2 comments about Dick Tracy Detective (B&W).

1. Someone's sending extortion letters and killing their recipients. The mayor himself has received an extortion letter. The city is in an uproar. This is a job for... Dick Tracy!
   Morgan Conway plays the hatchet-jawed detective in this entertaining 1946 offering from RKO Studios. DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE is a cut above most B-movies, and the film plays it straight with the audience. Unlike Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy of 1990, DTD doesn't weigh the bad guy down in a latex mask and a zoot suit. The I've-seen-him-somewhere-before Mike Mazurki (who made a cameo appearance in Beatty's film) plays the surgeon's-knife wielding Splitface, and the only make-up he wears is a hideous scar down the middle of his face. The lovely blonde Ann Jeffreys plays Tracy's sweetheart Tess Trueheart. Jane Greer, who is probably best remembered as Robert Mitchum's love interest in the film noir classic OUT OF THE PAST, rounds out the lead cast as Judith Owens.
   The cast is a touch above competent, although you get the feeling that Conway might have been better cast as Splitface. He has a whiskey and cigarette aura about him, something that doesn't quite jibe with the super-square Dick Tracy. Still, this is a B-movie, and you take what you can get when you aren't one of the big boys. At least he had the right profile for the part. On the other hand, Jeffreys' Tess is played with energy and humor and her performance belie DTD humble origins.
   The photography and editing gives DTD a singular film noirish feel. The film opens with a high crane shot of a man leaning against a lamppost. It's evening and the shadows are long and the echoes are loud and lonesome. A woman gets off a bus and walks down the deserted street. We see the shadow of a man fill a doorway. We hear trailing footsteps while the camera dollies closer to the startled woman. Cut to a long shot of her walking. A closer shot of her worried face. Cut again to a behind the figure shot. She turns to scream and a knife wielding arm flashes above her head....
   DTD is loaded with deep shadows and shadings. What it lacks to be noir is the moral ambiguity and corruption in the good guys. Dick Tracy is as square as they come, he doesn't smoke, drink, or unbutton one button of his suit during the entire movie. It would take an actor of some skill to make him interesting, and Conway simply isn't up to it.
   I was surprised that I enjoyed DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE as much as I did. Ann Jeffreys adds a spark to every scene she's in, and Mazurki is menacing enough to keep us close to the edge of our seats. Conway's Tracy is closer to an anonymous G-man than the comic book crime fighter. This is a pleasant enough movie to merit a recommendation.



2. I know I shouldn't have liked this film, but I did. It resembles the classic film noir in many respects: the night streets, the old black sedans, the fancy night club, etc. What it doesn't resemble is the Dick Tracy of the comics page. That Tracy had a bent nose, wrist radios with arrows that pointed to them, and a very serious demeanor. The Tracy in this film is too thin, too handsome, and is too attentive to Tess. He has no wrist radio with an arrow.
   
   The villain, Splitface, never appeared in the comic strip--at least, I don't recall him. But he is of the sort that tormented Tracy on paper. Splitface has a terrible facial scar as a result of a fight in prison. He is out now and seeking vengeance against--well, that's central to the mystery and shouldn't be given away here, not that the mystery is filled with much intrigue.
   
   People get murdered. The mayor demands action. Women scream as women did in movies. Tess is quite pretty as heroines are supposed to be in movies. The boy who plays Junior is irritating, as child actors tended to be in films of this era. The bad guy gets caught; surely you knew he would. And Dick Tracy prevails as always. But other than a couple of names, this has little to do with the hatchet-faced detective strip drawn by Chester Gould. Nonetheless, I liked it.

5 comments about Bloodfist 4:Die Trying.

1. What can I say? Let's have a look



2. Yes, very much the Martial-arts movie, but fights/fighting is perhaps even above-average, I wouldn't particularly choose Don Wilson or any of his opponents like Daniels or the rest seen here even if I was looking for a fight, based on this, are brutal, dirty, brawlish and relatively believable, except perhaps how much punishment Wilson and Daniels heap on each other before there is a winner. The fight in the restaurant towards the end, between Wilson and the two thugs, was pretty real, you could almost believe that might happen with 3 good street-fighters or something..its no messing around direct sort of fighting compared to some movie martial-arts.
   
   Director Sziller missed an opportunity with this, IMO, to further use and play-up the female villainess/fighter , the dare i say fabulous late Cat Sassoon, who battles Wilson twice during the movie: jumping him and heaping a beating on him in the movies last fight sequence, before Wilson turns it around just as hes about to be finished off with her trademark switchblade.
   
   Now Catya Sassoons 'Lisa' would have to be one of the most evil//sadistic/sexy femme fatales villainess/henchwoman ever to appear on any screen,as far as actual hands-on violence villainesses go anyway, in this second clash with Wilson her 'outfit' speaks for itself, and shes the main reason many will watch or want to own this video, frankly, but we see FAR too little of her, despite the 40-second treat of this last fight,which she loses by KO in the end,sadly, although well ahead on points at the time, lol..the would-be devastating kick to Wilsons groin we could barely see,( black boot against a very dark background set, which WOULD have won the fight for her in the real world, surely!) even though patently obvious it was so good we were totally ripped-off even here.
   
   Now Sassoon, who starred in 'AngelFist' as the main character, is sometimes talked about as not having genuine martial-arts ability, and I'm not an expert, couldn't say, I know she held some M.A. title in real-life,NA Forms/Weapons or something, but I guess there are lots of cereal-box M.A. titles, but that criticism is more for hard-core MA fans than for fans like me,(surely few would believe that in real-life Sassoon or any other female fighter could hold their own with Wilson or the the other men in the movie, but that is SO NOT the point !)to me, and many I'm sure, the unique key with Sassoon was her appearance, she was attractive, yes, with good figure, so are many others,maybe even some female fighters, but she has a particular one-off appearance and attitude with slicked-back hair as here that could have made her the #1 film villainess cult icon of this genre of cinema history, right here, in this film. Now, Sziller could have made his cult-mark with this film, by showcasing her more, more scenes, her 'doing' a few more people, including goodies, she kills in split-second two fellow bad-guys that have outlived their usefulness in one devastating scene , actually, but Sziller, apart from under-using her, also makes a dogs-breakfast of basic lighting in most of her scenes in the movie, the scene at the door with the other two bad-guys just mentioned is totally badly lit and filmed, and so is her final fight with Wilson, filmed in a gloomy room, with 'Lisas' unique spine-tingling dark looks and eye-goggling black outfit and boots making it sadly even more difficult to see her properly against background as she goes about punishing Wilson down the staircase, across the floor, and up against the wall, at the fight climax..which you want to see every detail of. I've got stills of this sequence, and its apparent in them how poor the direction and floor-management was, and how much this cost,the film and probably Sassoons own stardom.
   
   Apparently Wilson remade the film himself, I'm not sure if he reprised her character and who played her,Sassoon was not in it, and if it was any improvement in lighting and filming at least, but it was a 'stinker' generally, apparently, was worse than this in film merit terms.. Sassoon lost her life tragically in 2001, we could and should have seen more of her, and we would have, if better-promoted through this film, which had the makings but not the execution.
   
   Good bone-crunching brawling fight-scenes, though..Don't 'pick on' Don Wilson, would be my instinct and advice.



3. I just sort of stumbled onto the low-budgeted, popular kung-fu action series, BLOODFIST. Mind you, after Bloodfist II, these movies bare no connection to each other, so after Bloodfist II, it really doesn't matter what order you watch them in.
   Bloodfist IV:Die Trying was the first one I saw, and let me tell you, it quite literally kicks [rear-end]. Don "The Dragon" Wilson isn't as bad of an actor as his reputation might suggest, and he makes a very impressive action star. Every last fight in all the Bloodfist movies is fantastic, and Die Trying is no exception. The best one here is withou a doubt the one in the room full of tear gas. I own the first four Bloodfist movies, and
   Bloodfist VII:Manhunt, and I'm relentlessly hunting down Bloodfist V:Human Target and Bloodfist VI:Ground Zero on the internet, as well as some of Wilson's other flicks, like Blackbelt and The Capitol Conspiracy. Trust me, if you enjoy the high kickin' performances of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, or if your'e familiar with legends like Bruce Lee, or his son Brandon Lee, Don "The Dragon" Wilson is right up your alley, and the Bloodfist series is a great place to start.



4. Like the third film, part "IV" has no story connection to any of the other films in the series and this trend would continue throughout the rest of the films. Even though it has no connection, it actually turnes out to be one of the best in the series. The major difference here is that there is an actual plot to the story with twists, not just no brain action like in the first two films. Don "The Dragon" Wilson this time is a Repo Man that repossesses a car that contains nuclear triggers. Of course this is very bad and the owner in turn kidnapes his daugher. Dumb move on his part. The action is tremendous and Wilson's acting is starting to improve. Again, this is one of if not the best making it a sharp improvement over the cliche prision picture that called itself "Bloodfist III". This gets a 5 star rating on the B-Action chart.



5. It's not a perfect film. Now that thats out of the way, everything else about Bloodifst IV is. The fights are very realistic. The characters are convincing. The story is exceptional with twists, surprises, and a plot that keeps you guessing. For a B movie, and especially a Don Wilson movie, this is top notch.
   
   Bloodfist IV has not a single highlight moment that stands out in the film. Instead, every scene keeps you equally engaged form beginning to end. I was captured by the story before the action in this one. This is one of those movies where the time seems to fly by while watching it, it was that good. Don't go into this movie thinking Hollywood blockbuster, or it will suck. But from the viewpoint of a typical martial arts film, this is a highlight.
   
   The fights are only a minute to 3 minutes in length, each. But every fight is very well choreographed, looking real and adding to the story. Gary Daniels has a role in Bloodfist IV, and participates against Don Wilson in 2 of the best fights in the movie. Dale Jacoby (Bloodmatch, Ring of Fire) also has a small role, and takes part of another very good fight near the end, in a restaurant. Nothing is memorable like say Jackie Chan's 20 minute fight in Legend of Drunken Master, or Jet Li's in Fist of Legend. But you get real quailty action that is believable.
   
   Bloodfist IV is just a good solid movie, even for a movie period. Nothing in this film puts you quite on the edge of your seat, but I give 4 stars for almost being there from start to finish.

2 comments about Dick Tracy.

1. Someone's sending extortion letters and killing their recipients. The mayor himself has received an extortion letter. The city is in an uproar. This is a job for... Dick Tracy!
   Morgan Conway plays the hatchet-jawed detective in this entertaining 1946 offering from RKO Studios. DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE is a cut above most B-movies, and the film plays it straight with the audience. Unlike Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy of 1990, DTD doesn't weigh the bad guy down in a latex mask and a zoot suit. The I've-seen-him-somewhere-before Mike Mazurki (who made a cameo appearance in Beatty's film) plays the surgeon's-knife wielding Splitface, and the only make-up he wears is a hideous scar down the middle of his face. The lovely blonde Ann Jeffreys plays Tracy's sweetheart Tess Trueheart. Jane Greer, who is probably best remembered as Robert Mitchum's love interest in the film noir classic OUT OF THE PAST, rounds out the lead cast as Judith Owens.
   The cast is a touch above competent, although you get the feeling that Conway might have been better cast as Splitface. He has a whiskey and cigarette aura about him, something that doesn't quite jibe with the super-square Dick Tracy. Still, this is a B-movie, and you take what you can get when you aren't one of the big boys. At least he had the right profile for the part. On the other hand, Jeffreys' Tess is played with energy and humor and her performance belie DTD humble origins.
   The photography and editing gives DTD a singular film noirish feel. The film opens with a high crane shot of a man leaning against a lamppost. It's evening and the shadows are long and the echoes are loud and lonesome. A woman gets off a bus and walks down the deserted street. We see the shadow of a man fill a doorway. We hear trailing footsteps while the camera dollies closer to the startled woman. Cut to a long shot of her walking. A closer shot of her worried face. Cut again to a behind the figure shot. She turns to scream and a knife wielding arm flashes above her head....
   DTD is loaded with deep shadows and shadings. What it lacks to be noir is the moral ambiguity and corruption in the good guys. Dick Tracy is as square as they come, he doesn't smoke, drink, or unbutton one button of his suit during the entire movie. It would take an actor of some skill to make him interesting, and Conway simply isn't up to it.
   I was surprised that I enjoyed DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE as much as I did. Ann Jeffreys adds a spark to every scene she's in, and Mazurki is menacing enough to keep us close to the edge of our seats. Conway's Tracy is closer to an anonymous G-man than the comic book crime fighter. This is a pleasant enough movie to merit a recommendation.



2. I know I shouldn't have liked this film, but I did. It resembles the classic film noir in many respects: the night streets, the old black sedans, the fancy night club, etc. What it doesn't resemble is the Dick Tracy of the comics page. That Tracy had a bent nose, wrist radios with arrows that pointed to them, and a very serious demeanor. The Tracy in this film is too thin, too handsome, and is too attentive to Tess. He has no wrist radio with an arrow.
   
   The villain, Splitface, never appeared in the comic strip--at least, I don't recall him. But he is of the sort that tormented Tracy on paper. Splitface has a terrible facial scar as a result of a fight in prison. He is out now and seeking vengeance against--well, that's central to the mystery and shouldn't be given away here, not that the mystery is filled with much intrigue.
   
   People get murdered. The mayor demands action. Women scream as women did in movies. Tess is quite pretty as heroines are supposed to be in movies. The boy who plays Junior is irritating, as child actors tended to be in films of this era. The bad guy gets caught; surely you knew he would. And Dick Tracy prevails as always. But other than a couple of names, this has little to do with the hatchet-faced detective strip drawn by Chester Gould. Nonetheless, I liked it.

5 comments about Platinum Blonde.

1. Robert Williams doesn't even get any billing n the DVD cover or on other promotions of this film, but he IS the star of the film....and he is outstanding.
   
   Williams could have been a major star, a very well-known actor, had he not died four days after this picture was released with a ruptured appendix. The man simply puts on an acting clinic here. I wonder if young aspiring actors are ever shown this film and told to study Williams? If is wasn't for this film, I assume nobody would ever know about this guy.
   
   Anyway, the movie is really dated but its interesting thanks to some great dialog, mainly, once again, by Williams. Jean Harlow gets the billing but a young Loretta Young has the real beauty and charm here. Too bad her role was so minor and bland. She looked absolutely gorgeous.
   
   The storyline is one of Hollywood's favorite themes: the average Joe beating up on the snobby rich people. Harlow's "mother" in here (Louise Closser Hale) plays that snob role perfectly.
   
   Even though I just gave it only three stars, there are lots of laughs in this film and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. Watching Williams' acting performance is worth the price of the disc, and then some.



2. Platinum Blonde is the story of a newspaper reporter (Robert Williams), one of the best. His job is to investigate a scandal with one of the best known families, the Schuylers. He's so clever, he gets them to admit to a story against their will, but in the process is captured by the eye of beautiful daugher Anne (Jean Harlow). Although he scoops them, he also helps them out of the mess and makes his way into the family by eloping with Anne. This hurts his pal Gallagher (Loretta Young) who has loved him for years, but he's in his own world. He doesn't quite realize what he's getting himself into as a poor man wedding a rich family. Cracks from his friends ensue and day by day his wife does all that she can to change him.
   
   Unfortunately, people have high expectations for this film, and it doesn't necessarily measure up. First of all, this is not typical Capra. There are not heartfelt messages of hope at the end. The characters do not signify what the average man strives to be or the pitfalls he faces. Secondly, Harlow does not play a seductress here; in fact, she's quite classy. Last, Williams is an unknown, and alongside an all star cast, he's the leading man. This can be startling because we have never seen him before and are therefore less likely to like him right off. The first time I saw this film, I was incredibly disappointed and what upset me even more was that this was Harlow's first DVD release. Although the title became her nickname, this is an awful way to experience typical Harlow, but it is a wonderful way for fans to see her in a new light.
   
   If you can find a way to judge this film not based on expectations but on its own merits, you'll find it to be quite enjoyable. Each player is fantastic, namely Williams whose naturalness and easy humor makes the film breezy and fun to watch. Harlow is regal and intelligent, not the least bit green despite this being one of her first big films (before the eyebrow makeover). Young is fresh and exciting, quite thin, but absolutely gorgeous.



3. Platinum Blonde remains a fine example of an early screwball comedy about very different people trying to coexist with each under stressful situations with plenty of silly lines and good laughs on the side. The script is certainly not the best you'll ever find but the actors do a superlative job with what they are given. The direction by Frank Capra reflects forethought and the camera angles help dramatize scenes in the movie as the plot unfolds.
   
   The story starts with newspaper reporter Stew Smith, played by the very talented Robert Williams, going to get a story on a rich society scandal. He gets it; but he also gets the heart of the daughter of the wealthy Schuyler family, Anne, played by the beautiful Jean Harlow. Stew and Anne become romantically involved and the problems begin right along with the romance. Stew comes from a working class background and he wants to support his wife; but Anne has very different plans for him. This constant tug of war for control of their relationship dominates the rest of the movie plot.
   
   In addition, look for Loretta Young playing Gallagher. Gallagher and Stew are friends; but to make matters even more complicated Gallagher wants more from Stew than friendship. Anne's mother and the family attorney spice up the plot even further with their histrionics about the tragedy of Anne's "funeral" relationship with Stew. Wow!
   
   Will Anne and Stew stay together? Will Anne's family ultimately accept and love Stew as one of their own? Will Stew become "a bird in a gilded cage? "How will Gallagher fit into this plot? No spoilers here, folks: you'll have to watch the movie to find out the answers to these questions! SMILE
   
   The cinematography impressed me; in 1931 it was still difficult for pictures to be shot without the camera staying still because microphones could not yet be moved about above the cameras. Nevertheless, in Platinum Blonde Capra manages to get both the cameras and the microphones moving as the actors move about the set. Excellent! The sound wobbles at times but this is to be expected from an older movie like this one.
   
   I agree with the reviewers who write that somehow the title of this movie, Platinum Blonde, gives you the sense that Jean Harlow is the big star--but she doesn't quite get that honor when the credits roll. In fact, she gets second billing below Loretta Young! I agree with others who believe that the movie studio was indeed trying to play up the fact that Jean Harlow was in the movie.
   
   The DVD comes with few extras; you merely get a couple of movie trailers. That irks me but in those days excess footage was not necessarily kept.
   
   What a tragedy that poor Robert Williams died so soon after this picture was finished. He would have been a huge star had he lived longer
   
   Overall, Platinum Blonde is a cross between a serious story and a purely comedic romp through relationships that become challenged when two people from very different backgrounds try to stay in love. Jean Harlow fans will treasure this movie; she never looked lovelier and her very convincing acting shines all the way through the picture. Fans of older movie classics will also enjoy watching Platinum Blonde.



4. This is not the best work of director Frank Capra who is known for one of the greatest classics ever made in Hollywood, "It's a Wonderful Life." Nevertheless this movie is played out to the desire of Columbia studios to promote Jean Harlow. No one ever complains about the casting, but the theme of the movie, set in depression era (1931) is lame. Jean Harlow plays the only daughter of upper-class socialite, Ann Schuyler who marries a shrewd newspaper reporter Stew (Robert Williams), and then tries to control his life in the confinements of her palatial home as a house husband, but without success. He invites his friends to his home to party, and his female friend Gallagher (Loretta Young) with whom he collaborates to write a play. At the end, Ann and Stew get separated and he later marries Gallagher. This is somewhat an unrealistic story, and a very strange way to poke at the wealthy for the ills of depression era. However Jean Harlow is stunning and offers a great performance as a spoiled wealthy girl. Loretta Young, one of her performances early in the career, is sweet and adorable as she always is. The untimely and sad deaths of Jean Harlow (at the age of 26) due to Influenza and kidney failure, and Robert Williams due to Peritonitis (died three days after the release of the movie) leaves this movie as a tribute to the work of these young artists.
   
   1. It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
   2. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington



5. A very amusing tale of role reversal. A wealthy woman involved with an "average joe" who still wants the
   independence to live his life without the yoke of high society's false "airs."

2 comments about Dick Tracy.

1. Someone's sending extortion letters and killing their recipients. The mayor himself has received an extortion letter. The city is in an uproar. This is a job for... Dick Tracy!
   Morgan Conway plays the hatchet-jawed detective in this entertaining 1946 offering from RKO Studios. DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE is a cut above most B-movies, and the film plays it straight with the audience. Unlike Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy of 1990, DTD doesn't weigh the bad guy down in a latex mask and a zoot suit. The I've-seen-him-somewhere-before Mike Mazurki (who made a cameo appearance in Beatty's film) plays the surgeon's-knife wielding Splitface, and the only make-up he wears is a hideous scar down the middle of his face. The lovely blonde Ann Jeffreys plays Tracy's sweetheart Tess Trueheart. Jane Greer, who is probably best remembered as Robert Mitchum's love interest in the film noir classic OUT OF THE PAST, rounds out the lead cast as Judith Owens.
   The cast is a touch above competent, although you get the feeling that Conway might have been better cast as Splitface. He has a whiskey and cigarette aura about him, something that doesn't quite jibe with the super-square Dick Tracy. Still, this is a B-movie, and you take what you can get when you aren't one of the big boys. At least he had the right profile for the part. On the other hand, Jeffreys' Tess is played with energy and humor and her performance belie DTD humble origins.
   The photography and editing gives DTD a singular film noirish feel. The film opens with a high crane shot of a man leaning against a lamppost. It's evening and the shadows are long and the echoes are loud and lonesome. A woman gets off a bus and walks down the deserted street. We see the shadow of a man fill a doorway. We hear trailing footsteps while the camera dollies closer to the startled woman. Cut to a long shot of her walking. A closer shot of her worried face. Cut again to a behind the figure shot. She turns to scream and a knife wielding arm flashes above her head....
   DTD is loaded with deep shadows and shadings. What it lacks to be noir is the moral ambiguity and corruption in the good guys. Dick Tracy is as square as they come, he doesn't smoke, drink, or unbutton one button of his suit during the entire movie. It would take an actor of some skill to make him interesting, and Conway simply isn't up to it.
   I was surprised that I enjoyed DICK TRACY, DETECTIVE as much as I did. Ann Jeffreys adds a spark to every scene she's in, and Mazurki is menacing enough to keep us close to the edge of our seats. Conway's Tracy is closer to an anonymous G-man than the comic book crime fighter. This is a pleasant enough movie to merit a recommendation.



2. I know I shouldn't have liked this film, but I did. It resembles the classic film noir in many respects: the night streets, the old black sedans, the fancy night club, etc. What it doesn't resemble is the Dick Tracy of the comics page. That Tracy had a bent nose, wrist radios with arrows that pointed to them, and a very serious demeanor. The Tracy in this film is too thin, too handsome, and is too attentive to Tess. He has no wrist radio with an arrow.
   
   The villain, Splitface, never appeared in the comic strip--at least, I don't recall him. But he is of the sort that tormented Tracy on paper. Splitface has a terrible facial scar as a result of a fight in prison. He is out now and seeking vengeance against--well, that's central to the mystery and shouldn't be given away here, not that the mystery is filled with much intrigue.
   
   People get murdered. The mayor demands action. Women scream as women did in movies. Tess is quite pretty as heroines are supposed to be in movies. The boy who plays Junior is irritating, as child actors tended to be in films of this era. The bad guy gets caught; surely you knew he would. And Dick Tracy prevails as always. But other than a couple of names, this has little to do with the hatchet-faced detective strip drawn by Chester Gould. Nonetheless, I liked it.

5 comments about The War Wagon.

1. One of the older movies but still John Wayne at his best



2. This is a typical John Wayne western from the era when he had some control over what he starred in, and its content. As a result, he plays essentially the same character over and over again (he seems to wear the same red shirt, faded to a washed out pink, in half of the movies) and is just confronted with a different situation each time. In this instance, his character, Taw Jackson, has had his land stolen from him. He wasn't able to stop it because a hired gun shot him and put him in the hospital. The ranch he owned turned out to have gold on it, and the local rich guy, having had him shot, took over the ranch and has become even richer.
   
   So Taw has to return from jail to take back what's his. The twist is that he hires the hired guy, Lomax (nicely played by Kirk Douglas), to help in his plot. Since the rich guy (his name is Pierce) transports the gold out of the territory in an iron-plated wagon called "The War Wagon" Wayne has to come up with a sophisticated scheme to upend said wagon and get his hands on the gold.
   
   While the plot's interesting and the action is reasonably fun, the movie's also very predictable. When one of Wayne's partners is particularly negatively portrayed, you know he's the one who will be killed somewhere towards the end. And I had one big disappointment with this movie. Usually, with one of these old westerns, there's a rousing soundtrack, if nothing else, but here you get this very strange choral thing with silly words about the war wagon and who's following it and so forth. It's one of the most dated soundtracks I've ever heard, embarrassing even to listen to. That aside, this is a fun movie.



3. "Mine hit the ground first."
   "Mine was taller."
   John Wayne & Kirk Douglas team up a second time, this time in a western. Not the best movie that either one of them did but it's entertaining.
   
   Taw Jackson (John Wayne) has just returned from prison to Emmett, N.M. where he had once resided. He had lost his ranch to Pierce who had gotten it, apparently, after Jackson had been sent to prison. Lomax (Kirk Douglas) has been hired a second time to kill Jackson after failing a time in the past. But this time Jackson makes offer to Lomax that's impossible to turn down: 500.000 dollars. It's being shipped by Pierce's War Wagon that's steel plated & has a Gatling gun mounted on a turret, not to mention 33 outriders tagging along.
   
   The character interplay between Wayne & Douglas is fun to watch. For a while you're not sure if Lomax is going to help Jackson or kill him. Their plan to steal the half million is an elaborate one but the film doesn't dwell on this so it keeps moving at a good pace. Burt Kennedy directed & he had a natural flair for pacing & action, he also had a unique talent of combining westerns with comedy. The casting coup of the sixties was placing Howard Keel as the Indian. Keel had been known mostly for roles in musicals, he was an excellent baritone. Much of the film's comedy stems from his portrayal which could've been a very bad case of miscasting. This casting coup was one of Hollywood's greatest successful reaches.
   
   The film, for its day, has a twist for an ending, but, as is usually the case, Wayne does come out on top. Hollywood would still make a few more good westerns, but not many were better than this. In some ways, The War Wagon signals the end of the Hollywood classic western.
   
   Enjoy.



4. The War Wagon is perhaps my favorite western and favorite Duke movie. There is plenty of action, some good humor, and an interesting, believable plot. Taw Jackson (Wayne) is a rancher just released from prison. He wants revenge on the man named Mr. Pierce, who sent him there and stole his ranch because it had gold on it. Wayne teams up with Lomax (Kirk Douglas) who plays a gunfighting womanizer. Together they team up with other misfits and an Indian tribe in an attempt to rob an old western version of an armored car, The War Wagon.
   
   The other characters are Levi Walking Bear, a crazy Indian who has learned to live in a White Man's world. Billy, a drunk who is an expert with dynomite and nitro glycerine, and a crazy old man who drives Mr. Pierces flour wagons. I say he is crazy because anyone who would pull a knife with a rifle pointed at him is a little off his rocker. He 'owns' a pretty hot blonde too, he got her for 20 dollars and a horse.
   
   Well they get the wagon, but not all the booty. You;ll have to watch and see who gets the majority of the gold, and maybe deservedly so.
   
   Great moments are as follows, and always remember, in a tight spot, offer an enraged Indian a swig of nitro glycerine.
   
   Lomax :"Mine hit the ground first"
   Taw: "Mine was taller"
   
   Taw "The shells belong to him. You tell him he can come get them anytime"
   
   Lomax "You've been working saloons too long"
   
   Taw "Me neither, prescious!"
   
   Mr. Pierce "INDIANS DON'T BLOW BRIDGES!!!"
   
   Billy "I'm gonna buy this place!"



5. The War Wagon was a hit when it was first released and is still a great film today. John Wayne and Kirk Douglas have just enough tension to really wonder if they will end up shooting each other or doing the hold up. Excellent addition to any family home film library.

3 comments about Mr. Imperium.

1. This 1952 movie starts out with a romantic encounter in Italy between Fredda Barlo(Lana Turner),a rising singing starlet and Mr. Imperium(Ezio Pinza),an heir to a throne.Twelve years later they meet again and Mr. Imperium is forced to choose between his love for Fredda or his country.Also,co-starring Debbie Reynolds,Barry Sullivan,Cedric Hardwicke and Majorie Main,it's a nicely done romance musical!!



2. This lesser-known MGM musical turned out to be a pleasant surprise, for a couple of reasons. First, although this edition is from the comparatively low-budget VCI Home Video, the picture quality is excellent. It doesn't compare to DVD, of course, but this print is at least as good as some of the other "official" MGM/UA/Warner releases of vintage musicals I've seen on VHS. Secondly, the movie itself is quite entertaining, with a delightful performance by a young Debbie Reynolds and Lana Turner looking beautiful as always. The story, if not remarkable, is typical of the musical comedy-dramas that were being produced in that era. If you're a fan of Jane Powell and Esther Williams movies, you're bound to enjoy this one.



3. To begin with, no one can claim to be a bigger fan of Lana Turner than me. I usually love her films but in this case I was majorly disappointed. In Lana Turner's autobiography she wrote, "I thought the script was stupid. It was the story of a European prince who falls in love with an American nightclub singer. I fought against doing the picture but I lost." Lana also wrote that her co-star, Ezio Pinza, was arrogant, had bad breath, and tried unsuccessfuly to seduce every woman in sight when not working on "Mr. Imperium". Even though I knew what Lana thought of the movie, I still bought the movie (for a dollar), refusing to believe that such a glamorous star could make a flop. I was wrong.
   
   Lana Turner plays the sexy nightclub singer that a European prince (Ezio Pinza) falls in love with, and although she's already got a boyfriend, she slowly falls for the prince. They begin a love affair that will prove to be shortlived. Marjorie Main, Barry Sullivan, and a very young Debbie Reynolds were in supporting roles, but like Lana they certainly deserved better than this near disaster. Ezio Pinza's singing is extremely annoying and pairing him romantically with the beautiful Lana Turner is simply ludicrous and totally unconvincing. The only reason I gave this movie 2 stars is simply for Lana's beauty, but that alone can't save the film. The video from Madacy "Hollywood Classics" is awful, with a shaky picture quality and terrible sound. Trust me, this one just isn't worth watching.

3 comments about Mr. Imperium.

1. This 1952 movie starts out with a romantic encounter in Italy between Fredda Barlo(Lana Turner),a rising singing starlet and Mr. Imperium(Ezio Pinza),an heir to a throne.Twelve years later they meet again and Mr. Imperium is forced to choose between his love for Fredda or his country.Also,co-starring Debbie Reynolds,Barry Sullivan,Cedric Hardwicke and Majorie Main,it's a nicely done romance musical!!



2. This lesser-known MGM musical turned out to be a pleasant surprise, for a couple of reasons. First, although this edition is from the comparatively low-budget VCI Home Video, the picture quality is excellent. It doesn't compare to DVD, of course, but this print is at least as good as some of the other "official" MGM/UA/Warner releases of vintage musicals I've seen on VHS. Secondly, the movie itself is quite entertaining, with a delightful performance by a young Debbie Reynolds and Lana Turner looking beautiful as always. The story, if not remarkable, is typical of the musical comedy-dramas that were being produced in that era. If you're a fan of Jane Powell and Esther Williams movies, you're bound to enjoy this one.



3. To begin with, no one can claim to be a bigger fan of Lana Turner than me. I usually love her films but in this case I was majorly disappointed. In Lana Turner's autobiography she wrote, "I thought the script was stupid. It was the story of a European prince who falls in love with an American nightclub singer. I fought against doing the picture but I lost." Lana also wrote that her co-star, Ezio Pinza, was arrogant, had bad breath, and tried unsuccessfuly to seduce every woman in sight when not working on "Mr. Imperium". Even though I knew what Lana thought of the movie, I still bought the movie (for a dollar), refusing to believe that such a glamorous star could make a flop. I was wrong.
   
   Lana Turner plays the sexy nightclub singer that a European prince (Ezio Pinza) falls in love with, and although she's already got a boyfriend, she slowly falls for the prince. They begin a love affair that will prove to be shortlived. Marjorie Main, Barry Sullivan, and a very young Debbie Reynolds were in supporting roles, but like Lana they certainly deserved better than this near disaster. Ezio Pinza's singing is extremely annoying and pairing him romantically with the beautiful Lana Turner is simply ludicrous and totally unconvincing. The only reason I gave this movie 2 stars is simply for Lana's beauty, but that alone can't save the film. The video from Madacy "Hollywood Classics" is awful, with a shaky picture quality and terrible sound. Trust me, this one just isn't worth watching.

5 comments about The Tracker.

1. Plot, drama, suspense, character development -- this western has them all, to reasonable measure. It seems awfully like other HBO movies I have seen. If you like westerns, this may be a candidate for an evening's entertainment. If you like exceptional westerns, try "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "A Big Hand for the Little Lady", "El Mariachi", "Stagecoach" or the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns.



2. Westerns seem uniquely well suited for the presentation of (near) epic morality tales. Even when made for television they lend themselves to the Big Issues. Beautifully filmed in New Mexico, THE TRACKER is a 1988 HBO production that touches on the stuff with deep roots - need and obligation, trust and home. Mostly, though, it about vengeance and the fine line between the Good and the Bad.
   
   The Bad is ably portrayed by Scott Wilson, who's probably best remembered as Robert Blake's killing-spree partner in In Cold Blood. Wilson plays fervent Danite and general sicko Jack `Red Jack' Stillwell. The legendary Danites, as the movie explains, were a perverted branch of Mormons who cleansed the Earth by indiscriminate murder. When Red Jack and gang invade New Mexico Federal Marshal Lane Crawford (David Huddleston) is called on to track them down, dead or alive. But Crawford isn't as young as he used to be, and he needs help. He calls on old friend and renowned tracker Noble Adams (Kris Kristofferson - `even the Apaches were afraid of Adams.') Although inwardly reluctant, Adams agrees to track down the bad guys. Even more reluctant is he to allow his half-son Tom (Mark Moses) to tag along, but the young man is set on it. And so it is three hunting six - four bad guys and two female hostages.
   
   Although Kristofferson sometimes comes across a little detached he doesn't do anything here to embarrass Kevin Jarre's smart script or John Guillermin's taut direction. Noble Adams is more complex than Kristofferson plays him. He's a reluctant avenger, a brutal killer when the situation demands it, a man who sends his son off to college and learns that his return home may not be permanent. It's the type of character western fans like to cheer for, one that's best developed by an actor who can play all the angles. We cheer for Adams, alright, but we're a lot more interested when Wilson's Red Jack is on the screen. All that doesn't make THE TRACKER any less a very good western, nor one that I wouldn't hesitate to heartily endorse.



3. A pretty lame western from all aspects. Weak story line, poor character development and the acting (if one can call it that)was almost non-existant. The movie was filmed in beautiful locations however, the director was not even interested enough in the project to shoot in locations void of jet trails in the sky.
   
   If you like westerns like I do, I would not watch this one more than once. I was very relieved when it ended, so relieved I skipped the credits at the end.



4. I remember this movie from my days watching cable TV movies. I love westerns, not enough made nowadays. Good story, solid movie, but limited appeal.



5. One of the greatest westerns I have watched. Of course I think Kris Kristofferson rates one of the greatest. I don't like sad ending movies but I am so glad I didn't miss this one. Noble Adams (Kris) was one of the best trackers of his time. He showed no mercy to the killers he tracted and he knew if he wasn't hard they would surley kill him. But on his gentle loving side he send his son Tom Adams (Mark Moses) to get an education so people would look up to him and he could walk proud. Noble now felt no one would ever feel Tom was unfortunate. Mark did a great job of acting and sure gave the movie some suprises of what a college student could learn along with book learning. I recommend this DVD highly
   I will watch it again and again.
   Tom Adams

5 comments about Bloodfist 3:Forced to Fight.

1. Any TRUE Martial Arts fan who has seen the Bloodfist films will agree with me when I say that this flick rocks AND rolls (Although I can't help but feel that the caption FORCED TO FIGHT may have worked better for Bloodfist II.)As both a Kickboxer (who held many championships in the World Kickboxing Association)and an action star, Don "The Dragon" Wilson is superb. There's not much story here other than the bad guys want The good guy dead, but this movie is set in a maximum security prison, so the story is very much an secondary consideration (which is often the case with kung fu movies.) Not only is the fighting terrific, but Don "The Dragon" even gets to do more acting than usual in his films. FORCED TO FIGHT may not be a critical favorite, but it works exceptionally well.



2. IN THIS UNRELATED CHAPTER OF THE ''BLOODFIST'' SERIES, A PENETENTIARY INMATE [DON ''THE DRAGON'' WILSON] MUST FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE INSIDE CELLBLOCK C. BENEFITS LARGELY FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE ORIGINAL SHAFT HIMSELF RICHARD ROUNDTREE, WHO PLAYS AN INMATE NAMED STARKS IN THIS MOVIE. OTHER THAN THAT, THIS IS JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRISON MOVIE THAT HAPPENS TO HAVE SOME MARTIAL ARTS IN IT. ''DEATH WARRANT'' DID THIS A LITTLE BETTER.



3. Though there is a "III" in the title, this sequel is totally unrelated to the first to pictures. This film was originally made as "Force to Fight" but was retitled to part of the Bloodfist series when it was released video (Yes, believe it or not this baby was theatrically released). This time we get Don "The Dragon" Wilson being wrongfully accused of a crime and being sent to prison and is "forced to fight" in order to say alive, much like the Van Damne picture Death Warrent. Not a terrible low budget action outing, but far from the best in the overly long series.



4. First of all in my opinion; Don 'The Dragon' Wilson is a brilliant fighter. I have seen some of his actual fights and he's just as good in the ring as well as on camera. This movie doesn't continue from the first and second volume of bloodfist although it has the same title name but the character has a different name. The main thing is that the fight scenes are just as good as the first two. My favourite fight scene is when he matched up with Stan 'the man' Longinidis an australian and Kickboxing Legend. Bloodfist 1,2 & 3 are far better than the rest of the bloodfist series.



5. Bloodfist 3 is probably the most average film in the Bloodfist series. It doesn't have the story strength of the 4th and 5th entry, or the martial arts action of the 1st and 2nd, but it has more appeal than the last 3 Bloodfist films, which tended to fuse out on action and overall interest. While this is a typical prison movie, it somehow held my interest. The story was simple and action was decent, but I think its the fact that the production value on such a film wasn't too shabby that held it all together in the end.
   
   The story is rather simple, and is basically the bad guys of the prison (in ties with the warden) wanting the good guys dead. Jimmy Boland (Wilson) is the reason tensions grow so high, after he kills a man who raped and killed a younger man. The man Jimmy kills was the lead supplier of drugs etc. in the prison, and the guy who used to receive them free of charge gets upset real quick. He gathers a group of inmates to take out Jimmy, leading to several fights here and there. Impressive fights that look great, but don't last too long. Eventually, with the help of a wise and older black guy, most of the gang decides there is no point to fight, but the bad guy and one of his buddys still want revenge and begin to kill particular inmates. The ending isn't quite as exciting as I had hoped, and there is a final fight but it wasn't too exciting. There is a pleasant conclusion to the story though.
   
   The acting, characters and action are actually ok for this kind of movie. I actually expected worse, and while there isn't much to the story, the film still had my attention. Pacing between action and important scenes of dialouge seemed to work well, and there were even a few scenes of some decent and uplifting words (though perhaps a little cheesy to some). A bit above average overall, this isn't the strongest entry in the series, but its not the worst either.