Amazon.com

Talk about your tween fantasies: Jumping Ship traps knee-weakeners Joseph, Andrew, and Matthew Lawrence (TV's Brotherly Love) in the Tropics after their charter boat falls prey to a trio of troublemaking Aussie pirates. A Spanish galleon full of bare-chested male bonding ensues; while moneybags Michael (Joseph) gets schooled in humility by loner Jake (Andrew), his kid cousin Tommy comes to terms with the loss of his dad. In between, they tackle coconut cracking, raft assembly, and some sorry attempts at spear fishing. Once high-stakes dangerous-rescue time rolls around, the fellas' foibles are all figured out, something we saw coming a nautical mile away. Though a gee-whiz-nice quality beats beneath Jumping Ship's perfect-pecs surface, if suspense is your thing, skip it--the pinup boys are all that's keeping this featherweight Disney made-for-TV flick afloat. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent!
There was so much more to this movie than just three guys shipwrecked! There were lessons on the value of friends and family... and just how valuable material objects are. But it's just like Disney to add a moral to a story... thank goodness! This is the reason I feel comfortable turning on the Disney channel when our family sits down to watch a movie together.

I really liked to see all the Lawrence brothers together, as well. I still can't decide which is my favorite. The movie had action, adventure, and drama all rolled into one. Though the plot seemed unbelievable, it didn't seem completely impossible either... and usually I watch a movie for its entertainment value, not necessarily it's realistic possibilities. Anyways, this is an excellent movie, the whole family will enjoy!

Great light hearted family fun
Although slightly implausible, "Jumping Ship" is a good all round family entertainer - ideal for those lazy summer afternoons, when you need something fun and light to entertain the kids. Certainly worth watching. There are no Oscar winning performances from the young cast, however, its pace is at a comfortable jog and worth sticking though all the clichés. The director left a couple of "bloopers" in the final version that are a nice touch.

Jumping Brothers
When the Sequel to Horse Sence I was steaming mad cause I didn't like it. When I saw it it became a really cool movie to watch. All three Lawrece brothers are in it making it even better. Its a gotta see

Great scenery, ok plot
Joey and Matthew Lawrence are impossibly gorgeous -- you can't look directly at them, or you fall into a catatonic stupor. (Andy needs another few years of bulking up.) Putting them together in a movie set on a tropical island, where they wear as little as possible, is a risky proposition -- who's going to pay attention to the plot?

Ok, I didn't. There's some minor character-building and relationship problems with pat Disney-esque solutions. Joey bonds with Andy. Pirates attack. Andy bonds with Matt. Pirates kidnap Andy. Matt bonds with Joey. Etc. The conclusion is fairly touching, with the trio deciding to stay together even after their rescue -- I think they go into business together, but I'm not sure. I was just coming out of the catatonic stupor.

Better than Expected
Too often, movie critics don't take Disney Channel Movies seriously enough. This is another example of that. This is a really good movie for the age-group it is made for (pre-teens). It's really nice seeing a clean-cut movie out there for all to enjoy (even adults will enjoy this one). I personally love it. ... Read more

Reviews (1484)

Great Action Film
"Gladiator" is a film that should suit all tastes. It is an expertly mounted and eye-filling event; the blood and gore, delivered in split-second imagery (allowing your head to fill in the rest) should satisfy the most blood-thirsty movie goer; and the story is a superb tale of good vs. evil, power vs. honor, and "Might for Right". I was reminded of "Camelot" many times during this film, especially by the almost unrecognizable appearance of Richard Harris as the wise and noble Marcus Aurelis. Joaquin Phoenix gives a bone-chilling performance as the evil and cowardly Commodus, who inherits the title of emperor upon his father's death. But the sole weight of this overwhelming piece rests on the shoulders of the magnificent Russell Crowe. If one doesn't believe in him, then one doesn't believe in this epic costume drama. Kudos to the rest of the cast as well, and hand over heart for the late Oliver Reed. But back to Crowe--he is an actor to contend with. His work in "Gladiator" is a tour de force performance; he very nearly sprays testosterone from the screen. It's what was exactly demanded from him in this role, and he exceeds expectations in that regard.

Gladiator ROCKS!!!
I completely dug this film from beginning to end,and every aspect of it,from the breathtaking cinamatography,the expertly staged battle sequences,and exqusite set-design,to the stellar performances of a top-notch cast,rang true.The film starts with a stunning battle and doesen't let up from the time Maximus says"on my mark,unleash Hell". Do they ever.Russell Crowe is perfect in the lead role,as an expert warrior with a grieving soul and a deep sense of honor and loyalty.It's a true star-making turn,and he oozes rugged charisma from every pore.Equally impressive,but in the exact opposite way,is Juaquin Phoenix as the conniving,decadent,deeply evil Emperor.Also great support from Richard Harris and the late,great Oliver Reed.Director Ridley Scott uses his gift for composition and visual flair to great effect,giving each scene a painterly burnish and unforgettable depth,whether it's the after-life of Maximus' dreams,the bustling,grand sprawl of Rome,the rip-roaring battles of the Coluseum,or the sinister twinkle in the Emporer's eyes.At one point Maximus admonishes the bloodthirsty crowd:"Is this not what you wanted? Are you not entertained?" Indeed we are Russell,very much so.What a great film.

okay
this is a three star movie with a five star dvd. one of the biggest problems with the movie was the first battle. i was expecting braveheart quality but ended with a battle less entertaining than the one in dragonheart. the blurry camera and closeups made it impossible to tell what was happening. if you want to see a movie like this but better, see the last samurai or braveheart.

A Modern Classic of an Old Age
I seldom write reviews for anything, but for a movie like 'Gladiator' I'm willing to make an exception, and gosh if it's worth doing it!!
The movie, by far the best of the year 2000, is not only an award-winning production, but it is also one of the few that I personally enjoy watching again and again and again. Not because it is flawless (at times the storyline is quite predictable) but because it portrays life and death in the Roman Empire in such a way that it really bring those old buildings we all know since childhood (the Coliseum, the Forum, Via Appia, etc) back to life.
And yet it does so not at the expense of the story but through it, from the characters, to the script (they're so many quotables lines from Maximus and Commudus alone to make a CD)...in fact everything in the movie, from the battle in Germanica to the last fight at the Coliseum, is portrayed with realism plus an amazing score lacking in so many movies these days.
The movie of course is not to be seen as "history" in the academic sense but rather as an historical exercise, Holywood style, of one of the most facinating and complex periods of Western History. The attention to the detail is amazing, especially in the opening scene (the battle in Germanica) and the gladiatorial fights. Even most deleted scenes are great in the sense that they allow us to understand the characters a little bit more (Commudus' sword smashing of his father's marble bust is a most see), although they neither add nor take of the story. The casting is superb, with Russell Crow in the main role, Joaquin Phoenix as the Emperor Commudus, along with such legends as Oliver Reed as the freedman slaveholder and Richard Harris as the great Marcus Aurelius.
I'll recomend strongly that anyone who sees this movie shoudl do his/her homework and do a little of reading about Rome, both as a Republic and after, and the huge importance of the entertaining business in her late everyday life (an importance unreached until recent times).
Overall, a classic epic of an scope and ambition not seen since 'Ben Hur'; full of action, drama... and yes, more action.
As the Romans themselves said, Faber est quisque fortunae suae... each one is the architect of his own fortune. Feliciter!

Decent story, captivating effect
Ridley Scott's movie, "Gladiator" is one based on fiction of a General in the times of Marcus Aurelius. It tracks the life of a general who is effective in battle and is to rewarded by the emperor with the crown of Rome until it can be handed back to the senate. The movie won 5 oscars and is compared to Ben-Hur, which is ludicrous. For starters, Ben-Hur had William Wyler as the director who went to Gore Vidal to fix the screenplay. This movie will imaginative has so many historical inaccuracies, it is funny that it can be even thought to be in the same league.

Some of the actors did a decent job, these include Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius and his daughter, Lucilla. I had problems with Russell Crowe's acting. He is unmistakably patrician, however, and physically very like Richard Burton, with Burton's battered face and gravel-voiced machismo. But Crowe's Maximus is no Mark Antony; there is no destructive love interest in the picture. Maximus is sweetly devoted to his late wife; though it turns out he once had a bit of an unbuckling thing going in his backstory for Commodus's lovely sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). I did not think that he deserved the best actor oscar. He has a very limited repertoire of actions and emotions. Crowe is no Tom Hanks or Geoffrey Rush in acting, he does not have depth and breadth of acting.

This movie cannot stand the test of time, it does not have great screenplay and historical integrity. It will gradually ebb away from the minds of the people. To stand out from the other movies, it has to have a new paradigm, either in acting or story or screenplay, none of which are depicted. Another one of those movies that do not deserve the best picture oscars. It is OK to watch this once. If you compare this director with Ang Lee, who did "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman", and "Sense and Sensibility" you can see the difference in directing talent. See them and judge for yourself. ... Read more

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One of those movies that helped usher out the era of action films that had plots that made any sense (and also helped reverse the direction of Patrick Swayze's career arc), Road House concerns a handsome, existential bouncer in a rinky-dink honky-tonk who owns both a degree in philosophy and a Mercedes. And that's perhaps the most believable aspect of the whole movie. Swayze stars as Dalton, "the best bouncer in the business," who runs afoul of Wesley (Ben Gazzara), the meanest SOB round these parts, by taking up with his former girlfriend, Doc (Kelly Lynch)--the only woman in town with an IQ approaching double digits, even if she had unfathomably hooked up with such a lowlife. Swayze had complained about being typecast as beefcake when this was made, but that didn't stop him from revealing as much skin as possible--even guys like him, as revealed in a luridly seedy scene in which one of Wesley's goons tells Dalton that he reminds him of the kind of boyfriend he had in prison (albeit in much saltier terms). It's so insulting to its audience that it's nice to be able to turn the tables and laugh at the filmmakers. --David Kronke ... Read more

Reviews (64)

"RED WEST IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE!!!"
I couldn't believe my eyes last night when I was watching ALL THE KING'S MEN:THE SECRET LIFE OF ELVIS, about Elvis' so-called Memphis Mafia, when I got so fascinated by these men and their behind-the-scenes stories about the King, and then one of them started to look familiar..."Wait a minute!" I thought, "That red headed man looks like the guy from ROADHOUSE!!!" I remembered hearing about Red West years ago but I didn't know he was an actor and so I just looked him up on the cast list for ROADHOUSE and there he was!

This is an entertaining movie, with a good hero, terrific supporting actors, and Ben Gazzara is just right as the small town mean rich guy! The women are attractive, and the bar scenes are a lot of fun, too. I just wish the story had been written to lead to a sequel, and that Sam Elliot hadn't been killed off, as he and Swayze worked well together.

The photography is excellent, and there are several unusual character actors. And one other thing... RED WEST IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE!!!

A Movie for Guys Who Like Movies
In the grand tradition of fight now, ask questions later, comes Road House. Patrick Swayze is Dalton. He is the new breed of bar bouncers. Calling himself the cooler, Dalton is small, a martial arts expert, and he has a degree in psychology. This means bad news for the regulars at the Duece, Duece because Dalton has been hired to clean it up. And clean it up he does. But first he had to personally put every piece of bad element he doesn't want out on their rear ends. Everything seems to be going right until Dalton runs head to head with Brad Wesley(Ben Gazzera). Wesley is like the town's dictator, he owns a piece of just about every business in town and he doesn't like Dalton's presence one bit. Lucky for the audience one of them must go and Dalton isn't one to budge easily.

This is a guys movie all the way. Swayze is awesome as Dalton. He is cool, confident, and tough as nails. Gazzera is good as the villian and he sends plenty of thugs over to the Duece, Duece to keep the action coming. Sam Elliot is great in his supporting role as Dalton's mentor, Wade Garrett. And of course there has to be women, and there are, but none hotter than Kelly Lynch, Dalton's love interest. Roadhouse never slows down. It has a great soundtrack and it is well directed. It's just a fun movie.

response to "what hasnt been said before"
like everyone says its a guy flick that does not disappoint. however like the other reviewer i also notice little mistakes and the biggest one in this movie is when Dalton is "asked" to attend a meeting with Brad over breakfast......when dalton walks in there is pool table with NO pockets! jeez you'd think the set guys coulda borrowed a real pool table for the shot?

A film that delivers just what it promises -- that's rare!
Mike Nelson, one of the brains behind the television comedy 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' wrote in his hysterical book 'Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese' that ' ROAD HOUSE is the single finest American film. Certainly it stinks, but I believe the filmmakers meant it to, and succeeded grandly.'

It's hard to argue with this logic once you've seen 'Road House.' It's trash. It's sleazy. It's often ludicrously stupid. The characters may talk philosophical bilge, but when it comes down to it they solve everything with their fists and shotguns. But that's what the filmmakers wanted, and that's what they deliver. (What do you expect from a director named 'Rowdy'?) Looking for a good time along those lines? Just want some butt-kickin', naked girls, barroom brawls, monster trucks, things going BOOM, Patrick Swayze mouthing silly lines and wrestling mean sweaty ugly guys while near naked, yet still getting up for his tai-chi in the morning? Well, 'Road House' has got all that and more, and you're going to have a good time. There's trashy purity about this film that's rather refreshing.

The plot? Yeah, it's got one ' just enough of one. Patrick Swayze (in what is really the defining role of his career) plays Dalton, a famous bouncer with a degree in philosophy, an attitude like a motivational speaker, kick-boxing moves, and who practices tai-chi. Dalton is one of the damned silliest characters in action film history, but you gotta love his outrageousness. Dalton comes to the town of Jasper outside of Kansas City to help clean up the Double Deuce bar, possibly the meanest bar in cinema history outside of a Western. Dalton whips the place into shape, romances local doctor Kelly Lynch, but then has to face the evil town boss, Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara!), who won't release his financial grip of fear he has on the town. (I believe this was the plot of every A-Team episode, wasn't it?). Every few minutes, people pound each other with their fists, the band plays a loud blues tune, somebody takes off their clothes, and then they knock back some 'suds. Oh, and Sam Elliott's in the film too!

The action scenes are pretty darned wacky, along the lines of 'gee, imagine if he had hit him!' and plenty of strange martial arts moves, but they're loads of fun. Get a group together with the right mindset, and this is once great party flick.

The DVD has no extras except for a trailer. Imagine what this would have been like with some audio commentary from director Rowdy? I would love to hear his philosophical approach to this film. I'm sure he didn't have one, but wouldn't it have added to enjoyment of what Mike Nelson calls 'the finest American film' to hear him just make one up?

At this point, I'm sure you know if 'Road House' is a flick for you. And if you know, go for it. It doesn't let you down. If it delivers the goods it promises, it gets four stars in my book. Even if it really isn't that good. But I think that's the point.

That's right. FIVE stars.
Road House is the sort of movie that critics reflexively dismiss as being a cheesy, corny, poorly written, moronic action movie, but I see it differently. It is kind of cheesy, with Dalton being a famous traveling bouncer with only one name, but it shines in every other area. The dialogue is good enough, the story is involving, Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot are truly great actors, there's a nice amount of gratuitous female nudity, and the fight scenes are some of the best I've ever seen. This is the ultimate guy movie. And as far as Joel Silver's work goes, I think Road House is better than the Matrix sequels. I've seen it at least 10 times and it hasn't gotten old. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Another waste of money,even if it was only £1.
That's it,next time I'm renting her Playboy video.Though superior to the mind blowingly awful Naked Souls,Good Cop,Bad Cop still doesn't feature enough sexually gagging-for-it Pamela to satisfy the red blooded male.There is quite a titillating romping session in an alleyway and seeing Pam in night-atire is never unappealling,but this is all I want,not a boring conspiracy story to go with it.The soundtrack to this film is a really irritating and repetitive sample of Bad to the Bone,David Keith is a poor man's Michael Madsen and Robert Hays is a poor man's James Woods.And one of the bad guys seems to think he's Robert DeNiro.Their lame acting would be perfect if this was the most sexually explicit piece of trash around.Sadly,it's anything but.Still,stay on the screen Pamela baby.And I'm sure you had no intention of playing the good cop.

raw justice=raw pamela!
pam fans, i give you heaven! the story is there is a cop running around after the bad guys. the acting isn't great, but thats not what i got it for! pambo delivers (and shows) the goods. the hot alley scene will make ya' feel good. plenty of nudity, sex, and violence make up a great pam film!

-Raw Justice - Hot & Steamy!
Well, well... This is an action/thriller staring the ultimate buxom babe, Pamela Anderson. Who cares about the plot! Well, Pamela encounters some mean 'ol nasty criminals, and she has no choice but to team up with her trusty side-kick, David Keith. Did I mention Pamela takes a throbbing love muscle up her pretty littlebuns! Well, she does, and she takes it pretty well. You can actually hear her sweet moans of pure pleasure! Pamela with out a doubt, has some delicious buns! Botom like... Pamela delivers the goodies. Check this movie out!

wow
bad movie, great scene. You don't want to rent this movie, you want to buy it. So you can watch they alley scene over and over again. It will get anyone going at any time of day.

WooooHoooo!!!Pamela=Extreme BABE!!!
ok now this movie is good and kinda sucky, what i mean is like as far as the plot goes boring stuff indeed!!. a loser cop running around constantly trying to catch the bad guys.but what keept my absolute attention was pamela,pamela is hot and they expose her well especially in the hot alley scene buy this movie and you'll see what i'm talking about good stuff!!! ... Read more

Reviews (53)

The end all and be all of car chase movies
Gone does not pretend to be anything other than a car chase movie. The plot, such as it is, is purely a set-up for the 40-minute sequence that destroys (at least) 93 cars. Whatever anyone thinks about the non-chase parts of the film, the brilliantly-edited pursuit is well worth the wait. Not only does it stand up to the 2000 remake, Mr. Halicki's masterwork does not suffer in comparison to accepted classics such as Bullitt, The French Connection, or Ronin. The new soundtrack, by itself, is professional and supports the action quite well. While I, as well as other Gone cultists, miss the original music, the re-issue should not be faulted for its omission.

I liked it more than I thought
After learning that the 2000 movie was actually a remake of a 1974 movie, I got the bug to watch the original. I had a hard time finding it.

I read some reviews that said to skip this 25th anniversary edition and watch the original Media VHS release. I was lucky enough to get my hands on both this weekend.

I liked this movie much better than I thought I would. True, the real highlight is the car chase, everything else is just filler, but it was still a fun movie.

I've read complaints about the remastered anniversary edition available on this DVD. Let me say that after watching both versions, this DVD has a much better, cleaner picture than the old VHS tape. The sound wasn't bad either. My only beef with the anniversary edition was the new soundtrack, everything else was just fine. The anniversary edition on DVD features a generic new pop synth soundtrack. Most of the time, I really wasn't listening to it. But, if you are going to have those 70's hair styles, sunglasses, clothes and sideburns, why mess with the 1970's music? Yes, it was dated, but the music went along with the movie and added to at least a couple scenes.

The original soundtrack should have at least been an available option as an alternate version to watch, even if it was recorded in mono. If that had been done, I'd have given it another star.

As is, it's not bad. The music is a little distracting because it doesn't go at all with the rest of the movie, but if you can get past that annoyance, this DVD is certainly watchable.

It left me wanting an old Mustang.

greatest car chase ever!!!
Just sit back and let H.B. Halicki entertain you. this gives all car chase's a standard to live up to. and the Extras are very interesting as well. this just goes to show that holywood is out of ideas and tried to atempt to remake a trend setter with a big name actor and failed. do yourself a favor and watch this the " origanal"

Decided never to watch it ever again in under 0.60 second's
This movie is terrible. It reminded me of the bad acting you see in a porno movie, I kept expecting the twangy music to start playing and people to start striiping off and getting it on! Thats how great there acting is!

I suppose if your a car lover, which im not, then this movie would be of intrest, but to me, it was a porno movie without any nudity! It was shockingly bad acting! The remake might have had better actors and a plot, but even that one didnt intrest me.

If your into cars and like to see them on screen going fast? then youll probably love the movie, if your like me and thats not your fancey, then youll agree with this.

Gone in 60 Seconds - Re-issue comments
This DVD is a great reissue of the original movie. The widescreen feature is a nice touch, as well as the digital re-mastering of the video. Very nice job! My only negative comments are the lack of the original soundtrack, featuring songs by Phil Kachaturian. A sort of B-grade "suspense" background track was added, which sort of reminds you of the cheesey old karate movies. Sadly, an important dimension was lost from the film by deleting the original music, especially in the scene with Pumpkin in the office alone, waiting for her man to return..(check out the original movie to compare..). The commentary feature is nice and full of cool trivia, but it too fails to mention anything about the original songs. Another bit of information that would have been a great addition, would have been current interviews with the old cast members, as a sort of follow-up as to their current where-abouts. Other than those few points, the movie is great and a trip down memory lane. Enjoy! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Brynner and Waxman Showcase
I thought Yul Brynner gave an excellent performance as the Cossack leader Taras Bulba. The part was made for him. I wish he had been in the film more, and Tony Curtis less. Franz Waxman received his 12th Academy Award nomination for the score. It is great! Although the quality of the film is a bit uneven, it has 'The Ride to Dubno' in it, which is one of the most powerful and striking scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The movie is worth buying just to have that scene.

The Adventures of a Bronx Cossack
Taras Bulba could have been a very good film - possibly even a great one. But Hollywood values killed any chance of that. Instead, we have a reasonably enjoyable mess of a movie with two outstanding ingredients that rise above the rest - Franz Waxman's rousingly inventive music and a suitably over the top performance by Yul Brynner. As the title character, Brynner looks every inch a Cossack - swaggering and posing like a macho peacock, delivering his lines with that growling accent, and wearing his costumes as though he had lived in them all his life. Brynner was a hugely undervalued actor - a larger than life performer whose presence saved many a film. But the odds were really against him here.

Instead of focusing on Brynner, the film makes Tony Curtis, as his son, the central character. Curtis makes absolutely no effort to look like a Cossack so it is not surprising that he doesn't act like one either. While the rest of the Cossacks are swarthy, burly, scalplocked he-men, the sons of Taras Bulba look more like a couple of surfers who have wandered in from the film next door. Worse still is Curtis's love interest - the enemy girl he falls in love and betrays the Cossack Brotherhood for. She is played with wan listlessness by Christine Kaufmann in a performance so wooden it's a wonder Curtis didn't get splinters in their love scenes. Still, in real life, he must have fancied her because he left Janet Leigh to marry her.

Even with its insipid love story, Taras Bulba could still have achieved greatness through sheer spectacle. The costume department certainly did their bit - although some of the Polish uniforms are needlessly naff. The music thunders and roars - except for the obligatory love song sung by an oversweetened choir over the equally obligatory sixties montage sequence. Filming in Argentina may have been a good fiscal decision, but it doesn't help the look of the film - pampas are not steppes. Still, there are some exciting and effective sequences, notably the Ride To Dubno during which Brynner's followers grow from a handful to an army. The battles scenes are as lively as the Polish university scenes are dull. Sometimes the scale of the enterprise impresses. But you end up wanting to like the film more than you do.

Perhaps the film's uncertain tone is best illustrated by a post-production anecdote. At a pre-release screening, director J. Lee Thompson supposedly turned to Yul Brynner and said: "I still don't see why you had to shoot Tony."

one of YUL BRYNNERS best
WOW, made for the biiiiiiiiiig screen .My husband actually sit and watched !And hes a history channel man.This movie shows Brynners expressive talents in a big way .Hes smooth .!!The movies of this time are well done ,surpass anything of today .Takes a good story and lots of talent to pull off this show ,and no clothes off !!!I now own most all of Brynners movies ,well 19 anyway !!!Could have skipped Tony curtis ,not the best choice for the son .Top BILLING ?Only at a price ,I read in biog.But the movie was exciting til the very end ,fast paced ,always action....I loved it ...and will watch again.Our tvs are only 30 in....I can picture it on a widdddddddde screen.WOW(and I'm a grammy....but a big fan of BRYNNERS )nothing less than 5 stars will do.its a winner .anyone who loves action films ..and long ago days ..will not be disapointed.

A Cast of Thousands
This is a great movie, but at the time it was made it raised issues of national security in the country where it was filmed - Argentina. Because of budgetary and political considerations (remember it was the height of the Cold War) the producers decided to forgo the authenticity of shooting it on the vast, rolling steppes of the Ukraine, opting instead for the cheaper and more convenient location of the Argentine pampas.

To create the phenomenal scenes of the mighty Cossack armies clashing with the Polish levies, the entire - and I mean ENTIRE -Argentine army was enrolled for 6 days. During this critical period the borders of the country were left completely undefended, making it possible for any neighboring power to swoop down and capture all the key strategic points in Argentina.

This provided the Paraguayans with the perfect opportunity to avenge the war of 1860, and even gave the sea-less Bolivians the chance to regain a coastline, not to mention the ever present threat of the crafty Chileans. The Brazilians might also have been tempted to pitch in were it not for the fact that their entire army was simultaneously engaged in shooting a water-borne Carmen Miranda swimming-and-dancing extravaganza.

Luckily none of Argentina's jealous neighbors found out in time to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. After watching this movie, I am sure you will agree the results were well worth the risk to Argentine national security.

Put Your Faith In Your Sword....
It's great to see that the 'Epic' has made a comeback with the release of GLADIATOR. I therefore urge those of of you who enjoyed it you to view and admire this sweeping, swashbuckling panorama of charging horsemen, ringing blades and booming cannons which explores a fascinating but little-reported (in the west) chapter of history. Set amid the Cossack struggle for independence from the Polish empire, this tale of warrior chief Yul Brynner and his relationship with his favourite son is full of dash and derring-do from beginning to end, and for me sits alongside 'El Cid' as the top epic of the 1960's which wasn't about ancient Rome. The highlight of the film is the stunningly-filmed sequence in which the Cossack cavalry regiments gather on the road to the city of Dubno, but the film contains several other fine moments: a gripping duel to the death as two cossack horsemen jump a yawning chasm until one tires and topples to their doom, and the scene in which Yul Brynner as Taras Bulba claims the leadership of the Cossack army and deposes the previous 'hetman'. The film's acting honours go unhestatingly to Brynner, who swaggers and struts superbly in the title role, while Tony Curtis is...well Tony Curtis. Franz Waxman's excellent score mixes gentle folk tunes and stirring evocations of galloping horseman. For film buffs: watch out for Brad Dexter, well-known as the Brynner co-star in 'The Magnificent Seven' who didn't make it to stardom, in the role of Taras Bulba's right-hand man. The last word goes to Brynner, who as he attempts to persuade the Cossacks to join his cause, delivers the classic line (to any Polish readers: no offence!)'There's only one way to keep faith with a Pole...put your faith in your sword, and your sword in the Pole!' ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Politically Incorrect....But Engrossing
This story, of a gruff, dysfunctional, but brilliant detective out to bring down the Triads is a fast paced & very entertaining action film, meant to capitialize on the Chinatown shoot-outs at The Golden Dragon restaurants, that had captured the attention of the news media back in the late 1970's.

That said, the characters, especially Mickey Rourke's lead, are somewhat pedestrian & conventional. (Do ALL brilliant book & movie detectives have to have screwed up personal lives?!)

Besides that, I wondered about why a POLISH-American cop would be so personally obsessed about taking out the CHINESE mafia?

I'm NOT into political correctness. (Though I'm Chinese by descent, I wasn't so gung-ho about all of the protesting from the Asian activists about this movie back in the '80's. After all, there are more important things to worry about than an action flick!)

But I am into BELIEVABLE films. One reviewer who liked this movie said that director Cimino "kept it real." If it was "real", the lead (both in the book & in the movie) would have been someone with a very personal stake in bringing down the Triads. That would have justified his obsession AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY. (It's one thing to have him see it as just a job at the beginning, then have him obsessed AFTER they attack his friends & family. But this guy is so gung-ho RIGHT AT THE START!)

Politically correct or not....he should have been a Chinese, and not a Polish cop. (That goes for the book, as well as the movie!)

That said, the leading lady, a Chinese-American reporter, is the opposite....she's just too politically correct (in her mouthings about rights & such, not in her depiction) to be believable. (She might be a good actress, but I found her character annoying. It wasn't her fault. I blame the writers!)

Worst of all was John Lone's character. He's also a good actor, but in the story, he's absolutely no match, mentally or (especially) physically for Rourke's character. A villain should be the equal of the hero, in order to create audience tension (even though you know the good guy is supposed to win in the end.) But Rourke just man-handles Lone in a bathroom with no trouble at all (at least, not until some girl bodyguards start shooting at Rourke.) I thought Triad leaders were supposed to be trained in martial-arts! (That's not a stereotype, that's really a part of their traditions & rituals.)

Of course, Rourke should win. (After all, he's the "hero".) But he shouldn't have had it SO EASY.

Rent it....but don't buy it!

A Great Film
This film got a bad reputation when left-leaning Chinese-American groups tried to brand it as racist, causing many film critics to play it safe and pan it rather than brave the ire of those groups. In truth, the only notable flaw in the film is the acting talents of Arianne; despite this, I found her tolerable as her interaction with Rourke was truly electric. As to the demagogues, I must say that they arrived a little late to the party: Cimino's Deer Hunter portrayed Asians in a much more demeaning light than anything here. Besides that, have any of those protesters seen the kinds of movies put out en masse from Hong Kong? They are much more glitzy violent than anything portrayed here (for example check out John Wu's "The Killer" or Hard-Boiled").

Mickey Rourke is awesome as usual, he defined cool in the 1980s just as Errol Flynn did for the 1930s. And just like Errol Flynn, he later descended into mediocrity, making poor personal decisions and then taking poor roles and minor roles which made a mockery of his previously fine work. But neither Flynn nor Rourke were as bad as OJ Simpson or Enron executives. You don't have to love what they became to enjoy what they previously achieved.

In many ways Cimino fulfilled a potential avenue which Roman Polanski never explored in his 1974 neo-noir masterpiece, Chinatown. That film spent all of one scene in its namesake locale. Year of the Dragon takes us right into the heart of New York City's Chinatown, for better and for worse. Its a fairly conventional narrative, but you can almost smell the pastries cooking and wet garbage seething on those Manhattan streets. One of my three favorite Rourke films, along with Angel Heart and Francesco.

Big loud movie that goes nowhere
Mickey Rourke is NYPD Detective Stanley White, an angry white cop and marine Vietnam vet whose life seems to revolve around making a nightmare of everybody else's. Sent to Chinatown with the idea to stay out of trouble, White immediately butts heads with community figures he's convinced run the local mob. Not just a strictly law-and-order, White is on a mission against the larger evil of organized crime. Convinced that local Chinese mobsters are just tentacles of larger criminal syndicates called Triads (White educates his superiors that it was the Chinese, not the Italians who conceived "organized crime"), White pursues respected members of the City's Chinese community. Unfortunately, the situation is larger than White realizes - as Joey Tai (John Lone), an up-and-coming figure among the community, prepares to wrest control of the Triads from its aging leaders. Poised to flood America with narcotics from the golden triangle of southeast Asia, Tai soon realizes that White is more than an annoyance, and must be eliminated. Meanwhile, White proves less able to crack the Triads than his own career - alienating superiors who are convinced that he's harassing Tai. As Tai and White fight a war that soon becomes personal, the Triad readies itself to enter a new age in organized crime.

This is yet the only Cimino flick I've ever seen, though it seems to confirm what I've heard about his inability to focus. You wander through the twisting alleys of the script and wonder just what it's all about. It's about drugs, and Chinese and white cops who prove willfully blind to the encroaching triads. But that doesn't begin to explain Stan White or his seemingly bottomless reservoir of piety. Why does he care so much? "How can anybody care too much?" he asks back. What does he really want? Arresting people for crimes isn't enough - he's out for the moral rot that bred the Triads, and sets out to war against Chinatown. We're supposed to assume that White's stint in the Marines has turned him into the perfect righteous cop, but that would make him a nightmare no matter where he was assigned (in his first few scenes he demonstrates his knowledge of the Triads suggesting a peculiar obsession for them). Equally unfortunate is that while "Dragon" has the makings of a character-driven flick, there are so few compelling characters populating it. A beautiful Chinese TV reporter w/whom White falls in love with, the aging leaders of the Triad, a young Chinese cop who sticks his neck out for White, Tai himself, White's lazy bosses, other cops - they're all one-note props next to Rourke's character. I vaguely recall this flick getting lambasted for its simplistic portrayal of Chinese Americans, but it's actually a simplistic portrayal of everything New York. John Lone again proves an actor of rare depth, but the script doesn't give him anything to fill it with. What's left is crass, angry and louder than Chinese New Year.

Should be called YEAR OF THE DODO
Oh no. A Mickey Rourke movie. Lock up your daughters and bar the windows, this isn't going to be pretty.
YEAR OF THE DRAGON is a major career stretch for the Mickster- this time around his character doesn't use "MF" to punctuate his sentences. In a highly original, high concept plot that would have done the late Don Simpson proud; Mickaroo plays Stanley White, an ex-Nam vet who is now a cop fighting corruption in Chinatown, and his task is to track down and arrest and/or wipe out street gangs, but he soon finds himself up against drug dealers, but that's no problem for Mick seeing as he is your everyday suburban Rambo. Rourke's attempts at intelligent social commentary are enough to drive any viewer to burn the VHS tape. YEAR OF THE DODO is directed by Michael "The Deer Hunter" Cimino who should have known better than to subject viewers to this "unpleasant movie." There's some gore, but mostly bore. And it's overlong to boot. Check out Ridley Scott's BLACK RAIN instead, it's not hugely memorable but its far better than this.

Great Movie! When will it come out on DVD?
This movie is the best cop show I have ever seen. Aside from its controversy and violence this show was well made. John Lone was at his best as always and Mickey Rourke was the same with attitude. I hope that the director would bring this great show out on DVD in stead of letting it collect dust!!! When it does come out buy it you won't be sorry!!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Yeah! Right! Brosnan - great job!
Brosnan did an excellent job considering the story line and his youth.
Why do these idiots making films think they have to depend on a stripper to hook the guys. Wasn't the movie itself good enough?

We don't need to see what guys are like - we already know!
Story line was good enough to promote a bit of interest - the quest of how he would take out the villians kept the interest -- but the exploiting of women just keeps up -- I ain't seen a nude man yet -- would have to bury him under a pile of sh---- if I did.

Ah well, can't keep them all -- I blame hollywood for lousing up some great actors.

Very original hero
Though not a very popular movie with the public, this is a very interesting film starring Pierce Brosnan and Allison Doody. I own the DVD version, and it is very good. Though it is such a simple plot, I've never seen one like it. Never before have I seen a movie who's main character is a tough debt collector who stands up for the helpless in his small Irish town. When uncaring buisnessmen plan to build a power plant that would fill the town with pollution. Taffin uses all of his skills to battle the buisnessmen and help the towns people. Though I suppose it is an action movie, that is not its best advertisement. It is an original movie about a troubled debt collector helping his town.

One for late night TV, hardly DVD
One of Pierce Brosnan's early films, and it sure feels like it. I am a big fan of Pierce, but feel he is more suited to the suave world of James Bond and Remington Steele, than a little Irish village fighting the big bad men. Brosnan is a good actor, but this is not the film to showcase his talents enough. As for it being on DVD, I don't think so! If it was harder to find it might make it more talked about, as it happens, it is, for all the wrong reasons.

A Different Kind of Hero
Brosnan is convincing as a man whose life has been derailed by doubt. He is a searcher for truth who makes his living collecting debts for merchants in a small Irish town. He places himself between small business owners trying to earn an honest living and those who would take advantage of their helplessness. When a large chemical company, with mob ties and friends high in government, begins construction of a plant which will pollute the environment and ruin the village, the townspeople hire him to fix the problem. He tries to explain that they will find his method of rectifying the situation unpalatable, but they insist that they can live with whatever he does. Interwoven in the plot is his search for truth and order in the chaos of modern life. All in all, this movie is one that can be enjoyed at numerous levels - intellectual, witty, adventurous, and all too real. You'll watch this one more than once!

Taffin
This movie is terrific. Pierce is so good looking its almost impossible to keep track of the plot, though it is good one. The bad boy image with a touch of sensitivity is infectious in this Irish adventure. The supporting cast is terrific and his leading lady is good looking enough to be on screen beside this handsome hunk, though their love scenes were to tame.I thought Pierce's character was compelling and flexed his acting abilities.Totally liked this movie and I've recomended it to all my girl friends, (they loved it too) though men will like it for the good guy bad guy action sequences. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Walter Hill's updated (1984), highly stylized take on biker movies still looks like a determinedly eccentric project that happens to work at times, but not at others. Michael Paré plays a biker who agrees to rescue his ex-girlfriend (a rocker played by Diane Lane) from kidnappers (led by Willem Dafoe). The ensuing battle against a nocturnal background of industrial blight, chrome, and loud music is like some fever dream of a Springsteen fan who listened to the song "Born to Run" far too often. The audacity of the film carries it a long way even after it becomes clear that Hill's experiment is crumbling under its own weight. Dafoe, who looked even spookier back then than he does now, is memorable, as are Amy Madigan and Rick Moranis. Music is by Ry Cooder, with an appearance by the Blasters. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, optional French soundtrack, optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (53)

an underrated cult movie!
This was one of those big budget, high concept films of the '80s that the studio had high hopes for but ended up belly-flopping at the box office. It's a shame, really, because this is a wonderfully entertaining B-movie with A-movie production values.

Yeah, most of the songs (with the exception of the two awesome tunes by The Blasters) are horribly dated and totally inappropriate for the look and vibe of this movie (what do you expect? they were mostly written and/or arranged by the guy who produced Meatloaf's BAT OUT OF HELL -- ugh), which should have gone more with rockabilly and old school '50s rock 'n' roll instead, but oh well.

Michael Pare delivers his finest performance in this one as the silent tough guy Tom Cody and he has real chemisty with old flame Diane Lane who is perfectly cast as the rock singer who needs to be rescued. This was at the time when both of their careers were read hot (esp. Lane's after doing all those awesome Coppola films!) and this film was supposed to launch their careers into the stratosphere. Doh.

Surrounding them is a great cult cast of character actors... Rick Moranis as the annoying manager, Amy Madigan as the butch soldier-of-fortune, Willem Dafoe as the nasty, leather-clad bad guy and the blink-and-you'll-miss-'em cameos by Bill Paxton (great hair!), Lee Ving (from the punk band Fear), Ed Begley, Jr. (what the?!), Robert Townsend (I'M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA!) and a young Mykelti Williamson (Bubba Gump!).

This was also Walter Hill at his finest. After this, with the exception of JOHNNY HANDSOME, it was pretty much all downhill. But, man, he had a good run until the bottom fell out.

The transfer on this DVD is top notch with kickin' sound that really comes out if you've got the proper home theater set-up. It's a real shame that the studio didn't let Hill or anybody else involved provide some new extras! C'mon! If commercial flops like UHF and NEAR DARK can get awesome special edition treatments then so can this one!

A Terrible Movie That You Can't Help But Love
Personally, I really like Streets Of Fire, but strictly speaking, it's terrible. The script is really bad and the dialogue is some of the worst I've ever heard. However, it can be very fun to watch. The cinematography is excellent, and the beginning and ending concert scenes are the reason I bought this dvd in the first place (I'm a huge Jim Steinman fan). It really is fun to grab a few friends and some snacks and just laugh at Rick Moranis and Michael Pare overacting their corny lines. It also has Elizabeth Daily, whom you may know as the voice of Buttercup on The Powerpuff Girls. I love her! She's a joy to watch. I was dissapointed in the lack of special features on the dvd, and somehow I don't think there will be a special edition version. But hey, it's always amusing to watch corny dialogue transform into corny French dialogue, right?
Simply put, if you're a fan of cheesy movies and you don't take things too seriously, you will probably get a kick out of this film.

A "Grows on you kind of flick!"
Ok...when I first saw this movie the first thing out of my mouth was..."Ok...what was that all about?" lol...but after watching it again...and being a really big (self-proclaimed) Michael Pare fan, I gave it another try, and was really suprised that I enjoyed it! It grows on you...it's a "You can't help but love it" kind of film! The more you watch it, it becomes a guilty pleasure! A must see...if you like the kind of movie that you can love, and still think..."WOW...I really like that?!?!?!"

"You can kiss your baby goodbye."
If you recognize the name Ellen Aim you know your cult sci-fi rock movies, or, as director Walter Hill called his 1984 film Streets of Fire, your "rock and roll fable[s]."

Ellen Aim and the Attackers are a band that plays in an alternate version of the eighties, or maybe an alternate version of the fifties. It's either the eighties that couldn't let go of Elvis and pre-British Invasion rock and roll, or it's the fifties anticipating an urban underclass where everyone is on the edge of violence. Walter Hill loads the movie with a retro neon look, blending genres, similar to what he did in 1979's The Warriors, where he mixed the post-war social-issue movie with the seventies exploitation film, along with some ancient Greek history. (As Cyrus, the would-be savior of all the warrior gangs, booms at us, "Can you dig it?")

Michael Pare (as Tom Cody) stars in Streets of Fire. Cody's just out of the army in a what-if America that still has the social restraints from fifties Tab Hunter movies, but wallows in the corruption and depravity of Reagan's eighties. On this particular morning in America it's raining and everyone's on the verge of killing someone. Willem Dafoe's first appearance as Raven, the villain in black rubber, fresh from God knows what perversity, to the song "One Bad Stud" performed by the Blasters ("If he likes your baby, you can kiss your baby goodbye"), may be what got him typecast as a psycho in so many movies.

But in a fifties movie there has to be a love story. You can't have a guy without a girl. There has to be a Natalie Wood for James Dean, even if the romance is between James Dean and Sal Mineo. In Streets of Fire, Michael Pare's Natalie Wood is Diane Lane as singer Ellen, who Aims her Attack straight at your heart while she caresses one of those old round microphones that look like a hood ornament. Raven kidnaps Ellen and her old boyfriend Tom Cody (Buffalo Bill to the rescue) is called to save her. Unfortunately, Lane doesn't get to do much more than play the frail here.

Cody's real emotional connection is with McCoy (Amy Madigan), another vet who makes Cody hire her to rescue Ellen. McCoy brushes off Cody's half-hearted passes with "You're not my type." McCoy wears greasy old clothes and fixes cars better than Cody so I think I get the point. Especially when McCoy leers at a female nude dancer at the club where Ellen is being held. It seems like the movie was going to be more explicit about McCoy's sexuality but chickened out.

I won't spoil the story but you know how it ends.

I have a soft spot for movies that are original, even if they're not entirely successful. The music's good, the look of the film pulls you into its unique world, and the story is one of those mythic restatements that move you even when you know they're corny.

Yes, cheesy but the best kind though...
I truly love this movie, even though it is chock full of horrible writing and over acting, but all of this is done in a very cool way. I like to think of this as a pirate movie only on land with a bunch of bikers, cool cars, and tons of film noire dream like quaility action going on. Plus a great sound track to go with it. If you like Micheal Pare I recomend checking him out in Eddie and the Cruisers 2: Eddie Lives! instead of Eddie and the Cruisers. He's much more interesting in Eddie Lives! and it has a much better soundtrack with incredible songs done by John Caffhery and the Beaver Brown Band. ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Hello Again!
Hi. I know I've already reviewed, but that was my first very own, public displayed review and I didn't like the way I explained this movie. I really agree with that review where it says, "As the story progresses, you get to see what's going on inside Moll's head." That review was very detailed and the author was probably a top student in writing when he/she was in school. Now... ...I first saw this movie on television in 1996 on PBS.WNED. And most people that know me, all know that I love these kind of movies where they take place back in the 1700's and 1800's. I started to watch this luckily just after Pat Russell finishes his very discriptive (and kind of story spoiling) introduction. I thought that Alex Kingston was very good as Britain's most wanted woman. The other cast acted well too. Moll is a woman who is born in Newgate Prison: a place for the people who don't have any sense to what they're doing. Moll starts out as a poor, stressfull servant girl to shy to stand up for her problems. To a thief in London (in which turns into a gay sort of affair with a female friend!!). Her story involves many different feelings. Moll can make you shed a tear or two (as when her FEMALE FRIEND is hanged). She can make you laugh your head off (like when her 5th husband, Mr John Bland, dies from shock and she takes away the money she lays upon his eyes). She can also make you suspensed (she doesn't hand you a clue about what she is about to do with Mary Edwards, that child that lives on St. Jude's street). Andrew Davies writes a splendid adapation of Daniel Defoe's book. It's close to the book and is very faithful to it. I think it will be a classic in time, like GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) and A NIGHT TO REMEMBER (1940 something). I hope it will be a classic. This is my favorite adapation of this tale and my favorite movie of all time!

Moll Flanders
I first saw this Masterpiece Theater production on PBS and I fell in love with it instantly. Alex Kingston shines brightly as Moll Flanders, a woman determined to make her way in life as a gentlewoman. She will do this by marrying the richest of men, but then she meets someone different, who makes her believe she doesn't have to have money to make her way. A great supporting cast follows Kingston (who happens to be my favourite "movie star") as well. Excellent acting, cinematography and costume design add to the fabulous results of making the 18the century come alive again. *Note: There are two musical scores for this movie. One by Mark Springer, the other by Jim Parker (which won an award). This one has the score by Jim Parker.*

Unexpectedly and thoroughly satisfying . . .
I stumbled on this movie by accident and after just a few minutes was riveted. What a gem! Moll as played by Alex Kingston is just fabulous. Nothing I've seen her in since allows her to showcase her talent so fully. The story has many robust twists and turns, the characters are ribald and more alive than most real people I know, and Alex is the glue that superbly holds it all together. Don't miss this one!

Not a good version
I watched the miniseries when it came on PBS and I was excited when it came on DVD but have been disappointed. Several scenes have been omitted from the DVD version including Roland's first romantic overture to Moll in a beautiful circlular garden, and when she finds herself spiraling into wickedness she prays to God for help and then turns to the camera and says "do you think He helped me, has He ever helped you?" They're small omissions but I considered them important and with no subtitles of any kind, I can't recommend this edition and regret buying it myself instead of seeking out the PBS version.

It's hard to remain calm when you watch this
*David Noble bangs his head into Moll Flander's head at the scene when she almost murders the child. He rams into her wheh she looks into the mirror and violently jerks her head back* I'M STARING RIGHT AT YOU!!!!! AND I'LL BREAK YOUR HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Enjoyable & great teaming
Yes, this "Company Business" is a bit hokey and implausible, but I enjoyed it for the one time teaming of Gene Hackman with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Hackman is right in his element and delivers a solid performance. Baryshnikov is also quite good in one of the few if only film roles where he isn't a dancer. The plot isn't a total dud by any means and has a lot of twists and turns (even if you don't want to examine any of this too closely) along with a least one double-cross, which keeps it moving along and kept me guessing the outcome the first time I saw it. But hey, what James Bond plot is plausible either so I think this is a film you really tune in to see first and foremost because you like the stars and want to see the two of them. But if you don't like Hackman or Baryshnikov, then don't waste your time.

Business without much profit.
The ultimate example of Hollywood acknowledging the end of the cold war era. CIA and KGB agents racing around Europe together hunting down two of their own men. Due to a few mess-ups that are too long winded to get into, Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshinov end up running around Berlin at about 4 O'clock in the morning with two million dollars and a road map that neither can read. Hackman is, as always, Brilliant as the "old guy" ex CIA agent called back into service to oversee the swap of a former KGB agent for an American being held in Russia. The film itself though lacks any plausibility. For example, we see the chief of the CIA and his Russian equivalent marching up and down stairwells in the Eiffel Tower, dodging bullets and intimidating witnesses on shady street corners at knife point and, in the dark! Realistic? Definitely not. If this is meant to be a comedy then its simply not funny. If its meant to be serious espionage stuff, then just watch it to see the lack of common sense thought that went into its making. Why the 3 stars? The acting all round is fairly convincing (espicially Hackman) and the basic plot is original. Unfortunately though the film doesn't live up to a storyline which could have showed a lot of potential.

Well "I" liked it!
After the one star review, I'm feeling kind of stupid. I enjoy this movie. (Present tense. I have a videotape from TV or someplace that I watch occasionally). I'd like to get it on DVD for my RV collection. I like the larger than life characters. One guy makes a statement at the very beginning about Hackman's character, "I hate these old guys. They're always thinking," or something to that effect. Multiply it by two old guys, and it turns into fun. The has-been look they give to the participants, from the Saudi financier-money launderer, who has even been forced to sell the gold fixtures in his bathroom to survive, to the documents forger in a dingy loft adds to the tongue-in-cheek spy atmosphere. The US and Soviet agents chasing the Hackman and Baryshnikov characters have to go way back in their computer histories to find logical accomplices to catch the "old guys." Great stuff.

Company Business disappoints
Can you say stinkburger? Somebody forgot to write about half the script for this spy thriller set on the eve of the fall of the Soviet Union. Imagine a espionage movie where you not only don't meet the bad guy, you only catch a glimpse of him early in the film.

So why are aging U.S. investigator Sam Boyd (Hackman) and the recently-sprung-from-prison Russian spy Pyiotr Grushenko (Baryshnikov) cavorting buddy style through Berlin and Paris? Well, it seems Boyd has been assigned to a hush-hush swap of Grushenko and 2 million dollars for a former U.S. war hero captured long ago by the Soviets. The transfer goes afoul, making captor and captive into a buddy team that doesn't ever quite mesh. The CIA and the KGB ( it is their "company" business the film takes its title from) bungle their way around the pair of uneasy comrades throughout Europe, trying to achieve something - we're not quite sure what - since the value of this American pilot and his return are never really explained. If our intelligence agency is this stupid - we're all in big trouble.

Not even the considerable acting talents of Gene Hackman and the aging sex appeal of Mikhail Baryshnikov can provide enough interest to keep you from snoozing through this plotless wonder. Add in the totally forgettable debut of Geraldine Danon as Baryshnikov's "love interest" who really isn't - and you've got a "Company Business" that should never have gone public in the first place. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

One of the best movies of all time!!!
"White Lightning" is the best Burt Reynolds movie of all time Bar None. I have seen it over and over and i never get tired of watching it!!! Absolutely the best moonshiner movie ever made!!!

Dirty movie
This is o.k if your in the mood for it. White Lightning is a quiet type subdud movie. when you watch it you get kind of a dirty feeling of sweaty hot poor towns and smelly sweaty people. there is alot of cigarette smoking in it and you just get a hot southern feeling of poverty. People in this movie look like they need a shower bad especially Burt Reynolds. But the acting is pretty good and overall I think it has a good story line but just dont eat a cheese sandwich watching it because the people are pretty rugged and dirty and kind of smelly looking.

Burt is GATOR!
Burt stars as Gator McKlusky a moonshine runner serving time in a Arkansas prison. His brother is killed by a corrupt sheriff (Ned Beatty), so Gator agrees to go undercover to exspose the sheriff and get his brothers killer. The action is awesome. Car chases, brawls and Burt's signature humor. The DVD transfer is good but sadly the film is FULL FRAME and not WIDESCREEN. I guess MGM figured only rednecks would buy such a film and didn't bother with a 16x9 transfer. And no the film is not edited the language was re-dubbed in parts of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT also to get a PG rating, cinema was only PG or R rated in the 70's. The 1976 classic GATOR is the sequel.

Again
I don't think this movie was edited for its dvd release. I watched it recently, and in my mind I put back in all the swear words that were re-dubbed. NO WAY could this movie have gotten a PG in 1973 if all that swearing had been included. And it was originally PG, not "R" or "PG-13" (which didn't exist in 1973). I'm an old guy, 42, and I saw this back in the day with my parents. I was 12 and we didn't go to R rated flicks as a family. And, as I wrote before, I own the original poster and it says "PG."
I still think the swearing was edited out by the studio just before the movie's theatrical release, to tone it down from an "R" to a more-profitable, family freindly PG. Reynolds had just gotten popular (from Deliverance, talk shows, and posing nude in Ms Magazine) and they wanted to change his new movie from playing only the drive-ins to playing in the family theatres. This kind of last minute fiddling was often done in the old days when movie companies wanted to get a certain rating (and is today, but usually for sex instead of for language).

If anybody out there has seen a version with all the extra swearing kept in, please write me and let me know when and where! And let's get that director's cut out on dvd if it exists!

"Women and da Po-leeece"
Great flick, lousy Thought Police DVD. This PG-13 version lacks the teeth of the theatrical release. Why shucks, I've heard racier language on Sesame Street dadgummit.

Burt is Burt, Bo Hopkins was an unappreciated gem...but they both lose "cool" points for driving 72" Ford LTDs, which no self-respecting moonshiner would have ever been caught dead in.

Hey MGM, give us the real deal consarnit! 4 stars for the DVD transfer, 1 star for the editing. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Release the entire series, please!
Though it has a great storyline and a very efficient sense of dramatic motion, this first episode still coudn't show everything this series could do or would turn to be. That is, of course, understandable, nobody knows at this point who were James Sonny Crockett or Ricardo Tubbs, those characters would naturally have a deeper approach later. Lieutenant Castillo (Edward James Olmos) was yet to come. It is nice to see Jan Hammer's Miami Vice theme still without the guitar melody and extended a bit. Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" is one of the highest tension points during the movie, which has Hammer's "Chase" and "Flashback", too. I can't believe that there are only two episodes available, there are so many other important moments of the series (the coming of the new Ferrari, the death of Zito, the second marriage of Sonny Crockett and etc). At first, other 2 hour lenght (or double episodes) could be released, like "Hit List", "Golden triangle", "Down for the Count", "Hostile Takeover", "Freefall". After that the entire collection should be released. We are talking about an artistic production famous by its development of a new narrative language (having the influence of videoclip and making influence in it too), very original and sophisticated visual textures. And of course, the famous guest stars. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see again the appearances of James Brown, Ted Nugent, Charlie Barnett, Phil Collins, Gordon Liddy, Jan Hammer and SO MANY OTHERS. What is MCA waiting for?

Miami Vice Series
I have been patiently awaiting the complete TV series of Miami Vice to be released on DVD. Canada already has the series. What is the problem in the US?

There are many people in this country waiting for this series, so lets get with the program please and release a DVD series compatible with the US equipment.

Miami Vice was one of the best TV series ever produced. Anyone that loves mystery, drama and action motives, will become addicted to this series. Thank you.

We need more miami vice episodes available for purchase
I am a Canadian who is interested in purchasing "Miami Vice" episodes. I know that series like "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" are available for purchase. So far, I own a few of series and I enjoy them immensely. Today's reality programming does nothing for me, so if I feel like watching something, I often have to turn to my own DVD's and Videos. I currently watch programs like "C.S.I.", "Less Than Perfect", "The Simpsons", "King of the Hill" and "Joan of Arcadia". (I was becoming interested in Miss Match with Alicia Silverstone, but it has been slipping.) I look forward to the day when Miami Vice episodes are also released. One of the reasons is that I am fascinated by the evolution in the work of Michael Mann over the years - he is some kind of genius!

A One of a kind Gem
This has to be one of the best programs of the 80's in fact ever.
Never has a show created such an impression on me like this show
did and i probabley won't ever find it again. Because Miami Vice
was a show that was great for it's time and is still way ahead
of our time went it comes to great storylines, music fashion,
cars anything you can think of this show showcased it long before
it became popular. The teaming of Sonny Crockett a wise mouth
seasoned vice cop who lives with his pet aligator Elvis and the
Cool Well dressed Ladykiller Cop from New York Ricardo Tubbs was
well done in contrast and style and as the series went on you never get tired of the show and it's chracters because it always kept you going in non stop excitement with great scripts, great villians and actual beautiful Miami Florida Scenery. I wished they would release the series on video and see just how many die hard fans would pick it up that it would be instantly declared cult status. I love this show!!!! At one time i wanted to be like
Don Johnson because i thought he was what i emvisioned coolness
was a nice sportscar, beautiful women and a fanatastic wardrobe.

Ten Best Miami Vice Epidsodes
10. "Lombard"
9. "The Fix"
8. "Smugglers Blues"
7. "Shadow In The Dark"
6. "The Great Mcarthey"
5. "Calderone's Return" Part 1
4 "Calderone's Return" Part 2
3. "No Exit"
2. "Amen Send Money"
1. "Definately Miami"

Style and Guest Appearances
The acting, story line and photography was great in this series. If the entire season for each year was available I would buy it. What also really made the series were the guest stars as well as Johnson, Thomas and Olmo. While many moods and scenes come to mind, this show used hollywood to dramatize the undercover narc cop. In one episode, an informer is out on the water with Sonny dead in the water (Cigarrette Boat - incredible craft). All of a sudden, he sucks in some air and screams incoming. You could hear the mortar coming in exploding in the water (land based armanent). Still you got a feeling for what our vets must feel when a familar sound triggers memories. The whole series was an incredible escape and now memories of the eighties (clothes, people and action). Micheal Mann, and his staff did an incredible job. Wish there were more reruns and VHS copies of the episodes. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With a title that sums up the plot so tidily, it's hard to believethings went so horribly wrong. They Saved Hitler's Brain opens withone Professor Coleman explaining the effects of the deadly "G" nerve gas, andnoting that he's got an antidote. Soon enough, Coleman's daughter iskidnapped, mysterious swarthy foreigners start skulking around, and everyoneis heading to the South American isle of Mandoras. The next 40 minutesor so are meant to be a dark labyrinth of intrigue, keeping us on the edge ofour seats as we wonder who--who?--could be behind all this.Unfortunately, we've all known since the opening title that it's probablysome Nazis who have saved Hitler's brain. Actually, they've saved his wholehead and neck in some sort of big Mason jar. Hitler, though more than everthe brains of the outfit, seems much quieter than in the old days. Mostly herides around in his jar and rolls his eyes menacingly, perhaps because allhis Nazis insist on giving him their reports in English. The Nazi nerve gasplot is meant to fill the audience with terror and dread, but the mainconcern is that one of the characters will be injured by one of the hugechunks of exposition flying around. As if that isn't enough, there's acompletely uncalled-for Beatnik girl, a woman who screams until she has to beslapped, and some absolutely priceless dialogue. ("Some people here must beon our side. The trick is to stay out of the way of those that aren't.")Adding to the confusion is the fact that Hitler's Brain is abewildering mélange of well-shot footage from the 1950s and cheaplyshot footage from 1963. Even for connoisseurs of bad movies, They SavedHitler's Brain is bad. Really bad. Good lord, is it bad. Buy itimmediately. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (9)

They should have let Mr. H rest in peace.
This release contains the 1963 film "Madmen of Mandoras", but at the beginning there is some additional footage that seems to have been filmed around 1973. (Note the Volkswagen Beetle has large circular tail-lights, which first appeared on the 1973 models.) This extra footage was possibly a project of some UCLA film students, to create a longer movie for television.
It is unfortunate that these more recent actors are not in the film credits, since the newer footage is more fun to watch than the original, except for one thing: the head of the Fuhrer. Hitler's head provides the much needed comic relief for the drab situations, mostly by showing some kinds of unrecognizable expressions, and yelling "Mach Schnell!" (colloq: buck up). But, we are also shown the "evil" of the man (I mean, the head) when he smiles broadly after one of his cohorts shoots someone. Yahoooooo!

Save your own brain then
This movie is the best in the world - if you want a real bad movie. If you want a good B-Movie - its ....
First third or so filmed nearly a century after the main "story" (not that it has a real story) - the main actors of this part stumble around without much of a connection to the earlier (here later) part, and are all killed. That is, of course, they couldn't join in with the other actors ten years back in time.
The rest of the movie isn't much better - forget about the storyline. You sit around the whole time thinking: "When does the story start - wheres the action, the thrill, the humor, the sense?"
Even my hopes for an evil, entriguing or even power-mad super-villianous Hitler were eradicated. This guy (who by the way dont looks a bit like the old "Gröfaz") just stares out of his jar and, I suppose, wonders, why not one of his plain stupid Nazi henchmen speaks one word German.
The rest is 50s B-Movie standart: Screaming girl, smart hero, dead villains, etc.. The damn brain - which is the whole head in truth - not even gets a cool showdown or death scene. It simply burns to death in its car - still staring around helpless.
The most frightening on this movie is the hair-style of the main charakter in the first part.
Only good thing about this movie is the fact, that people are surprised (or shocked) when they see it in your movie collection. Nobody believes, that somebody ever did a "They saved Hitlers Brain" movie.
Here in Germany, where I live, its double shock.

Extremely bad and extremely funny!
Many say it is the worst movie ever made, it is. But, when you think about it, its very funny, from the backward swaztica, to the pointless begining, to the fact that the C.I.A. is accedently the C.I.D, and finally..Hitler's head melts in the end! Great fun! The DVD has no special features, although the menu is very funny, with hitler's head "turning" on and speaking giberish. They Saved Hitler's Brain definently belongs in your bad movie collection along with Plan Nine From Outer Space, and Cat Women From the Moon.(My real screenname is christopop but i'm using my moms account.) :)

Why Did They Save, THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN?
What can I say good about this movie? Hum, well the menu on the DVD from RHINO is quite funny. As for the rest, it is pretty bad.

The existing prints must be in poor shape. Despite the advertisement that it is a "new transfer from 35 mm film elements," the picture suffers from scratches, jitters, and a host of sound problems. The soundtrack develops that machine-gun rattle that is so common in old prints that no longer track well for the screen. Indeed, I have never heard this amount of hissing and cracking on a legitimate mainline DVD soundtrack.

Portions of the movie, mostly at the beginning, give a parallel storyline that was added by UCLA film students in the 1960's (1963 I believe). It really does not sync with the older 1950's footage that features better acting and scripting. Indeed, removal of the appended material might make for a better film. It was added for theatrical length and to help flush out the kidnapping and secret weapon details. All it really does is add length, stretching the movie to 92 minutes. While some bad movies are fun, this one is just mostly bad. Ed Wood could have done better.

Once the entire cast from the first part of the movie are killed off, the film starts in earnest with the older material. The plot should be simple but the extraneous material confuses things. Professor Coleman has created an antidote to a potent new nerve gas. He is kidnapped by Nazis holding up in Mandoras (South America). The evil men worship Hitler's animated head in a mason jar. The professor's daughter and son-in-law must save the day before the Nazis take over the world.

The identities of the actors in the added material are not clarified. The film was also called MADMEN OF MANDORAS and THE RETURN OF MR. H. There are several bloopers, much related to the harsh transition between the 1960's and 1950's cultures (dress, music, dance, etc.). There is also a car chase where shots alternate between night and day.

Here is a little tidbit. Bill Freed, who plays Hitler's head in a jar, would later author the screenplay for Koontz' book, THE WATCHERS.

>No nudity.
>Mild plot violence.
>No graphic gore.
>No vulgar language.

Hummm
Saw this one at the Drive in, a long long time ago and now that
i purchased and viewed, its as strange a i remember it.
The first 1/3rd of the film runs like a home made movie that they
appended to the film..once gone the film is more interesting.
Nothing like seeing Hitler's head on that box with lots of dials
on it. One movie that should make your bad movie collection ... Read more

Amazon.com

The same year that River Phoenix made Running on Empty, in which he played the son of '60s radicals on the run from the law and hiding in plain sight, he also made this film, which is even less interesting than the vastly overrated Running. And, in this one, he plays a kid whose parents are, in fact, deep-cover Soviet moles (oops, the Berlin Wall is coming down--bad timing there) who are about to be brought to the surface. But Sonny Boy is being indoctrinated by a kindly FBI agent (Sidney Poitier)--and is torn between battling those dirty Commies and helping them because those dirty Commies are Mom and Dad. As silly as it sounds, building to an ersatz action finale. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I love River person
I love this movie, because River is in it, and I love him *Crys* I wish he would come back, I will always love him....*crys* God Bless River. I alsmot beat my tv, because we didn't get the channel with stand by me

Eternal River Fan
This movie is great, in my opinion any River Phoenix movie is great. And if you are a tru fan of River Phoenix than any movie with him is worth seeing and as for wasting his talents... he wasted his talent just being in this world with us no one could ever completely understand how deep his talents were. River will alwayz be loved and missed. Now if you are truly a River fan then I defintly recommend this movie to you.

Russian Spy
If you like spy movies, this is great. It has action, River Phoenix and Sydney Poitier are fabulous together. This is definitely one for the list. I totally enjoyed this and recommend it.

2 LEGENDARY STARS IN A SO-SO FILM
December 28 1989 I first saw this film and became an instant fan of RIVER PHOENIX. Teamed with great Sidney Poitier it is a cold-war thriller and at times - a good one. But in the end it goes over the top and it quickly lost its importance when the cold war vanished... soon after the films completion...
However, it is a treat for the fans of these stars and the supporting cast are great especially Caroline Kava.

Pretty Good
Don't listen to that screwed-up review above. This movie has plenty of suspense, tense moments, and fine performances, especially by River Phoenix and Sidney Portier. You'll love it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robin Wright gives an adolescent, one-note performance as Daniel Defoe's 18th-century heroine, who has successive experiences as an abandoned child, a prostitute, a wife (five times over!), a thief, an artist's model, a felon, and much else. Writer-director Pen Densham takes a Forrest Gump-like sentimental angle on Moll's many manifestations (quite a bit different from Terence Young's bawdy 1965 film version) and mostly succeeds in making a movie that is too silly, precious, and weepy. Morgan Freeman plays a narrator (who doesn't exist in the book), and there are some good performances from John Lynch, Stockard Channing, and Jeremy Brett. But by the time this wobbly adaptation reaches its sappy conclusion, one can't help but feel the overriding power of the film is to insult the intelligence with treacle. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (29)

it's the movie, not the book that's being reviewed...
I have never read the novel of Moll Flanders, and besides, that's not what we're reviewing anyway. We're reviewing the movie itself. From my unbiased opinion, I think it was a great movie, well executed from the cast members. The little girl was an astounding actress for her age, and I'm quiet surprised that I haven't seen her in any other movies. Robin Wright did very well, because, I take it, Moll is a very challenging part. Moll is a multi-faceted character and I think any actress would have a very hard time pulling off. So congradulations to Wright. And, as usual, Morgan Freeman pulls off a wonderful performance. Stockard Channing is also very good at being evil, so the part suited her well. All in all, it's a good film to rent when all of the modern stuff seems like trash.

Where's Defoe's version?
I liked the movie. Don't get me wrong. However, this version of Moll Flander's tale deviants so dramatically from the version written by Defoe in the 18th century. Instead of our heroine, his the early version being the victim of money's intense seduction, of trading her morality for money and compassion for commodification, Densham's version of Moll Flanders is a frosting-type Cinderella whose beauty and innocence give her her just reward, money. I'm not exactly sure what the director, screen writer is trying to say here. That virtue isn't it's own reward, but that with luck and good looks, eventually you'll get the cash you need to own a estate in the Bahamas?
Either way, the movie's romance hooked me. I love to see true love conquer all.
It was a good movie.
I just wouldn't try to watch it and compare it to Defoe's version.

Not Moll Flanders at all
If you are a fan of period piece movies and only care about the movie, not the book, this is a nicely done period piece movie. It is nothing like the version of Moll Flanders starring Alex Kingston which I also liked very much. I have a huge collection of period piece movies and am glad I added both versions to my collection.

Read the book, but don't cast this movie aside!
I first read the *book* Moll Flanders when I was in eighth grade, and I loved it. Then I saw the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the novel, and loved that. When I saw this title at the video store, I thought I'd give it a try.

First off, as other reviewers have stated, it is nothing like the novel save the name of the main character and some of the "adventures" she has. HOWEVER, as a story it is not bad. Take a movie adaptation like "The Scarlet Letter" (with Demi Moore) or "Queen of the Damned" (with Aaliyah)--those are horrible adaptations of great books. This movie, however, is a good story in its own right, and not really an adaptation at all. The acting is good, the sets and costumes are pretty, and the plot, while not life changing, is moving and interesting.

My advice: 1)Read the book. 2)Watch the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation. 3)Watch this version, but keep an open mind and don't expect to see the same story that you read in the novel.

An enjoyable film
Personally I prefer the masterpiece theater version to the Moll Flanders story, but I don't believe that this one should be cast aside. Yes it doesn't follow the book, but for what it was written to be, it was excellent. The acting, costumes, and sets were wonderful. I just watched it last night as a matter of fact. Stockard Channing brings radiance to the screen as always. There is much to be appreciated. If you want better accuracy to the story, buy the masterpiece theater version. If you have an appreciation for great acting and art direction, buy both. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Who should a kid's hero be? In this underrated adventure-comedy, that's the central issue. Henry Thomas, fresh from E.T., plays a San Antonio kid whose father (Dabney Coleman) doesn't spend nearly enough time with him. So the boy loses himself in video games--and even has an imaginary friend (also played by Coleman), a super-resourceful secret agent. When he accidentally comes into possession of a spy group's secret plans, and winds up on the run from them, he must learn to rely on himself (and his imaginary pal) to save his skin. But, in the end, Dad proves to be his real hero in this engaging and solid family film. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Cloak & Dagger-Henry Thomas-(1986)
When a 11-year-old boy(Henry Thomas-E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial) witnesses a murder and a strange doctor gives the boy a video game cartilage, a group of spies want the disk back and try to kil the boy,tough the game cartilage "cloak & dagger" has very important goverment plans in it.With the help of a friend, Kim Gardner(Christina Nigra), and his imaginary pal Jack Flack(Dabney Coleman-Wargames) who plays two roles as Davey's father and Jack Flack.David G. Osborne(Henry Thomas) sets off with Kim,Jack Flack,and the spie's buddy(Micheal Murphy) with an adventure of their own with all the action and adventure.The film was filmed in San Antonio, Texas, on the riverwalk, S.A. airport,S.A. Mall, The Alamo, and S.A.'S biggest buissiness building.Watch cloak & dagger yull' love it, because it is my favorite movie.

mpaa rating :pg, for violence.

Also recommended : Mercury Rising-(action/adventure), The Client-(drama), FROM:MCA Universal Pictures,

Comments & Questions? Please mail to : Chad Nicholson 2203 Apricot Glen Austin, TX 78746

Spy Kid
"Cloak & Dagger" is one of those movies that was clearly made for the sole purpose of the audience to have fun. And on that level, it succeeds perfectly. This is a great movie to put in one night when you just want to relax, have fun, and not have to use your brain to understand the movie.

Henry Thomas plays Davey Osborne, a kid whose whole world revolves around his spy toys. He even has an imaginary friend, super-spy Jack Flack, who assists Davey on all of his assignments. One day, Davey witnesses a real murder. Before the victim dies, he hands Davey a Cloak & Dagger video game and gives him a number that Davey believes to be the score to beat to find out its secret. Unfortunately for Davey, the body is gone by the time he gets back with the cops and no one believes him. Soon, Davey is playing spy for real with the help of his imaginary friend, Jack.

The movie is fairly predictable, but is fun and engaging nonetheless. The villians are over the top, the imaginary friend is full of himself, and the heroes are kids who have no one else to turn to.

As I said before, this is a great movie to plug in after a hard day at work when all you want to do is unwind.

When the game becomes reality
Surprisingly, the reason why the boy who plays Davey Osbourne on this highly underrated kids movie may look familiar because he was Elliot on the movie E.T. Filming right where he was from, Henry Thomas was given the choice to film in San Antonio, taking that oppurtunity to be making a film in his own back yard. Maybe it was for the better considering it was made very well with good acting to it.
Davey just wants to have a little fun while the summer is still at large. His disciplining father (Dabney Coleman) doesn't exactly help to stimulate his imagination either. the only one who seems to understand him is his imaginary friend Jack Flack (also Dabney Coleman) who came right out of a video game to give Davey a little company. But when Davey and his friend Kim (Christina Nigra) are out to do a little errand when Davey witnesses a murder, and may have just escaped one himself, leaving with a mysterious video cartriage that the murdered man gave him. It is soon clear that someone else after the video game, and will stop at nothing to get it. As they chase after him for the seemingly innocent tape, Davey realizes he, and Kim are stuck with only one choice, and that's to run for their lives and figure out what is so important about this game to where people would as high as murder to get it.
This should really come out on DVD like others have suggested. I'll still wait for it, but until that time, Jack Flack will always escape.

Henry Thomas's best after E.T. waiting for DVD hopefully
I love this movie for Nostalgic reasons plus I used to play the actual game "Cloak & Dagger" at my local arcade and sometimes at the candy store.
Rented it back in the summer of '84 at my local video store
and me and my younger brother loved it and watched it tons of times.
It's the second BEST film Henry Thomas has ever done of course next to E.T.
He was a great child actor: cute, and never over acted, and when he cried it was always believable and that's why E.T. went on to become what it is now.
Well anyways regarding the movie it's a great family film with adventure,action,and a bit of mystery and suspense all rolled up into one. I just purchased it recently on VHS (can't seem to know why no DVD out yet?) I give it 4 stars...for the one reason being that the time factor in the movie concerning the bomb in Kim's walking talkie...everytime Davey (Henry Thomas)
looked up in worry to see if the time was ticking down to the bomb blowing up, time would stand still in terms of it'll be on 11:45pm for like 5 minutes in between him busting shots at bad guys, talking to "Jack Flack" his imaginary mentor spy friend, running, talking on the pay phone, trying to find a cab (with no money in his name) to get to the airport in time, going through the detectors, getting kidnapped by the old folks, and getting on the plane....all this was done in like10 minutes (in the movie) I looked at my watch and it was over 15-20 minutes that had passed!
But that is minor, I am a hard person to please when it comes to movies (at least nowadays movies) and I pretty much bomb most of the movies I see in my reviews but this a rare gem that I HIGHLY recommend.

Please Release This On DVD!
As a teenager in the 80's I watched Cloak and Dagger on HBO with my niece and nephew and we all liked the movie and watched it several times. Dabney Coleman and Henry Thomas were both great in this fun movie and I'm waiting for it to be released on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Flawed Gem
Leonard Maltin says in his review that Scott's transition from peaceful rancher to killer is unconvincing and, in part, I agree. The first violent encounter seems abrupt and jarring. But. The reasons for the transformation are convincing and the set-up is, unlike most modern movies, at least logical. The rage thus engendered is portrayed with convincing implacability. In most of his performances, George C. Scott has more than a touch of rage just under the surface; in this film, he lets it out. The primary flaw, as I see it, is that although the plot line itself is more or less plausible, somehow the supporting actor roles are not convincing, and that I would guess is due more to Scott's directing debut than the actors themselves. Nonetheless, it is a muted but powerful portrayal of a father's searing rage and the look on Scott's face as he scorches down the road on a motorcycle is one that is hard to forget. If this is one of your favorite actors, this is an important film. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Major Suprise
I was really shocked at this movie. I really expected an almost "B" film. Was shocked at how well the plot was, and the dialect was superp. This film is well worth watching, and be careful, you might find yourself watching it a second time. I know I did.

Aptly named title
This movie is definately a "public enemy" and is one of the most shoddy productions possible. I am an Eric Roberts fan, but this poor effort is not to be believed! Low budget, poor acting, total lack of a script, and non-sensical scenes combine for a major disaster....BEWARE!!

Great movie
Public Enemies is an excellent movie. The actors all play their characters well and the movie is packed with PLENTY of violence, with a touvh of romance. You have to admit to feeling sorry for Ma Barker and her boys because for all of them, the end is anything but beautiful.

P.S. I almost forgot to say, my little sister is the neice of Gavin Harrison, who plays Freddie Barker

really really cool!
This was an excellent movie! Each role was played well, and the story line was awesome! I love movies like this one, and would suggest it to anyone. I especially like at the end where they told you what happened to each Barker in real life. I thought it was kinda sad too though, b/c as a viewer you came to almost sympathize with Ma Barker and her boys. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good mystery
I have read several plot analysis written by the "pros" and they seem to be all wrong. There is no terrorist on the plane. The story is about a letter that is found in the first class airport lounge after an international flight has taken off. The letter states that there will be murders before the flight lands. The best part is the "WHO IS THE KILLER" set-up. Farrah is in one of her first roles and just as lovely as ever. Adam Brooks talent was not shown enough. ... Read more