Mystery Train (1990)

Jarmusch's best film

I'm not much of a fan of Jim Jarmusch, but 1989's Mystery Train (his fourth film and first one in color) is quite engaging in they way it tells three minimalist stories occurring in what is presumably the seedier side of Memphis. An Elvis motif runs through all the episodes, which are set mostly in a rundown hotel during one night (Blues legend Screaming Jay Hawkins plays the clerk). In the first episode, a young Japanese couple arrives in the town which gave birth to rock and roll (she is quirky, he is impassive; she loves Elvis, he Carl Perkins). In the second episode, an Italian woman (Niccoleta Braschi) whose husband has just died has to spend a night in Memphis. She shares the room in the hotel with a talkative American woman (Elizabeth Bracco). During the night, she imagines or sees the ghost of Elvis. In the third episode, a British guy who is called Elvis by his lowlife friends, and who has just broken with the woman of the second episode (and is played by the late Clash guitarist Joe Strummer) more or less accidentally shots a liquor shop seller, and has to take refuge in the hotel, along with his brother in law (played by Steve Buscemi). A gunshot heard during the night sort of links the three episodes. Nothing much happens, but Jarmusch shows his love with American pop culture and his fine ear for the way the American working class talk everyday. January 30, 2008

Quiet, beautiful, funny, friendly - touching

This movie, woven around two Japanese kids looking for Elvis more or less, in some nondescript Southern city - I don't know what to say. The city itself is protrayed emotionally flat - kind of like what you'd see on a trip to your own drugstore. But that makes it all the more intriguing.

There's several stories going on, woven around the quest for Elvis.

The places seemed too familiar - and I found myself wondering if I'd been to those place, met those people ... but I haven't - and won't - until I watch this flick again, which I will.

It's too much of a friendly place not to return. Set off by hints of larceny, physical danger and sex, and where we find that we can take these people's quest for Elvis in stride. September 22, 2007

Elvis! No, Carl Perkins! No, Elvis! No, Carl Perkins!

Mystery Train follows three stories through the heat of dreary summertime Memphis. Two Japanese teens dressed to the nines in 80s couture explore Memphis on a quest to determine once and for all whether Elvis or Carl Perkins was the true king of American rock and roll. They are awkwardly out of place amongst the townsfolk, but even more out of place with each other. She constantly jokes and jokes with him, at one point smearing lipstick across his face, only to be continuously ignored as he stares coolly into the distance. Their depressing love making scene in the seedy hotel where all the characters end up underscores the distance between them.

An Italian woman has an unexpected layover in Memphis related to the seemingly sudden and unexplained death of her husband. She tries to quietly navigate her way through the town, but is faced with con artists at every turn. She ends up sharing a room in the seedy hotel with a chatty local girl on the run from her allegedly crazy boyfriend and, as the only character indifferent to American pop culture, ironically ends up being woken in the night by a vision of Elvis.

The local girl's boyfriend sullenly drinks himself belligerent at a local bar with two friends. After being kicked out for getting too rowdy, the three take off in a pickup truck and rob a liquor store, unexpectedly shooting the clerk. They hide out in the same seedy hotel. Steve Buscemi is, as usual, a fabulous loser everyman who gets the brunt of the punishment for all their half-witted schemes.

The highlight of the movie for me was the bold and hilarious Screamin' Jay Hawkins who mans the desk at the seedy hotel. He continuously torments his bellhop, making fun of his hat and tricking him out of the Japanese plum he receives as a tip from the Japanese tourists. "You got any more Japanese plums? Or other exotic fruits from around the world?"

Overall, the movie is fun and watchable whether you want to read meaning into the connections between the storylines or not. It's an elegant collage of cultural clichés and a humorous look at the pursuit of superficial dreams. September 4, 2006

Memphis Blues

A quirky minimalist movie by Jim Jarmusch that is well thought out and cleverly devised that will leave viewers either fascinated or cold. It takes place during a single night in Memphis, and revolves around three unconnected storylines: a Japanese couple on a "pilgrimage" to Elvis shrines, an Italian woman whose flight back to Rome has been delayed, and a trio of young sleazes who get drunk and shoot a liquor store owner. They all spend the night at a fleabag hotel (The Arcade, run by Screamin' Jay Hawkins!). Jarmusch's use of flashback, a la RASHOMON, is clever and inspired. But Jarmush also likes to use long takes of scenes in which virtually nothing happens, which can make the movie feel long and ponderous. It's still the best of his movies, though. January 30, 2006

MY FAVORITE JIM JARMUSCH FILM

How my ratings work:
5 - I really liked/loved it
4 - I liked it
3 - Could've been better/worth a look
2 - Just didn't live up to the potential
1 - Simply aweful

This is the second Jim Jarmusch film I've seen and is probably my favorite of his movies. The stories are so orginal and flat out hilarious, all three taking place in Memphis, Tennesee and involving Elvis Presley in some way. The best story is the first, Far From Yokohama, involving the young Japanese couple (Masatoshi Nagasai & Yuki Kudoh) visiting Memphis for the first time. Though the other two stories, A Ghost and Lost In Space are also funny. Music legend Screamin' Jay Hawkins is terrific as the night manager of a run down hotel. Highly recomended for any movie fan or Jarmusch fan who hasn't seen this movie. September 28, 2005

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