Torn Gets Ripped in Payday
February 6, 2008

Warner quietly released a small Seventies gem a few of weeks ago and I gotta get in a few words about it because it’s a goodie that warrants the mention. 1973’s Payday was directed by Daryl Duke (whose nifty 1978 thriller the Silent Partner was finally issued on disc last spring by Lionsgate) and stars the indefatigable Rip Torn as Maury Dann, a singer/songwriter a la Hank Williams who cruises the South in his new Cadillac playing one-nighters in any beer-soaked honky tonk on the circuit that can come up with the cash. And, yes, the man can put on a show, when he’s not sucking down booze and pills and nearly doing the same to the women that whoosh through his life. Torn is simply fantastic as Dann (in her review of the film more than three decades ago, Pauline Kael said that he “will probably never have a role that suits him better”) and the film’s period atmosphere and details and supporting characters are spot-on. Payday has also picked up some peripheral recognition and cult status from Jay Leno, who has identified it as one of his favorite films. (To tell you the truth, that’s how I first heard about the film about 15 years ago.) The disc includes a commentary by Duke and producer Saul Zaentz, who has since picked up three Best Picture Oscars for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus and The English Patient.

Like I said, Payday warrants the mention...and attention.

Posted by Laurence Lerman on February 6, 2008 | Comments (0)