Reader's Choice: Gran Torino (2008)

Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Clint Eastwood ("Walt Kowalski"), Bee Vang ("Thao"), Ahney Her ("Sue"), and Christopher Carley ("Father Janovich"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Warner Home Video)
Running time: 01:56:22
Country: USA, Germany

Picked by Roger Ward

What a strange movie. What a strange movie for Clint Eastwood to pick as his swan song as far as his acting career is concerned, and what a strange movie in general. Eastwood essentially plays a caricature of the stereotypical stubborn and grumpy old man who still carries a grudge with him against people of other ethnicities because of his experiences in "the war" (in his case, the Korean War) and because of the era in which he was raised. His wife has passed away, and among the very few things left in the world that he cares about are his dog and his vintage Gran Torino. He has the voice of a man who eats razors for breakfast and washes them down with kerosine, and, since the passing of his wife, he's pretty much distanced himself from the rest of his family, primarily because his sons want to put him in a retirement home. To pass the time, he drinks PBR on his porch (Frank Booth would approve) and mumbles obscenities to himself directed at the Asian community that takes up most of his neighborhood. That pretty much sums up Eastwood's character, Walt Kowalski (pro-wrestling fans should understand the significance of that name).


GRAN TORINO opens at the funeral of Walt's wife, and from there we're introduced to his family as well, including his disrespectful grand-children and his two sons and their wives. It's apparent that Walt is extremely annoyed with his children and grand-kids, and the same can also be said for everyone else he comes in contact with, including a somewhat pushy and overbearing priest who insists on watching over Walt now that his wife is dead; despite this being a request of his late wife before she died, Walt sees it as an insult because he's old and thinks the priest, Father Janovich, feels he needs to babysit him. Not long after that, we're introduced to Walt's neighbors - an Asian family who will play a very important part in the rest of the film.


What's great about Walt is that he's unapologetically racist. He calls his neighbors "Gooks" and "zipperheads" to their faces, and he doesn't feel the least bit bad about it. At the same time, if you look at it from the perspective of his neighbors, it could be hard to take Walt seriously considering how old he is. It's one of those things where old people can get away with certain things that younger people can't, and this entirely has to do with them being old and quite possibly senile. Long story short, Walt intervenes on two different occasions when a pair of Asian siblings who live next door to him find themselves in trouble, be it with a local gang or a group of troublemakers hanging out on a street corner. He eventually befriends the both of them and takes them under his aching wing, but things take a turn when the aforementioned street gang continue harassing the siblings and take it a little too far.


Getting back to what I said earlier about the movie being strange, one of the reasons I say that is because of how ridiculous Clint Eastwood's character is. The thing is, though, it actually kinda works. Despite Walt Kowalski being a caricature and a stereotype to the utmost, Eastwood gives the character a lot of depth, and probably more so than the character has any right to have. While it could be argued that Eastwood's character is badly-written (he actually says "Get off my lawn" more than once and, at times, the line is blurred between intentional and unintentional comedy), but you can still sympathize with him despite his rotten attitude. There are also little touches to the character development of Walt that humanize him and make him more than just the quintessential crotchety old man of cinema.

GRAN TORINO is also strange in the context of it being Eastwood's last film as an actor, but that's also what I admire about it. You see, Eastwood surely has more than enough clout to assemble big-name casts and pretty much have carte blanche as a director at this stage in his career. But instead of doing a crime film or a Western and reliving his glory days (a masturbatory vanity project if you will), he decided to play a grumpy old geezer and surround himself with a bunch of actors who are basically unknowns in comparison to the A-lister that Eastwood is. Not only that, but he's playing a senior citizen who's finally coming to terms with his age and accepting the fact that death may be nearer than he'd like to admit. Judging by some of his behavior in the film, it's also possible that he suffers from dementia, but I doubt it was intended to be the case. Anyway, it's a very interesting and somewhat "meta" role for Eastwood.


There's a lot to talk about when it comes to this film, especially as it pertains to the character of Walt in general and his relationship with the Asian kids, but I'd probably be telling everyone what they already know since GRAN TORINO has been seen by many people by this point. I do have some issues with the film, though, and don't think it's a masterpiece by any means. While it's far from the quintessential Clint movie, I still think it's a very good film at the end of the day despite some of the issues I have with it. Particularly impressive is the pacing, as there's never that period of down-time where the movie seemingly comes to a screeching halt that you see in so many films; there's always something going on, and the story progresses rather nicely. If I were to pick a highlight, it would definitely be the character of Walt, because of how he's portrayed by Eastwood and because of his amusing and ultimately sad character arc. Also, I'm pretty sure no one in the world says "Fuck" better than Eastwood in this movie.

Score: 7.5

Roger Ward's thoughts:
‘Gran Torino’, (2008) starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, is a great effort by Clint, who has managed to keep his star on the horizon for all of the years that he has. Clint, like an old wine, is something to be cherished, as starting out, as he did, in bit parts and eventually taking on the role of Rowdy Yates, a cowboy in the television series Rawhide during the 60’s. He was pretty much disregarded as a future talent, and probably would have remained undiscovered as it were, had it not been for his stints with Sergio Leone in the Spaghetti Westerns that he did during the hiatus from Rawhide. Indeed I remember seeing him in a group, at one of the studios, listening in great admiration as Marlon Brando paid a visit to one of the studios to grace the ‘lesser beings’ with his presence. Little did any of us know, except perhaps Clint himself, that he would far surpass Brando in work ethic, talent and longevity. Although I did get knowledge, first hand, of Clint’s determination and will to succeed when in 1978, (40 years prior to his filming of Gran Torino) I paid a visit to Hollywood with a fairly hot property that every star on the block was prepared to discuss… except Eastwood, who refused point blank to even read it and would not enter into discussions.
Continue the great work Clint, every actor starting out should take note of your early struggle and realize that perseverance (and of course talent) is the name of the game.
By the way Clint, disregarding your teenage angst and rebellion in '78, this old Pro with a work ethic and productively similar to your own, would love to be in one of your future films. I’ve got a couple of nice ones already written should you choose to finally read!!!

Reader's Choice: Fight for Your Life (1977)

Directed by Robert A. Endelson. Starring William Sanderson ("Kane"), Robert Judd ("Ted Turner"), Reggie Rock Bythewood ("Floyd Turner"), and Lela Small ("Grandma Turner"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Blue Underground)
Running time: 01:25:39
Country: USA

Picked by Laurence Harvey

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is a notorious exploitation film that was banned by the BBFC and included on the infamous Video Nasties list back in the day. To this day, it remains one of the few films from the list to be currently banned in the UK and not given a reclassification. Of course anyone familiar with the Video Nasties knows that all of the films on the list aren't exactly the definitive shock movies of the exploitation era; it was more of a "wrong place, wrong time" kinda thing, as the logic behind some of the BBFC's choices for the 'Nasties list were (and still are) somewhat mind-boggling for a number of reasons. Some of the films on the list, however, do push the limits of decency when it comes to their content, and FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is certainly one of the edgier films that the BBFC singled out when they went censorship-crazy.

William Sanderson as Jessie Lee Kane leads a small group of escaped ethnically-diverse convicts as they invade the home of a God-fearing black family. As they hide from the cops and wait for nightfall so they can hit the road, they pass the time by humiliating and abusing the family, and pillaging whatever they can. Kane in particular is absolutely rotten, throwing out every single racial slur in the book and obviously having no governor in terms of how far he's willing to go, as evidenced well before the home invasion when he and his partners rob a liquor store and Kane points a gun at a baby's head.


It's obvious that the character of Kane is a racist. There's no disputing that. But it should be said that the criminals in the film don't specifically target a black family; it just sort of plays out that way. When they rob the liquor store, the oldest child of the black family is there buying some booze for grandma, and so Kane and his partners merely seize an opportunity to take her as a hostage. It's when we finally get in the home (which isn't very long into the film) that we as viewers come to the realization that Kane hates the shit out of some black people. It seems that the three criminals are equally cruel, but it's Kane who runs the show and takes more of an initiative to humiliate and essentially dehumanize the family. Some of what Kane does to the family honestly borders on comedic because of how over the top it is, but at the same time you can't help but cringe as some of the action (and dialogue) unfolds.


You're basically pulling for the family to turn the tables on their captors throughout the film, but something always prevents them from doing so just when it seems they have the opportunity to stand up for themselves or send out the proverbial smoke signal. The cops come into play as a search for the escaped criminals ensues, but it's not a very important part of the overall story. In fact, I was a bit surprised to see how nonchalant the entire investigation was treated. You'd think there would be a large-scale manhunt (especially when you consider the fact that a cop or two were killed earlier in the film) and that there would be roadblocks and check-points set up, but it's not the case. Instead, a detective is given the task of looking for them, making it appear to be just another day at the office, which I found to be really weird.

For not having much of a budget (in the high five-figure range according to the producer), the filmmakers seem to have made the best with what little they had. It's not a flashy film by any means, and in fact it's visually bland for the most part, but the cast as a whole does such a great job that it's easy to overlook some of the film's technical shortcomings. The score (composed by one of the writers of the film) is also quite good and one of the highlights for me, personally. The editing, though, is a bit odd and reminiscent of films like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and THE CANDY SNATCHERS, in that there are quick, jarring transitions, as well as a ridiculous amount of sped-up footage to create, presumably, a frantic atmosphere.


FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is one of those movies that makes you realize just how much the exploitation era is something that can't be duplicated in this day and age. Certain filmmakers nowadays, when contributing to the neo-exploitation genre, seem to be concerned more with the aesthetic of exploitation films rather than the content, but, to their defense, the content and style of movies like FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT were very much a product of their time. With as much racist dialogue that's featured in it, a movie like FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE simply wouldn't be produced today; if it did, it certainly wouldn't go without its share of criticism in this politically-correct climate. If anything, aside from being an essential exploitation film, I'd recommend that people check this out based on the strength of Sanderson's performance.

Score: 6.5

Reader's Choice: King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) (1972)

Directed by Jeong Chang-hwa. Starring Lo Lieh ("Chao Chih-Hao"), Wang Ping ("Sung Ying Ying"), Chao Hsiung ("Okada"), and Wang Chin-Feng ("Yen Chu Hung"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Dragon Dynasty)
Running time: 01:41:36
Country: Hong Kong

Picked by venoms5

I need to preface this review (mainly so I don't get crucified by any passionate fans of Hong Kong cinema out there) by saying that I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the films of Shaw Brothers and the films of Hong Kong in general, nor do I claim to be. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm at about a 2 as far as my knowledge of Martial Arts films is concerned. I do enjoy the shit out of them though. In fact, I have yet to see a Shaw Brothers film that has let me down, and in most cases I'm blown away by how fun and exciting these films are. My track record with Martial Arts films has been better than with most genres, but yet I never go out of my way to see them. Couldn't tell you why. With that out of the way, let's talk about KING BOXER, shall we?

Lo Lieh, who I'd venture to say was one of the more well-known actors out of Hong Kong in the 70's, plays the lead character in this film, Chih-Hao. KING BOXER builds up to a Martial Arts tournament that will establish the best school in the particular region that the film takes place in. Chih-Hao makes it his goal to enter the tournament and win at the request of his teacher. The reason why his teacher pushes the tournament on him is quite simple: one of the rival schools appears to be a lock to win the tournament based on the amount of great fighters they have, but they're basically a group of rotten bastards who spit in the face of honor and respect. Along the way, however, Chih-Hao and those close to him find themselves in the crosshairs of the dastardly Meng Tung-Shan and his followers, who will bulldoze over anyone in their way on the path to the big tournament.


KING BOXER isn't the most entertaining Shaw Brothers Martial Arts movie that I've seen, but it's certainly one of the most well-written. What impressed me most about the film is how everything in the plot actually goes somewhere; by the end of the film, every single loose end you can think of is tied up rather nicely. Every single character - if at least for a single scene - plays a crucial part in the film and acts as an important piece in the overall puzzle. Speaking of which, the characters are great as well. You have your typical "black hats" and "white hats", but I appreciate how colorful the characters are, mainly in the case of the antagonists. Each of the villains have a distinguishable look and a certain trademark that drastically separates them from the rest of the bunch. I'm not very good with names and remembering who's who when it comes to these movies, so while taking notes I referred to the antagonists as Baldy, The Random, The Son, and The Japanese Guys. My favorite characters are the aforementioned "Japanese Guys", which consist of a vat named Okada and his two henchmen, who are brought in by the lead villain as an insurance policy. Their sole purpose is to terrorize Chih-Hao and those close to him, and boy do they. Okada and his cronies are no joke.


Throughout the film, it's pretty clear that everything is building up to something huge. Certain things are teased, and the film brilliantly whets your appetite for the inevitable, whatever that may be. The thing is, the tournament itself only plays a part in where the film ultimately goes rather than the tournament being what the entire movie revolves around. Other than that, KING BOXER features a lot of the conventions of Martial Arts films. You have the hero who undergoes intensive training, the bad guys establishing themselves as such and "getting heat" by doing despicable things, a helpless character close to the hero getting crushed by the villains, a down period where a certain character recovers and is overwhelmed with doubt, the damaged character realizing his potential, comeuppance, so on and so forth. Pretty formulaic storytelling, but effective nonetheless because of the emotion and basic psychology involved. You care about Lo Lieh's character, and part of it has to do with how he's contrasted by the villains. Again, it's simple psychology and not rocket science.

One of the plot points of KING BOXER is the "Iron Fist" technique. It's one of the things that Lo Lieh's character strives for throughout the film. Admittedly, I didn't find the revelation of the Iron Fist to be all that impressive based on the build-up, but it doesn't change the fact that it becomes a "thing" when he finally does it. The reactions on peoples' faces when Lo Lieh finally whips out the Iron Fist are classic. It's kinda like when Ben Stiller does the Magnum at the end of ZOOLANDER. Yes, I just name-dropped ZOOLANDER in a review for a renowned Shaw Brothers film.


I could go into detail about each of the characters and would take great pleasure in breaking the entire movie down by set-piece, but I'll leave that up to the experts. KING BOXER is immensely satisfying in many ways. Aside from what I talked about, the action and fight sequences are great, the amount of violence is appropriate, and there's some stellar camera work throughout the film as far as how the action is captured and how fluidly the camera moves during certain scenes. Another great recommendation from Brian at Cool Ass Cinema. Speaking of which, you can read this article to get his take on KING BOXER.

Score: 8

Reader's Choice: American Kickboxer 1 (1991)

Directed by Frans Nel. Starring John Barrett ("BJ Quinn"), Keith Vitali ("Chad Hunter"), Terry Norton ("Carol"), and Brad Morris ("Jacques Denard"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Warner Home Video)
Running time: 01:32:06
Country: USA

Picked by Matt-suzaka

Lead actor John Barrett is a legit martial artist who possesses belts of varying colors in a number of styles. He's also worked and trained extensively with Chuck Norris for a number of years, and AMERICAN KICKBOXER 1 (yes, there's actually a "1" in the title) blurs the line between a vanity project and a passion project for Barrett. I can only assume that this was a personal project for him based on the fact that he has a "Story by" credit and that he's the lead actor, but who knows. Whatever the case, he plays a world champion kickboxer named BJ Quinn, who's stripped of his title and suspended for five years after accidentally killing a man at a party. After a twelve-month prison sentence, he tries to ease his way back into the sport while his much younger arch nemesis Jacques Denard reigns as champion and fights in front of audiences of people who don't look like they're out of place at all.


So yeah, I'm all for cheesy 80's movies (this is a 90's movie, but it's an 80's movie in spirit) and, even though I don't cover them much, I do love a good sports movie, but AMERICAN KICKBOXER 1 is a mess. The thing about Barrett's character is that no matter how much he's made out to be the underdog who has to fight his way back to the top, he's too much of a self-centered asshole for me, personally, to give a shit, and I honestly can't see how anyone would root for this guy. But, for what it's worth, I'll go ahead and talk about his character in as much of an unbiased manner as I possibly can. It's established not long after he's introduced that Barrett has possibly overstayed his welcome in the sport; he's older than a lot of his opponents, and there's somewhat of a youth movement on the rise. He reeks of some crusty old veteran who refuses to bow out gracefully, but at the same time he has the skills to maintain his status as a champion.

The Security Guard's facial expression might be my favorite thing about this movie.

Once Quinn is released from prison, it's clear that the sport of competitive kickboxing has passed him by, and even if he was ready to jump back into it, a lingering five-year suspension prevents him from doing so. You'd think the experience would have humbled him, but it's not the case. It's almost as if he feels everything should be handed to him and that his former promoter should be obligated to get the suspension lifted, so he takes it as an insult when he's given a job as a lowly judge at an upcoming competition. The temperamental Quinn responds by treating his girlfriend like shit. She kicks him to the curb and he goes into seclusion. He's later pulled out of the gutter by an apprentice of his (who he also treats like shit), and the next thing you know he's fighting Jacques Denard for the world championship. I don't recall his suspension being lifted or if the five years had in fact passed since I struggled to pay attention by that point, but whatever.

The acting here is actually serviceable, which is still a lot better than what I was expecting. The film's biggest problem, in my opinion, is the pacing. It's only a ninety-minute film, but it honest-to-God feels like it's over two hours long, probably due to the insane amount of training montages in the film. At one point there's even a montage of just a bunch of random clips that don't even show Quinn training. Aside from the montages, expect lots of press conferences too. Seriously. There are a few moments of hilarity sprinkled throughout, though, like a mulleted kickboxer who pops n' locks while fighting (a white guy, mind you), as well as the camera cutting to one of Denard's corner-men (a huge black guy) during the main event screaming like a girl and waving his hands around. But, amidst the awfulness that is AMERICAN KICKBOXER 1 is a shining light that almost redeems the film.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jacques Denard.

It seems that every sport has a showman who blurs the line between insanity and a strong desire to entertain the masses. When it comes to fictional kickboxers, Denard is that guy. To merely describe actor Brad Morris's performance as Denard is impossible; it's something you just need to see for yourself. Morris is from South Africa, but his accent in the film suggests he's either French-Canadian or Russian. Also, I don't know who picked the guy's wardrobe (I'd like to think that Morris did), but every succeeding outfit he wore was a revelation in pure awesomeness. Denard is like a trash-talking male stripper with ADD; not the most creative analogy, but accurate. My favorite Denard line is directed at an obnoxious journalist who unfortunately appears quite often in the film: "Your mother is the dog." Not "A" dog, but "THE" dog. Finally, for an actor who didn't really star in a lot of movies, Morris sure has quite the impressive bio on IMDB. Geez.

As great ol' Jacques was, he wasn't enough to save this movie. As I said, the pacing is really bad, to the point where it's almost unbearable to sit through. On top of that, you have the most generic 80's sports-movie music playing over the montages, which take up about half of the film on their own. I wanted to like AMERICAN KICKBOXER 1, but I just couldn't. In fact, it lost me before the first act was even finished. I think this would be a great movie to watch with a group of friends, preferably while drinking, but I don't really drink that much and I don't have friends either, so yeah.

Score: 4.5

Reader's Choice: Philadelphia (1993)

Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Tom Hanks ("Andrew Beckett"), Denzel Washington ("Joe Miller"), Jason Robards ("Charles Wheeler"), and Mary Steenburgen ("Belinda Conine"). Rated PG-13.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Columbia Tri-Star)
Running time: 02:08:03
Country: USA

Picked by Roger Ward

In the midst of a huge promotion with a big-time law firm, a young lawyer named Andrew Beckett is suddenly stricken with AIDS. Following his abrupt diagnosis, he's fired from the law firm for supposedly losing an important file. Believing he was wrongly fired and that the file debacle was a cover up for the fact that the firm didn't feel comfortable having an AIDS-ridden homosexual working for them, he seeks the help of an ambulance chaser named Joe Miller based on their past history as opposing lawyers on another case. Beckett wants to sue the law firm, but Miller initially wants nothing to do with it because of the fact that he's a homophobe. Miller eventually changes his mind and represents Beckett in a lawsuit against the firm, and a David versus Goliath courtroom drama ensues.


Of course there's a bit of irony with the relationship between the characters of Beckett and Miller, which is one of the things that makes PHILADELPHIA so interesting. Beckett is an open homosexual (although, for professional reasons, he never mentioned it to the law firm when he was employed by them) and Miller is a very opinionated and outspoken homophobe. Even throughout his dealings in the case and generally maintaining a professional attitude, it doesn't change the fact that Miller hates "faggots" with every fiber of his being. Even more so than the members of the law firm that suddenly dropped Beckett like a bad habit, Miller is the personification of prejudice and hatred as it pertains to how homosexuals were viewed at the time (and still are despite there being more of widespread acceptance of homosexuals - at least in the United States anyway). The fact that Miller is so full of hate is both ironic and somewhat appropriate considering he's an African-American who, I'm sure, has had his fair share of slurs thrown at him.

For the character of Joe Miller to even come across as mildly likable is a testament to the acting abilities of Denzel Washington. Even if you don't necessarily agree with his character's views on homosexuality, you can't help but be drawn to the guy. Of course you pull for him throughout the film because he's fighting for the victim, but also because Washington is such a powerhouse of an actor who demands your utmost attention. At the risk of sounding like a racist (not my intention, I assure you!), Denzel Washington is an animal. I don't really get the opportunity to talk about him on The Death Rattle since his films typically don't fit the criteria of what this site is about, but Denzel has been a favorite actor of mine for a while now, and it's because he adds so much to pretty much anything I've seen him in.


In an interesting use of psychology, Washington's character actually uses his stance as a homophobe to the advantage of the lawsuit. Because he dislikes homosexuals, he's able to put himself in the shoes of the homophobic law firm and get inside their heads. There's also a lot to think about as far as why Miller accepts the case in the first place. Judging by how much he puts himself out there in the film to potential clients (handing out business cards to everyone he meets and investing in a television ad), there's the strong possibility that he took the case simply for exposure. There's also the small chance that he actually believes in his client's case and is going up against the powerful law firm as a means of standing up for the "little guy". The great thing about that is you never really know for sure.

I know I've praised Denzel thus far, but it's not to discredit Tom Hanks in what has easily been one of the most important roles of his career. Not at all. Hanks is absolutely phenomenal in this and he makes you care about his character so much that it's genuinely fucking heartbreaking to see his health inevitably decaying throughout the film. There's nothing I can say about Hanks in this film that hasn't already been said, and he has the accolades and awards as a proof of just how great he was in this. Also impressive is Antonio Banderas as Beckett's partner, and perhaps the most heartbreaking thing about the film isn't so much Beckett's slow decline in health, but rather how Banderas sticks by his side through it all and until the end. Personally, I found Banderas and Hanks to be utterly believable as a couple.


While I've been on the subject of the cast, it was a pleasant surprise after not seeing this film for so many years to see Charles Napier and Roger Corman in this. The late Charles Napier plays the judge (damn straight), and Roger Corman plays a witness. At one point they're both in the same shot, which is a cool thing to see for a fan of exploitation like myself. To hear Denzel Washington calling The Nape "Your Honor" makes me happy, and yes, Napier even rocks the aviators - or at least glasses that look like aviators anyway.


Unlike your typical courtroom drama, the case in this film doesn't end with a huge celebration or people screaming and jumping up and down in the court room. It just kind of ends. When it's all said and done, it's clear that PHILADELPHIA isn't about the trial itself, but rather a number of social issues that were a bit more prevalent in the 90's (and the 80's for that matter) than they are today: the AIDS epidemic, safe sex, equality, so on and so forth. To critique it and give my take on the more technical aspects of the film would be pointless since it's such a mainstream film that's been around for a while and reviewed by the top critics across the world, so I'll just say that, while it's not a masterpiece in my opinion, I can't find a whole lot wrong with it; PHILADELPHIA is an important film and wonderful for what it is.

Score: 8.5

Roger Ward's thoughts:
‘Philadelphia’, 1993, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, is a tour de force by both actors. Also kudos must go to the film itself for examining, at what was at that time, the touchy subject of AIDS. Tom Hanks has surprised me with his climb through the ranks from light comedy buffoons to become the dramatic icon that he is today. Tom's star shines brightly, not only as an award-winning actor but as a producer, along with his wife Rita Wilson, of profit-making and entertaining fare, and it is refreshing to see him, mid-career as it were, performing so realistically in the above mentioned film. Denzel too, is on his way to the super star that he has become, originally playing typical African-American roles, his first appearance was uncredited as an ‘Alley Mugger’ in 1974’s ‘Death Wish’, Denzel has climbed through that racial barrier, stopping now and again to play to type in ‘Mo’ Better Blues’ (1990) and ‘Mississippi Masala’ (1991) and ‘Malcom X’ in 1992. Although prior to that, in the television series ‘St. Elsewhere’, 82 to 88, Denzel received recognition and respect by playing the continuing role of Dr Philip Chandler. He has of course played a diverse range of characters since then and his latest offering ‘Safe House’ of which he co-produced, has the tall and handsome devil swaggering through this action packed masterpiece with the aplomb of the experienced and confident pro that he is.
It would be a pleasure and a thrill to be playing opposite either one of the above two icons.

Reader's Choice: Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

Directed by William Lustig. Starring Robert Davi ("Det. Sean McKinney"), Claudia Christian ("Susan Riley"), Michael Lerner ("Edward Doyle"), and Bruce Campbell ("Jack Forrest"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (First Look)
Running time: 01:27:46
Country: USA

Picked by John R.

It would only make sense to cover the first MANIAC COP to go along with this review, which I planned on doing, but I just couldn't find a whole lot to say about it. If any of you out there are unfamiliar with the MANIAC COP movies for whatever reason, they're a series of slasher movies about a New York cop who supposedly comes back from the dead and goes on a killing spree. The first one mostly focuses on establishing the titular "Maniac Cop" Matt Cordell as a mysterious killer who roams the streets of New York City at night while some less-maniacal cops try to track him down. It's essentially more of a police procedural than a traditional slasher, whereas the sequel is a bonafide slasher movie with a high body count.

MANIAC COP 2 picks up almost immediately where its predecessor ends, with Robert Z'Dar once again reprising his role as Matt Cordell. How Cordell recovered from the violent conclusion of MANIAC COP isn't important, but it should be noted that his face now looks like a jack-o-lantern. Following the events of the first film, the characters played by Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon (both cops) are forced to see a psychiatrist before they get put back on active duty. I won't say whether or not they go on to play as important a part in this film as they did in the first, but I will say that the film nicely transitions the old with the new by bringing in certain characters from the first and establishing a new set of characters, including a bad-ass cop named Detective McKinney, who's basically replacing the Tom Atkins "Ahab" character from the first movie. McKinney's establishing scene is great, as he's painted to be a renegade cop who won't hesitate to bust a cap in a muhfucka, even if that muhfucka doesn't necessarily deserve it.


The structure of MANIAC COP 2 is interesting in that there's another plot thread involving a different stripper-hating serial killer that eventually interweaves with the main plot thread of Matt Cordell's killing spree. In a strange move, Cordell teams up with the other serial killer when he suddenly breaks into a stripper's apartment (a Latina stripper with magnificent breasts by the way) and comes through with the assist when he helps the serial killer escape just as the cops arrive. Their relationship is odd for a number of reasons, but mostly because Cordell initially follows the serial killer around like a puppy dog, which is a strange sight since Cordell towers over the serial killer who basically looks like a dirty hobo.


Despite being pretty over the top, this film doesn't come close to director William Lustig's MANIAC in terms of unbridled sleaze and violence, but there's still a significant amount of grime with this film, especially in comparison to the first MANIAC COP. It's not a particularly mean-spirited film so much as it's just absurd; the character actors in the film who play the thugs and criminals all chew up the scenery like nobody's business, the appearances of the bad guys are accentuated by the fact that they have rotten teeth, and Lustig's apparent fondness for actors with pock-marked faces adds to the overall unpleasantness of the naturally sketchy New York City aesthetic. Black character actor Clarence Williams III in particular stands out with a scenery-chewing performance for the ages as a psychotic inmate.


MANIAC COP 2 is much more satisfying in terms of it being a slasher movie, but there's still quite a bit of information revealed regarding Cordell's back story. One of the things that I like about the exposition in this film is that Matt Cordell is almost made out to be an urban legend of sorts, which is something that the previous film didn't do since the character of Cordell was an unknown entity at the time and had yet to be established. In terms of violence, highlights include an ironic sequence where some cops are at a shooting range and Cordell shoots back at them from behind the targets, and a memorable set-piece where Cordell goes ape shit in a precinct and blows dozens of cops away while effortlessly walking through panes of glass. Another highlight of the film is a scene where some Hispanic crackhead robs a convenience store and makes the cashier scratch lottery tickets.


Personally, I prefer the first MANIAC COP because it does a better job of capturing the old-school New York City vibe that I'm crazy about when it comes to cinema, and also because I liked the cast in that one quite a bit more (Campbell, Atkins, Landon, William motherfucking Smith). There are people out there, though, who are big fans of the second MANIAC COP, and I can totally understand why. As I said, it's immensely more satisfying as a slasher movie, and it's too ridiculous of a film to not be enjoyed by fans of horror and exploitation cinema. Unfortunately, because of rights issues or whatever, the widescreen print of MANIAC COP 2 is unavailable, but I heard a rumor that Lustig recently acquired the rights to it and plans on releasing a cleaned-up version of the film one of these days, which would be great, as I believe this film deserves so much more than a bare bones release with a cropped full-screen print.

Score: 6.5

Reader's Choice: The Marine 2 (2009)

Directed by Roel Reiné. Starring Ted Dibiase ("Joe Linwood"), Tamuera Morrison ("Damo"), Lara Cox ("Robin Linwood"), and Robert Coleby ("Darren Conner"). Rated R.

Source: Region 1 DVD (20th Century Fox)
Running time: 01:35:07
Country: USA

Picked by "The Cinemasochist" Justin Oberholtzer

If you grew up in the 80's or are at least a knowledgeable enough pro-wrestling fan, you'll undoubtedly remember the villainous WWF character by the name of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase. Well, his real-life son (also named Ted) is currently wrestling for the WWE and is carrying on the Dibiase legacy. A few years back, Ted Dibiase 2.0 was scheduled for a big push as a "good guy", and this film was supposedly a vehicle to help catapult the young star to the top. If you're not familiar with wrestling terminology, a "push" basically means that someone will get more exposure on television, win more matches, and be written into prominent storylines with established wrestling stars. However, Dibiase's career as a wrestler never quite blew up despite him being a super-talented performer; if all else fails, he'll at least have this movie to look back on when he decides to hang up his wrestling boots, but whether this is a film to be proud of or not remains to be seen.


THE MARINE 2 is a by-name-only sequel to the original MARINE, which starred John Cena, and as of this writing there's a third film in the works. Ted Dibiase plays Joe Linwood - a sharpshooter and special forces cat for the Marines. A mission in a third-world country goes wrong when an innocent child is caught in the crossfire, and so Joe - bothered by the incident - takes leave for a couple of weeks to spend some time with his wife. The timing couldn't be better, as his wife Robin - a publicist for some Energy bigwig - has an upcoming business trip on an Indonesian island, where she'll be staying at a luxurious resort. Joe tags along and everything seems to be going beautifully until a group of masked men with machine guns invade the resort one night and hold hostages for ransom. Among the dozens of hostages are Robin and her wealthy boss. It's revealed that the masked men are militant locals who are basically sick of tourists and outsiders spoiling their natural paradise. So of course Joe gets involved and attempts to save his wife, teaming up with mercenaries and a local pyromaniac played by Michael Rooker in the process.


Yes, THE ROOKER is in this film and he's quite possibly the saving grace of THE MARINE 2. He's not necessarily the best thing about it, but his presence sure goes a long way - for me anyway - and it's cool to see him playing a genuine good guy instead of a scumbag. It's also quite surreal to see him and Ted Dibiase working together on screen, which seems like such a random pairing to say the least. Also starring in the film is Tamuera Morrison, who plays the leader of the terrorists. Anyone who's seen ONCE WERE WARRIORS can attest to the fact that Morrison can be an intense dude, and because of the strength of that one performance I'm totally fine with seeing him turn up in films. I have to say, though, Morrison is a strange casting choice here since he's supposed be playing an Indonesian but has a New Zealand accent. That's fine, though; I'm willing to overlook Morrison's accent because it's him and not some random character actor playing the lead antagonist.


One of the highlights of THE MARINE 2 for me was the resort invasion scene, which takes place really early on in the film. What I loved about this portion of the film has entirely to do with how much it appealed to me on a visual level. Tamuera Morrison's character and his fellow "separatists" all wore these tribal-looking masks; it's not something you see in a lot of terrorism/action films because masks like that are simply not the most logical or convenient choice when terrorists are going into a situation where visibility is key, but it creates such an interesting visual aspect. Plus I'm a sucker for masks in films anyway, be it in horror or heist movies. I wish the terrorists in this film (or at least some of the lesser characters) would have left the masks on until the end of the movie, but alas. Aside from that, I liked the overall look of the film and how it was shot, and there were also some pretty amazing stunts in this, including a scene where Dibiase legitimately kicks someone's head through a piece of wood. The action rarely lets up in this film, which was a nice surprise.


I haven't read any reviews for this film, but I'm willing to bet that very few of them - if any - sing the praises of Ted Dibiase's acting in this. To his credit, though, he's not a trained actor, and even though some charisma would have been nice, it's by no means a requirement for films of this nature (Chuck Norris). Luckily for Dibiase, he's usually paired up with someone through about two-thirds of the film, so there's usually some misdirection when it comes to the focus being entirely on Dibiase, which of course takes the attention away from his inexperience as an actor.

Despite being very conventional film and almost entirely devoid of originality, THE MARINE 2 is a shockingly "OK" action film. The script is similar to some of the more recent (as in the last five years or so) Dolph Lundgren films, for example, in that it's written not to reinvent the wheel but to showcase an action star and feature tons of shit blowing up. The thing is, this film doesn't have an established action star to showcase, so audiences may not be as willing to overlook a lot of its flaws. Sure, you have the hardcore WWE fans who will watch the film and more than likely be happy with the results since most of them will probably watch it just to see Ted Dibiase shooting guns and beating people up, and there's enough action in here to satisfy even those who aren't familiar with pro-wrestling, but at the end of the day it's a movie that I can't recommend because of how much it caters to a certain demographic and because it's a "been there, done that" type of film. If I have a single major complaint, it's that there were no uzis in the film. I know this isn't the 80's anymore, but had all of the bad guys been packing uzis, my score would probably be a whole point higher.

Score: 6

Reader's Choice: Red Angel (1966)

Directed by Yasuzo Masumura. Starring Ayako Wakao ("Nurse Sakura Nishi"), Shinsuke Ashida ("Dr. Okabe"), Yûsuke Kawazu ("Pvt. Orihara"), and Ranko Akagi ("Head Nurse Iwashima"). Not Rated.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Fantoma)
Running time: 01:34:44
Country: Japan

Picked by Laurence R. Harvey

Sakura Nishi is a nurse for the Japanese Army who's stationed in China during World War II. Seeing as the film takes place during the very early stages of the war, she's immediately thrust into a dangerous situation without much notice when she's relocated from her duty station to a makeshift hospital on the front lines. Under the tutelage of the well-respected Dr. Okabe, who secretly battles a morphine addiction, Sakura tends to truckloads of damaged war victims on a daily basis who pour into the hospital one after another. Patients with missing limbs and other gruesome injuries are simply part of the daily routine. Because of the constant flow of patients, Dr. Okabe makes decisions with peoples' lives by simply giving them a quick look-over; within seconds, he decides who gets to live and who gets to be put out of their misery. The methods of surgery and treatment are barbaric (amputation without anesthesia) but necessary.


Named after the Cherry Blossom, Sakura (or "Nurse Nishi" as she's more commonly referred to as), is the ideal nurse you wanna have taking care of you should you find yourself hospitalized, and I say this because she goes the extra mile and gladly gives sexual pleasure to an armless patient of hers on more than one occasion. Following her brief affair with the war victim, she gradually falls in love with the impotent Dr. Okabe. The relationship between the two is interesting; not so much for the much older Okabe, but rather regarding the logic behind Sakura's fondness for him. It's revealed that her father passed away shortly before she was born, so it could be a case of Sakura being drawn to Okabe as a father figure, or it could be because she needs some sort of light amidst the darkness of war and bloodshed that surrounds her. Whatever the case, their relationship "blossoms" as attack is imminent and their final hours could be upon them.


RED ANGEL lets you know right from the start that it will not be a pleasant film, visually speaking, but then again it's not exactly common for a film to romanticize and make light of World War II. The gorgeous black and white is cinematography is effective, regardless of whether it was a necessity to hide the abundance of gore or if it was simply a natural filmmaking choice given the state of cinema at the time (color was introduced in Japan over a decade before this film was made, but many films still utilized black and white cinematography at the time).


While RED ANGEL doesn't necessarily beat you over the head with it, one could interpret the film as being one that deals with female empowerment, as Sakura gradually establishes herself as strong female character amongst large groups of men without letting it get in the way of her job performance, although her tendency to be sympathetic could easily contradict that claim. The female empowerment aspect (if there even is one) is inherent since Sakura is essentially in an ironic position of power and control despite her duty being to serve and help other people. RED ANGEL goes to some undeniably bizarre places, but it never feels like an "exploitation movie" that features shock for the sake of shock, and part of this has to do with how Sakura is portrayed in the film; at one point she's raped and victimized on screen, but, in an ironic twist of fate, the man who assaulted her later finds himself injured and at the mercy of Nurse Nishi.

Despite the setting of the film and the brutal imagery, RED ANGEL is ultimately somewhat of a sweet love story that never compromises whatever statement it's trying to make on World War II. Love and human emotions in general are much more powerful when you know your time is limited, which is something that this film brilliantly addresses.

Score: 8

Reader's Choice: Fists in the Pocket (1965)

Directed by Marco Bellocchio. Starring Lou Castel ("Alessandro"), Paola Pitagora ("Giulia"), Marino Masé ("Augusto"), and Liliana Gerace ("Mother"). Not Rated.

Source: Region 1 DVD (Criterion)
Running time: 01:48:47
Country: Italy

Picked by Laurence R. Harvey

FISTS IN THE POCKET, which focuses entirely on a group of troubled siblings, is an Italian film regarded by many as a masterpiece and an important film in the history of Italian cinema. It even got the Criterion treatment, so you know it must be good (we'll see about that). Admittedly, I had never heard of this film when Laurence picked it for me to review (as well as many other interesting titles that he threw my way), which shouldn't come as a surprise to those who know me well since I'm not the type of person who seeks out prestigious Criterion-worthy films on a regular basis. After doing some research and reading the synopsis, which mentioned something about a death-obsessed epileptic throwing his blind mother into a ravine, I went ahead and made FISTS IN THE POCKET a top priority. Gotta love death-obsessed epileptics throwing blind mothers into revines!


Barely looking after their blind mother are a group of mentally-disturbed and physically-challenged siblings who are without a father figure. Despite being under the supervision of the only "normal" one of the bunch (the eldest son, Augusto), their behavior reflects that of neglected children. Giulia, the only girl, is absolutely stunning but she obviously has a demented side; not the point where you'd be scared to be alone in a room with her (quite the contrary!), but something about her just seems a little "off", as evidenced by her immature behavior and certain mannerisms that would suggest she's not above incestuous relations with one of her siblings. Leone, who's pretty much a non-issue throughout the film, suffers from epilepsy and some sort of mental disorder. Finally, there's the deceptively smart but clearly maniacal Alessandro, who has delusions of ridding the family of their various afflictions with hopes of leading a normal life.


There's some brilliant casting here, especially with Lou Castel as Alessandro; as soon as the family is introduced, Castel doesn't even have to utter a single word before you know his character is gonna be the one who inevitably poses a problem at a certain point in the film, and boy does he. In the grand scheme of films about demented children and fucked-up families, the family in this particular film is actually quite tame, and Alessandro hardly stands out as being the baddest of seeds, but he's still quite the character nonetheless and certainly not someone who you'd wanna have living under your roof. Throughout the film, Lou Castel provides his character with little quirks that seem spot-on for someone living with the variety of illnesses that Alessandro possesses (OCD, and possibly Autism and ADHD) without seeming like an insensitive performance.

The film takes a turn when Alessandro carries out an act that I already alluded to in the first paragraph of this review (which is not a spoiler), at which point Alessandro, in his mind, assumes the role of father figure, which leads to a scenario where the inmates are running the asylum and the parent-less kids are running amok in their home and living out some sort of fantasy. Not that their disabled mother made a difference when she was alive, but there's a sense of liberation and celebration with their mother out of the picture since they perceived her as a burden. Seeing as this is a character-driven film, the removal of the mother from the story doesn't really lead to any drastic changes in terms of the plot, but it does allow for Alessandro to carry out some rather heinous deeds.

FISTS IN THE POCKET sorta reminds me of the Spanish psychological horror movie BELL FROM HELL in the sense that you have this outcast of a lead character amongst a family dealing with some serious drama. Whereas the lead character in BELL FROM HELL was a genuinely misunderstood person who really was an outcast, the character in this film merely perceives being unwanted and misunderstood in his own head, although Alessandro's argument is justifiable considering he doesn't have anyone in his life telling him otherwise. Also, both films deal with mental illness (one more so than the other) and incest. That's about where the similarities end, though, and I'm sure there are other films out there that came before and after FISTS IN THE POCKET that could draw the same comparisons. Whereas BELL FROM HELL is a self-aware horror film, this one has more of an emphasis on drama and a "message" rather than exploitation. That being said, this film was a tad disappointing in that it didn't quite reach those levels of darkness that I was hoping for.


Looking at it objectively, I can sorta see why this would be considered an important film in the history of Italian cinema, but speaking from the perspective of someone who's not a film scholar or a cinema expert of any kind (nor have I ever claimed to be anything resembling such), I just honestly don't see what the big deal is. FISTS IN THE POCKET is beautifully shot and features great performances from most - if not all - of the cast, but I'm simply not familiar enough with the social issues of Italy at the time to grasp what director Marco Bellocchio was going for here. At the time of its release, it was applauded by a younger generation of fans and critics for being a bold film but trashed by some of Bellocchio's peers and idols in the filmmaking industry. As for me, I was impressed by certain aspects of it but wanted to hit the fast-forward button on numerous occasions.

Score: 6