10 Unjustly Forgotten Films By Famous Directors

5. Walter Hill - Brewster's Millions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9kMHiqS6Kg After the critical and commercial debacle that was Bullet To The Head, it's easy to forget what a powerhouse writer/director/producer Walter Hill was in his heyday. Not only has Hill been intimately involved in two successful and popular film franchises (48 Hrs. and Alien), he also made a number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed action films, including The Long Riders, Southern Comfort, and The Driver. Along with that, Hill also worked with distinguished directors like Woody Allen and Norman Jewison as assistant director, and he wrote screenplays for directors like John Huston and Sam Peckinpah. He's also been involved in two of the fondest-remembered TV shows ever made: Tales From The Crypt and Deadwood. On top of all that, Hill hasn't lost his directing skill, as his Western TV miniseries Broken Trail exhibits. As you can see above, Hill's built his career on action and horror flicks; perhaps that's why his wonderful 1985 comedy Brewster's Millions has fallen through the cracks. Based on a 1902 novel and preceded by six other films also based on the book, the film revolves around washed-up baseball player Montgomery Brewster (Richard Pryor), who inherits $300 million from his great-uncle. However, there is a caveat to the inheritance: in order to collect the 300 mil, Monty must first spend $30 million in thirty days and have no assets of any kind to show for it. Given that he can only donate five percent to charity and gamble away only another five percent, the task proves to be much harder than it first appears. Oh, and he can't tell anyone his purpose for spending the 30 mil. Brewster accepts the challenge, and, with the unwitting help of his best friend (John Candy) and a harried accountant (Lonette McKee), mounts a series of ridiculous schemes (most memorable being a campaign for mayor where he tells voters NOT to vote for him) to spend the money. Brewster's Millions shows audiences the (only slightly) dark side of a fantasy that most people have entertained at one time or another. Walter Hill does so hilariously, having the film grow in momentum as Brewster's money-spending plans grow larger and more unwieldy. Hill also peppers the film with a lot of clever reversals as Monty's well-meaning friends, trying to arrange it so that Monty can keep some of his money, keep earning Brewster's money back. One becomes involved with the characters as the story unfolds; you're really rooting for Monty by the end of the flick (and that's why the film's race-to-the-wire ending will keep you on the edge of your seat, no matter how many times you've seen the film). Brewster's Millions isn't flashy or stylish, but it will make you laugh. And, as Preston Sturges (through Joel McCrea) says at the end of his classic Sullivan's Travels, "Do you know that is all some people have got in this crazy world?...There's a lot to be said for making people laugh!"