Reviews (5)

Call him Mr. Shatter!
Back in the 70's, England's Hammer Studios contracted with the famous Shaw Brothers to produce a few movies in Hong Kong. Only two ever came from the union, this tepid movie and the much better Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1979).

I think the idea behind this movie was to combine the action of kung fu, whose popularity was in full swing thanks to Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973) and the grittiness of Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1972). This hybrid fell short of this lofty goal. Actually, it didn't even come close to the mark, as this movie really sucked rotten eggs. I hesitate to mention this movie with those two, truly wonderful achievements in cinema history, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you're in for here.

Craggy faced actor Stuart Whitman, probably best known for his television work from the early 50's through the 70's, stars as Shatter, a hit man contracted to kill an African dictator. He completes his assignment, returns to Hong Kong to collect his fee, only to discover the double cross is on and finds himself in the position of being a marked man. It turns out he was hired through his normal channels, but only by someone who intended on using Shatter as a patsy, and now he is wanted by various governments and mafias.

As Shatter tries to sort out the mess, he meets a master martial artist Tai Pah (Lung Ti). Shatter makes a deal with Tai Pah, promising him half the money he intends to collect for his services render if martial artist will help keep Shatter alive long enough to get the money. This offers the showing of much martial artistry, and while interesting; it didn't really seem to be on par with some of the other Shaw Brothers' releases.

I do give credit where credit is due, as the plot, while fairly complicated, seemed well laid out, and also, the movie did follow it pretty much all the way until the end. Also, as the film was shot on location in Hong Kong, providing a sense of claustrophobia while in the city, but also giving some really beautiful views in and around Hong Kong. The biggest problem, in my opinion, with the movie was that it was just boring more often than not. The action would pick up, and then die out, making for a sense of herky jerkiness (stop, start, stop, start) kind of like driving a car with new brakes. While Stuart Whitman was a serviceable actor, I felt nothing for the character, cared not if he lived or died.

The star power in this movie comes from veteran actor Peter Cushing and Anton Diffring, Fahrenheit 451 (1966) and Circus of Horrors (1960), although neither actor appears for any great length of time in this film, but fans of Cushing might find interest here if they're looking to complete a collection.

I commend Anchor Bay on their release, as the movie looks really good in this wide screen format, and there are even some real extras, like a commentary track, a trailer, and a couple of TV spots. There is also a featurette about various Hammer releases, which I've seen included on other Anchor Bay releases of Hammer films. Even with the extras, the best I could give this film would be 2 ½ stars, as it was just a difficult and uninteresting release to sit through. Oh yeah, listen for Shatter's own personal theme music, in that 'wak ki cha' style of the 70's. Nowhere near as entertaining as John Shaft's theme music, but somewhat interesting.

Quite good for fans of Stuart Whitman.
The print is excellent but what makes this DVD worth purchasing is the audio commentary. The uncredited director Monte Hellman offers some insight into the trouble bound production. Stuart Whitman's commentary is recorded in a hotel room and is not as clear as I would have liked,though his stories are fascinating.

Downhill fast
In the early 1970's Hammer films saw their movies slipping, they tried new angles like adding more gore and nudity, but were still falling behind. They decided to join together with Shaw Brothers to make two joint productions that would combine the martial arts elements that Shaw Brothers used with some british actors and some of the elements Hammer was known for. The first result was Legend of the seven golden vampires or the Seven brothers meet Dracula as it called in the states once it was released several years after it was made. That film had it's share of good points and it's share of the bad, which is more than I can say for the second collaberation.

I wasn't expecting Enter the Dragon, but I thought it would have some decent action and maybe a fair spy - drama type plot because Hammer had put out some decent thrillers in the sixties. The plot is like a third rate 70's cop show, guys with lots of guns and very little charater or sense. The fight scenes are not of the terribly phoney variety, but just pretty lame and unspectacular with the sole exception being the final fight scene. It says something when you cannot make a tournament with fighters of varied styles the least bit interesting.

Stuart Whitman is really quite bad, maybe not at first, but he gets old quick. Anton Diffring and Petet Cushing have small roles, but they make the best of them. The sets and scenery are good and as usual, Anchor Bay did a good job of releasing a very sharp looking product. This film is actually qite hard to watch in one sitting because it just tends to drone on and on. The one star is largely for Cushing and Diffring.

Only Slim Whitman could've been worse.
Hammer studios known by most for their gripping horror films, produced this drama "Shatter". The only horror in Shatter is Stuart Whitman's acting. Shatter (Whitman) is a hitman whose government turns on him, framing him for a murder they put him up to. Mayhem and martial arts ensue. Lots of nice scenery, action, and a special appearance by Peter Cushing in his last Hammer film. Once you view this film you will understand why Whitman was cursed to play baddies in 70's television cop shows....who loves ya baby?

Bulletproof.
Everybody trashes this movie it seems, even its own director (Carreras) hated it. But how anyone can hate a movie blessed with the presence of Cushing is a tall question indeed. -He's wonderful in a rather small part, one I understand he even did more or less as a favor to Hammer boss Carreras. The action scenes involving gun-fights and car-chases are nice to watch, but because the Shaw Brothers co-produced we sadly have to endure some martial arts stuff as well. Not only is this a Hammer film with the great sir Peter, but two other faves of mine are also featured; Stuart Whitman and Anton Diffring. By no means a great movie, but most certainly not the terrible mess some would have you believe, either. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hammer Studios prefigured both the explosion of Bermuda Triangle thrillers and "lost world" adventures with this appropriately gothic 1968 fantasy. Eric Porter stars as the brooding captain of a decrepit scow smuggling illegal explosives with a questionable crew and a desperate cadre of passengers (including Hildegard Kneff, Suzanna Leigh, and Tony Beckley) into a hurricane. The initial melodrama turns to high-seas adventure as the ship battles the storm with volatile cargo and finally to a strange, moody fantasy. The ship becomes entangled in a creeping tangle of aggressive weeds that pulls the vessel deep into a twilight world of monstrous mollusks, snakelike vines with a taste for human flesh, and an insular society descended from rogue elements of the Spanish Inquisition who prey upon the unlucky ships dragged to their hidden island. Rotting galleons set against the creepy orange sky create an unsettling, alien world, like a psychedelic spin on Jules Verne. If the film doesn't match the chills of earlier Hammer thrillers, it more than makes up for it in pure atmosphere and eerie mood. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Creepy Continent
I've always liked Hammer films. This one was a pretty good one for
its genre (1968 I think). The movie begins with a group of passengers on a (nope not a cruise ship) converted garbage scow
maybe, with a beyond dangerous cargo that the Captain of the ship
doesn't fill them in on till they are about to sink.

They soon abandon ship and start drifting thru some pretty nasty
seaweed (it apparently is hungry). Soon they end up back on the same
ship? after drifting for days. Oh yeah there's alot of fog and gloomy
settings which make the film really eerie.
It drags in some spots but picks up with a cool scene with a giant
octopus with one glass/green eye snagging one of the babes.
There is also another scene where a nasty looking hermit crab and
a very ... off scorpion do battle. (they're very big of course)
There is no gore in this film so don't bother looking for it

But for some of you oldtimers, me included (in their 40's I mean) that British babe
Dana Gillespie is in the film too, you'll recognize her she's the
one with the nice cleavage and great body
All in all a good film I recommend it ( oh I forgot to mention there is a character by the name of El Supremo) maybe the screenwriter had too many drinks at lunch

Hopelessly lost continent
The film starts aboard a steamer which is carrying a few passengers and (unknown to all, but the captain)illegal explosives. A storm comes up and most of the crew abandons the ship. The remaining crew and passengers end up in a sort of graveyard of old ships and debris. They run into killer seaweed, a shark (we only see a fin) and other strange creatures. Eventually they discover a group of Spanish conquistadors who are trying to pull the ship's crew into serving them. This lopsided script falls apart as it goes along, there are a number of annoying characters and the story goes from the improbable to the ridiculous. The monsters in this film are terrible! Hammer often did a good job of making a film look more expensive than, but instead of just giving brief glances they decided to give us close-ups of these "creatures" that look like rejects from an Irwin Allen show. The good points of this film are that it is not boring, it does have some good action and moves along fairly well. The cast also deserves credit for keeping straight faces throughout this film and really giving their best effort even when they faced hoses disguised as seweed, rubber monsters and balloon shoes. This film is worth seeing, but not one of Hammer's better moments.

Hammer Studios Meets Dennis Wheatley
I just had the chance to view an old classic from Hammer Films. I refer to The Lost Continent which was based on the book UNCHARTED SEAS by Dennis Wheatley.

A tramp steamer sets out from Africa under the control of a strange captain. Aboard the steamer is a fortune in illegal explosives and some very desperate passengers. So desperate are the passengers that when notified of an oncoming hurricane they decide to press onward and not turn back. But before the hurricane hits and accident with the anchor ruptures the ships hull. Water is pouring into the hold where the illegal phosphor is stored. Some of the crew abandons ship in a failed mutiny. The rest, as well as the passengers, move the deadly cargo to drier parts. As the hurricane begins to hit the captain decides that they must all abandon ship.

Once in the life boat things get worse and stranger. With tensions high and tempers short fights break out. But before they can escalate to high the small craft finds itself amongst some strange seaweed. Once the weed proves deadly the survivors become indrawn until they bump into a ship stuck in the weed. The ship turns out to be their own and they reboard. They drift with the weed to a graveyard of ships located amongst some uncharted islands. Here the survivors find that others have survived as well. Descendants of many ships manage to survive including some Spanish Conquistadores and some very hungry monsters. A battle ensues and the ships survivors defeat the Spanish leaders and vow to keep trying to escape.

The Lost Continent was originally released in the late sixties and because of that suffers from a slow pace. But the pace is the only fault I find with this film. As one of Hammer's most elaborate and expensive films it stands as a classic. To insure the films quality, Hammer Films imported Bob Mattey, the special effects master from Disney, to handle the effects. From the film's beginning we are plunged into eeriness. Slowly the strangeness builds and we become convinced of the captain's madness. One of the passengers is even seen reading the Dennis Wheatley book. The film manages to convince the viewer of how desperate the characters are; a rare accomplishment. This one is really worth watching.

Pretty bad, but possesses an undeniable charm
I remember seeing this flick many years back on TV; it kept my interest for the first hour and ten minutes or so, right up to when the colossal creatures appeared. They're so laughably bad I was FORCED to tune out.

After becoming a fan of Dana Gillespie (see her in "The People That Time Forgot" to learn WHY), and finding out she appeared in this pic, I ended up buying it on DVD. An open-minded second-look reveals a pretty bad movie indeed, but a bad movie with a certain charm.

Quite a few reviewers state that there is no lost continent in the picture; this is not true. When the cast are in the Sargasso sea area you can clearly see mountainous land in the background; in fact, a character even proclaims at one point, "Look -- land!" Some of the cast even end up walking on the "lost continent" which is where they run into the laughable monsters (giant crab, giant lobster, etc.).

What works: Lots of action and adventure. Eric Porter as Captain Lansen is strong. The human-eating seaweed. The surreal sets for the orangey Sargasso Sea of shipwrecks are great. Dana Gillespie is beautiful. The balloon shoes and harnesses are creative. The plot generally keeps your interest, although the writing is weak.

What doesn't work: Except for Dana Gillespie (Sarah) the characters are all rather unlikeable. The creature F/X are horrible (did I already mention that?). Mediocre writing.

Final Analysis: "The Lost Continent" is certainly not one of Hammer's masterpieces, in fact, it's quite cheesy; but it's enjoyable for those of us who are attracted to "lost continent"-type adventure flicks. And Dana Gillespie doesn't hurt. Definitely a so-bad-it's-good guilty pleasure.

Incontinent...
Imagine a rusting, leaky, creaky, hulk of a ship loaded with high explosives that go boom when they get damp, a cranky crew, and a passenger list borrowed from the love boat. Now, put these poor wretches through a mutiny, a hurricane (in a lifeboat), a shark attack, and being lost at sea. Next, add a tangled mess of killer seaweed. Then, throw in a spanish galleon full of pirates / conquistadors / inquisitors and big-boobed babes who walk around on the killer seaweed in balloon shoes (I'm not kidding)! Finally, toss in a few floppy, rubber "monsters", hand-made by four year olds, and you've got THE LOST CONTINENT. The title is interesting, considering the fact that NO continent, lost or otherwise, ever appears in this film! Just lots of seaweed, boredom, and plot threads that add up to nothing in particular. With all that's going on in this movie, you'd think it couldn't possibly stink. Think again... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Deep in the African jungle, great white hunter David Marchant (Michael Latimer) discovers a secret Amazon society where blondes don't have more fun. Captured after trespassing on the sacred grounds of a dangerous tribe of albino-rhino worshippers, he escapes execution by entering a hidden land where women in fur bikinis have enslaved the men, and the brunettes are served by subservient (and quite buxom) blonde slaves. Naturally David falls for cleavage-endowed Saria (Edina Ronay), who believes he is their legendary savior, while the vicious, dark Queen Kari (Martine Beswick) decides to make him her own personal servant to cater to her... every need. Director-producer Michael Carreras (who also wrote the film under the pseudonym "Henry Younger") reused leftover sets from One Million Years B.C. and never leaves the confines of the studio for this campy bit of jungle-woman cheese, which threatens to become overwhelmed by its claustrophobic atmosphere. We get tribal "hoochie-koochie" dances, a Vegas floor show by the blondes, sacrifices to the "devils of the darkness" (with such regularity you have to wonder how they haven't run out of candidates), and Queen Kari takes a milk bath à la Cleopatra. Beswick is the only performer who hits the right note of overheated melodrama; the other cast members seem to be taking this goofy claptrap far more seriously than it deserves. Beware the white rhinoceros! --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Slave Girls of the White Rhino!
Not to be confused with a low-rent American movie of the same name made in 1950, Prehistoric Women was written and directed by Hammer producer Michael Carreras in 1966, on redressed sets left over from Hammer's One Million BC.
Definitely an excuse to find a way to reuse the sets, and no dinosaurs this time around, but the film is so outrageously, unapologetically campy that it's complete bliss.

Terminally sincere great white hunter David touches the sacred horn of the statue of the White Rhino while in Africa, and is transported back in time, where he discovers a tribe of White Rhino-worshipping brunettes, who have enslaved all the blonde women, and sent all the men to an even worse fate doing hard labor.

Martine Beswick is just great as the evil and cruel queen Kari, who chooses David for her love slave. Unfortunatly, David has eyes for innocent blonde slave girl Saria, and....

This flick has everything, wildly loopy Amazon dance numbers, sacficial rituals, catfights, jungle action, babes in fur bikinis, outrageous dialog ("Cruelty is what makes me cruel!"), and a climax where the White Rhino comes to life (who cares if it moves like it's rolling on wheels....besides, no real rhino could have such an wonderfully phallic horn). Beswick puts a lot more into the role of Queen Kari than one would expect from this sort of movie--she definitely has more commanding presence (in more ways than one) than Raquel Welch, for example.

It's obvious director Carraras didn't take any of it with an ounce of seriousness, even though it's all played as though it is. His original working title was "Slave Girls of the White Rhino", which I think is a much better title than Prehistoric Women. Still, a sheer, delerious delight.

Anchor Bay's letterbox transfer is great (and is featured on the VHS tape as well as the DVD). The letterboxing is vital for this flick, since for some reason Carreras decided to go against typical Hammer practice and do this one in genuine widescreen Cinemascope....probably because you can fit a lot more prehistoric babes in one shot that way.

Beware of this one, Bwana...
I really didn't have high hopes for Prehistoric Women (1967) on the outset, but I never one to shy away from the potential goodness to be had in a film with fur-lined, bikini clad, prehistoric women, so I decided to give it a try. Then I saw the opening credits...produced, written and directed by Michael Carerras?! This is the man responsible for other Hammer Studios bum rides as The Lost Continent (1968) and Shatter (1974). It might as well have said 'Abandon all hope ye who enter here...' Oh well, bring on the pain...

The film stars Michael Latimer as David, a hunter with a conscious, and one who guides less experienced hunters through the jungle in search of big game. After his current client wounds a jungle cat, David tracks it to put it out of its' misery, and finds himself trespassing on sacred land, the Land of the White Rhino. Apparently hunting on these lands by outsiders is forbidden, and after David kills the cat, he's quickly accosted by a group of natives. The penalty? Death...but before the sentence can be carried out, something happens, and David finds himself transported to another land, maybe even another time...the time of the prehistoric women!

After coming across a fair-hair girl in a fur bikini, David and the girl, named Saria (Edina Roney), they're both captured by a group of dark haired women, also in fur bikinis. The two are taken to a populated clearing, and here we meet Kari, played by Martine Beswick. Kari also sports the same type of wardrobe as the other women, but she has more adornments, suggesting she might be higher up in the social food chain. And she is, as we soon learn that she is the queen. So Kari is the queen, the dark haired women are her power base, and the blonde haired women are slaves. Well, that certainly makes things easy to keep track of...but where are the men? A case of spontaneous female population? And all lovely ones at that?

Kari, taken with David, decides to take him for herself, but David has already made a connection with Saria, and, after witnessing Kari's cruelty towards the blonde hair slaves, he's not inclined to fall in with her, refusing to become a willing slave himself. This angers Kari, and she orders him to be thrown in a cave. Within the cave we see chained men slaving away doing busy work, all looking much worse for wear. It was around this time I started getting an ache in my head...

So what happens? Well there is a plot thread dealing with the blonde haired women speaking of rebelling against the tyrant Kari and her group, another plot thread involving the marrying of slave girls to jungle demons as a sort of sacrifice to appease the demons, and yet another dealing with a legend of the white rhino linked with spiritual bondage, none of which made very much sense. There is plenty of dancing and jungle music throughout the film, both men and women, so if that's your thing, you be pleased. It's not my thing, and I got even more of an ache in my head.

The film finally begins to wrap up after awhile (it has a 90 minute running time) and we are treated to a somewhat exciting climatic battle royal involving the brunettes, the blondes, the male slaves, David, supposedly demon jungle spirits...and a white rhinoceros...criminey...I guess if you have really lame and inane plot threads running throughout your movie, it's best to keep throwing different elements at the audience, in hopes that they won't notice how little sense it all makes. It reminds me of a magician, drawing your attention to one hand while doing something with his other hand. Only problem here is both hands, figuratively speaking, contained steaming piles so drawing our attention any which way only further highlighted how lame an affair this really is...oh, I will say the women were nice to look at, but given they were supposed to be of the prehistoric kind, they seemed to be awfully well groomed, despite the obvious lack of personal hygiene products. They also had quite the excellent grasp of English, some even having English accents! So, does David escape this savage land, ruled by half nekkid women? Would he want to? What's the secret behind the legend of the white rhino? Honestly, I stopped caring about much of anything regarding this film long before it this point, but I always try to finish what I start, so I clung on until the bitter end. And it did end, with a twist that was so very obvious and contrived I literally groaned.

Anchor Bay Entertainment provides a good looking, wide screen print here along with a few nice extras. Included is a theatrical trailer, TV spots, and a World of Hammer episode titled Lands Before Time, highlighting some of Hammer's cinematic forays into times long since past. There is also a nice little reproduction of the original theatrical poster for the film inside the DVD case. I'll leave you with a nugget of goodness from the film...after killing a slave girl, Queen Kari commands the other slave girls to dance, to which one replies, "When the heart is heavy, the feet are not light."

Cookieman108

Defines "camp classic"
Rhino-worshipping jungle brunettes dominate hapless jungle blondes who strive to be free in this fantastic nonsense-movie. For a film with such a simple dynamic, there are a surprising number of diversions from the main plot. These are very entertaining (dances, weddings, catfights) although they're obviously filler, padding out the film to feature length with eye candy. Definitely a late-night or rainy Saturday afternoon feature.

Some reviewers have said that "Prehistoric Women" is missing 16 minutes of footage, but that's incorrect! Actually "Prehistoric Women" is the American version that runs 16 minutes longer (90 minutes) than the 74-minute British release, titled "Slave Girls." THIS IS THE U.S. RELEASE - THE LONG VERSION. Thanks Anchor Bay!

Campy and Fantastic!
This movie is a silly, but very charming effort from the sixties, my favourite decade. It is a little scary and very sexy at the same time. It has: great soundtrack, gorgeous gals, beautiful sets, talented actors and actresses, a wonderful mood and MARTINE BESWICK, one of the most amazing women who ever entered the silver screen. A tale of adventures iin the kingdom of the prehistoric ladies, presented in a TOTALLY SIXTIES-STYLE. A MUST for everyone who loves campy flicks!

It all ends too soon!
Any red-blooded male WILL LOVE this film if you enjoy watching movies. It's a society that you will, at least twice in your life, dream of being in.

If you are a woman you will probably hope for it more than twice. Perhaps it is already reality for you.

I was exposed to this movie via the Hammer Trailer extra DVD included on another DVD and had to order it right away. I've seen this film only once before - probably chopped up on TV. Unfortunately the male lead is never truly dominated by The Goddess Kari -- "yeah" for some of you and a negative for others.

Well, I only judge the films by the quality of the DVD. This one is three stars -- the middle of the lot. Pure mono soundtrack, however it does not fade during loud parts. The picture is not too bad, a nice widescreen presentation at 2:35 to 1 and it's not totally clear but for a 1966/1967 films it sits well with me.

Most ordinary people probably won't like this movie -- and I can tell that already by the reviews, but if you are building a Hammer collection this should be included. I would like to go back in time to see how this film was received when originally released. I can almost hear the guffaws! Personally, I like it a lot and it's one that I will watch more than once per year.

What's the best part of this movie? Martine Beswick -- just like everyone else says! Her appeal is powerful, and the Hammer studios captured it. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Call him Mr. Shatter!
Back in the 70's, England's Hammer Studios contracted with the famous Shaw Brothers to produce a few movies in Hong Kong. Only two ever came from the union, this tepid movie and the much better Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1979).

I think the idea behind this movie was to combine the action of kung fu, whose popularity was in full swing thanks to Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973) and the grittiness of Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1972). This hybrid fell short of this lofty goal. Actually, it didn't even come close to the mark, as this movie really sucked rotten eggs. I hesitate to mention this movie with those two, truly wonderful achievements in cinema history, but I wanted to give you an idea of what you're in for here.

Craggy faced actor Stuart Whitman, probably best known for his television work from the early 50's through the 70's, stars as Shatter, a hit man contracted to kill an African dictator. He completes his assignment, returns to Hong Kong to collect his fee, only to discover the double cross is on and finds himself in the position of being a marked man. It turns out he was hired through his normal channels, but only by someone who intended on using Shatter as a patsy, and now he is wanted by various governments and mafias.

As Shatter tries to sort out the mess, he meets a master martial artist Tai Pah (Lung Ti). Shatter makes a deal with Tai Pah, promising him half the money he intends to collect for his services render if martial artist will help keep Shatter alive long enough to get the money. This offers the showing of much martial artistry, and while interesting; it didn't really seem to be on par with some of the other Shaw Brothers' releases.

I do give credit where credit is due, as the plot, while fairly complicated, seemed well laid out, and also, the movie did follow it pretty much all the way until the end. Also, as the film was shot on location in Hong Kong, providing a sense of claustrophobia while in the city, but also giving some really beautiful views in and around Hong Kong. The biggest problem, in my opinion, with the movie was that it was just boring more often than not. The action would pick up, and then die out, making for a sense of herky jerkiness (stop, start, stop, start) kind of like driving a car with new brakes. While Stuart Whitman was a serviceable actor, I felt nothing for the character, cared not if he lived or died.

The star power in this movie comes from veteran actor Peter Cushing and Anton Diffring, Fahrenheit 451 (1966) and Circus of Horrors (1960), although neither actor appears for any great length of time in this film, but fans of Cushing might find interest here if they're looking to complete a collection.

I commend Anchor Bay on their release, as the movie looks really good in this wide screen format, and there are even some real extras, like a commentary track, a trailer, and a couple of TV spots. There is also a featurette about various Hammer releases, which I've seen included on other Anchor Bay releases of Hammer films. Even with the extras, the best I could give this film would be 2 ½ stars, as it was just a difficult and uninteresting release to sit through. Oh yeah, listen for Shatter's own personal theme music, in that 'wak ki cha' style of the 70's. Nowhere near as entertaining as John Shaft's theme music, but somewhat interesting.

Quite good for fans of Stuart Whitman.
The print is excellent but what makes this DVD worth purchasing is the audio commentary. The uncredited director Monte Hellman offers some insight into the trouble bound production. Stuart Whitman's commentary is recorded in a hotel room and is not as clear as I would have liked,though his stories are fascinating.

Downhill fast
In the early 1970's Hammer films saw their movies slipping, they tried new angles like adding more gore and nudity, but were still falling behind. They decided to join together with Shaw Brothers to make two joint productions that would combine the martial arts elements that Shaw Brothers used with some british actors and some of the elements Hammer was known for. The first result was Legend of the seven golden vampires or the Seven brothers meet Dracula as it called in the states once it was released several years after it was made. That film had it's share of good points and it's share of the bad, which is more than I can say for the second collaberation.

I wasn't expecting Enter the Dragon, but I thought it would have some decent action and maybe a fair spy - drama type plot because Hammer had put out some decent thrillers in the sixties. The plot is like a third rate 70's cop show, guys with lots of guns and very little charater or sense. The fight scenes are not of the terribly phoney variety, but just pretty lame and unspectacular with the sole exception being the final fight scene. It says something when you cannot make a tournament with fighters of varied styles the least bit interesting.

Stuart Whitman is really quite bad, maybe not at first, but he gets old quick. Anton Diffring and Petet Cushing have small roles, but they make the best of them. The sets and scenery are good and as usual, Anchor Bay did a good job of releasing a very sharp looking product. This film is actually qite hard to watch in one sitting because it just tends to drone on and on. The one star is largely for Cushing and Diffring.

Only Slim Whitman could've been worse.
Hammer studios known by most for their gripping horror films, produced this drama "Shatter". The only horror in Shatter is Stuart Whitman's acting. Shatter (Whitman) is a hitman whose government turns on him, framing him for a murder they put him up to. Mayhem and martial arts ensue. Lots of nice scenery, action, and a special appearance by Peter Cushing in his last Hammer film. Once you view this film you will understand why Whitman was cursed to play baddies in 70's television cop shows....who loves ya baby?

Bulletproof.
Everybody trashes this movie it seems, even its own director (Carreras) hated it. But how anyone can hate a movie blessed with the presence of Cushing is a tall question indeed. -He's wonderful in a rather small part, one I understand he even did more or less as a favor to Hammer boss Carreras. The action scenes involving gun-fights and car-chases are nice to watch, but because the Shaw Brothers co-produced we sadly have to endure some martial arts stuff as well. Not only is this a Hammer film with the great sir Peter, but two other faves of mine are also featured; Stuart Whitman and Anton Diffring. By no means a great movie, but most certainly not the terrible mess some would have you believe, either. ... Read more