Fists of Fury / Big Boss, The (1971)

Fists of Fury / Big Boss, The (1971)

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“Wisdom comes with age; nothing can be solved by fighting.”

Synopsis:
When a Chinese man (Bruce Lee) working in Thailand learns that his new boss (Ying-Chieh Han) is smuggling heroin through ice blocks and killing off anyone who questions his grift, he begins to question his vow of non-violence.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Bruce Lee Films
  • Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese Films
  • Drug Dealers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that “Bruce Lee’s first martial arts film” is “generally considered [his] best, least pretentious film,” but he notes that he finds “it somewhat disappointing.” He argues that “the film suffers because Lee spends too much of it being reluctant to fight and not joining in several melees” (indeed, the entire first half of the film is “free” from Lee fighting):

… and “when he does fight, it’s too apparent that none of the villains is a match for him.” (This didn’t bother me; Lee’s fighting is amazing no matter what.) Peary concedes that “Lee does have one spectacular fight sequence in which he singlehandedly kills about 15 men”:

… and also points out that Lee “has his only scene with a nude women,” but forewarns fans that “he’s in a drunken sleep at the time.”

While this isn’t must-see viewing for all film fanatics, it’s undeniably enjoyable seeing handsome Lee on screen in one of his too-few feature-length starring roles before his untimely death.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Lee’s extraordinary fighting skills

Must See?
No, but of course Bruce Lee fans will consider it must-see – and they don’t need this review to give them permission!

Links:

Five Fingers of Death / King Boxer (1972)

Five Fingers of Death / King Boxer (1972)

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“I’ll always remember teacher’s words.”

Synopsis:
A martial arts student (Lieh Lo) leaves behind the beloved daughter (Ping Wang) of his teacher (Wen Chung Ku) to join the studio of a master instructor (Fang Mien), who enlists the help of Japanese thugs in rigging an upcoming tournament.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese Films
  • Martial Arts

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary notes that this “first Chinese martial-arts film to hit America” started “the crazy and pav[ed] the way for the Bruce Lee classics” — and he adds that while the “picture has been mercilessly attached for its poor dubbing” (I watched a subtitled version) “and hokey plot,” he finds “it great fun to watch an extremely bland hero (Lo Lieh):

… taking on a fabulous array of Chinese and Japanese villains, each more outrageous than his predecessors.”

While “these villains are all considered unbeatable in battle,” “only Lieh possesses the mystical ‘Iron Fist’ to defeat them.”

Peary argues that this “picture has flare, imagination” and at “the very least, it has great camp value” and “would make a good second feature to Infra-Man.”

I’m in agreement with Peary’s review. While it doesn’t offer up much more than it promises, this film remains a colorful, finely choreographed example of why kung-fu became such a craze in the 1970s, and remains worth a one-time look.

Note: The “anger siren” used when Lieh becomes aware of his super-powered hands is the same “ironside motif” used in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies, and was created by Quincy Jones.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Many impressive fight sequences

Must See?
Yes, once, for its historical relevance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

Links:

Convoy (1978)

Convoy (1978)

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“They’ve got a language all their own.”

Synopsis:
A trucker named Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) is accompanied by a photographer (Ali MacGraw) and other sympathetic long-haulers while being pursued by a vengeful sheriff (Ernest Borgnine); meanwhile, an opportunistic politician (Seymour Cassel) tries to bank on the immense popularity of the convoy across state lines.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ali MacGraw Films
  • Car Chase
  • Cat and Mouse
  • Ernest Borgnine Films
  • Kris Kristofferson Films
  • Sam Peckinpah Films
  • Seymour Cassel Films
  • Sheriffs and Marshals
  • Truckers

Review:
Based on C.W. McCall’s country-western novelty song of the same name, Sam Peckinpah’s next-to-last feature film was this over-budget action flick seemingly designed to capitalize on the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and all things trucking. Indeed, as DVD Savant points out, “A love of big rig tractor-trailer interstate trucks will be an asset for watching this, because that’s what we see for about 90 minutes of this marathon road picture: trucks cruising, roaring down dusty dirt roads, overturning, running roadblocks.”



Near the beginning of the film — after Kristofferson and MacGraw meet-cute:


— we’re shown a western-style barroom brawl taking place in a cafe:

… and are introduced to Borgnine’s evil sheriff, who doesn’t seem to have a particularly good reason for spending the rest of the movie relentlessly chasing after Rubber Duck.

DVD Savant provides an especially excoriating review of this flick, noting: “Convoy was such a joke when it came out (at least in California) that Savant never saw it. A commercial trifle built around car crashes and a then current Trucker/C.B. Radio craze, it’s a dated eyesore attempting to cash in on various rube fads.” Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice was similarly disappointed, asserting that “Convoy is not merely a bad movie but a terrible movie” given that “anyone can make a bad movie” but “only a misguided talent can manage to be terrible.” While it has its fans, there really isn’t a whole lot here for most film fanatics to hold on to. Be forewarned.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Effectively filmed action sequences

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re a Peckinpah completist.

Links:

Deadhead Miles (1971)

Deadhead Miles (1971)

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“We’ll have everything we need, like the Boxcar Kids — we can move!”

Synopsis:
After stealing a truck and abandoning his buddy (Oliver Clark), a drifter (Alan Arkin) picks up a hitchhiker (Paul Benedict) and begins a cross-country trip filled with theft and trickery.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alan Arkin Films
  • Black Comedy
  • Road Trip
  • Truckers

Review:
Directed by Vernon Zimmerman (just before making The Unholy Rollers) and scripted by Terrence Malick, this unusual trucker/road-trip flick maintains a darkly sardonic and absurdist edge throughout. Malick’s screenplay is decidedly unpredictable, with plenty of quirk and local flavor:

… but it’s hard to watch Arkin’s consistently ruthless behavior without cringing, as innocent people are harmed for his own selfish purposes. Fortunately, Malick’s love of classic movies offers intermittent reprieves — as during a super-brief early cameo of Ida Lupino and George Raftat a gas station:

… and a sequence when Arkin and Benedict are watching (and commenting on) key scenes from Samson and Delilah (1949) at a drive-through.

My favorite “throwback” moment is when classic movie workhorse Bruce Bennett appears in cameo as black-clad “Johnny Mesquitero” and helps out Benedict on the side of the road. (It’s notable that Arkin is nowhere to be seen during this sequence; decency can finally prevail.)

[As a side note, I had to look up Bennett to see what else he starred in, and noticed that he had supporting roles in Strategic Air Command (1955), Angels in the Outfield (1951), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1947), and Mildred Pierce (1945) (as “Bert Pierce”).]

Wikipedia’s entry provides a succinct yet accurate overview of what actually happens throughout this film, and I refer readers to that if they’re curious; mostly, it comes across as an absurd commentary on the randomness of life, and a cautionary tale against ever being too gullible.

Note: Loretta Swit can be seen here in her first role, as “Lady With Glass Eye” (her bizarre scene jives with the rest of the film’s odd sensibility).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Good use of authentic shooting locations

  • Effective cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time look if you’re curious and/or an Arkin fan. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

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“What we are dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.”

Synopsis:
After two truckers — Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus (Jerry Reed) — accept a proposition to haul beer illegally across state lines, they pick up a hitchhiking bride (Sally Field) running away from her wedding, and are pursued by her jilted fiance (Mike Henry) and his sheriff-dad (Jackie Gleason).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Burt Reynolds Films
  • Car Chase
  • Cat and Mouse
  • Comedy
  • Sally Field Films
  • Truckers

Review:
Stuntman-turned-director Hal Needman made his directorial debut with this box office hit — the second highest grossing film after Star Wars (1977) — starring real-life couple Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. Thankfully, Reynolds and Field have chemistry to spare, and help move the romantic angle of this jam-packed car chase flick along nicely.

Gleason is as blustery and pompous as his one-dimensional role calls for:

… while country-western singer-songwriter Reed does nicely in his crucial supporting performance:

… and diminutive Paul Williams (villainous Swan from Phantom of the Paradise) is well-cast as the shorter half of a pair of big-wheelers who book-end the film.

The real stars of this show, however, are the powerful Trans Ams (three were used during filming) and all the helpful truckers who save the day time and again for Bandit and his mates.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Burt Reynolds and Sally Field’s chemistry
  • Many impressive stunts
  • A fun fourth-wall-breaking moment
  • Bill Justis and Jerry Reed’s score

Must See?
Yes, once, for its historical significance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

Links:

Fighting Mad (1976)

Fighting Mad (1976)

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“I’m gonna have to start kickin’ asses and takin’ names.”

Synopsis:
After his brother (Scott Glenn) and pregnant sister-in-law (Kathleen Miller) are brutally murdered, a young father (Peter Fonda) vows to seek revenge against the corrupt businessman (Philip Carey) intent on taking over the farm run by his own father (John Doucette).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Corruption
  • Jonathan Demme Films
  • Peter Fonda Films
  • Revenge
  • Roger Corman Films
  • Scott Glenn Films

Review:
Jonathan Demme wrote and directed this Roger-Corman-produced exploitation flick which functions as a modern-day western, with corrupt land developers ramrodding their way into an idyllic farming village, and a well-meaning sheriff (Harry Northup) caught in between the warring parties. From the opening sequence involving a bullying driver, Fonda’s Tom Hunter (who we ultimately learn is proficient with hand-to-hand combat, gun use, and a bow-and-arrow):

… is positioned as someone who will stick up for the underdog at any cost — a theme which continues throughout various scenarios.

There’s not much to the revenge-filled screenplay other than Fonda attempting to convince Northup that lethal shenanigans are at play; Fonda dating a beautiful young woman (Lynn Lowry) who is distressed by his distraction:

… and Fonda responding to the the relentlessly ruthless moves demanded by power-hungry Carey of his many minions.

Good use is made of low-budget lighting and sets, and it’s all competently directed — but this flick is only must-see for diehard Demme, Corman, or Fonda fans.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Effective sets and performances

Must See?
No. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

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“Well, it appears to me that there can’t be too many guys driving around this valley with an ape.”

Synopsis:
A trucker and fighter (Clint Eastwood) who’s fallen in love with an itinerant country-western singer named Lynn Halsey-Taylor (Sondra Locke) travels across the country with his buddy (Geoffrey Lewis) and pet orangutan Clyde (Manis) to find her.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Clint Eastwood Films
  • Comedy
  • Primates
  • Road Trip
  • Ruth Gordon Films
  • Truckers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that while “Clint Eastwood’s first outright comedy” — surely inspired by the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) — “drew the wrath of most critics,” it “became his biggest commercial success at the time.” He argues that “as directed by James Fargo, it’s a very crude, too violent, thinly plotted but often very funny film about a not-too-bright but amiable trucker named Philo Beddoe, who picks up extra money by challenging local toughs to bare-knuckle fights.”

Peary spends the bulk of his review describing the various characters and scenarios — which include “the cantankerous Ma (Ruth Gordon)”:

… a “mysterious country-western singer [with] a secret” (Locke):

… the “resourceful girlfriend (Beverly D’Angelo)” of Orville (Wright):

… and a slapstick-filled pursuit “by an inept, overage motorcycle gang and two cops.”

Peary writes that while “the film is absurd… Locke’s character is intriguing and there’s something touching about Philo as he attempts to win her over” — though this may only hold true for diehard Eastwood fans. For all others, this is simply an erstwhile crowd-pleaser now memorable for featuring an orangutan (who gives a fine performance).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Philo and Clyde’s rapport together

Must See?
No, though it has its fans.

Links:

Mickey One (1965)

Mickey One (1965)

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“The ride was over: I was trapped, and I find out suddenly I owe a fortune.”

Synopsis:
A comedian (Warren Beatty) goes on the lam from the mob due to a debt he can’t repay; but who, exactly, is after him — and why?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Arthur Penn Films
  • Comedians
  • Franchot Tone Films
  • Living Nightmares
  • Mafia
  • No One Believes Me
  • Warren Beatty Films

Review:
Before collaborating on Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Arthur Penn and Warren Beatty made this paranoia-infused existentialist flick which wasn’t well-received by most audience members or critics — though it garnered new attention and respect in 1995 when it was revived. Beatty looks (appropriately) perpetually edgy and concerned, and Hurd Hatfield — who co-starred in Penn’s debut film The Left-Handed Gun (1958) — lurks around the periphery as talent agent “Mr. Castle” (possibly coded as gay).

In one of his final roles, Franchot Tone plays Beatty’s manager, Ruby Lapp — and while his age is showing, this simply adds to the Kafkaesque surreality of the film.

According to Jeff Stafford’s article for TCM:

Because Penn wanted to make a European style art film but with a distinct American identity, he filmed most of the movie in unfamiliar locations in and around Chicago with Belgium cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet, [who] had filmed Alain Resnais’s Night and Fog (1955), Louis Malle’s The Fire Within (1963) and many other acclaimed European films and would eventually win the Oscar for Tess (1979).

Indeed, Cloquet’s stark cinematography is a signature feature of the movie.

Note: Film fanatics may be tickled to see Akira Kurosawa’s stock actor Kamatari Fujiwara make an unusual appearance as the creator of an elaborate art machine (the relevance of which is never really explained).


Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Ghislain Cloquet’s cinematography

Must See?
No, unless you’re an Arthur Penn or Warren Beatty completist. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Easy Money (1983)

Easy Money (1983)

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“That’s how I am: once I get going, I can’t stop.”

Synopsis:
The schlubby father (Rodney Dangerfield) of a virginal young woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who has just married her boyfriend (Taylor Negron) is challenged to clean up his act and his health when his mother-in-law (Geraldine Fitzgerald) passes away and leaves him money on condition of his reform.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Comedy
  • Geraldine Fitzgerald Films
  • Inheritance

Review:
It’s difficult to know what to say about this utterly unfunny comedy — featuring Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Jennifer Jason Leigh — which somehow raked in box office dough, and has been referred to on IMDb by at least one person as a “blue-collar white-trash classic.” Indeed, I spent the entire film scratching my head about how and why the four screenwriters (Dangerfield, Michael Endler, P.J. O’Rourke, and Dennis Blair) decided to pull together this particular set of circumstances and call it amusing. There are visual “gags” galore — like Dangerfield wearing his daughter’s wedding dress while it’s being altered (“See Dangerfield in drag!”):

… or this odd scene in a department store, which I still can’t figure out the purpose behind. (Are store clerks who look just like mannequins… inherently funny? And if so, why?):

… but visual “humor” alone does not a comedy make. The opening schtick actually gives away the tenor of the movie, as Dangerfield asks a young girl at a birthday party how old she is (he’s the hired photographer), and after she flashes her hand to indicate “five,” he flashes back both his hands twice, saying, “Well, call me when you’re this, okay?” and then tries to give her relationship advice.

Maybe that explains the baffling subplot between Leigh and Negron, in which she somehow doesn’t understand anything about sex and refuses to sleep with her new husband out of fear her dad will be mad (? ew?).

Meanwhile, Pesci hovers around the periphery like a random sidekick; in perhaps their worst scene together, they attempt to load an (obviously fake) giant wedding cake into the back of Pesci’s plumbing van, and… guess if it ends up okay? You get one guess only.

I vaguely understand that entire flick this meant to evoke the bizarre humor of W.C. Fields films, given attempts to “reform” Dangerfield out of his bad habits — but it simply doesn’t translate. (Then again, many of Fields’ films no longer seem overly amusing either.) Poor Fitzgerald doesn’t come across well:

… and I have no idea why Dangerfield’s wife (Candice Azzara) is written as someone who adores him no matter what. Go figure. I’ve now said much more about this movie than I intended to, so I’ll call a halt to my review.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Not much of anything.

Must See?
Nope.

Links:

Walk With Love and Death, A (1969)

Walk With Love and Death, A (1969)

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“I’m not a rotten beast; I’m a man.”

Synopsis:
During a peasant uprising in 14th century France, a student (Assi Dayan) wandering across the countryside meets and falls in love with the daughter (Anjelica Huston) of a slain nobleman.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Class Relations
  • Cross-Class Romance
  • Historical Drama
  • John Huston Films
  • Medieval Times
  • Road Trip

Review:
John Huston directed this adaptation of Hans Konigsberger’s 1961 novel, set at a time of peasant revolt during the Hundred Years’ War in France. His daughter Anjelica — just 17 at the time — made her movie debut in the lead female role, playing alongside Assi Dayan, son of Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan.

Neither is a very strong actor (Anjelica, of course, got much better over time), and the film was not a box office success — though Huston “claimed it was highly praised in France, where there was a greater understanding of the historical context.” Regardless, it’s a beautifully shot film which may appeal to those interested in learning about this specific bloody moment in European history, or seeing Anjelica in her first role.

Note: John Huston himself plays the uncle of Anjelica’s character in a brief but pivotal scene of the film.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine period sets and costumes

  • Edward Scaife’s cinematography
  • Georges Delerue’s score

Must See?
No, though Huston fans will likely want to check it out.

Links: