Reviews (8)

an unfairly treated ELVIS " movie.
from the very first time i saw this film, i've been convinced that Elvis can act as well as sing. Unfortunately, he was not given too many chances to do so. His performance is credible, noteworthy, and unforgettable. The up-state NEW YORK scenery is beautiful,the veteran actors also in the movie- GIG YOUNG, CHARLES BRONSON, ED ASNER, all give outstanding performances.
The songs may have been few, KING OF THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, I GOT LUCKY, etc, but still Elvis at his best.This movie is my favorite Elvis flick hands down. PLEASE MGM produce this movie on DVD FULLSCREEN AND WIDESCREEN 5:1 DOLBY DIGITAL . DO IT SOON, FOR I WANT TO ADD IT TO MY COLLECTION. THANKS,oldugly1911

Not enough meat on the bones
This was Elvis' first "bad" movie, in my opinion. The reasons for this lie in the awkward, and unnecessary, interpolation of musical numbers which bear little relevance to the on-screen action. While the film has a nice look, the locale is especially pleasant, and the supporting cast is good (particularly Gig Young) "Kid Galahad" strays from its original dramatic source to focus more on current youth fads such as tight sweaters and the Twist.
The film is burdened with lightweight, disposable songs (with the exception of "King of the Whole Wide World"), and concentrates more on standard boy-girl frolics than on the central dramatic story of a seriously gifted prize-fighter. Even with Charles Bronson and an uncredited Ed Asner in the supporting cast (indicating that the original intention was to make a solid action-drama film)"Kid Galahad" is the first serious mis-step in Elvis's film catalogue. With few exceptions, his subsequent films virtually jettisoned drama in favour of pop-gloss.

Elvis' best from United Artists.
"Kid Galahad" stars Elvis as an ex-G.I. who comes back to his hometown in upper state New York. Beautiful scenery, I might add. He wants to be an auto mechanic after returning from the Army, but instead he's reluctantly roped into being trained to be a boxer. Elvis has an anvil-fist and an iron jaw. Soon, he becomes boxing champ nicknamed "Kid Galahad". Joan Blackman returns and plays Elvis' love interest and the sister of the boxing camp owner Gig Young. Great picture formula, great songs and beautiful and breathtaking mountain scenery. Recommend this must-see to everyone.

Excellent Boxing Movie
KID GALAHAD (1962) is an excellent boxing movie. If you liked the ROCKY series, you will enjoy this movie of an ex-GI who has a winning knock-out punch. Elvis is credible as a boxer. The rags to riches story also rings true.

The opening scene is unforgettable with Elvis riding on the back of a Mayflower truck singing KING OF THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. There are six songs including I GOT LUCKY.

This is a remake of a 1937 movie that starred Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. The 1937 version was directed by Michael Cutiz who directed Casablanca and the Elvis movie King Creole. The movie examines the corruption of boxing and the gambling and crime associated with it.

Oscar-winner Gig Young is excellent as the promoter and DEATH WISH's Charles Bronson gives a spectacular performance as the trainer.

Elvis' acting is very good here. The song sequences are excellent especially one where Elvis and Young and Bronson are riding in a jalopy that Elvis restored and then painted red.

A man who can sing when he ain't got a thing, he's the king of the whole wide world. Indeed. Nobody proved it better than Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll and the Artist of the Century.

Kid Galahad- A Pleasant Surprise
I have not seen the original "Kid Galahad", but this one was very good, compared to anything, not just Elvis' other movies. I wouldn't agree with the "Oh well, at least it's not as bad as his others" angle that many seem to take. I think anyone would enjoy it. It has a good cast surrounding Elvis, most notably Gig Young and Charles Bronson. This movie also further proves that Elvis was a good actor, given the chance. The whole movie just seems to click, somehow. And about the songs, give them a break! It's an Elvis movie. The man can sing! Let him! Be thankful it wasn't a musical. It had a few songs, yes, but that fact is not nearly as annoying as others try to paint it. It had a great depiction of the corruption of the boxing industry, and some good fighting scenes. Elvis looked like he enjoyed his part and was interested, contrary to many other opinions, and by no means was he "chubby". He was very well-built, and worked with a real-life boxing trainer, who said that Elvis could've been a professional fighter. So anyone who says he wasn't convincing as a boxer should take a second look. Watch this movie, not compared to anything, but just as the movie itself, and there's a big chance you'll enjoy it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ben and Danny Forever
This movie starts directly after Willard Stiles dies. The Police decide to kill all the rat that Willard trained. The rats move to leave Willard's house and live in the sewer. One day Ben gets hungry so he goes to The house of a boy named Danny's house.Danny makes friends with him and Danny gives him food. Danny writes a song called ''Ben's song'' for Ben. Ben shows Danny his home in the sewer. The police find out where all the rats live and Kill them all. Danny goes home Heartbroken.
Then Danny sees Ben in his room with a broken Leg. Danny Tends to it while Micheal Jackson is singing "Ben's Song" in the background and as the credits roll.
THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. SEE IT NOW!

Embarassingly dated,yet endearing
Like many who've seen this movie decades after it's release,the theme song sung by Michael Jackson is what made me check it out.Whereas Willard was a straight horror film,Ben is a mixture of cute and chills.
Picking up where Willard left off,Ben and his rat army retreat to the sewers while the police try to hunt them down after Willard's murder.In the process,Ben befriends an ill boy,Danny Garrison(Lee Montgomery),which is more endearing than the relationship between Willard & Socrates.
Aside from a view of circa 1972 for pop culture junkies,the best thing about Ben is the friendship between the boy and his rat.The acting,the score and the effects(recycling the same scenes of rats over) are pretty bad.The ending scene with the Jackson sung theme could make you misty eyed.Almost like a precurser to 2001's A.I.
Now that Willard has been remade(with a larger,nastier Ben)and became a box office disappointment,chances for a Ben remake are pretty non existant.It would be interesting to see one,even with a three legged Ben.

The sequel to the original killer rat army film, "Willard"
.... this is just a recycled killer-rat movie where the attack sequences are more polished than in the original, but the originality is gone. The plot picks up right where "Willard" ended, with the army of rats attacking Willard (Bruce Davidson), who made the mistake of falling in love with a girl and forgetting his real friends. The rats hide out in the city sewers while their leader, Ben, goes out looking for food. This is how he encounters Lee Montgomery (David Garrison), another lonely young boy just looking for a little friendship in a cold world. The two indeed become friends, while Ben's rat army (now numbering about 4,000) go out on fun little raids.

This 1972 film from director Phil Carlson, who would go on to do "Walking Tall" the next year, does have the virtue of coming up with a different boy-rat relationship. Poor Lee has a heart condition so there is actually some pathos to his relationship with Ben, whereas Willard lost our sympathy once he had his rats starting eating people. The rat attacks a little more creative, but the end result is somehow less effective that the pure gross-out of the original. If you can find both of them, then this is an obvious double-feature, and with the remake of "Willard" coming out soon I would have to think there will be cheap copies of both films readily available again. I am sure the new film will use awesom CGI effects for all those rats, but there is something to be said for the good old days of rat wranglers.

Sequel to Willard - more a friendship story than horror
Michael Jackson song the theme song into our hearts and history, while Lee Montgomery reminded us of what it was like to not have friends.
A sequel to the highly successful horror movie, WILLARD. The story begins with Willard and Ben arguing at home & moves to the touching friendship between a lonely, ill boy and an intelligent rat.
The rats may scare the young children, but if they can handle them and the very G rated killings, I do recommend this movie for children over 8. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Censorship and bad cropping give Helm hell!
I've waited many years to see this fearsome foursome of cheese find a decent release in DVD. Sadly, thanks to bad cropping and seemingly random censorship, it still hasn't happened yet.

The four films are, of course, The Silencers, Murderers' Row, The Ambushers, and The Wrecking Crew. (A fifth intallment was storeyboarded but never shot.)

Letting the studio off the hook by saying things like "widescreen areas always crop full frame versions," is being much too gracious in the face of these money-grabbing studio weasels who also CUT entire parts of the film and never even gave you an original trailer.

And I should know about the widescreen concept, since I am, after all, the chairman of the WWS - the Widescreen Watchers Society. (Yes, my organization has a movie site online, but an Amazon review is not the place to plug it by posting links to it.)

Rather I just wanted to point out that it is instead within the "full frame" or "standard screen" format that all cropping takes place. The most dominant style is pan-and -scan, which is done by zooming in on whatever the TV film editor decides is the most important area on screen at any given moment.

That's why you often end up with the ridiculous sight of one person chattering happily away to the air for long periods of time, since you can't see the other person he's talking to. And because of the zoom effect, naturally you also get a more blurred focus on the overall picture.

But a presentation in widescreen, whether it be a regular rectangle (Vista-Vision style) or a more narrow rectangle (Panavison style), or somewhere in between, never crops and/or zooms in after the fact at any point - resulting in a vast difference of ultimate picture composition in crystal clarity, giving you the best total viewing experience possible - which is why the original director filmed it that way for its theatrical release in the first place!

How today's studios stamping out inferior DVDs think the public will never notice such a huge difference is completely mind-boggling! And who buys most of the DVDs of older movies anyway? Film buffs who are very picky about such things to begin with!

RECOMMENDATION: Wait until all four films are put out together in an improved deluxe edition - TRUE widescreen (non-cropped and non-censored), featuring behind the scenes featurettes (which they shot back in the '60s as long commercials for such films), surviving crew interviews, trailers, etc. Otherwise, forget it.

Hey, Rat Pack fans - or just fans of Dean Martin in general - you know ol' Dino deserves far BETTER than this shoddy treatment! Mama mia!

Funniest spy spoof ever
Although I loved reading James Bond books and Matt Helm books, I also enjoyed the first movies of those books very much. After "Thunderball" 007 moved further away from the book each new movie. In the meantime I discovered Matt Helm on film. The first film was a very humorous impression of the book "The Silencers". Dean Martin, to me, was a very good choice for the Helm-figure. His jokes appealed to me, especially the autoradio-joke on his own hit-music. Also the joke with the reverse-firing gun takes care of some fun. But I must admit: Stella Stevens' appearance was the real finishing touch. I still have a clear image in my mind (after 33 years) of the scene where Helm tears off her dress in the hotel room. I guess it must be considered now a typical 60's movie, but reviewing it will undoubtedly amuse you again. If so ... you could also try other Helm-movies, especially "The ambushers", and another amusing Spy spoof, with James Coburn, called "Derek Flint". You could even try Bond's own spoof "Casino Royale", but that's very much pop-art and confusing, next to being funny. Even if you don't like secret agents you can enjoy these movies. But ""The silencers" is the best as a try-out!

The Silencers Revisited
Dean Martin's Matt Helm and James Coburn's Derek Flint were both well done serio-comic Superspies in the James Bond genre. While the two Flint flicks have been available on DVD for some time, The Silencers is the first Matt Helm film to make it to DVD. After watching The Silencers, my only question is--When will the rest of the Matt Helm movies be available on DVD?

Glad I Read Reviews
As much as I would like to have this movie on DVD, I would
not buy this issue because of the reviews posted here. When
are studios going to get it? We don't want DVD issues of movies
that are sub-standard or something that is different than
theatrical release.

A word about The Silencers.
This is a very nice transfer to DVD and only appears cropped to other reviewers because this is the way audiences saw it in the theater almost forty years ago. The 1.85:1 widescreen area is indeed cropping the full frame but the cropped area was never meant to be seen. Only television introduced the full frame area to viewers. To fully understand this one must discard his ignorance of projected film formats and do some research in this area. That way, a decent film to video transfer like this one won't receive such bad billing and we can all be happy! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cobra Venom Is The Weapon
The killer uses venom from a cobra to eliminate his victims in this film. Sidney Toler plays Chan and the cast includes Benson Fong as Tommie Chan and Manton Moreland in the role of Birmingham Brown. Fong and Moreland are really quite good as a comic team. George Callahan and George Wallace Sayre handle the screen play. THE SHANGHAI COBRA is one of the better entries in the Chan series.

By Far The Best Monogram Chan movie
"The Shanghai Cobra" is my favorite of the Monogram Charlie Chans. It is beautifully atmospheric in the opening scenes, and I think Phil Karlson, the director (his first of two Chan outings, the other being "Dark Alibi" [1946]which is also worth watching)adds alot of these great effects, making it an enjoyable mystery that will keep you guessing. The comedy in this entry is superb with a wordplay gag about "u-turns" running all through the film. The sets and the noticable shadows and darkness make it almost like a "film noir" movie. Some action takes place in the sewers below the bank that they are doing investigations in(more darkness.)I also enjoyed the "flashback" when they showed Charlie Chan in his visit to Shanghai in '36 and '37. A fun film, a good mystery, and atmospheric at the same time, I would recommend this film highly to any Charlie Chan fan. Excuse, Please...

One of the best Chans, and miraculous for a Monogram
Low-budget Monogram Pictures usually did a serviceable job with its Charlie Chan mysteries, but this one is exceptional. Thoughtful direction and excellent camerawork give the film far more atmosphere and production polish than usual, aided by a good cast of familiar character actors. If you've never seen a Monogram Chan, try this.

This is one of the better Monogram Chans.
This mystery concerns the murder of several victims by cobra bites. It has Mantan Moreland and Benson Fong again getting into trouble as usual. The criminals' objective is to rob a bank vault of a valuable government depository of radium. The viewer must follow the plot closely since the denouement when Chan finally corners the leader occurs rapidly. This film uses the new invention of television well as part of the criminals' devices. The running gag in this film concerns Birmingham getting an illegal U-turn ticket and saying "But you said 'No, you turn here! So I turned!'" At the end of the film, Chan himself gets an illegal U-turn ticket and uses the same excuse to the inspector. "But you say 'No, you turn here!' and everybody ends up laughing. Classic Chan line is "Cannot sell bear skin before shooting bear". ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Made Robert Stack a star
Oh how we remember the great old TV show, The Untouchables. This was the TV movie that started it all starring Robert Stack as Eliot Ness and Neville Brand as Scarface. In black and white with Walter Winchell narrating it, this video has a documentary feel and for it's day, was surprisingly violent and realistic. Of course in this day and age it hardly seems violent, almost naive in fact, which adds to it's charm. It has a wonderful ambience of it's time and place and takes one back to those good old bad days of Chicago gangsters and back to one of the finest TV shows there was. This is a very entertaining show. Wish they'd also make a video out of the two-parter Untouchable special where Scarface (again, Neville Brand) was taken to Alcatraz and tried to escape. In fact, I know there were some VHS tapes released of the old Untouchable tv series. Where are they now? I'd love to add them to my collection. Robert Stack is the quintessential Eliot Ness. This part was made for him.

THE SCARFACE MOB
Great movie. It's a re-run of the old Untouchable series which was on Television in the 50's. Wish they would do a series of these shows on tape. They were great. My husband watched these shows every week and when this video came out I had to buy it. We both enjoyed it greatly.

"Starring Robert Stack as Eliot Ness..."
The DESILU conglomerate introduced its epic, gang-buster TV series, "The Untouchables" in 1960 with THE AL CAPONE story starring Neville Brand as the infamous Chicago crime lord and beer baron. Robert Stack portrayed Eliot Ness, incorruptible Federal agent commissioned to uphold The 18th Amendment (Volstead Act) in roaring 20's-spawned chaos of the Prohibition era. The story...renamed THE SCARFACE MOB for over seas distribution as feature film; reissued as video...was originally shown in two parts. The chart-busting viewer ratings made "The Untouchables" TV's first super series and Robert Stack...as Eliot Ness...first TV super hero. (True: James Arness/ Matt Dillon kept Dodge city honest with GUNSMOKE justice but Ness and his Tommy-gun toting T-men were instant TV phenomenon.)

The CAPONE story (the entire series) is filmed in gritty black and white with Walter Winchell blaring lurid, tabloid narration at strategic moments. The effect of "death-action" documentary is startling. For its time, "The Untouchables" was a jarringly violent program. Hails of machine-gun fire punctuate episodes like theme music. (In the series, opening teasers characteristically focused on Untouchables speak-easy/brewery raids; mob hits; or brutal, gang-war battle.) Key players making their "bones" in THE SCARFACE MOB are: Bruce Gordon as Capone's chief enforcer, Frank Nitti; Neremiah Persoff as Syndicate book juggler, "Greasy Thumb" Jake Guzzack; and Keenan Whynn as an ex-convict heroically and tragically helping Ness in the city where the mayor (Bill Thompson)was open patron and payrollee of Al Capone. THE SCARFACE MOB is violently paced with Capone's release from prison into immediate confrontation with Ness and his agents. St Valentines Day and gun battles galore fill an action-packed two hours that brings Capone to his knees in the ironically "lame" income tax conviction that imprisons him for 11 years; part of which was spent in Alcatraz specifically designed for Public Enemy, Scarface Al. Fans of the series will no doubt miss the jagged, fusion-jazz theme song that was The Untouchables anthem. By the end of the series' run, Eliot Ness and his men had jailed just about every notorius hoodlum who ever hiked a sub-machine gun. The Untouchables became "equal oportunity destroyers" of gangsters of every ilk and pinstripe. But, this opening episode (based on the book by Oscar Frawley and Eliot Ness....said to contain numerous mythical "exaggerations"), THE SCARFACE MOB is exciting, action-packed drama about a powerful mobster and the extraordinary lawmen who went after him in violent quest which few "stories" match in reality or fiction. It's a piece of televison "literature" that eminently deserves its legendary acclaim...... ... Read more

Reviews (9)

MARILYN MONROE is sweet in her first starring role!
.
Watching Marilyn in this film is like watching her Golden Dreams calendar come to life. She is at once sexy and innocent; and you can see the light that eminates from within her.

The production values aren't high in this little flick. The actors (with the exception of Monroe) are all definitely "B" grade or worse. The film is only an hour long. It's in black & white, and there is no surround-sound.

However... The one thing this film DOES have is the delightful young MARILYN MONROE in her very first starring role!

Marilyn sings and dances her way into our hearts in this forgotten little gem of a movie. She's young and gorgeous, even without the plastic surgery and major restyling she would receive a few short years later at 20th Century Fox studios.

Columbia Pictures made a big mistake after letting MM get away from them after appearing in only this one little film. BIIIIGGGG MISTAKE!

While this film is horribly dated, it is also quaint in a "1949" kind of way. It's well worth seeing just to visit with Marilyn Monroe before she became a major superstar. This is a MUST-SEE film for any Marilyn Monroe fan.

Enjoy this film and worship at the alter of Marilyn.

One of the best of Marilyn Monroe
This is one of Marilyn's first movies and yet she had the main part. She was so young in this movie and looking her best. She did a wonderful job and she sang so beautifully. As always her movies are great but I would have to put this up there with the Prince and The Showgirl and Bus Stop which in my opion were her best movies. She outshined everyone.

Wonderful
I remember literally calling in to work one day, because this movie was on. I missed about the first 15 minutes of it, and I just had to see what happened. I think Marilyn Monroe looked stunning, and I am surprised it wasn't a phenominal success. The movie itself has a wonderful-romantic story line to it. It's one of my favorite classic movies by Miss Monroe.
The Story is about a Mother and Daughter dancers. Marilyn becames, forgive me if i dont' spell it correctly the "Burless" Queen and she meets a man who falls head over heels in love with her. Marilyns Mom is worried and confronts the boy that if he wants to marry her to please discuss it with his mother, so there isn't any problems. If you want to hear what happens, I reccomend you rent or buy this video. Its a wonderful-witty little film that I think is wonderful!!!

i love this movie!
when i first saw what was coming on after "the seven year itch"i thought i'm not going to like this movie...I WAS WRONG! it's one of the best movies i've ever saw!

5 STARS FOR MARILYN - NOT THE MOVIE!
Any serious Marilyn fan will and should have this movie in their collection. It's not a very good movie, at times incredibly irritating (that guy and little boy with the weird speechpattern) and some of the musical numbers later in the film are BAD! But luckily Marilyn's performance stands out WAY above the rest of the forgettable cast (no offense) and the movie is worth watching just for that. Marilyn shows great musical and performing talent and her great beauty is already evident at her young age of 22. So the 5 Stars are for Marilyn! Watch the first half of the movie and ditch the rest. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Weirdly marketed as a right-wing screed upon its initial release in 1973, Walking Tall is really a tragic, shockingly violent post-noir film based on various legends surrounding real-life Southern sheriff Buford Pusser. Joe Don Baker(The Natural) gives a powerful performance as Pusser, who took on determined forces of crime and corruption in his town at great personal expense. Directed with an intentionally crude force by Phil Karlson(Kansas City Confidential), one of the toughest filmmakers of the 1950s, the film's grimness does not let up, but in the end it is more likely to break hearts than turn stomachs.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Big Man, Big Stick!!!
This movie is certainly one of the bloodiest true stories ever filmed. Even though many of the scenes in the film are fictionalized for dramatic effect, there are many scenes in this film that did happen to Buford Pusser in real life and that is what makes so many scenes in the film shocking.

Joe Don Baker gives his best performance as Buford Pusser, a retired wrestler who after being brutally beaten in a local nightclub, exacts revenge on the very same people who did it. Pusser is arrested by the corrupt town sheriff and is taken to court for his actions. Thanks to a sympathetic jury, Pusser is rightly found not guilty and takes up his friend's plan to run for town sheriff against his wife's wishes.

While serving his term as sheriff, he is constantly followed, shot at, lied to, and eventually in one of the bloodiest scenes ever put on film, ambushed while driving with his wife, Pauline (played by Elizabeth Hartman). Pauline is brutally murdered and Buford Pusser is severely wounded when he is shot in the face several times with a machine gun.

Director Phil Karlson managed to make a terrific biographical action film with just one serious flaw. People who love spotting bloopers will find more than their fair share in this film. There are at least seven scenes in this movie where the boom mic comes into the frame or the shadow of the boom mic operator is seen along the wall.

If you can get by that, you will be left with a terrific movie.

Parents: Don't let children younger than 14 watch this film. There are numerous scenes of graphic, extreme violence (eg: Pusser's many beatings and gunfights) and coarse language.

Excitement From Start To Finish!
This was a movie that never had a dull moment. Joe Don Baker gives an outstanding performance as Sheriff Buford Pusser. Pusser
is a retired wrestler who returns home. He is savagely beaten by
local hoodlums. He creates his trademark,a big stick,and returns to the bar and gains revenge by beating the whole group senseless. He is arrested and put on trial where he is found not guilty.He decides to run for Sheriff and is elected.From here on it is nonstop action and violence.His wife is killed and he is badly shot up. He recovers and continues his crusade against the forces of evil. A very gripping film that you will not forget.This movie was a box office smash that literally swept the country. See this movie,it is great.

Good movie; less-than-good sound & pic quality
Whenever I feel the need to catch an action flick that's a change of pace from the usual "lone-wolf-big-city-cop-meting-out-justice-whilst-going-up-against-the-system" kinda movies I watch, the original "Walking Tall" is what I turn to. It's got a nice touch of drama to add to the shootin' and fisticuffs, and the southern rural setting is a refreshing departure from the usual urban fare the other actioners have. I also like that the hero is more of an average Joe kinda guy who isn't portrayed as some kinda unstoppable one-man army... even though he managed to barely survive not one, but two hails of bullets from the baddie minions. And it doesn't hurt that this mo-pic includes one of the most eff'd-up killings I've ever seen in the genre... which I don't wanna divulge to you directly, lest I ruin it for ya. Let's just say this death quite literally drove our pine-staff-wielding sheriff into finishing off the last couple of bad guys once and for all! Well, once and for all until the sequel that is...

All right, time for a little of the downside: although I found "Walking Tall" a more than worthy waste of two hours, Rhino®'s DVD release of the movie is disappointingly subpar. The picture quality isn't that much better than what you'd see on a VHS copy. Of course, this isn't surprising, since (judging from a couple fleeting scan-lines) it's obvious that the source material used for the DVD was not the master film itself, but from a videotape. Then there was the intermittent sound quality: there were some parts that I could hear quite well, and others where I needed to turn the volume up a notch so I could understand what the subject(s) was/(were) saying. This was especially problematic when a subject was speaking in a soft, low tone. Looks like the rumors I've heard about Rhino®'s cheapness have more than a little merit-- especially in this case...

'Late

Vicious, Brutal and Down Right Tough to Watch!
Despite the brutal nature of the film, Joe Don Baker gives an unforgetable performance as Sherrif Pusser. Elizabeth Hartman also gives an outstanding performance as well. It's very violent and tough to endure, but it is entertaining at times. The "R" rating was well deserved. With the new version out featuring "The Rock", the original may wind up being forgotten.

why isn't it in widescreen?
Walking Tall is definately one of my favorite movies of the 70s! The digital remastering of this awesome movie is top notch- but why isn't it in widescreen? And why no extras like a trailer or some bios?

Rhino could have given this classic much better treatment! Otherwise this movie is 5 stars ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I too would like to clear a couple of things up...
This movie is about an American in the Pacific War. This American has a special history or relationship with the Japanese, and his adoption by a good Japanese-American family, the effect of Pearl Harbor on himself and that family, and his experience of the Japanese he has both lived-with and had to fight against on Saipan Island battle are what make this above-average Pacific-war saga based on US Marine Guy Gabaldons personal story and war experience a little different from the run of the mill genre. Good supporting-cast with David Jansen, his gambling and broads loving buddy whose luck runs out finally on Saipan, sadly.
This man Guy Gabaldon would proudly agree with my description of him as an American, Im pretty-confidant.This movie is about Americans and Japanese,
its not about Germans, or Polish people,
or Swedes, or Russians,
or Italians,
or British or Irish or even, would you believe,and this may be more than you can handle, but its not about wonderful Spanish or Mexican people, or modern race-politics in the US and trivial PC touchiness, its about an American Marine and the Japanese.
I tell you this as a non-American myself, if I can see it, so should practically anybody else.

Set the record straight
I would like to point two things out.

In "Hell to Eternity" although Jeffery Hunter's character should have been depicted as a Mexican-American and should have been portrayed by one (Anthony Quinn comes to mind), the truth is, his character was depicted as a Italian-American portrayed by a classically white Western European (Jeffery Hunter).

In the years prior to "Hell to Eternity" being made, in California, the home of Hollywood, the agricultural industry expereinced a work shortage and recruited illegal immigrants to pick up the slack. Later during the time "Hell to Eternity" was made they became a burden to deal with and President Eisenhower ordered them rounded up in "Operation Wetback" and sent them back to Mexico. Additionally, during the making of "Hell to Eternity" the rise of the United Farm Workers took place and even though the UFW was a positive force for change for the Mexican-American community, others (bigots and racist) saw the union as an infernal trouble maker. Hence, it was unfashionable and politically incorrect for Hollywood to depict or portray either Mexican or Mexican-Americans as heroic figures let alone the subject of a major motion picture. Consequently, circumstances being what they were (prejudice, bigotry and selective memory and history), artistic license was used as an excuse to deviate from the actual true story. The result was an untrue and inaccurate depiction in a movie that was supposed to be about a true Mexican-American hero, Guy Gabaldon, a hero that the Mexican-American community has been deprived of celebrating for many decades now.

My second point is that, with the recent popularity of war movies these days, since 1960 when this movie was made, there never has been an attempt to right this wrong and depict and portray the true story of Guy Gabaldon, the true Mexican-American hero of this movie. Hollywood continues to focus exclusively on white heros of our wars in their movies to the detriment of our country's diverse history.

The movie should be remade with a Mexican-American playing the role of Guy Gabaldon (Esia Morales comes to mind) and should be more accurately told rather than sensationally and selectively told.

Hell To Eternity: Hatred Is A Three-Edged Sword
Most movies about the Second World War either deal with brave men performing heroically as expected or less heroic men doing the unexpected. In HELL TO ETERNITY the focus is on a man who is neither brave nor cowardly. He is no Henry Fleming dreaming of great exploits. Rather he is a man driven by hate for the same people whom earlier he had once called his own. He is Guy Gabaldon, a real life U. S. Marine who won several decorations for valor fighting the Japanese on Saipan.
The movie begins with Gabaldon as a boy living in a troubled street in Los Angeles. He is homeless, friendless, and more than a little filled with rage at a world that has no place for a poor boy of mixed Hispanic origin. A Japanese family sees worth in him, and much as Don Corleone did with Tom Hagen in THE GODFATHER, agree to take him in and raise him as one of their own. The adult Gabaldon is played by Jeffrey Hunter, who has the uneviable task of playing Gabaldon at varying times in a psychologically varying condition. Gabaldon learns to speak fluent Japanese and his face beams with delight as he addresses his adopted matriarch as 'Mama-san.' Life in the United States is indeed sweet, at least until Pearl Harbor, when he is swept up into the maelstrom of war. He does not relish the thought of fighting his adopted people, and he suffers greatly from the image of shooting at Japanese soldiers. During his initial introduction to training, he is befriended by a pre-Fugitive David Janssen, who shows him the ropes of being a soldier. Gabaldon learns to count on Janssen as a soldier, a friend, savior. During a vicious battle, Gabaldon sees Janssen gunned down right in front of him, and at that point, his world view is turned upside down. He now hates the Japanese with a ferocity that amazes even his friends. He uses his fluency in Japanese to lure them out of their lairs, and he guns them down by the hundreds. His hate drives him on until he meets a Japanese officer played by the immensely dignified Sessue Hayakawa, whose personal bravery restores Gabaldon's emotional equilibrium.
HELL TO ETERNITY is the rare war movie whose focus on killing is not to showcase either the fighting skills of the individual soldier or to build a national sense of patriotism and warlike fervor. Instead, director Phil Karlson uses the confusing images of war to mirror the equally confusing turmoil of one man who is called on to shift mental gears once too often.

The Marine who inspired the movie Hell To Eternity
Hell to Eternity depicts an unconventional manner of battling the enemy. A young Marine utilizes his foreign language skills in Japanese that he learned from his adopted family to influence and convince the enemy to surrender. This is a great WWII movie that shows a humanistic point of view of the war in the South Pacific.
This movie was insipred by a real-life Marine, Guy Gabaldon , a Mexican-American Marine from East Los Angeles. PFC Gabaldon " Maverick Marine" was credited with the capture of 1500 Japanese soldiers. He was initially awarded the Silver Star then later upgraded to the Navy Cross. Efforts have been made to petion for him to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
More interesting reading can be found in Guy Gabaldon's autobiography book "Saipan, Suicide Island".

Life is a struggle and war is hell, a different perspective
Hell to eternity is a touching film, Jeffrey Hunter plays a young man with a poor home life who is adopted by a Japanese family prior to WWII. He is surrounded by people decrying the "japs" and endures a struggle of conscience. The only goodness and kindness he has ever experienced in his life was the gift of this Japanese family. His adopted family is placed in a relocation camp and his adopted brother proudly goes off to fight for the U.S. but he is left to struggle with his identity. He eventually does go to fight for the U.S. It is nice to see a different perspective, not all "Japs" are bad, war is never easy and a person must make a moral choice. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Karlson continues revenge theme with "Framed"
"Framed" (1975) was legendary film noir director Phil Karlson's first film after the gargantuan success of his 1973 biopic of Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser, "Walking Tall." In "Framed", Karlson continues the theme of revenge which has dominated his body of work since the early 1950's. His masterpieces include "Scandal Sheet" (1952), "Kansas City Confidential" (1953) and, of course, "The Phenix City Story" (1955). "Phenix City" is a fact based biopic, along the lines of "Walking Tall," about the murder of the Attorney General Elect of the State of Alabama. Long considered Karlson's greatest achievement, it was made prior to the sentencing of those involved in the Attorney General's murder, and greatly affected the outcome of their trial. "Framed," compares well to Karlson's best works. Karlson always worked on a limited budget. Like Samuel Fuller and Don Siegel, Karlson was a talented and resourceful filmmaker whose films are often more than they seem. On the surface, Karlson's films appear to be violent exploitation pieces. But, they are much more. Each of Karlson's efforts, particularly the ones mentioned here, are morality plays. Their protaganist is usually a morally just man who wanders too close to immorality, and pays a price. Gambling is often featured as the tempting vice in Karlson's films and "Framed" is no exception. Joe Don Baker (who shot to stardom with "Walking Tall" after several successful supporting roles, and who became the first actor to receive $1 million dollars for a television series - "Eischied") stars here as a small time gambler who owns a bar with his girlfriend, Connie Smith. Following a successful out of town game, Baker is robbed by an unknown assailant and then nearly killed (in one of the most graphic scenes in any Karlson film) by a crooked Deputy Sheriff responding to the scene. In self-defense, Baker kills the officer. Proving, once again, there is corruption at every level of the legal system, Baker is sent to prison by a corrupt District Attorney, a corrupt Judge and a corrupt lawyer. There's even corruption at a higher level that will ultimately be revealed. While in prison, Baker meets a powerful mob figure, and thereby sets in motion his revenge. Vigilante justice is often also a theme of director Karlson's. With or without a badge, Karlson's protagonists carry out true justice in spite of the law, while gaining revenge for themselves. They are ultimately heroes because they can be seen as protectors of the "little people" who are downtrodden by the corrupt hierarchy. "Framed" also contains another Karlson trademark: promotion of racial equality. Karlson's films contain some of the most powerfully accurate portraits of racial prejudice along with black characters who are thoughtful and intelligent. Brock Peters, a fine actor, is very good as a deputy who comes to Baker's aid. What other filmmaker, appealling to a largely white southern audience, well--yes, a predominately "redneck" audience--would have the courage to feature such characters in his films. An intelligent study of Karlson's body of work is long overdue, and "Framed" should be part of that study. Is is entertaining and has something to say about our society. It is expertly directed and the performances are above par. If you are looking for an exciting, action packed film with something extra, look no further than "Framed." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rock Hudson at his physical peak
Rock Hudson, a wounded American soldier, is rescued by a band of adolescent Italian boys, who intend to use him as a weapon against the Nazi invaders, who have murdered their families, and destroyed their lives.

The young actors do a wonderful job of expressing the emotional pain and despair of wartime orphans, while retaining the naive exuberance of children pretending to be soldiers. Rock Hudson's character, an unlikely father figure, is impressed by the sincerity of the boys in their quest for revenge, and reluctantly incorporates their enthusiastic assistance into his plan to complete his mission, which was the destruction of a dam held by the Nazi's. The soldier is torn between protecting the boys, and accomplishing his military objective. The resulting conflict is moving, and fascinating to observe.

Thirty years later, knowing that Rock Hudson was gay, there is a meaning behind this story that was much less obvious to earlier audiences. Not that I would describe the film as intensely homo-erotic, but I think that to remove that element from the equation would make a very different sort of statement, and a very different sort of film.

the hornes't swarm
to be produce in the early 70's,have have much more realistic situacion than other of her same genre on those years,i seen that when i was 8 year old, and i found it after 30 years. I recomended you don't gone feel frustaded,the point is "nobody have produce nothing better than that"in the italian escenary.

An interesting story regarding a true experience.
If you love WWII movies this is a must see. It has been years since I last saw it on the late, late, late show, but I never forgot it existed. It is too good to be missed. Though, I won't attempt to write a review until I see it again. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Over verbose but competent thriller
Tight Spot was based on a play and it shows.Most of the action takes place on a single set and there is more dialogue than usual in thrillers of this type.
Ginger Rogers plays a prisoner brought to the City by prosecutor Edward G Robinson in the hope that he can persuade her to testify against a mobster whom he is seeking to get deported.She is reluctant and the movie deals with attempts to persuade her ,and the bid by the mob to put the issue beyond all doubt by killing her.Another plot strand covers the growing attraction between Rogers and Brian Keith as the cop assigned to protect her .
The movie is weakened by a rather forced performance from Rogers who seems to be trying too hard in a role that needs a stronger dramatic presence such as that of a Stanwyck or a Crawford.Robinson is fine as are the other cast members .It was interesting to see a pre Bonanza Lorne Greene giving an edgy performance as the mob chief.
Modest and capable but not a top echelon movie

Gangbusters
A compact little drama with some nice twists... the kind of movie I loved watching on late night TV as a kid. But don't expect too much -- the situation of the film feels very theatrical and Ginger Rogers (sporting a disfiguring short haircut and one tight polka-dot dress) socks her performance home a little too hard. Edward G. Robinson is competent but has little to work with; Brian Keith comes off best. Not bad... just lower your expectations.

A brilliant thriller like they don't make any more.
There was a time when Brian Keith was the "hot young leading man" of hollywood. In his finest dramatic performance, Keith portrays a policeman who has sacrificed his principles. Ginger Rogers is equally great as a gangster's moll gone straight. Edward G. Robinson, in a change of pace, is a dedicated crime fighter. This film, made on a "B" budget proved to be the sleeper of the year. The violence is in the mind of the viewer and the performances uniformly excellent. This is a not-to-be-missed movie! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Another Camp Classic for Sharon Tate
Final Installment of the Matt Helm series ( although a fifth Matt Helm movie was schelduled but never filmed. Dean Martin plays U.S counterpart to James Bond in this swinging plot to steal 1 billion in gold . Cheesy songs by Dean but great score by Hugo Montenegro ( wish the soundtrack was on vinyl or CD)and very funny performance by Sharon Tate- this has to be her best film role of the six films she co- starred in. Great 60's fashions, 60's glamour and even Tina Louise in a small role. Kung Fu Action as Bruce Lee was the advisor for the fight scenes . Look for Chuck Norris in a bit part.

It Only Took Them Four Tries
To get it right, that is. The fourth, last and best (by far) of the Matt Helm series. It improves upon The Silencers, the only one of the previous three Helm movies with any merit whatsoever. Here, the main villain remains threatening throughout, whereas the main villain of the Silencers, Tung Se, becomes a complete joke after awhile. This film also employs a faster, "James Bond" editing pace and remains exciting throughout, wheras TS tends to bog down at times. Also, Sharon Tate was more convincing in the goofy female sidekick role than Stella Stevens was in TS. Nancy Kwon was also fantastic as the bad-girl spy. Furthermore, the soundtrack and especially the fight/action choreography were light years ahead of those in all the other Helm movies. And this time, the attempts at humor don't get in the way or lessen the believabilty of the characters. And those attempts are actually funny this time. This movie certainly marked a new direction in the Helm series. In fact, its hard to believe that the people who made the previous two Helm films, Murderers' Row and The Ambushers, made this one. For that reason, I urge all potential viewers not to get scared off by the Matt Helm name, otherwise you'll be missing a very funny and exciting film.

SHARON TATE stands out in her BEST COMIC effort
The fighting scenes and the idea that Denmark has MOUNTAINS makes this in the class of a turkey - I mean - a spoof is OK - but you still have to do your research.... What if we found a wonderful beach in the film The Sound Of Music(with Austrian locations???)???

What saves this film is the comedy of Sharon Tate. She`s right on target every time she appears and the film should be granted many TV-screenings because of her... The music is pure 60s(quite amusing...) The scene in¨which Matt Helm, upon seeing a dead Linka(Elke Sommer), informs Freya Carlson "That could have been you" - and her stubborn denials - puts tears 2 1s eyes - knowing what happened to Sharon a year later....

It is campy but by now I enjoy the film because it is so hilarious.... If you watch Sharon`s films... you`ll see she works on her magic differently in all her six films..... She`s a diabolique witch in EYE OF THE DEVIL, a fragile starlet in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, and a teasing ill-fated-teenager in THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS(all 1967)....

Fun movie! I need this on DVD!
I saw "The Wrecking Crew" when I was kid on TV in the 80's. I only saw it once but never forgot it. It was funny and a bit like "Austin Powers" meets "James Bond". Sharon Tate was beautiful, I think she was wonderful in comedy. She plays a tough but sexy undercover agent like "Charlies Angels", she does some great leg kicks! I think Dean Martin was a bit tipsy during the filming LOL! Seems like he was having alot of fun in the Matt Helm movies. I'm hopeing this will come out on DVD soon, I'd love to see it again!

A classic masterpiece
I'm not familiar with the other movies in the series but, apparently, this is the only one I need to see.

Sharon Tate is the star of this film. This is her best role, finely displaying her talent for comedy. From the moment she comes on the scene as a clumsy Danish tour guide to the last, where she seduces Dean Martin (Matt Helm), she was well suited for her role.

To all serious movie collectors, this is a must have for your collection. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hopefull
I really wish is would come out on DVD. I just saw is on Cable this morning. It was great.

A model Western.
'Gunman's Walk' is one of those terrific films whose narrow focus actually serves to encompass huge themes, such as Family, Race, History, Nation. It is at this point that the provincial or local becomes properly mythic. Because although the story isn't really about much - a father, his kids, a murder - it is also based on the oldest story of them all, that of Oedipus the King, the story of a man who unwittingly killed his father, bringing plague upon the country he ruled.

Although the Oedipal story seems deeply tragic and anti-social, it has been used by Freud and his followers to explain the processes of socialisation through sexuality. The only way a society can ensure its continued survival is through a process that is adequately symolised in the Oedipus story - a child may resent his father's power over him, but one day he'll have to take his place in society, to 'kill' him. Here the Oedipus story becomes a positive thing for conservative societies that locate themselves in the family. Paradoxically, although it is the 'natural' order of things, it involves a great struggle, neither man willing to give up his position.

And this is the crux of 'Gunman's Walk' Lee Hackett is one of those legendary characters who tamed the West, who got there before the law did, who sees himself as a kind of privileged Founding Father. Except father is the wrong word - he is so afraid of growing old, of being surpassed, that he insists his sons call him 'Lee', while retaining the powers of a father - he has to beat them in everything, convince himself he's still young. as this is contrary to nature, a sort of plague ensues, leading to moral breakdown, where a man can murder another and get away with it, because good old dad, sorry Lee, will sort it out.

Lee's two sons have wildly divergent ways of dealing with their father's overwhelming pre-eminence. Danny is the sensible, sensitive one, who defeats his dad, plays the Oedipal game, by simply ignoring his values, his macho gun-play, his turning everyday activities into masculine rites and tests. He ignores his racism and his stifling brand of family loyalty.

Ed, on the other hand, takes Dad at his word, and tries to defeat him. Unlike Lee, though, he has not got a powerful social apparatus that he helped create to help him, and he goes speedily, violently, trigger-happy insane. The film's best sequences involve Ed's increasingly doomed and desperate attempts to prove his manhood, to surpass his dad.

The film, with its youthful, teen-market stars, seems to centre on the brothers, but it is really about Lee. He is a near-tragic figure, his two sons split versions of his self, his potential for good leading to family, and his history mired in violence taken to extremes. Van Heflin's brilliant performance, revealing the desperation behind the bluster, convinces us of this.

But, as his name suggests, Lee represents so much more - America, its history. the murdered boy is a Red Indian - Lee's stature derives from his own battles with the Indians which helped create the West. Times have changed: family, civilisation and reconciliation must replace violence, reputation and individualism. it sounds so easy, but director Karlson emphasises the fierce trauma and disruption of the process. His deftly buoyant camerawork during action sequences is among the most vivid and exciting I have ever seen.

Absolutely Wonderful Western from the Masterful Phil Karlson
A rancher (Van Heflin) whose life spans the time of the wild west and the beginnings of civilization in the American West has two sons. One (Tab Hunter) embodies the wild ways of his youth, the other (James Darren) represents his more sensitive, civilized side. The father caters to his out-of-control wild son and dismisses the more level-headed one as weak. Eventually, the father is forced to confront the ruffian and re-evaluate his rejection of the kinder, gentler son.

I read a story about Phil Karlson screening the film for hard-nosed Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn. Cohn, who had two sons, wept at the end of the film and told Karlson he was going to make him the biggest director in Hollywood. But Cohn died shortly thereafter, and Karlson continued to languish in obscurity (despite the major hit "Walking Tall" and not helped by such cheesy assignments as Matt Helm movies), and with relatively little appreciation for such cheapo noir masterpieces as "Phenix City Story."

I'm aghast to see a review on this site calling this the worst movie ever. It's one of my all-time favorites. [Actually it seems that someone mistakenly posted a dis on "Simon Birch" as a rating of "Gunman's Walk," which is a shame since it's the only vote for GW on this site.]

Years ago I showed this one at a film society (a million years ago, people used to rent 16mm films and show them for a pittance for other film fans) and for reasons I can't figure out, we drew a packed house that somehow knew this was a special movie. The air conditioner blew out on a hot summer day, but everyone stayed and was totally rapt by this poignant little picture. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

This Was Awesome
If this was filmed in color it would be one of the most awesomest experiences available. A beautiful girl, struggling to pay the rent, stumbles into a 1940s nightclub singing position, after a botching a summons delivery. the musical sequences don't stop, they are amazing "caldonia!, caldonia! what makes your big head so hot! now my momma use to say..." they play with neon instruments. the dance numbers are so energetic, awesome fred-estare-esque tap, with a bounce, up and down the stairs. Not like the struggling aerobic dance you see now a days. The girls are actually beatiful,(...) not dying of starvation, and not hopelessely depressed with black eye shadow, beautiful!!!! I'm an artist and if this hasn't been colorized already I'd jump at the chance to do it myself, it would be hours of fun. and the three stooges pop in and out with some suprisingly good writing.

Swing Swing
This movie is kind of a snoozer. However, it does feature an appearance by the Three Stooges. This is just a short time before Curly suffered his career ending stroke so he wasn't as sharp as normal. The Stooges help to vitalize the film. The acting in this movie is not the best. As you could tell by the title the movie features a lot of swing...and if you like swing then by all means go out and get this. But as an overall movie it was below par. It's nice to see the Stooges in a feature, with a fairly prominent role. Too bad it was at the end of Curly's career.

An era vanished
Most people today aren't even aware there was once was a phenomenon called "B films." Low-budget, they were intended as the second-half of a two-picture bill. A whole group of actors had totally B film careers and were stars of the genre. Monogram's biggest star was Gale Storm, way before she became "My Litttle Margie" on T.V. and even way-er before she began making hit records. She is darling here--gorgeous, funny, a great singer and dancer (the voice is quite different from what she did on records, by the way--here it's more direct, brassier and stagier). The sets and costumes here are quite impressive for a B film. The storyline is nearly nonexistent. You get to see Connee Boswell, today almost forgotten, sing; you get some big production numbers; and you get the Three Stooges, who--yes--are funny. You also get to see character actors such as Mary Treen get more screen time than they'd ever land in any A movie. Well worth getting and can be enjoyed over and over.

Gale Storm Sings
Nice to hear Gale Storm sing in this movie!

A rare chance to see Connee Boswell perform...
The plotless B musical is amusing, however the main reason to get this is to see jazz singer Connee Boswell sing, since there isn't much video footage of her performing elsewhere, this is as close as it's going to get to seeing her live. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT LITTLE FILM
This film rates 5 stars from me because of its star...Lon McCallister....an underrated youth from many 1940's motion pictures.

This film holds your attention because of McCallister's performance.

It is in color and the story is effective and moves swiftly. It is action packed as well. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered gore fests. Mr Elam, in fact, was probably cast because of how pathetic he looked being beaten up! The story revolves around two set-ups, one intended and one a secondary effect. "This is America?" my husband queried as our innocent hero is "worked over" in the Kansas City jailhouse. The action moves south to Mexico where our hero pursues the true criminals in order to clear his name. The extent of the crime and the reasons for it as well as the set up are all eventually revealed in the small Mexican fishing village that is too small to hold all these hot tempered men. The pace slows down noticeably in the village, the only major flaw in this otherwise crackerjack film noir which must have influenced every current young urban crime-film director. Highly recommended.

ALPHA/GOTHAM QUALITY?
No need to comment on the story, it is engrossing. For a Gotham/Alpha release the sound and image quality is good, suprisingly good. Don't misunderstand, there is no crispness here. It's probably worth the money to purchase the Image version if the quality is better. There are some extras on Image version and none on the Gotham/Alpha version.

Classic Noir...
A great, great noir film starring John Payne(HELL'S ISLAND, 99 RIVER STREET). But the cast doesn't stop there! It also stars Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. This really is a gritty little crime caper flick. If you watch it, it will be difficult to ignore how the film might have influenced a guy like Quentin Tarantino in the conception of RESERVOIR DOGS. Great dvd!

Solid '50s noir
Director Phil Karlson (whose best-known work is probably the 1972 crime drama "Walking Tall")switched from being a decent director of routine films to one of the most innovative and influential crime film directors of them all with a remarkable series of tough,distinctive thrillers beginning with this one in 1952 and going on to include "99 River Street" in 1953, "The Phenix City Story" in 1955, and "The Brothers Rico" in 1957. "Kansas City Confidential" follows the pulling off of a well-planned and executed robbery that's been carefully thought out by an embittered ex-police officer. He plans it so that Joe Rolfe(played by John Payne) will be framed for the robbery. Rolfe is a WWII veteran who has some problems with the law in his past. After being grilled and ultimately (and grudgingly) released by the police,he pursues the thieves to Mexico,looking for revenge. Payne is fine in a sharp turnaround from the lightweight roles he usually played in the 1940s. Preston Foster is also good as the mastermind of the robbery, as is Coleen Gray as his daughter, a bright,decent young woman. The best performances however,are those given by three of the greatest heavies in movie history: Jack Elam,Neville Brand,and Lee Van Cleef,in the roles of the thieves who pull off the robbery. Elam,who is first seen sweating heavily and rifling through an overflowing ashtray in a dingy hotel room,looking for a cigarette butt with a few puffs left on it,is particularly good, but Brand and Van Cleef ooze menace and bad blood in just about every scene they're in. The film is filled with close-ups,tough,terse dialogue, and brutal (at least for its time) violence. The payoff of the film goes kind of soft, after what's come before, but this is still a first-rate example of cold,tough 1950s film noir,from a real master of the genre.

My first DVD!
After finally succumbing to the allure of a DVD player, I bought this film noir gem for a song. I had heard about it for years but
could never find it on VHS. A perfect bank robbery netting $1.2 million goes astray when framed patsy John Payne goes after the real criminals. He discovers that the crooks were masked from one another and only the mysterious "Mr. Big" knows who they are and where the money is. Can John Payne break up the perfect crime and end up with Colleen Gray?
(What do you think?) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered gore fests. Mr Elam, in fact, was probably cast because of how pathetic he looked being beaten up! The story revolves around two set-ups, one intended and one a secondary effect. "This is America?" my husband queried as our innocent hero is "worked over" in the Kansas City jailhouse. The action moves south to Mexico where our hero pursues the true criminals in order to clear his name. The extent of the crime and the reasons for it as well as the set up are all eventually revealed in the small Mexican fishing village that is too small to hold all these hot tempered men. The pace slows down noticeably in the village, the only major flaw in this otherwise crackerjack film noir which must have influenced every current young urban crime-film director. Highly recommended.

ALPHA/GOTHAM QUALITY?
No need to comment on the story, it is engrossing. For a Gotham/Alpha release the sound and image quality is good, suprisingly good. Don't misunderstand, there is no crispness here. It's probably worth the money to purchase the Image version if the quality is better. There are some extras on Image version and none on the Gotham/Alpha version.

Classic Noir...
A great, great noir film starring John Payne(HELL'S ISLAND, 99 RIVER STREET). But the cast doesn't stop there! It also stars Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. This really is a gritty little crime caper flick. If you watch it, it will be difficult to ignore how the film might have influenced a guy like Quentin Tarantino in the conception of RESERVOIR DOGS. Great dvd!

Solid '50s noir
Director Phil Karlson (whose best-known work is probably the 1972 crime drama "Walking Tall")switched from being a decent director of routine films to one of the most innovative and influential crime film directors of them all with a remarkable series of tough,distinctive thrillers beginning with this one in 1952 and going on to include "99 River Street" in 1953, "The Phenix City Story" in 1955, and "The Brothers Rico" in 1957. "Kansas City Confidential" follows the pulling off of a well-planned and executed robbery that's been carefully thought out by an embittered ex-police officer. He plans it so that Joe Rolfe(played by John Payne) will be framed for the robbery. Rolfe is a WWII veteran who has some problems with the law in his past. After being grilled and ultimately (and grudgingly) released by the police,he pursues the thieves to Mexico,looking for revenge. Payne is fine in a sharp turnaround from the lightweight roles he usually played in the 1940s. Preston Foster is also good as the mastermind of the robbery, as is Coleen Gray as his daughter, a bright,decent young woman. The best performances however,are those given by three of the greatest heavies in movie history: Jack Elam,Neville Brand,and Lee Van Cleef,in the roles of the thieves who pull off the robbery. Elam,who is first seen sweating heavily and rifling through an overflowing ashtray in a dingy hotel room,looking for a cigarette butt with a few puffs left on it,is particularly good, but Brand and Van Cleef ooze menace and bad blood in just about every scene they're in. The film is filled with close-ups,tough,terse dialogue, and brutal (at least for its time) violence. The payoff of the film goes kind of soft, after what's come before, but this is still a first-rate example of cold,tough 1950s film noir,from a real master of the genre.

My first DVD!
After finally succumbing to the allure of a DVD player, I bought this film noir gem for a song. I had heard about it for years but
could never find it on VHS. A perfect bank robbery netting $1.2 million goes astray when framed patsy John Payne goes after the real criminals. He discovers that the crooks were masked from one another and only the mysterious "Mr. Big" knows who they are and where the money is. Can John Payne break up the perfect crime and end up with Colleen Gray?
(What do you think?) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered go