Review of Soylent Green (1973) by John T — 02 Jul 2014

Two years after Heston ruled the wasteland as The Omega Man, he returned to the bleak future scenario with another film classic, Soylent Green. The film takes place in the year 2022 in a NYC populated by over 40 million people. The world has been ruined by pollution, over-population and being raped of it's resources and now to feed the massive population, as real food is scarce and very expensive, the Soylent corporation makes various cracker like foods designated by color that supposedly signify it's 'healthy' ingredients. This includes the new and widely popular Soylent Green which is supposed made with plankton from the sea. When a high ranking Soylent board member (Joseph Cotton) is murdered, hard-nosed NY cop Thorn (Charlton Heston) is sent to investigate what looks to be a simple case of a botched burglary. But, Thorn knows an assassination when he sees one and the deeper he and his researcher, called a "book", Sol (the great Edward G. Robinson in his last role) dig into the case and the Soylent Corporation's possible involvement, the more he's told to back off and the more in danger his life becomes. But, Thorn is not going to give up and the more he digs, the closer he gets to a horrifying secret that many would kill to keep hidden.

The screenplay by Stanley R. Greenberg is based on the book Make Room, Make Room by Harry Harrison and vividly brought to bleak life by prolific director Richard Fleischer. Fleischer creates a filthy world where people literally live in hallways and streets and, if one's lucky enough to afford one, a person can't leave their apartment without stepping over his neighbors. A world where police routinely rob the apartments of murder victims and use garbage trucks with bulldozer scoops to control food riots which are almost a daily occurrence. It's also a world where the rich and powerful live in sterile and beautiful apartments, that actually come with women literally referred to as 'furniture' and eat actual food as opposed to synthesized crackers. A world of few haves and many have nots. In this world he thrusts his anti-hero Thorn, a bit of a bastard who ransacks Simonson's (Cotton) apartment while investigating it. But, at heart Thorn is a good cop and the film takes us on a gritty and sometimes very violent investigation till revealing it's classic and horrifying truth as to what the Soylent corporation are really feeding the populace. It is a tense film and far more serious then Omega Man and gives us a far more grounded and gruff performance from the usually hammy Heston. The film has a lot of atmosphere and is very successful at creating it's overpopulated and ruined world with a modest budget by use of clever art direction and set decoration. It is actually a disturbing vision of the future and very successful as a mystery/action flick as well, as Thorn unravels why such a powerful man was so brutally eliminated. The film also has some great 70s nostalgia to add after all these years but, to be honest, even without it I think it still would be a successful and chilling Sci-Fi flick on it's own. Add a nice score by Fred Myrow and you get a really good 70s Sci-Fi thriller that isn't always apprecaited like it should be.

The cast is great. We get a toned down Heston whose Thorn could be a villain in any other flick with his blatant theft of his case victim's belongings, his mistreatment of anybody who annoys him, including hitting women and the apparent coldness which he accepts death, murder and the world around him. But, Heston gives us glimpses that this violent man still has a heart and an overall moral center despite his immoral code at times. When he realizes what's really going on, he selflessly put's his own life at stake to bring the bad guys to light. A complex man and a different role for the star and he pulls it off well. Robinson is wonderful as Sol and he and Heston have a great camaraderie together on-screen and they work so well and it is, in an ironic way, a fitting final performance. Cotton has a brief appearance as Simonson but, gives him a quiet nobility as he meets his demise with acceptance and understanding. Chuck Connors is appropriately slimey as Simonson's crooked bodyguard and a man far more dangerous then he appears. The beautiful Leigh Taylor-Young gives some nice depth to Shirl, Simonson's former 'furniture' who falls for Thorn and thaws the cop's cold heart somewhat. She and Heston also work well together and it's a shame that once the plot really gets going, her character is sort of brushed aside. Rounding out are the always enjoyable Brock Peters as Thorn's boss Hatcher and Lincoln Kilpatrick in a small but, haunting role as a priest driven literally mad by the weight of Simonson's confessed secrets. We even get a cameo from Star Trek's "T'Pau" Celia Lovsky, too! A really good cast who help add to the film's atmosphere with their characterizations.

This is obviously another 70s favorites of mine and I can be very passionate about flicks like this. They have a character that few movies today have. Soylent Green in particular really represents that pre-Star Wars era very well and is a really fun flick despite it's bleakness. It is a very well made movie and has a solid anti-hero character brought to life by it's star. A really enjoyable flick made even more entertaining with the added nostalgia from an era of films which they don't make anymore.

PERSONAL NOTE: One of the things that personally disturbs me somewhat about this film is that it was made before the World Trade Center towers were finished but, in a spooky irony, takes place in a future time where they would no longer be there and thus their absence from the NYC skyline is disturbingly accurate. Got chills just writing that!