British commandos parachute into Nazi-occupied France before the June 6th Allied invasion scheduled for Normandy against Fortress Europe to destroy a dam in Maurizio Pradeaux's above-average World War II secret mission movie "Churchill's Leopards" (*** out of ****), toplining expatriate American leading man Richard Harrison and German character actor Klaus Kinski. Pradeaux's serious-minded, behind-enemy-lines thriller duplicates the familiar line-up of events that inevitably culminate in the pyrotechnics at the dam at the end of the film. The chief problem here is the hackneyed gimmick of identical twin brothers on which the plausibility of the mission rests and mediocre special effects when the dam is blown to smithereens. "Churchill's Leopards" generates sufficient suspense to keep you interested. The two chief flaws are its paucity of surprises and its cookie-cutter characters bereft of any memorable characteristics.
Italian peplum/Spaghetti western actor Richard Harrison plays dual roles in this Macaroni war movie. He is cast capably enough as both British Army lieutenant Richard Benson and German Wehrmacht officer Hauptman Hans Muller. We are told that Benson and Muller were the sons of a British father and a German mother. The mother ardently supported the policies of Adolf Hitler before she died.
Pradeaux immerses audiences with black & white, documentary World War II footage to establish the proper mood. As the movie opens, a sexy female French Resistance agent stabs Muller to death while he is making love to her in bed. Interestingly, Pradeaux doesn't show the cold, hard steel of the knife plunging into the German's flesh. Moments later, Benson steps into his death brother's boots with a twinge of regret. Later, he is informed that nobody could have been done to prevent Muller's death. The masquerade proves to be no picnic for Benson. He has to contend with the likes of an evil, sagacious Nazi Gestapo officer Captain Holtz (Klaus Kinski of "For A Few Dollars More") who persistently checks up on Benson and chides him about his lust for women. The only thing that differentiates Benson and Muller is a large, ugly scar on his lower right-hand side of his back. This identifying mark plays an important role later in the film.
Meanwhile, in England, the British plan to blast the huge dam with a sophisticated underwater drill furnished to them by the Royal Navy. "Because of the narrowness of the gorge and the position of the dam, it is impregnable to air attack," an older, superior British officer explains to Major Powell (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart of "The Revenge of Spartacus") in the usual briefing before the big mission scene. At least, Pradeaux gets this obligatory scene out of the way early. "If we can break it, the water released will wash away all the roads and important bridges for miles and miles around." The colonel adds that the supply lines of two Panzer divisions will be destroyed. When Powell asked about high altitude bombing as an alternative, his commander points out that the Americans advanced that argument initially, but the experts felt that it wouldn't have been as effective as place a charge in the dam.
The first moment of genuine suspense occurs 28 minutes into the picture when the good guys are hidden in a wagon piled high with hay that the Nazis decide to give the pitchfork test. Appropriately enough, complications make things none-too-easy for Powell and his commandos. The aerial drop took a toll on their explosives equipment. As a result, Powell has to impersonate a priest to confer with Benson about obtaining replacement parts. This hasty arranged rendezvous gets Powell in trouble when a Nazi patrol demands to see his permit and they have to kill them. Holtz selects twenty villagers to execute unless the killer or killers come forward. Pradeaux drums up some suspense in this scene as well as in the final part of the movie as the commandos laboriously drill a hole large enough into the dam to seat a large, cylindrical explosives charge. The Germans storm the dam with Holtz leading the charge.
Klaus Kinski could sleep walk through this role, since he played a similar S.S. Officer in Gianfranco Parolini's "Five for Hell." Incidentally, Kinski served in the German Army in World War II and the British took him prisoner in the Netherlands. Harrison gives his standard but sympathetic tight-lipped performance as a British lieutenant. He has been dubbed as was the entire cast. Unfortunately, the usually reliable Giacomo Rossi-Stuart comes off looking curiously bland. The scenery is spectacular and the dam looks impressive until the pyro-technicians provide a sloppy substitute for it when it explodes.
Wild East Productions has done a superlative job of transferring "I Leopardi di Churchill" to DVD; it's an immaculate widescreen print in 1.85.1 with crisp, clear colors. This formulaic, war-as-a-thrilling-adventure action yarn with the British whipping the Nazis once again, is paired on the Wild East DVD with the Klaus Kinski & George Hilton World War II movie "Salt in the Wound," a.k.a. "The Liberators." Yes, "Salt in the Wound" is more substantial than the superficial but competently staged "I Leopardi di Churchill."
CINEMATIC REVELATIONS allows me the luxury of writing, editing and archiving my film and television reviews. Some reviews appeared initially in "The Commercial Dispatch" and "The Planet Weekly" and then later in the comment archives at the Internet Movie Database. IMDB.COM, however, imposes a limit on both the number of words and the number of times that an author may revise their comments. I hope that anybody who peruses these expanded reviews will find them useful.
Monday, November 3, 2008
FILM REVIEW OF ''ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID'' (2004)
Although your skin may crawl at the sight of giant snakes in director Dwight H. Little's new movie "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" (** out of ****),this shallow, uneven, in-name-only sequel to "Anaconda" (1997), with an unknown cast leaves a lot to be desired as a blood-curdling creature feature. Whereas "Anaconda" with Jennifer Lopez pitted our protagonists against a pair of predatory anacondas, "Anacondas" raises the stakes considerably with dozens of dinosaur-sized anacondas surrounding our heroes in the middle of anaconda mating season. The quiet moments stand out as the eeriest in this suspenseful but anti-climatic thriller. As our intrepid heroes wade through the watery reaches of the jungle, the camera hovers overhead to give audiences a bird's eye view of the characters sloshing along blissfully unaware of the humongous coils of an anaconda as it glides silently underwater around them without creating a ripple on the surface. "Anacondas" doesn't get any better than this elaborately-staged long shot. Unfortunately, a slipshod screenplay credited to four writers and second-rate, computer-generated, special effects shots of the reptiles rips the fangs out of "Anacondas." Mind you, the original "Anaconda" suffered from shoddy special effects snake shots, too, but the name brand cast more than compensated for the cheesy snakes, especially Jennifer Lopez in a wet tank top and Jon Voight as a hammy villain. While "Anaconda's" anacondas switched between the spurious CGI snakes in the long shots and believable animatronic puppets in the close-ups, the snakes in "Anacondas" are totally computer generated and appear anything but intimidating. Incredibly, the two snakes in "Anaconda" possessed more personality than the unknown number of synthetic anacondas slithering around in "Anacondas" with nothing to distinguish one snake from another. Scenarists John Claflin and Daniel Zelman of TV's "They Nest' and Michael Miner and Edward Neumeier of "RoboCop" do a poor job of laying out the ground rules in this battle between humans and snakes. One minute we're told anacondas with a man-sized snack in their bellies lay off hunting, then the next minute we learn that these giant, Alaskan pipeline-sized anacondas chuck up their victims then continue to hunt. The first-half of this lean, efficient, but predictable 97-minute, PG-13-rated serpent saga succeeds in setting up our heroes' objectives and obstacles. The second-half doesn't pay off the creepy suspense, however, with enough spine-tingling scenes of snakes making supper out of humans.
A scientific expedition of multi-racial, stereotypical characters led by an urbane British scientist, Dr. Jack Byron (Matthew Marsden of "Black Hawk Down"), and his entrepreneurial right-hand man Gordon Mitchell (Morris Chestnut of "Half-Past Dead") plunge into the wild jungles of Borneo to retrieve a rare bloom, the Blood Orchid, that they plan to use to manufacture the "pharmaceutical equivalent of the fountain of youth." The corporate CEO's eyes light up when Mitchell predicts, "It'll be bigger than Viagra!" Unluckily, this unusual flower blossoms only once every seven years, and they are in the middle of the two-week blooming season when Byron and Mitchell launch their expedition. Director Dwight Little and his quartet of scenarists do an effective job of setting the plot into motion and saddling our heroes with problems galore. Anyway, when our heroes arrive in Borneo, the rainy season sets in, and nobody wants to ferry them into the rain-swollen jungle. Byron and Mitchell find an American expatriate, Bill Johnson (virile Johnny Messner of "Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault"), with a barge who will accommodate them if they can pay him $25-thousand dollars. One look at Johnson's ramshackle boat, and you'd swear you stumbled onto "The African Queen." During the scenic trip down river, pharmaceutical big-wig Gail Stern (Salli Richardson of "Biker Boyz") falls overboard and a ravenous crocodile attacks her. Johnson's Tarzan-style fight with the croc qualifies as the most exciting action sequence in the entire movie. Later, Johnson's boat is caught in an undercurrent and pulled over a waterfall. Little gets more mileage out of Johnson's boat crashing over the waterfall than he does in the struggle with the snakes. Of course, while all this is going on, the anacondas circle, flickering their tongues in anticipation. Set afoot with no weapons and a slim chance of survival, our woebegone heroes must brave the jungle and hope they don't get eaten. Along the way, they discover to their horror that the diabolical anacondas have been feeding on the Blood Orchid and the flower has made their monster-sized man-eaters.
Although "Anacondas" takes place in Borneo, Borneo has no anacondas, only pythons. In other words, Little and his four writers have exercised considerable dramatic license in piecing together this half-baked, herpetological hokum. Again, the second half finds our heroes trying to elude the snakes after they turn against each other over whether they should still try to retrieve the Orchid. Cinematically, the snakes lack menace, and they strike so swiftly that they appear cartoonish, undercutting the dramatic impact of the death scenes. The writers never reveal how many snakes that our heroes are up against, so we have no idea if they are whittling down the opposition. A minor surprise or two with regard to who gets chomped first and who escapes being snake bait cannot redeem the uninspired last half-hour. The MPPA PG-13 rating clearly takes a toll on the snake munching scenes. Despite the erratic plotting and the poor SPFX, veteran director Dwight H. Little (whose screen credits include "Halloween 4," "Free Willy 2," "Rapid Fire," "Marked For Death," and "Murder At 1600") delivers lots of mild jolts and atmospheric moments. Anybody who reacts to the least provocation of terror will find the presence of a small monkey in the cast particularly troubling. Like a cat in a haunted house, this screaming monkey jumps into somebody's lap when they least suspect it and all hell breaks loose momentarily. Altogether, a fair potboiler from start to finish, "Anacondas" fails to pay-off an enthralling first half with its counterfeit snakes and its formulaic plot.
A scientific expedition of multi-racial, stereotypical characters led by an urbane British scientist, Dr. Jack Byron (Matthew Marsden of "Black Hawk Down"), and his entrepreneurial right-hand man Gordon Mitchell (Morris Chestnut of "Half-Past Dead") plunge into the wild jungles of Borneo to retrieve a rare bloom, the Blood Orchid, that they plan to use to manufacture the "pharmaceutical equivalent of the fountain of youth." The corporate CEO's eyes light up when Mitchell predicts, "It'll be bigger than Viagra!" Unluckily, this unusual flower blossoms only once every seven years, and they are in the middle of the two-week blooming season when Byron and Mitchell launch their expedition. Director Dwight Little and his quartet of scenarists do an effective job of setting the plot into motion and saddling our heroes with problems galore. Anyway, when our heroes arrive in Borneo, the rainy season sets in, and nobody wants to ferry them into the rain-swollen jungle. Byron and Mitchell find an American expatriate, Bill Johnson (virile Johnny Messner of "Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault"), with a barge who will accommodate them if they can pay him $25-thousand dollars. One look at Johnson's ramshackle boat, and you'd swear you stumbled onto "The African Queen." During the scenic trip down river, pharmaceutical big-wig Gail Stern (Salli Richardson of "Biker Boyz") falls overboard and a ravenous crocodile attacks her. Johnson's Tarzan-style fight with the croc qualifies as the most exciting action sequence in the entire movie. Later, Johnson's boat is caught in an undercurrent and pulled over a waterfall. Little gets more mileage out of Johnson's boat crashing over the waterfall than he does in the struggle with the snakes. Of course, while all this is going on, the anacondas circle, flickering their tongues in anticipation. Set afoot with no weapons and a slim chance of survival, our woebegone heroes must brave the jungle and hope they don't get eaten. Along the way, they discover to their horror that the diabolical anacondas have been feeding on the Blood Orchid and the flower has made their monster-sized man-eaters.
Although "Anacondas" takes place in Borneo, Borneo has no anacondas, only pythons. In other words, Little and his four writers have exercised considerable dramatic license in piecing together this half-baked, herpetological hokum. Again, the second half finds our heroes trying to elude the snakes after they turn against each other over whether they should still try to retrieve the Orchid. Cinematically, the snakes lack menace, and they strike so swiftly that they appear cartoonish, undercutting the dramatic impact of the death scenes. The writers never reveal how many snakes that our heroes are up against, so we have no idea if they are whittling down the opposition. A minor surprise or two with regard to who gets chomped first and who escapes being snake bait cannot redeem the uninspired last half-hour. The MPPA PG-13 rating clearly takes a toll on the snake munching scenes. Despite the erratic plotting and the poor SPFX, veteran director Dwight H. Little (whose screen credits include "Halloween 4," "Free Willy 2," "Rapid Fire," "Marked For Death," and "Murder At 1600") delivers lots of mild jolts and atmospheric moments. Anybody who reacts to the least provocation of terror will find the presence of a small monkey in the cast particularly troubling. Like a cat in a haunted house, this screaming monkey jumps into somebody's lap when they least suspect it and all hell breaks loose momentarily. Altogether, a fair potboiler from start to finish, "Anacondas" fails to pay-off an enthralling first half with its counterfeit snakes and its formulaic plot.
FILM REVIEW OF ''ARMED RESPONSE'' (1986)
"Armed Response" (** out of ****) qualifies as one of B-movie director Fred Olen Ray's better crime thrillers. David Carradine plays Jim Roth, a Los Angeles barkeeper in his own bar who suffers from Vietnam War flashbacks. Interestingly, the Vietnam sequences in his memories emerge as much as an indictment of the historic American-Asian conflict as the after effects that the fighting inflicted on his psyche. Unfortunately, the helmets and the uniforms don't contribute to the authenticity of the action, though everything else about this sequence passes muster, especially the choppers. Carradine dons the smallest possible helmet imaginable and looks too old. Meanwhile, spaghetti western star Lee Van Cleef minus his hair piece is effectively cast as Carradine's crusty, ex-detective dad Burt Roth. Japanese actor Mako of "The Sand Pebbles" does a credible turn as ruthless Yakuza boss Akira Tanaka. Last, but not least, horror movie icon Michael Berryman of "The Hills Have Eyes" registers a memorable appearance as one of Akira's more sinister henchmen. The scene where Berryman blasts one of expendable members of the Roth family with a shotgun will stick in your mind because he wears a jump suit with a yellow smiley face on the left breast pocket.
Chiefly, the predictable but entertaining T.K. Lankford screenplay pays homage to the 1940s mystery thrillers that starred Humphrey Bogart, particularly "The Maltese Falcon." The Yakuza wants a valuable statue back, so they hire an unscrupulous gumshoe. Cory Thornton (B-movie veteran Ross Hagen of "The Devil's 8"), who dresses the part persuasively from fedora to trench coat) and his honest partner Tommy Roth (Brent Huff of "I Spy Returns") who is also Carradine's younger brother to collect it. Carradine has yet another younger sibling who gets involved in the plot later and suffers horribly at the hands of the Yakuza. Initially, at the rendezvous to exchange the stature for the money, treacherous Cory double-crosses bad guy Steve (Roger Corman stock player Dick Miller of "Small Soldiers") and his sexy, pistol-packing sidekick Deborah (Laurene Landon of "Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold") at a remote spot in the desert. Cory makes it look like Steve and Deborah pulled the double-cross, when in fact he engineered it and his gullible partner fell for it. No sooner have they apparently dispatched Steve and Deborah than a carload of thugs careen toward them out of the nearby hills. Tommy takes them out with a Vietnam era M-16. Cory wounds Tommy, but Tommy manages to escape in a bullet-riddled car with the statue. Tommy makes it back to older brother Jim's residence, dramatically smashes through the window and falls on Jim's wife (Lois Hamilton of "The Electric Horseman") as they are quarreling about the night-sweating flashbacks that have made Jim so irritable. Of course, neither Burt nor Jim tells the police anything about the statue. They decide to launch their own investigation.
Fred Olen Ray keeps the action moving at a fast clip in this trimly-paced 85 minute melodrama. He sets up the plot in about 30 minutes then has Akira and Jim tangling with each other over not only the statue but also his $100 thousand dollars.
Moments of humor are few and far between in this straight-laced Chinatown shoot-em up. You'll hate Ross Hagen's deceitful private eye, but you'll cheer his just comeuppance in the final scene. X-rated porn star Michelle Bauer has an eye-spinning turn as an exotic dancer in what ranks as the only semi-nude scene in "Armed Response." Mind you, "Armed Response" is NOT a classic, but it doesn't waste time telling its formulaic, hard-edged story. Ray maintains more than a modicum of credibility while he adheres to the conventions of the genre. Lee Van Cleef gets to trade shots with the bad guys but he plays more of a sidekick to Carradine than a leading player. If you look hard enough, you'll spot Fred Olen Ray as one of the bad guys. Atmospheric locations and film noir style lighting enhance this respectable actioneer.
Chiefly, the predictable but entertaining T.K. Lankford screenplay pays homage to the 1940s mystery thrillers that starred Humphrey Bogart, particularly "The Maltese Falcon." The Yakuza wants a valuable statue back, so they hire an unscrupulous gumshoe. Cory Thornton (B-movie veteran Ross Hagen of "The Devil's 8"), who dresses the part persuasively from fedora to trench coat) and his honest partner Tommy Roth (Brent Huff of "I Spy Returns") who is also Carradine's younger brother to collect it. Carradine has yet another younger sibling who gets involved in the plot later and suffers horribly at the hands of the Yakuza. Initially, at the rendezvous to exchange the stature for the money, treacherous Cory double-crosses bad guy Steve (Roger Corman stock player Dick Miller of "Small Soldiers") and his sexy, pistol-packing sidekick Deborah (Laurene Landon of "Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold") at a remote spot in the desert. Cory makes it look like Steve and Deborah pulled the double-cross, when in fact he engineered it and his gullible partner fell for it. No sooner have they apparently dispatched Steve and Deborah than a carload of thugs careen toward them out of the nearby hills. Tommy takes them out with a Vietnam era M-16. Cory wounds Tommy, but Tommy manages to escape in a bullet-riddled car with the statue. Tommy makes it back to older brother Jim's residence, dramatically smashes through the window and falls on Jim's wife (Lois Hamilton of "The Electric Horseman") as they are quarreling about the night-sweating flashbacks that have made Jim so irritable. Of course, neither Burt nor Jim tells the police anything about the statue. They decide to launch their own investigation.
Fred Olen Ray keeps the action moving at a fast clip in this trimly-paced 85 minute melodrama. He sets up the plot in about 30 minutes then has Akira and Jim tangling with each other over not only the statue but also his $100 thousand dollars.
Moments of humor are few and far between in this straight-laced Chinatown shoot-em up. You'll hate Ross Hagen's deceitful private eye, but you'll cheer his just comeuppance in the final scene. X-rated porn star Michelle Bauer has an eye-spinning turn as an exotic dancer in what ranks as the only semi-nude scene in "Armed Response." Mind you, "Armed Response" is NOT a classic, but it doesn't waste time telling its formulaic, hard-edged story. Ray maintains more than a modicum of credibility while he adheres to the conventions of the genre. Lee Van Cleef gets to trade shots with the bad guys but he plays more of a sidekick to Carradine than a leading player. If you look hard enough, you'll spot Fred Olen Ray as one of the bad guys. Atmospheric locations and film noir style lighting enhance this respectable actioneer.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
FILM REVIEW OF ''PRIDE & GLORY'' (2008)
“Tumbleweeds” writer & director Gavin O’Connor and brother Gregory grew up in a cop household, so they know something about police families. “Smoking Aces” scenarist Joe Carnahan penned the screenplay with O’Connor for his new movie “Pride & Glory” (* out of ****) that depicts two generations of Irish-American cops with the New York Police Department in turmoil. This ponderous, dark-blue, R-rated, police procedural potboiler had been collecting dust in New Line Cinema’s vault for over a year. Warner Brothers absorbed New Line Cinema recently and “Pride & Glory” has finally gotten into theaters. Alas, not a single character in this humorless, hackneyed homicide hokum is remotely sympathetic. Heroes don’t exist in “Pride & Glory.” The protagonists are: (1) rotten-to-the core, (2) tormented-to-the-core, or (3) human wrecks in recovery. “Like Michael Mann’s “Heat,” “Pride & Glory” covers the domestic side of police life. Two of the cop wives stand out, but they are confined largely to the periphery. A formulaic cop-versus-cop plot drives the drama in “Pride & Glory” throughout its 129 minute running time. Meanwhile, “Pride & Glory” delivers realism both in the story and the storytelling. Declan Quinn’s vigorous, hand-held photography with a bluish tint lends spontaneity to this saga.
“Pride & Glory” chronicles a brothers-in-blue and brothers-by-blood clash in the New York Police Department. Manhattan Chief of Detectives Francis Tierney Sr. (Oscar-winning Jon Voight of “Coming Home”) hits the sauce too often, but he admires his two police sons Inspector Francis Tierney Jr. (Noah Emmerich of “The Truman Show”) and Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton of “Fight Club”) as well as his son-in-law Sergeant Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell of “In Bruges”) of the 31st Precinct. A bungled drug bust lands four NYPD officers in the morgue and catches our quartet of police protagonists by surprise. Sergeant Egan goes ballistic when he bursts onto the crime scene in shocked disbelief. Meanwhile, a solicitous Tierney Sr. implores Ray to serve on an investigative task force. Tierney Sr. thinks that Ray will accommodate him. Scared by a bullet on his left cheek, Ray has been away from his father and brother for three years. Ray exiled himself to the Missing Persons Bureau after an arrest-gone-wrong led to the death of the suspect. The Connor & Carnahan screenplay never provides adequate background about this traumatic event. Ray hates himself because he helped to cover up a crime. Moreover, Ray’s wife Tasha (Carmen Ejogo of “The Avengers”) plans to divorce him because she thought that he didn’t do the right thing. Tierney Jr. finds himself in a similar predicament with Abby (Jennifer Ehle of “Alpha Male”), his shaven-headed, cancer-stricken spouse who wants him to do the right thing.
Connor & Carnahan waste no time identifying the good guy cops and the bad guy cops. “Pride & Glory” charts their inevitable collision and everything about it is complicated. This tedious tale about cops trying to protect their own as well as their families contains the same doom-laden aura as a tragic Eugene O’Neill play.
Tierney Sr. wants Ray back in the streets pronto. Prodigal son that he is, Ray bows to his father’s wishes. “Pride & Glory” features the inevitable spectacle of a police funeral with a sea of blue uniforms. During his investigation, Ray finds a witness who identifies one of the gunmen as a policeman. Ray confides in Tierney Jr., and Tierney Jr. boots the suspected officer Sandy (John Ortiz of “Aliens vs Predator - Requiem”) off the force. Tierney Jr. realizes too late that he gave brother-in-law Sgt Egan too much rope. Egan’s men has gone rogue and have been selling their shields to the highest bidder and trafficking in narcotics. Meantime, Ray lucks up and discovers a cell phone at the crime scene. More smart detective work on his part yields the location of the infamous drug dealer Angel Tezo (Ramon Rodriguez of “Carlito's Way: Rise to Power”) who was behind the drug deal. Unfortunately, when Ray comes through the door with his gun drawn to arrest Angel, he finds brother-in-law Jimmy and his crew have beaten him to the punch and have a surprise for him. Anybody remember the Denzel Washington dirty cops thriller “Training Day” or the Cuba Gooding, Jr. movie “Dirty” about the LAPD Ramparts scandal?
Altogether, “Pride & Glory” is a one-time only cop movie. You’ll see it once and know better than to see it twice. The laudable cast that features Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight huff and puff their way valiantly through the moth-eaten dialogue and dog-eared cliches. “Pride & Glory” aspires to be the police counterpart of “The Godfather.” The theme of brother versus brother takes on a greater significance since these brothers are brothers-in-blue. Every soul in “Pride & Glory” suffers from some spiritual malady. Tierney Jr. divides his time between the 31st Precinct and his wife dying from cancer. Some of the symbolism is painfully obvious. Since he has been separated from his wife, Ray lives on a boat that leaks. Ray's shattered world resembles his leaky boat. Indeed, this movie lacks a Saturday Matinee hero who can concisely tie up all the loose ends. The O’Connors and Carnahan don’t come up with new or interesting twists. O’Connor stages his gunfights so that you only catch a glimpse of the violence. The splash of red blood that follows lingers longer than the gunplay. “Pride & Glory” has all the staple characters and formulaic situations that constituted dozens of other movies. The lack of a resolution after an angry mob eliminates one character robs this yarn of its moral impact. We watch the protagonists show up for their day in court, but we are never told outcome! “Pretentious & Gory” would have been a better title for “Pride & Glory.” Prepared to be depressed.
“Pride & Glory” chronicles a brothers-in-blue and brothers-by-blood clash in the New York Police Department. Manhattan Chief of Detectives Francis Tierney Sr. (Oscar-winning Jon Voight of “Coming Home”) hits the sauce too often, but he admires his two police sons Inspector Francis Tierney Jr. (Noah Emmerich of “The Truman Show”) and Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton of “Fight Club”) as well as his son-in-law Sergeant Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell of “In Bruges”) of the 31st Precinct. A bungled drug bust lands four NYPD officers in the morgue and catches our quartet of police protagonists by surprise. Sergeant Egan goes ballistic when he bursts onto the crime scene in shocked disbelief. Meanwhile, a solicitous Tierney Sr. implores Ray to serve on an investigative task force. Tierney Sr. thinks that Ray will accommodate him. Scared by a bullet on his left cheek, Ray has been away from his father and brother for three years. Ray exiled himself to the Missing Persons Bureau after an arrest-gone-wrong led to the death of the suspect. The Connor & Carnahan screenplay never provides adequate background about this traumatic event. Ray hates himself because he helped to cover up a crime. Moreover, Ray’s wife Tasha (Carmen Ejogo of “The Avengers”) plans to divorce him because she thought that he didn’t do the right thing. Tierney Jr. finds himself in a similar predicament with Abby (Jennifer Ehle of “Alpha Male”), his shaven-headed, cancer-stricken spouse who wants him to do the right thing.
Connor & Carnahan waste no time identifying the good guy cops and the bad guy cops. “Pride & Glory” charts their inevitable collision and everything about it is complicated. This tedious tale about cops trying to protect their own as well as their families contains the same doom-laden aura as a tragic Eugene O’Neill play.
Tierney Sr. wants Ray back in the streets pronto. Prodigal son that he is, Ray bows to his father’s wishes. “Pride & Glory” features the inevitable spectacle of a police funeral with a sea of blue uniforms. During his investigation, Ray finds a witness who identifies one of the gunmen as a policeman. Ray confides in Tierney Jr., and Tierney Jr. boots the suspected officer Sandy (John Ortiz of “Aliens vs Predator - Requiem”) off the force. Tierney Jr. realizes too late that he gave brother-in-law Sgt Egan too much rope. Egan’s men has gone rogue and have been selling their shields to the highest bidder and trafficking in narcotics. Meantime, Ray lucks up and discovers a cell phone at the crime scene. More smart detective work on his part yields the location of the infamous drug dealer Angel Tezo (Ramon Rodriguez of “Carlito's Way: Rise to Power”) who was behind the drug deal. Unfortunately, when Ray comes through the door with his gun drawn to arrest Angel, he finds brother-in-law Jimmy and his crew have beaten him to the punch and have a surprise for him. Anybody remember the Denzel Washington dirty cops thriller “Training Day” or the Cuba Gooding, Jr. movie “Dirty” about the LAPD Ramparts scandal?
Altogether, “Pride & Glory” is a one-time only cop movie. You’ll see it once and know better than to see it twice. The laudable cast that features Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, and Jon Voight huff and puff their way valiantly through the moth-eaten dialogue and dog-eared cliches. “Pride & Glory” aspires to be the police counterpart of “The Godfather.” The theme of brother versus brother takes on a greater significance since these brothers are brothers-in-blue. Every soul in “Pride & Glory” suffers from some spiritual malady. Tierney Jr. divides his time between the 31st Precinct and his wife dying from cancer. Some of the symbolism is painfully obvious. Since he has been separated from his wife, Ray lives on a boat that leaks. Ray's shattered world resembles his leaky boat. Indeed, this movie lacks a Saturday Matinee hero who can concisely tie up all the loose ends. The O’Connors and Carnahan don’t come up with new or interesting twists. O’Connor stages his gunfights so that you only catch a glimpse of the violence. The splash of red blood that follows lingers longer than the gunplay. “Pride & Glory” has all the staple characters and formulaic situations that constituted dozens of other movies. The lack of a resolution after an angry mob eliminates one character robs this yarn of its moral impact. We watch the protagonists show up for their day in court, but we are never told outcome! “Pretentious & Gory” would have been a better title for “Pride & Glory.” Prepared to be depressed.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
TV REVIEW OF "ALIAS SMITH & JONES: Return to Devil's Hole" (1972)
Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry act like evangelists for the straight and narrow lifestyle in director Bruce Kessler's "Return to Devil's Hole," (**** out of ****), another splendid example of their social capitalist's strategy of networking with people who someday might help them out if they get into trouble. Everything in this episode written by Knut Swenson from a story by Roy Huggins using his pen name John Thomas James reinforces the show's theme about our desperado heroes going straight to obtain amnesty from the territorial governor. The big difference in this first season episode is that Kid Curry remains the periphery while Heyes carries out the bulk of the task. Hispanic star Fernando Lamas, Diana Hyland, and Brett Halsey guest star in this episode. Interestingly, Halsey returned for a second appearance on "Alias Smith & Jones" during its third and final season in episode eight for director Jeff Corey's "The Day the Amnesty Came Through" (1973), but Halsey played a different outlaw, Ed Starr, hiding out with a different band of outlaws with the woman as his girlfriend.
Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) escorts a determined but duplicitious dame, Clara Phillips (Diane Hyland), to Devil's Hole. Clara claims that her husband is hiding out with the gang, even though her husband has been cleared of any criminal charges. The good citizenship theme gets a thorough work out here as Hannibal eventually convinces his old friend and outlaw chieftain Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas), who has spent the last seven years in prison, that he should forsake the owlhoot trail. Clara persaudes Hannibal to take her to the Devil's Hole so that she can tell her husband whose hiding out there that the authorities have cleared him of all criminal wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Heyes leaves Kid Curry behind because they are expecting to see a man about a job for them and Heyes doesn't want to miss a chance at doing something honest. After a lengthy ride across the wilderness, Heyes reunites with some of his old companions, among them Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas) who is in charge of the gang now. Big Jim and Hannibal swap blows and then guzzle some rotgut whiskey. Big Jim has a terrific idea for one big job. This robbery, in his words, will be "the biggest the Devil's Hole gang ever did." Afterward, he plans to retire to South America. Big Jim aims to hold up the Wells Fargo clearing house in Denver and he has recruited an army of outlaws.
No sooner do Heyes and Clara reach the Devil's Hole than she shoots on sight one of Big Jim's men Hamilton (spaghetti western actor Brett Halsey of "Roy Colt & Winchester Jack") and accuses him of corrupting her 17-year old daughter. Big Jim is considerably upset by Clara's wounding Hamilton and demands the truth from both parties. Indeed, Big Jim adheres to an unusual honor code. He explains, "You see, in my business, I have to have faith in my men, and my men must have faith in me. Without it, we don't . . . Well, we don't have a chance." Since Hamilton is going to be riding with Big Jim, then Big Jim must know with certainty that he can trust the man. Learning the truth turns out to be difficult as neither person wants to come clean. Big Jim and Heyes talk to a wounded, bed-ridden Hamilton and he confesses that he knows Clara, but he never corrupted her 17-year old daughter. What he did do is steal Clara's $25-thousand dollars' worth of jewelry. Big Jim wants to get to the bottom of these lies. Clara says she has a picture of her daughter, but it is back in town in a suitcase. Big Jim sends Heyes back to fetch it.
When Big Jim isn't trying to get to the truth ("When I say I demand honesty from my men above all else, that is exactly what I mean.")he grilles Heyes about the incredible notion of going straight. "Those stories about you giving up are not true, are they?" Heyes nods, "They're true. Times have really changed since you've been gone." Big Jim agrees, but adds, "Well, I know times change and we change with the times. It's part of the progress." Heyes points out, "Well, that's what I did. I progressed right out of the business." Nevertheless, Big Jim has a difficult time accepting Heyes as a law abiding member of society, especially one who has to hide out. Heyes explains that he has to "walk on eggshells" ... "until I prove to the governor that I can lead an honest life." This means that they have to "duck out of the way of every passing lawman." Big Jim spent seven years in prison and doesn't plan to go back. Now, he has been collecting a gang to attack a major money sorting place in Denver, the biggest job that he has ever staged. The search for the truth and the turnaround that Big Jim experiences makes this one of the best "Alias Smith and Jones" episodes.
The Clara Phillips character is unusually headstrong. She spends quite a bit of time scouring the west in a privately rented stagecoach to find Heyes and Curry so that she can get to Devil's Hole. After Heyes leaves to retrieve the picture of Clara's daughter, Clara and Big Jim get to know each other intimately. Clara asks Big Jim how he became an outlaw. Big Jim observes that it had "something to do with my family being cheated out of our lands in New Mexico." He adds, "I suppose I inherited a certain disregard for the law."
This is one of the most visually beautiful episodes, too, with a "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" type song called "Take A Look Around" played over visually scenic outdoor shots. However, it came as a rude awakening when I heard a portion of the same song used in a "McCloud" episode.
As Big Jim rides off to San Francisco with Clara in the stagecoach, Curry observes, "You know, Heyes, I think we did a whole lot better by Big Jim than we did by ourselves." Heyes shrugs, "I don't know. I think we have a very good and important friend in San Francisco now, if we wever get into serious trouble."
Each episode of "Alias Smith & Jones" has our heroes making believers out of law-abiding as well as non-law-abiding people about their intentions to live the straight & narrow lifestyle.
Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) escorts a determined but duplicitious dame, Clara Phillips (Diane Hyland), to Devil's Hole. Clara claims that her husband is hiding out with the gang, even though her husband has been cleared of any criminal charges. The good citizenship theme gets a thorough work out here as Hannibal eventually convinces his old friend and outlaw chieftain Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas), who has spent the last seven years in prison, that he should forsake the owlhoot trail. Clara persaudes Hannibal to take her to the Devil's Hole so that she can tell her husband whose hiding out there that the authorities have cleared him of all criminal wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Heyes leaves Kid Curry behind because they are expecting to see a man about a job for them and Heyes doesn't want to miss a chance at doing something honest. After a lengthy ride across the wilderness, Heyes reunites with some of his old companions, among them Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas) who is in charge of the gang now. Big Jim and Hannibal swap blows and then guzzle some rotgut whiskey. Big Jim has a terrific idea for one big job. This robbery, in his words, will be "the biggest the Devil's Hole gang ever did." Afterward, he plans to retire to South America. Big Jim aims to hold up the Wells Fargo clearing house in Denver and he has recruited an army of outlaws.
No sooner do Heyes and Clara reach the Devil's Hole than she shoots on sight one of Big Jim's men Hamilton (spaghetti western actor Brett Halsey of "Roy Colt & Winchester Jack") and accuses him of corrupting her 17-year old daughter. Big Jim is considerably upset by Clara's wounding Hamilton and demands the truth from both parties. Indeed, Big Jim adheres to an unusual honor code. He explains, "You see, in my business, I have to have faith in my men, and my men must have faith in me. Without it, we don't . . . Well, we don't have a chance." Since Hamilton is going to be riding with Big Jim, then Big Jim must know with certainty that he can trust the man. Learning the truth turns out to be difficult as neither person wants to come clean. Big Jim and Heyes talk to a wounded, bed-ridden Hamilton and he confesses that he knows Clara, but he never corrupted her 17-year old daughter. What he did do is steal Clara's $25-thousand dollars' worth of jewelry. Big Jim wants to get to the bottom of these lies. Clara says she has a picture of her daughter, but it is back in town in a suitcase. Big Jim sends Heyes back to fetch it.
When Big Jim isn't trying to get to the truth ("When I say I demand honesty from my men above all else, that is exactly what I mean.")he grilles Heyes about the incredible notion of going straight. "Those stories about you giving up are not true, are they?" Heyes nods, "They're true. Times have really changed since you've been gone." Big Jim agrees, but adds, "Well, I know times change and we change with the times. It's part of the progress." Heyes points out, "Well, that's what I did. I progressed right out of the business." Nevertheless, Big Jim has a difficult time accepting Heyes as a law abiding member of society, especially one who has to hide out. Heyes explains that he has to "walk on eggshells" ... "until I prove to the governor that I can lead an honest life." This means that they have to "duck out of the way of every passing lawman." Big Jim spent seven years in prison and doesn't plan to go back. Now, he has been collecting a gang to attack a major money sorting place in Denver, the biggest job that he has ever staged. The search for the truth and the turnaround that Big Jim experiences makes this one of the best "Alias Smith and Jones" episodes.
The Clara Phillips character is unusually headstrong. She spends quite a bit of time scouring the west in a privately rented stagecoach to find Heyes and Curry so that she can get to Devil's Hole. After Heyes leaves to retrieve the picture of Clara's daughter, Clara and Big Jim get to know each other intimately. Clara asks Big Jim how he became an outlaw. Big Jim observes that it had "something to do with my family being cheated out of our lands in New Mexico." He adds, "I suppose I inherited a certain disregard for the law."
This is one of the most visually beautiful episodes, too, with a "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" type song called "Take A Look Around" played over visually scenic outdoor shots. However, it came as a rude awakening when I heard a portion of the same song used in a "McCloud" episode.
As Big Jim rides off to San Francisco with Clara in the stagecoach, Curry observes, "You know, Heyes, I think we did a whole lot better by Big Jim than we did by ourselves." Heyes shrugs, "I don't know. I think we have a very good and important friend in San Francisco now, if we wever get into serious trouble."
Each episode of "Alias Smith & Jones" has our heroes making believers out of law-abiding as well as non-law-abiding people about their intentions to live the straight & narrow lifestyle.
TV REVIEW OF ''ALIAS SMITH & JONES: "Return to Devil's Hole" (1971)
Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry act like evangelists of the straight and narrow lifestyle in director Bruce Kessler's "Return to Devil's Hole," in a splendid example of their social capitalist's strategy of networking with people that someday might help them out of trouble. Everything in this episode written by Knut Swenson from a story by Roy Huggins using his pen name John Thomas James reinforces the show's theme about our desperado heroines going straight to obtain amnesty from the territorial governor. The big difference in this first season episode is that Kid Curry remains the periphery while Heyes carries out the bulk of the task. Hispanic star Fernando Lamas, Diana Hyland, and Brett Halsey guest star in this episode. Interestingly, Halsey returned for a second appearance on "Alias Smith & Jones" during its third and final season in episode eight for director Jeff Corey's "The Day the Amnesty Came Through" (1973)but Halsey played a different outlaw, Ed Starr, hiding out with a different band of outlaws with a woman.
Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) escorts a headstrong but duplicitious woman, Clara Phillips (Diane Hyland), to Devil's Hole. Clara claims that her husband is hiding out with the gang, even though her husband has been cleared of any criminal charges. The good citizenship theme gets a thorough work out here as Hannibal eventually convinces his old friend and outlaw chieftain Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas), who has spent the last seven years in prison, that he should forsake the owlhoot trail and go straight. Clara persaudes Hannibal to take her to the Devil's Hole so that she can tell her husband whose hiding out there that he has been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Heyes leaves Kid Curry behind because they are expecting to see a man about a job for them and Heyes doesn't want them to miss a chance at doing something honest. After a lengthy ride across the wilderness, Heyes reunites with some of the old companions, among them Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas) who runs the gang now. They swap blows and then guzzle some rotgut whiskey. Big Jim has a terrific idea for one big job. This robbery, in his words, will be "the biggest the Devil's Hole gang ever did." Afterward, he plans to retire to South America. Big Jim aims to rob the Wells Fargo clearing house in Denver and he has recruited an army of outlaws to do it.
No sooner do Heyes and Clara reach the Devil's Hole than she shoots on sight one of Big Jim's men Hamilton (spaghetti western actor Brett Halsey of "Roy Colt & Winchester Jack") and accuses him of corrupting her 17-year old daughter. Big Jim is considerably upset by Clara's wounding Hamilton and demands the truth from both parties. Indeed, Big Jim has his own unusual honor code. He explains, "You see, in my business, I have to have faith in my men, and my men must have faith in me. Without it, we don't . . . Well, we don't have a chance." Since Hamilton is going to be riding with Big Jim, then Big Jim must know with certainty that he can trust the man. Learning the truth turns out to be a difficult as neither person wants to come clean. Big Jim and Heyes talk to a wounded, bed-ridden Hamilton and he confesses that he knows Clara, but he never corrupted any 17-year old daughter. What he did do is steal Clara's $25-thousand dollars' worth of jewelry. Big Jim wants to get to the bottom of these lies. Clara says that she has a picture of her daughter, but it is back in town in a suitcase. Big Jim sends Heyes back to fetch it.
When Big Jim isn't trying to get to the truth ("When I say I demand honesty from my men above all else, that is exactly what I mean.")he grilles Heyes about the incredible notion of going straight. "Those stories about you giving up are not true, are they?" Heyes nods, "They're true. Times have really changed since you've been gone." Big Jim agrees, but adds, "Well, I know times change and we change with the times. It's part of the progress." Heyes points out, "Well, that's what I did. I progressed right out of the business." Nevertheless, Big Jim has a difficult time accepting Heyes as a law abiding member of society, especially one who has to hide out. Heyes explains that he has to "walk on eggshells" ... "until I prove to the governor that I can lead an honest life." This means that they have to "duck out of the way of every passing lawman." Big Jim spent seven years in prison and doesn't plan to go back. Now, he has been collecting a gang to attack a major money sorting place in Denver, the biggest job that he has ever staged. The search for the truth and the turnaround that Big Jim experiences makes this one of the best "Alias Smith and Jones" episodes.
The Clara Phillips character is unusually headstrong. She spends quite a bit of time tracking down Heyes and Curry to get to Devil's Hole. After Heyes leaves to retrieve the picture of Clara's daughter, Clara and Big Jim get to know each other intimately. Clara asks Big Jim how he became an outlaw. Big Jim observes that it had "something to do with my family being cheated out of our lands in New Mexico." He adds, "I suppose I inherited a certain disregard for the law."
This is one of the most visually beautiful episodes, too, with a "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" type song called "Take A Look Around" played over visually scenic outdoor shots. However, it came as a rude awakening when I heard a portion of the same song used in a "McCloud" episode.
As Big Jim rides off to San Francisco in the stagecoach with Clara, Curry
observes, "You know, Heyes, I think we did a whole lot better by Big Jim than we did by ourselves." Heyes shrugs, "I don't know. I think we have a very good and important friend in San Francisco now, if we wever get into serious trouble."
Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) escorts a headstrong but duplicitious woman, Clara Phillips (Diane Hyland), to Devil's Hole. Clara claims that her husband is hiding out with the gang, even though her husband has been cleared of any criminal charges. The good citizenship theme gets a thorough work out here as Hannibal eventually convinces his old friend and outlaw chieftain Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas), who has spent the last seven years in prison, that he should forsake the owlhoot trail and go straight. Clara persaudes Hannibal to take her to the Devil's Hole so that she can tell her husband whose hiding out there that he has been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Heyes leaves Kid Curry behind because they are expecting to see a man about a job for them and Heyes doesn't want them to miss a chance at doing something honest. After a lengthy ride across the wilderness, Heyes reunites with some of the old companions, among them Big Jim Santana (Fernando Lamas) who runs the gang now. They swap blows and then guzzle some rotgut whiskey. Big Jim has a terrific idea for one big job. This robbery, in his words, will be "the biggest the Devil's Hole gang ever did." Afterward, he plans to retire to South America. Big Jim aims to rob the Wells Fargo clearing house in Denver and he has recruited an army of outlaws to do it.
No sooner do Heyes and Clara reach the Devil's Hole than she shoots on sight one of Big Jim's men Hamilton (spaghetti western actor Brett Halsey of "Roy Colt & Winchester Jack") and accuses him of corrupting her 17-year old daughter. Big Jim is considerably upset by Clara's wounding Hamilton and demands the truth from both parties. Indeed, Big Jim has his own unusual honor code. He explains, "You see, in my business, I have to have faith in my men, and my men must have faith in me. Without it, we don't . . . Well, we don't have a chance." Since Hamilton is going to be riding with Big Jim, then Big Jim must know with certainty that he can trust the man. Learning the truth turns out to be a difficult as neither person wants to come clean. Big Jim and Heyes talk to a wounded, bed-ridden Hamilton and he confesses that he knows Clara, but he never corrupted any 17-year old daughter. What he did do is steal Clara's $25-thousand dollars' worth of jewelry. Big Jim wants to get to the bottom of these lies. Clara says that she has a picture of her daughter, but it is back in town in a suitcase. Big Jim sends Heyes back to fetch it.
When Big Jim isn't trying to get to the truth ("When I say I demand honesty from my men above all else, that is exactly what I mean.")he grilles Heyes about the incredible notion of going straight. "Those stories about you giving up are not true, are they?" Heyes nods, "They're true. Times have really changed since you've been gone." Big Jim agrees, but adds, "Well, I know times change and we change with the times. It's part of the progress." Heyes points out, "Well, that's what I did. I progressed right out of the business." Nevertheless, Big Jim has a difficult time accepting Heyes as a law abiding member of society, especially one who has to hide out. Heyes explains that he has to "walk on eggshells" ... "until I prove to the governor that I can lead an honest life." This means that they have to "duck out of the way of every passing lawman." Big Jim spent seven years in prison and doesn't plan to go back. Now, he has been collecting a gang to attack a major money sorting place in Denver, the biggest job that he has ever staged. The search for the truth and the turnaround that Big Jim experiences makes this one of the best "Alias Smith and Jones" episodes.
The Clara Phillips character is unusually headstrong. She spends quite a bit of time tracking down Heyes and Curry to get to Devil's Hole. After Heyes leaves to retrieve the picture of Clara's daughter, Clara and Big Jim get to know each other intimately. Clara asks Big Jim how he became an outlaw. Big Jim observes that it had "something to do with my family being cheated out of our lands in New Mexico." He adds, "I suppose I inherited a certain disregard for the law."
This is one of the most visually beautiful episodes, too, with a "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" type song called "Take A Look Around" played over visually scenic outdoor shots. However, it came as a rude awakening when I heard a portion of the same song used in a "McCloud" episode.
As Big Jim rides off to San Francisco in the stagecoach with Clara, Curry
observes, "You know, Heyes, I think we did a whole lot better by Big Jim than we did by ourselves." Heyes shrugs, "I don't know. I think we have a very good and important friend in San Francisco now, if we wever get into serious trouble."
Saturday, October 25, 2008
TV REVIEW OF ''ALIAS SMITH & JONES: The Wrong Train to Brimstone" (1971)
Hannibal Heyes (Pete Duel) and Kid Curry (Ben Murphy) masquerade as a pair of Bannerman detectives on a train carrying a load of gold in Jeffrey Hayden's "Wrong Train to Brimstone," (**** out of ****) one of the better episodes in this western comedy-drama from the first season. "Wrong Train to Brimstone" points out that no pictures of Heyes and Curry exist so it has been difficult for the authorities to apprehend our heroes.
You'd think that our heroes would stop boarding trains and stagecoaches because of the odds that somebody would recognize and arrest them. No sooner have Heyes and Curry sold their saddles and horses than Curry recognizes a couple of lawmen in the town of Bramberg and they have to get out fast. The livery stable owner refuses to sell their saddles and horses back to them for the same price. Our haunted heroes try to catch a stagecoach, but there isn't one. In this lively little episode loaded with irony, our heroes wind up aboard a train armed to the teeth with guards employed by the George Bannerman Detective Agency and supervised by Harry Brisco (J.D. Cannon of "McCloud"). "The Wrong Train to Brimstone" contains the first of several appearances that Cannon would make in the series as bumbling Brisco.
Initially, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were just trying to get out of town to avoid detection by the law. They swap places rather forcibly with two Carl Grant (Charles H. Gray) and Fred Gaines (William Bryant) and masquerade as them on the train. They learn that the train is transporting a gold shipment three times the usual amount--a mite more than a quarter of a million dollars bound for the Denver Mint--as well as a crate of sour mash. Apart from Harry Brisco and his 15 Bannerman guards, Jeremiah Daley (William Windom of "Hour of the Gun") and Sara Blaine (Beth Brickhill of the 1975 "Posse")are VIP passengers. Jeremiah has set up the gold shipment to lure out the Devil's Hole Gang, and Sara is there because she has seen the real Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry and can identify them. Jeremiah is suspicious about them because he knows the real Grant and Gaines. He confronts our protagonists about their identity and then backs off and leaves them alone. Heyes and Curry get off the train at Brimstone and intercept the telegram that Grant and Gaines have sent about getting left behind.
Heyes and Curry find themselves having thwarting a railroad heist by the Devil's Hole Gang, lead by stuntman Hal Needham, because their amnesty ranks higher in importance to them. "There ain't one in the bunch who ever killed anybody in their entire lives," Kid Curry defends his old cronies in crime. "And we cant sit on this train and let all of them get shot." The suspense grows out of the one and only female passenger who assures Heyes and Curry that she has meet them before during a train robbery. Not only do our heroes discourage the gang from attacking the train, but also they expose the twosome on board the train who are going to rob it from within. An awful lot of bullets are fired in this episode and only two Devil's Hole Gang members bite the dust. At the end, Heyes and Curry earn $500 from Brisco for helping him out. Furthermore, our heroes convince Harry Brisco that the descriptions of Heyes and Curry are inaccurate and they embellish those features with scars. Pete Duel and Ben Murphy are at their charismatic best. William Windom guest stars as a corrupt Bannerman agent. The detectives come extremely well-armed on their train with a Gatling gun.
The violence in this episode consists of guns being fired and people slamming into each other. There is no blood.
You'd think that our heroes would stop boarding trains and stagecoaches because of the odds that somebody would recognize and arrest them. No sooner have Heyes and Curry sold their saddles and horses than Curry recognizes a couple of lawmen in the town of Bramberg and they have to get out fast. The livery stable owner refuses to sell their saddles and horses back to them for the same price. Our haunted heroes try to catch a stagecoach, but there isn't one. In this lively little episode loaded with irony, our heroes wind up aboard a train armed to the teeth with guards employed by the George Bannerman Detective Agency and supervised by Harry Brisco (J.D. Cannon of "McCloud"). "The Wrong Train to Brimstone" contains the first of several appearances that Cannon would make in the series as bumbling Brisco.
Initially, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry were just trying to get out of town to avoid detection by the law. They swap places rather forcibly with two Carl Grant (Charles H. Gray) and Fred Gaines (William Bryant) and masquerade as them on the train. They learn that the train is transporting a gold shipment three times the usual amount--a mite more than a quarter of a million dollars bound for the Denver Mint--as well as a crate of sour mash. Apart from Harry Brisco and his 15 Bannerman guards, Jeremiah Daley (William Windom of "Hour of the Gun") and Sara Blaine (Beth Brickhill of the 1975 "Posse")are VIP passengers. Jeremiah has set up the gold shipment to lure out the Devil's Hole Gang, and Sara is there because she has seen the real Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry and can identify them. Jeremiah is suspicious about them because he knows the real Grant and Gaines. He confronts our protagonists about their identity and then backs off and leaves them alone. Heyes and Curry get off the train at Brimstone and intercept the telegram that Grant and Gaines have sent about getting left behind.
Heyes and Curry find themselves having thwarting a railroad heist by the Devil's Hole Gang, lead by stuntman Hal Needham, because their amnesty ranks higher in importance to them. "There ain't one in the bunch who ever killed anybody in their entire lives," Kid Curry defends his old cronies in crime. "And we cant sit on this train and let all of them get shot." The suspense grows out of the one and only female passenger who assures Heyes and Curry that she has meet them before during a train robbery. Not only do our heroes discourage the gang from attacking the train, but also they expose the twosome on board the train who are going to rob it from within. An awful lot of bullets are fired in this episode and only two Devil's Hole Gang members bite the dust. At the end, Heyes and Curry earn $500 from Brisco for helping him out. Furthermore, our heroes convince Harry Brisco that the descriptions of Heyes and Curry are inaccurate and they embellish those features with scars. Pete Duel and Ben Murphy are at their charismatic best. William Windom guest stars as a corrupt Bannerman agent. The detectives come extremely well-armed on their train with a Gatling gun.
The violence in this episode consists of guns being fired and people slamming into each other. There is no blood.
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