Death Hunt.

Review #2423: Death Hunt.

Cast: 

Charles Bronson (Albert Johnson), Lee Marvin (Sergeant Edgar Millen), Andrew Stevens (Constable Alvin Adams), Carl Weathers (George Washington Lincoln "Sundog" Brown), Ed Lauter (Hazel), Scott Hylands (Captain Hank Tucker), Angie Dickinson (Vanessa McBride), Henry Beckman (Bill Luce), William Sanderson (Ned Warren), Jon Cedar (Constable Hawkins), and James O'Connell (Hurley) Directed by Peter R. Hunt (#279 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

Review: 

In 1931, there was quite a ruckus with a man of unknown origin that had arrived in the northern parts of Canda. He wasn't a licensed trapper, but people thought he was a fishy type. A visit from constables eventually resulted in one being shot and a posse being formed that came with dynamite for his cabin. In January of 1932, the posse surrounded him, and Johnson killed a constable (actually named Edgar Millen). The posse grew and grew as Johnson, not being able to just leave for the Yukon without being blocked, simply climbed a 7,000 ft peak. The Mounties responded by hiring Wilfrid "Wop" May to scout the area with a monoplane that tracked him pretty well and on February 17, 1932 at the Eagle River, the constables confronted and shot Johnson dead. It may interest you to know that several photos of Johnson's corpse were taken because of the curiosity in trying to figure out who Johnson really was, but nobody truly knows when he was even born. There had been movies based on the tale of Johnson, such as The Map Trapper (1972, TV) and Challenge to Be Free (1975), but here we have a movie made with the efforts of Hong Kong-based company Golden Harvest that was sold to 20th Century Fox (it was once to be called "Arctic Rampage"). This was the fifth feature film by Hunt as director (as Robert Aldrich was ditched by the filmmakers) who you might remember as the guy who directed On Her Majesty's Secret Service, probably the best Bond movie of, well, the period of 1969-1987*; he previously directed Marvin in Shout at the Devil (1976). This was written by Michael Grais and Mark Victor, who had one hell of a rebound with their next writing assignment: they co-wrote 1982's Poltergeist. Even was the film was being released, the producers and Marvin were already going with the "it's not a documentary" thing. Even with a budget reported to being around $10 million, the movie was not a major success at the time of release.

Eh, it's a decent little adventure when your expectations of its 97-minute runtime is a good ol' time with familiar people and a relatively casual approach to respect for one's counterpart. Sure, it isn't anybody's idea of a history lesson (there are other stories that have been treated worse). Sure, it is incredibly familiar if you think about any character that has their actions get misconstrued (so yes, it would make an interesting double feature with First Blood [1982]). And yet it is the kind of movie you either are all the way in for a nice time with familiar enjoyment in seeing Marvin and Bronson face off in a neat battle of steel-willed people in a changing time. The landscapes may be nice to view but things can change in the blink of an eye for even the most determined lone wolf, I suppose. There is beauty to be found in the wilderness but there also can be plenty of desolate isolation. In that regard, Bronson makes the obvious choice to play the lead focus for a movie that decides to find curiosity in a lone wolf that you can only gleam the surface of someone forced to action rather than just a straight killer. Marvin merely is a burnt-out guy thrust into an unenviable situation: wise-ass constables and wise-ass tag-alongs on, well, a "death hunt". All he knows in his landscape is that keeping headquarters happy is the goal more than combating every single crime possible and Marvin plays it with the usual wiry charm that I can appreciate. Weathers is his usual charming self even in a cursory supporting role while Stevens makes a fine match in seeing that young Mountie idealism meet the real world and Lauter makes a solid adversarial presence. Others come and go, whether that is Beckman and his odd nature or a not-exactly important Dickinson, but the movie balances its action with a worthwhile look at two people who would rather be anywhere else in the wilderness than being forced to take the other down. Rugged, violent and altogether a movie fit for a bored night looking for familiar faces, my kind of average movie. As a whole, it probably won't rank highly among the people that starred in it or its director, but it is an enjoyable feature for those who like familiar adventures that are committed to having a good Western time.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

*Seriously, go watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have watched it annually on December 18 for the past few years.

Redux: Predator.

Redux: #325: Predator.

Cast: 

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Dutch Schaefer), Carl Weathers (George Dillon), Elpidia Carrillo (Anna), Bill Duke (Mac Eliot), Jesse Ventura (Blain Cooper), Sonny Landham (Billy Sole), Richard Chaves (Poncho Ramirez), Shane Black (Rick Hawkins), R. G. Armstrong (Homer Phillips), and Kevin Peter Hall (The Predator) Directed by John McTiernan (#014 - Die Hard, #018 - Die Hard with a Vengeance, #080 - The Hunt for Red October)

Review: 

"Terrifying in a lot of ways, and a learning experience in a lot of other ways." - John McTiernan

The key to understanding Predator, released on June 12, 1987, is that it is a triumph of arrangement and dedication from top to bottom that delivers a multi-genre success for its makers and star. Jim Thomas and John Thomas (raised in Bakersfield, California and each serving a variety of odd-jobs before trying to be writers) were inspired by old mythological tales told to them by their parents such as The Brothers Grimm when it came to the script, which would see what would happen when one hunts the hunter; the script was finished in 1983 and sold in early 1984; it should be noted however that one other inspiration, quoted in a magazine detailing the production in 1987, was a joke that had circulated around Hollywood involving Rocky IV (1985) where the title character would probably have to fight an alien for the next bout. At any rate, producer 20th Century Fox handed Joel Silver (fresh off hits like 48 Hrs (1982) and Commando (1985)) the script in 1985, which he liked, and he served as a co-producer with John Davis and Lawrence Gordon (un-credited script work was apparently done later by David Peoples and also Shane Black). You have to consider that this was the big hit for its main director in John McTiernan. From a career that went from 1986 to its untimely "end" in 2003, he directed eleven feature films. Born in Albany, New York, he studied at both Juilliard School and the American Film Institute, graduating from the latter in 1975. He did a variety of commercials to start his career before his first film with Nomads (1986). That movie was not a success with critics or audiences, but it did attract one fan: Arnold Schwarzenegger, who liked the tense atmosphere created on a low budget. Commitments from its star meant that shooting was not started until 1986, and it proved to be a grueling shoot that saw dedicated work had to be done with effects, which needed work from R/Greenberg Associates to pull off the effect of a creature in thermal vision and a chameleon-like invisibility, which meant someone had to run around in a red suit and a second take with a 30% wider lens to make one optical shot). Plans to use a creature designed by Richard Edlund of Boss Film Studios resulted in an ungainly result that needed a new designer: Stan Winston, who took a suggestion made while sketching (James Cameron) that resulted in a creature with mandibles. While it was not exactly a critical darling on release, its reputation has improved in later years, and it was an audience hit in 1987. The success of the film would lead to a sequel in 1990, which had the Thomas brothers return to write the film. Each sequel has seen a different cast and locale: the second film was set in Los Angeles during a heat wave and drug cartel war, Predators (2010) was set on an alien planet with trained killers being hunted, and The Predator (2018) matched soldiers against Predators on Earth while Prey, set to be released in 2022, will apparently match the creatures against Commanche warriors in 1719. 

We have a movie that starts out as an action feature with plenty of macho trimmings that warm one up to the surroundings before it eventually segues into a sci-fi horror feature that keeps the interest high. Apparently, the original script involved just one man up against a predator before changes were made, and it is a wise one, since the picking off the crew makes for a capable thriller that McTiernan can arrange with suitable staging that makes the 107 minutes pass by with quick engagement. Yes, it has some of the little quips that come from select Schwarzenegger features, but it also sees him look at the very least vulnerable enough to where one might really think the character could not make it. In other words: he had improved himself quite a bit from his bodybuilder image and stuff like Conan the Barbarian (1982). For a movie inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the result works well in turning what was a would-be rescue operation into a fight of survival. You have a cadre of actors here (a mix of veterans and younger actors) that make an impression on you with little charming moments, such as Ventura (a Navy man and WWF star at the time) practically chewing lines of bravado or with a joking but efficient Black. Chaves lingers his ground with the rest of the bunch. Landham makes a calm and collected presence of fire to accompany the bunch, while Duke and Weathers seal the tandem up with their own brand of distinct charm and habits. Carrillo is the distinct middle ground between all the hunters, which is spent mostly in calm terror that works to the moments required for a movie where the jungle comes alive. The creature would be played by Kevin Peter Hall (a height of 7 feet and 2 two inches), replacing Jean-Claude Van Damme (5'9) to wanting a more imposing actor for the cumbersome suit, which does look quite menacing enough to work on the level that it needs to be seen. Given that Hall couldn't really see out of the suit, he makes the best of it by making the climax work as well as it does because one finds this to be a suitable presence to counteract Schwarzenegger with all the buildup the movie has done: two warriors, having found out aspects about the other in how to hide and how to entrap, now find themselves combatting in the dark, as opposed to just having a firefight with shots being fired to no particular location. With a distinct musical score by Alan Silvestri (fresh off scores for films such as Back to the Future) and interesting special effects that show well in the jungle landscape shot in Mexico, it all adds up to a quality adventure that uses its strong cast and surroundings for an efficient movie of its time. As a whole, Predator works because of its arrangements from start to finish: director, actors, design, nnd more to make for a quality action adventure.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rocky IV.

Review #597: Rocky IV.

Cast
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago), Talia Shire (Adrian Balboa), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Brigitte Nielsen (Ludmilla Drago), Tony Burton (Tony "Duke" Evers), and Michael Pataki (Nicoli Koloff) Directed by Sylvester Stallone (#047 - The Expendables, #277 - Rocky II and #340 - Rocky III)

Review
When did the Rocky franchise went over the top? Rocky IV? I say that because Rocky III was the first movie where Rocky didn't fight Apollo Creed, instead he fought Mr. T. Oh, and Mickey dies because you know, reasons. But that argument goes out the window when the robot is introduced. Yes, a robot, which I guess would be fine except 29 years later, we're still waiting for robots. The foundation of silliness is cemented by James Brown and then planted fully into the ground with Ivan Drago, if that even makes sense. Going into this, I knew it would be silly, that it would probably the weirdest of the franchise. That, and it would have montages. Many, many montages. This is what parodies are made of, especially this movie. But is the movie any good? Probably. Look, it's a silly film with a lot of cheese and a lot of effort, and the performances are what they are, the good and bad. At this point, you know these characters and what they'll do and not do. You know Rocky will fight Drago despite people telling him not to, because reasons. The movie is like processed cheese: It's American, it can be used for almost anything, and it's easier to poke holes at it than Swiss cheese. Take this film for what it's worth: the silly, the silly and the bad.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Happy Gilmore.

Review #345: Happy Gilmore.

Cast
Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore), Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin), Julie Bowen (Virginia Venit), Frances Bay (Grandma Gilmore), Carl Weathers (Chubbs Peterson), Allen Covert (Otto), Kevin Nealon (Gary Potter), Richard Kiel (Mr. Larson), and Bob Barker. Directed by Dennis Dugan.

Review
It's unamazing how I've managed to not review a film starring Adam Sandler for over 300 reviews. The predicatble thing I would say would be "And after watching this, I probably won't review him for the next 300 reviews." Granted,  that might be true, but that word predictable does ring in for this film. Like some (or most) sports films, they have a formula, the loser who manages to break his way into a sport, who goes throught trouble and some major event happens to him, which motivates the person as they win a major event in the end. But hey, it could be worse, I could be watching The Waterboy. Sandler does okay, I suppose, not really funny, but...not really funny. The only things I can say are enjoyable for me is the fight with Bob Barker and...Richard Kiel (Gee, isn't that familiar...), oddly enough. If you want a golf movie...you'd be best off with Caddyshack. But I digress. The strange thing is that it gets a better rating than Twilight. Ouch.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rocky III.

Review #340: Rocky III.

Cast
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Mr. T (Clubber Lang), Talia Shire (Adrian), Burt Young (Paulie), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill), Tony Burton (Duke Evers), Ian Fried (Rocky Balboa, Jr), and Hulk Hogan (Thunderlips) Directed by Sylvester Stallone (#047 - The Expendables and #277 - Rocky II)

Review
The previous two Rocky films were like a two-parter, with the first being about Rocky's rise to the top and the second culminating with just that, but with heart and soul. The third is not as deep as the last two, but I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. Third films do have some good as well, like Return of the Jedi, Die Hard 3, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, even Revenge of the Sith. Pardon for being off topic, but oh well. How is the film? It's...80's. 80's good. Stallone tries his best, and Shire and Young do a fine job as usual. Then there's Mr. T. I love the performance. It's so...fun in how simple it is, and it works well. I pity the fool. Weathers and Meredith also do a good job. It is weird at times (especially with Rocky fighting Thunderlips...) , and it may be the turning point of the franchise, but it does provide some good quality with effort. Countdown to 350 Reviews: 10...

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rocky II.

Review #277: Rocky II.

Cast
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian), Burt Young (Paulie), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Burgess Meredith (Mickey), Tony Burton (Tony Evers), and Sylvia Meals (Mary Anne Creed) Directed by Sylvester Stallone (#047 - The Expendables)

Review
It's a new month, a month washed away from the horrors of October and into something anew. And I what do I review for the first of the month? A sequel to a film I've reviewed here. How long has it been since my review of Rocky? Really, really long, back in December. December 2010, to be exact. (#003 - Rocky) 274 reviews later, here I am. So how is the sequel? It is without a doubt...A good film. I think it rivals the first film in terms of quality, as it springs more character development, more emotional issues, and more...Stallone, who wrote along with directed (doing the latter until the fifth film). The acting is good, Weathers gets more of a chance to just be angry, but you do feel for him and why he is angry. The boxing here is a bit more tense here, and in the end it has a good conclusion for a film that still lives on to this day as a strong sequel to an already strong first film.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Rocky.

Review #003: Rocky.

Cast
Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian Pennino), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill), Thayer David (Miles Jergens), Joe Spinell (Tony Gazzo), Tony Burton (Tony "Duke" Evers) and Pedro Lovell (Spider Rico) Directed by John G. Avildsen.

Review
Well this is a pretty alright film. It is a little slow for the first 30 minutes as the plot and the romance takes a while, but after that, it gets much better with Rocky being a comeback in training, and Shire acts like a shy but lovely girl (who would change in the sequels). Young does a fine job as a tough guy with issues (particularly with Rocky III). Carl Weathers plays a boxer who apparently takes the fight with ease, but he gets what he didn't ask for. Anyway, this film has a nice feel of heart that makes it great.

Overall, I give it 9 out 10 stars.