David Mamet adapting James M. Cain? Holy hell that sounds like a match made in hardboiled heaven. Unfortunately, Mamet’s take on The Postman Always Rings Twice feels like a cheap update of the 1946 version – with loads of angry sex thrown in. It doesn’t ring like a Mamet script either, which is disappointing. It lacks the punch of his “Chicago style” of screenwriting and instead falls back on dirty crotch rubbing. Not even the star power of Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, nor the directorial prowess of Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces) can salvage this hollow production. Of the three adaptations I’ve viewed this week, 1981’s The Postman Always Rings Twice is without a doubt the only washout.
New Granada 