Alfie (1966) – Movie Review
26th June 2020 Written by Peter Walkden
The film introduces us to Alfie (Michael Caine), a charming, smooth-talking ladies man. Alfie introduces himself by breaking the fourth wall, looking straight into the camera and talking to the audience directly. He not only introduces himself by name but also states he’s the kind of man who takes joy interacting with many different women, even sharing some secret tips about how he gets away with it.
We know everything about Alfie at the start, including his general thoughts and opinions on women. In essence, apart from having one-night stands, he quite frankly doesn’t have great respect for women and cannot commit to any woman he interacts with. One example of this is his demanding nature and his statement that women are just birds or a thing. But while life for Alfie seems perfect, he will soon make several discoveries that leave him questioning and reconsidering all his past choices.
As a character, even though Alfie is a confident ladies man who enjoys flirting and sleeping with multiple women, he’s pretty fun and likeable, which I found surprising. This is due to the outstanding performance of Michael Caine. This performance combines witty and fast-paced dialogue mixed with a touching dramatic side as the film progresses. The dramatic aspects of this film surprised me upon my first watch. Michael Caine’s performance here is downright smashing and applaud worthy.
The pacing of Alfie was excellent. The opening fills us with a great understanding of our leading character, and the new situations that Alfie finds himself in were always unexpected and surprising. I generally questioned what the outcome would be for this character as more situations occur around him. No matter the situation, Alfie continues to be confident and carries on living life the same way.
Visually, thanks to Imprint film, Alfie (1966) looks and sounds fantastic. The film is naturally a must-own with a complete HD transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 Surround track. The release also consists of many bonus features on a second Blu-ray disc, including an audio commentary with film historians Jo Botting and Melanie Williams, Documentaries, Interviews, and much more!
Overall, if you have never witnessed this comedy drama, now is the perfect time to witness this cinematic classic. Michael Caine is easily the most significant highlight right from the start, delivering an applaud-worthy performance. The plot is unpredictable, and I was surprised at the leading character’s situations at many points in the film. Thanks to Imprint Films, the newly released box set is a must-own for any cinephile, and I enjoyed experiencing this feature film for the first time.
8.3/10
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