Staff Picks
Cowboy Bebop's Cinematic Influences
- Thomas M.
- Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Collection
The opening to each episode of Cowboy Bebop contains the text, "They must create new dreams and films by breaking traditional styles. The work, which becomes a new genre itself, will be called Cowboy Bebop." The anime series mixed genres such as westerns, science fiction, martial arts, and blaxploitation to create a unique blend that's still cool to this day. With a live-action adaptation right around the corner, fans might be interested in watching some of the films that directly inspired the anime.
2001, a Space Odyssey
Published in 2007
At the Dawn of Man, a group of hominids encounters a mysterious black monolith that is alien to their surroundings. A hominid discovers the first weapon, using a bone to kill prey. The bone is tossed in the air and it's a 21st century spacecraft hovering over the Earth, skipping ahead millions of years in technological development only to imply that man hasn't advanced very far at all psychologically. U.S. scientist Dr. Heywood Floyd travels to the moon to check out the discovery of a strange object on the moon's surface: a black monolith. As the sun's rays strike the stone, however, it emits a piercing, deafening sound that fills the investigators' headphones and stops them in their path. Cutting ahead 18 months, impassive astronauts David Bowman and Frank Poole head toward Jupiter on the space ship Discovery, their only company three hibernating astronauts and the vocal, man-made HAL 9000 computer running the entire ship. When the all-too-human HAL malfunctions, however, he tries to murder the astronauts to cover his error, forcing Bowman to defend himself the only way he can. Free of HAL, and finally informed of the voyage's purpose by a recording from Floyd, Bowman journeys to "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite," through the psychedelic slit-scan star-gate to an 18th century room, and the completion of the monolith's evolutionary mission.
2001 a Space Odyssey.
Published in 2007
A space voyage to Jupiter erupts in disaster when the ship's computer goes mad. Includes commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, documentary 2001: The Making of a Myth, 4 featurettes, audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick, and trailer.
Alien
Published in 2014
Terror begins when the crew of a spaceship investigates a transmission from a desolate planet and discover a life form that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind. Each crew member is slain until only Ripley is left.
Blade Runner
The Final Cut.
Published in 2010
Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott's definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine yet vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, murderous replicants and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul.
The Castle of Cagliostro.
Published in 1979
Academy Award-winner Hayao Miyazaki's feature film debut as a director is the tale of Lupin III, a gentleman thief who never fails to get what he targets. Seeing the royal damsel Clarisse in peril, Lupin and his gang dare to rescue her from evil Count Cagliostro, and discover the secret of a hidden treasure to which Clarisse holds the key to.
Coffy
Published in 2015
A beautiful woman feigns drug addiction to discover and destroy the evil dealers responsible for her sister's death.
Cowboy Bebop
The Complete Series.
Published in 2014
The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motley lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. On their own, any one of them would be likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they're the most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.
Cowboy Bebop
The Movie.
Published in 2010
A terrorist bomb destroyed a tanker truck on Highway One on Mars, killing hundreds. The rewards for the bomber's capture is massive and the crew of the Bebop would love to get their hands on it. Rated R for violence.
Desperado
Published in 2001
A mysterious guitar player seeks vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend.
Dirty Harry
Published in 2008
A rooftop sniper named Scorpio has killed twice. Streetwise San Francisco police detective Harry Callahan will nail the perp one way or another-- no matter what "the system" prescribes.
Dirty Harry Collection.
Published in 2010
Includes: Dirty Harry; Magnum Force; The Enforcer; Sudden Impact; and The Dead Pool.
Enter the Dragon.
Published in 2011
Recruited by an intelligence agency, outstanding martial arts student Bruce Lee participates in a brutal karate tournament hosted by the evil Han. Along with champions Roper and Williams, he uncovers Han|s white slavery and drug trafficking ring located on a secret island fortress. In the exciting climax, hundreds of freed prisoners fight in an epic battle with Lee and Han locked in a deadly duel.
Enter the Dragon
Published in 2013
Recruited by an intelligence agency, martial arts student Lee participates in a brutal tournament at a remote island fortress in an attempt to gather enough evidence to convict the international drug-trafficker responsible for the murder of Lee's sister. In the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish, two men enter a mirrored maze, but only one will exit.
A Fistful of Dollars
Published in 2010
A deadly gunslinger rides into a small western town torn between two warring families. He manipulates both sides to his advantage and becomes rich in the process.
For a Few Dollars More
Published in 2010
Two gunslinging bounty hunters forge an uneasy alliance in their quest for the outlaw Indio.
Game of Death
Published in 2014
A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Published in 2017
The inimitable "Man with no name" teams with two gunslingers to pursue a fortune in stolen gold, but they soon discover their greatest challenge is to stay alive.
High Plains Drifter.
Published in 1999
A drifter defends a town from gunmen. Directed by Clint Eastwood.
High Plains Drifter
Published in 2018
A stranger is hired to protect a guilt-ridden Western town from three desperadoes.
The Killer.
Published in 2010
An assassin with a code of honor agrees to do one last job before quitting for good. But when his bosses doublecross him, he must confront the mob. Includes interview with director John Woo.
Shaft
Published in 2012
John Shaft, a private investigator, is hired by a Harlem crime boss to find his kidnapped daughter. During his investigation, Shaft uncovers a Mafia plot to take over a chunk of the Black underworld's uptown territory.
The Way of the Dragon
Published in 2014
A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.