By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

(Some Spoilers) Straight out of the newspaper headlines from the turbulent 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention that changed the course of politics in America "Medium Cool" has become one of the most influential films to come out of the 1960's that still, some 50 years later, reverberates with audiences today. It's at first a simple story of a news photographer John Cassellis, Robert Forster, who gets caught up with the events that sweep the country while doing his job covering a human interest story about a Chicago cab driver returning $10,000.00- something like over $100,000.00 in 2016 currency-that he found in the back seat of his taxi.The black cab driver instead of being being treated as a Good Sumerian is given the third degree by the police as if he's a criminal or drug dealer that greatly disturbs John who's in the police station covering the story. John himself soon is confronted by the taxi driver's relatives who enlighten him in how things are done to those in the ghetto by those in authority that in fact leads to the violence that he's later to encounter-In a full scale police riot- in the movie! Ther's also Eileen,Verna Bloom, a single mother who's husband is reported missing in Vietnam who's son Harold, Harold Blankenship, has become uncontrollable in not having a father in the home and was caught breaking into John's car in a Chicago parking lot. John who has a totally nude hop in and out of the sack with reporter Ruth, Marianna Hill, earlier in the movie-That at first gave the film a X-rating-has now become very serious with Eileen and tries to help her and her son out. But things soon get out of hand with the city of Chicago about to explode and him as well as Eileen being right in the middle of it with riots breaking out all over the city as the Democratic National Convention gets into full swing! Using actual footage of the Chicago anti Vietnam riots during the Democratic Convention as they were happening the movie has a very documentary tone to it with both Robert Forster and Vera Bloom just going with the flow of the action with out any script or direction from the film makers to follow. Looking for Harold who got lost in all the actions the two end up in a fatal car crash looking for him by the time the film ended. With Harold safe and sound but both homeless as well as orphaned in the process. A "Citizen Kane" like film "Medium Cool" gets better with every showing and has since inspired many like wise movies in the future that as good as they were or are could never duplicate it.

I often like to watch films more than once and I recently did that with Medium Cool, which was originally released on August 27, 1969.The film was directed, written, and cinematography recorded by Haskell Wexler. He invented and used an unforgettable cinema vérité-style documentary filmmaking technique, as well as combining fictional and non-fictional content.Medium Cool was actor Robert Forster's first film in a lead role. Medium Cool is one of those films that shows cinematic footage of a nonfictional event in the movie - the 1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity. At that convention the protesters and the Chicago Police Department fought in the streets of Chicago while the US Democratic Party met during the convention in the International Amphitheater.John Cassellis (played by Forster) is a Chicago television news reporter and cameraman. Cassellis and sound man Gus (played by Peter Bonerz) are reporting about the violence and racial tensions in the ghetto. One of people that interviewed is an African American taxi driver who lives in the ghetto. Cassellis later discovers that his network had helped the FBI by providing some of his video footage from the protests in order to aid the FBI in their search for suspects. When Cassellis protests, he is fired at which time he then decides to go to the convention to record more footage.Cassellis ends up befriending Eileen (played by Vena Bloom), a welfare recipient who'd moved from her West Virginia home when her husband was sent to Vietnam. Eileen has a 13 year old son named Harold (Harold Blankenship).Ruth (Marianna Hill) is an attractive nurse, who has a relationship with Cassellis.Medium Cool is an extraordinary piece of cinematic art of the cinema verite-film style by Haskell Wexler. The way that the film combines a fiction and non-fiction story was very well explained and detailed due to Wexler's filmmaking style. The cinema verite genre combines well with a dramatic genre. One example: the argument scenes in the film that involve John Cassellis.Haskell Wexler did an amazing job with the cinematography. The way that he recorded the 111 minutes of the movie was very well accomplished. I especially found his cinematography style of the film to be influential. Wexler's amazing style of the film could influence other filmmakers. The reason why it could influence filmmakers because the cinema verite style that used was very revolutionized for its time and young filmmakers has never laid eyes on this type of film style before. Wexler's film style mostly influenced documentary film makers.The plot of the film was excellent and enhanced by the realism of the footage containing political protests of the late 1960s. I loved how the plot well captured and symbolized America in the 1960s and its political protests. One particularly interesting moment to me in the film is showed people setting up for the convention. Then, the black screen appears with the sentence: "America is wonderful". After that, John and Eileen are dancing in a psychedelic rock concert. This matters to me because this moment of the movie could bring back memories for people, who experienced late 1960s political conventions and psychedelic rock music concerts.Here's my advice: The movie is a definite must see for all generations. I give the film an strong 4 out of 4 stars.

...but if you have to see one, "Medium Cool" would be it. This got a lot of attention in its day for some of the cinema verite style filming, and letting Verna Bloom wander around through the riot of the Democratic National Convention...it can be tiresome and confusing at times, but also rather thrilling and moving. By the end I was glad I had watched it. It also serves to remind one of how different the American movies of the late 60's and early to mid 70's were from those being made today. Today's made-for-the-megaplex movies just seem so "safe" in comparison. And good for Robert Forster, he was never one to play it safe..."Medium Cool" is yet another movie in which he's willing to strip down and show off every bit of his fine body, front and back, for the enjoyment of the audience. You won't catch too many American male stars who'd be willing to dare that today.

A brilliant film and a seminal one - a product by a major Hollywood studio handled in cinema-verite' style; besides, the various issues it raises - social, political and media-related - have scarcely been treated with such directness and power. The lack of star names in the cast (Peter Boyle, who appears briefly, was not yet established and, even if he had debuted in John Huston's REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE [1967], lead Robert Forster's role was originally intended for John Cassavetes) certainly helps sell its inherent documentary feel.Though, understandably, most meaningful to people who witnessed these turbulent times first-hand, and Americans in particular, despite its specific time-setting - Chicago 1968 (partly shot at the actual Democrats convention site, the film proved prophetic because the script involved riots breaking out...which is what actually happened!) - many of its concerns are still very much with us!! Fascinating therefore if slightly overlong - the subplot involving Verna Bloom and Harold Blankenship feels a bit like padding at first (and was actually what remained of a proposed film, with animal interest, about a poor country boy's adjustment to city life!)...but, ultimately, its point is made during the film's latter stages when Bloom goes to look for her missing son - creating an indelible image of a perplexed figure (incongruously dressed in a bright yellow outfit) getting embroiled in all the commotion hitting the streets at that same moment. This, however, results in a goof involving the unexplained presence very early on of Bloom (already wearing the yellow dress but whose introduction proper in the film takes place quite a bit later!) at a cocktail party for members of the press - a sequence intended to immediately precede the riots but which was then pushed forward during editing, so as to deal straight off with the film's major theme of media responsibility! The tragic yet ironic ending - presented as matter-of-factly as any of the news items covered by dispassionate TV cameraman Forster - is very effective.This is certainly renowned cinematographer Wexler's most significant directorial effort; his camera-work (some of it hand-held) is simply incredible, as is Paul Golding's editing (which must have been quite a headache and, in fact, he mentions in the Audio Commentary that several scenes remained on the cutting-room floor; pity they weren't available for inclusion on the Paramount DVD - nor, apparently, were the rights to the 2001 documentary about the film, LOOK OUT HASKELL, IT'S REAL: THE MAKING OF 'MEDIUM COOL'!). Also essential to the unique texture of the film is the fantastic soundtrack (mostly by Mike Bloomfield but also featuring songs by Frank Zappa, among others).