DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)

An epic of Russian history that’s more interested in its central love dodecahedron than it is in Russian history, a fact that leaves me wondering what the point of it all is.

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)

Sidney Poitier has to solve a murder in a small southern town that hates him. A great social movie but kind of a blah procedural.

ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)

On the Waterfront is known for Marlon Brando’s revolutionary performance, but does it still work out of its very specific context?