The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

Here we go again with Jack Nicholson starring and Bob Rafelson directing. This isn't the classic that Five Easy Pieces is but is certainly still worthy of your attention. Jack plays a rogue drifter, a role he obviously relishes, named Frank who stops in at a remote road side diner/gas station and stays on to work there. Nick, the old Greek fellow that owns the business, is married to a lusty young thing named Cora who is played by a smoking Jessica Lange. Frank forces himself onto Cora, so naturally she falls for him and they conceive to murder the old Ouzo slurping Nick. Shit doesn't quite pan out as they expect and their commitment to one another is sorely tested. It's an intriguing tale of passion and love driving people to commit crimes beyond their normal capacity. It is based on a 1934 novel written by a human who was called James M. Cain. It's a real page turner apparently. The 1946 version of this film is highly praised and I will search it out to compare. It stars Lana Turner and John Garfield and apparently unleashes different fates upon the fawning love birds to this more recent adaption.

The drab setting of the diner and Lange's turn as the desperately unhappy wife set a depressing scene. Jack's magnetic appearance is immediately an obvious potential car crash. A lot of the action that unfolds seemed apparent to me but I was hooked by the compelling mingling of the three main characters. The sex scenes were quite controversial at the time and they are pretty steamy but they're nothing most of you folks wouldn't have seen a hundred times before, you old horn bags. The court room scenes that appear later in the film seemed very pat, perhaps my ingestion of them on tv and film over the years has lent me an unjustified critical eye of fictional law scenes. I do have an imaginary wig I doff when waving my finger and objecting at the television. Events seemed to transpire in an usual way to the end of the film, it felt a little untidy and could have been cut tighter. Angelica Huston makes an unexpected cameo as a lion tamer which sure was a surprise. Although flawed I enjoyed this little noirish trip and I see clearly now...that the postman does always ring twice.

3.5/5

The online videos are all really dark, it doesn't appear like this on DVD.
Trust me folks. 

Nicholson and Rafelson's conspiring on film does not end here. 'The King Of Marvin Gardens' (1972) which received mixed reviews sounds like an interesting romp about an introverted radio DJ getting into mob strife in Atlantic City. They also worked together on 'Man Trouble' (1992) which unfortunately I've encountered and 'Blood and Wine' (1996) which Rafelson has stated is the third part of an informal trilogy consisting of Five Easy Pieces and King Of Marvin Gardens so I guess I should see it despite it's tepid reputation. 
The rest of Rafelson's collection of directed films is an odd bunch. 'Stay Hungry' (1976) starring  Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and a young Austrian bodybuilder who plays...a bodybuilder. Also 'Black Widow' (1987) starring Theresa Russell as a psychopathic man eater and Debra Winger as the copper in pursuit. I'm sure I saw this when I was younger and enjoyed Russell's murderous forays. 
Rafelson seemed to peak with Five Easy Pieces but looks to have remained active directing and producing many other features.