Harrowing look at a self-destructive lifestyle
Charles Bukowski was a Los Angeles drifter who devoted his life to hanging out in skid row bars and flophouses until the age of 50. He was also a prolific writer of poetry, short stories, and novels. “Barfly,” based on his original screenplay, is a drama with touches of humor that portrays a seamy, pointless lifestyle yet manages to fascinate.<br /><br />Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke), Bukowski’s alter-ego, is a slovenly, hard-drinking loser who hangs out at the Golden Horn bar and has a penchant for getting into fistfights with bartender Eddie (Frank Stallone) and is regularly beaten to a pulp. The film begins with one of their brutal, bloody fights in the alley outside the bar. This appears to be an almost daily occurrence in Henry’s life, along with drinking and occasionally writing poetry that reflects his skid row existence.<br /><br />One day, Henry spots another barfly sitting at the end of the bar. Her name is Wanda Wilcox (Faye Dunaway), she wears a rumpled business suit, and she easily matches Henry’s affection for the bottle. They strike up a conversation, see in each other a kindred spirit, and Henry accepts her invitation to move in with her despite her clear signs of instability, both mental and emotional.<br /><br />Henry gets the chance to rise from his abyss of aimlessness when a wealthy publisher, classy and sophisticated Tully Sorenson (Alice Krige), offers him a commission for his writings. The polar opposite of Wanda, Tully falls for Henry, who has a romance with her that leads to a confrontation when Wanda finds out about it.<br /><br />Rourke immerses himself in the role of Henry. Looking constantly under the influence of booze, in disheveled attire often stained with dried blood, moving slowly as if carefully monitoring every step so he won’t collapse, Rourke creates an authentic portrayal of a man who, rather than be depressed, has embraced his lifestyle and enjoys the constant haze that alcohol provides him. The two women now in his life challenge him to aspire to a better self. There are moments when we get to see something deeper in Henry, and that’s what keeps us rooting for him. Touches of humor that Rourke infuses throughout the movie help his character to become relatable and seem capable of at least a little redemption. Tully’s recognition of Henry’s literary talent wakes him up to brighter possibilities, but his marriage to the bottle is a tough obstacle to overcome.<br /><br />Faye Dunaway plays Wanda with greasy hair and no make-up in a completely de-glamorized role. Though her natural beauty is there, it belongs not to a movie star but to a woman whose drinking has taken its toll. Wanda is a call-girl who, like Henry, spends her days drinking away her pain. Dunaway’s screen chemistry with Rourke is excellent, even though their characters are not your customary movie leading man and woman. Dunaway is up to the demands of the role, whether looking haggard, running barefoot up a hill, stealing ears of corn, or engaging in a believable bar fight with romantic rival Tully. As Wanda remarks at one point, “We’re all in some kind of hell.”<br /><br />Director Barbet Schroeder (“Single White Female”) has created a spirited romance of the lower depths. He balances the film so that it never becomes irrevocably grim and despondent. Henry maintains his cool as he comes out with semi-philosophical one-liners to various characters. As a poet of society’s lower echelons, he has developed street cred and respect from his limited circle of acquaintances. Schroeder has chosen dingy locations, effectively establishing the world of the barfly and illustrating a lifestyle that’s not usually seen in such detail in movies.<br /><br />Though the actors do a fine job inhabiting their roles, the movie distances us from them rather than draws us in. It’s as if we’re looking at museum exhibits. Composed of episodes rather than a straight narrative flow, the structure of the movie replicates the loose living of the barfly. Certain scenes seem almost documentary-like in their grittiness, yet Henry and Wanda fulfill many stereotypes of the alcoholic. It’s only Henry’s artistic flair that defies the stereotype.<br /><br />Bonus material on the 2-disc Region Free Blu-ray release from Imprint includes the following:<br />Audio Commentary # 1 with Director Barbet Schroeder<br />Audio Commentary # 2 with Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of Esoteric Tours<br />High Society - Interview with Actress Alice Krige<br />Another Round - Interview with actor Frank Stallone<br />To All My Friends - Interview with editor Eva Gardos<br />Low Life and Dive Bars - Interview with production designer Bob Ziembicki<br />I Drink, I Gamble, I Write - The Making of Barfly<br />Theatrical Trailer<br /><br />The second disc contains the documentary, “The Charles Bukowski Tapes,” a 4-hour collection of interviews with the screenwriter and subject for the story by Barbet Schroeder. The film is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and features an English LPCM 2.0 Mono soundtrack.<br /><br />“Barfly” puts the spotlight on the often invisible people of society who have isolated themselves in small communities drawn together by alcohol. Henry and Wanda are unlikely protagonists, though they are colorful and often manage to find humor in their drab, hopeless lives. Director Schroeder takes a close look at these people without condemning them. The film is not a public service message about the dangers of booze but a cold, unadulterated portrait of a dissipated lifestyle.
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 {"Genre": "Drama", "Format": "Import", "Contributor": "Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Barbet Schroeder", "Package Dimensions": "6.81 x 5.71 x 1.54 inches; 10.48 Ounces", "Director": "Barbet Schroeder", "Media Format": "Import", "Release date": "October 7, 2022", "Actors": "Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway", "Subtitles": "English", "Studio": "Imprint", "Number of discs": "2"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose; unfortunately, he's also a skid-row alcoholic with a violent temper. He picks fights nightly with Eddie (Frank Stallone), the bartender at the local watering hole, the Golden Horn, and lives in a seedy tenement, stealing food and trying to scrape together enough money for booze. Fellow alcoholic Willa Wilcox (Faye Dunaway) catches Henrys eye at the bar one afternoon and although she has a reputation for being unstable, the two embark on a relationship with each other and the bottle. Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowski and directed by Barbet Schroeder, Barfly offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. Starring Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige & Frank Stallone. Limited 2 Disc Hard box edition with unique artwork on the first 1500 copies. Special Features and Technical Specs: Disc One: Barfly 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray Audio commentary with director Barbet Schroeder NEW Kim Cooper and Richard Schave of Esoteric Tours, Los Angeles historians and preservationists. NEW Interview with editor Eva Gardos NEW Interview with actress Alice Krige NEW Interview with actor Frank Stallone NEW Interview with production designer Bob Ziembicki Theatrical Trailer Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Audio English LPCM 2.0 Optional English HOH subtitles Disc Two: The Bukowski Tapes When Barbet Schroeder (More, General Idi Amin Dada, Single White Female) began work on the movie Barfly, he had no idea that it would be such a struggle. During the seven years it took him to complete the film, he turned his cameras on it's screenwriter, poet and novelist Charles Bukowski Bukowski, legendary for his drunken excess and frank observations on life, love, and survival, took no exception with Schroeder. Schroeder eventually completed The Charles Bukowski Tapes, a four-hour long study of the man and the music of his words. Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono.