATM first, which showed that my checking account amount was where it should be. My thanks to the Asian woman behind me, who alerted me to the fact that I'd left my debit card in the slot. As I joined the line at the info desk, there was ample evidence on how the neighborhood has changed. Those waiting, the two serving, and the two at desks behind the partition all were Asian. My rep printed up a statement, which includes a payment from Amazon for two copies of Present and Past that sold online.

I had a visit from Mayor Mike today. He was minding his grand-daughters. He is currently living at a shelter in Harlem, classified as homeless, waiting to be assigned housing. His plan to live with his son in Virginia fell through, which is probably a good thing, as he would have been a fish out of water down there and too dependent on others. He tried to live with his daughter, but they couldn't make it work. It was nice to see many of the people he served as a custodian stop and greet him warmly.

Every Saturday for the past six months or so, a woman has asked if I had Stephen King's Carrie. When I handed her a copy today, it elicited double OMG's. On a strict income, she paid me in quarters. My thanks, and also to Diana, who bought a copy of Killing, and to the woman who did a swap of four-for-two books in Russian.

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