"DON'T TURN 'EM LOOSE" (1936) *** OUT OF ****

RKO contract director Benjamin Stoloff’s B-movie quickie “Don’t Turn ’em Loose” (1936) capitalized on the ‘crime doesn’t pay’ theme that M-G-M had already embarked on a year earlier with its own “Crime Does Not Pay”(1935-1947) franchise that consisted of 20-minute short subjects shown before the feature picture. Mind you, the 1930s were rift with cautionary films about the scourge of crime and the rise of gangsters. Gangland movies had become a staple for Warner Brothers, the studio that released “Little Caeser” (1931) with Edward G. Robinson and “The Public Enemy” (1931) with James Cagney. Stoloff’s “Don’t Turn ‘em Loose” scrutinized the parole racket and focused on a parole board that was releasing career criminals as swiftly as the courts convicted them. Although scenarists Harry Segall, Ferdinand Reyher, and Thomas Walsh do not come outright and accuse the parole board in “Don’t Turn ‘em Loose” of graft and complicity, you have to suspect the Hays Office must have drawn the line of implicating the system since it usually gave the Hollywood studios little leeway in pointing fingers. Suffice it to say, “Don’t Turn’em Loose” provides hints about the graft and corruption inherent in the system by labeling the job as a ‘political’ function, with the law exerting little pressure on them. Every one of these natty fellows on the board give their silent assent to virtually every case that comes before them. In the case of a notorious felon named Bat William, this bloodthirsty murderer who robs and kills the innocent to line his pockets with his ill-gotten gains, they all too readily release him back into society after his shyster attorney moves them to sympathy with Bat’s wife and infant child appearing before the board. No sooner than Bat has been released than his mouthpiece pays off the dame and shuffled off the infant without a shred of remorse.

Naturally, Detective Daniels (James Gleason of “Night of the Hunter”) complains that the parole board isn’t doing society any favors by turning these hardened criminals loose to commit more crimes. Eventually, the governor of the state contacts a high regarded educator, John Webster (Lewis Stone of M-G-M’s later “Andy Hardy” franchise), an implores this speech teacher to take a seat on the board. The revelation in “Don’t Turn’em Loose” is the Bat Williams is in truth named Robert Webster, the educator’s own son! Of course, John the father has no idea what he is getting himself into when he complies with the governor’s request. John complains to his wife, Helen Webster (Nella Walker of “Sabrina”), that he prefers to shun politics. Later, the governor asks him again, and John takes the assignment with great misgivings. Meanwhile, Bat/Robert has been on a crime spree, robbing and killing, but since the methods of identification back then were primitive in comparison because photographs were not on driver’s licenses, Robert has gotten away with his crimes. Basically, Robert has fooled his family into believing that he is an engineer who takes time off his job from South America to visit them and then leave once he has either lined up a job or has already carried one out.

Detective Daniels gets the drop on Bat’s mistress and leverages a confession out of her that sends him back to prison. It just so happens that when Bat takes his case before the same parole board, he is shocked to find his father on board. John is floored by this surprise of all surprises. Reluctantly, he agrees to let his ‘no-good’ son loose as long as the dastard leaves both the town and the state and never comes back. Not surprisingly, Bat decides to stage one final robbery, but he realizes too late he has been caught in a trap from which he cannot extricate himself. Daniels is lying in wait for him at a construction office with a big, fat safe awaits Bat’s pleasure. Although he gets the drop on Bat initially, Daniels gets too close to the felon who simply knocks his revolver out of his fist and they struggle. Meantime, his father has gone to see his son off at the railway depot. When he doesn’t find him at the depot, some sixth sense sends him to the construction office and he intervenes on behalf of Detective Daniels. Indeed, he shoots his own son, but Daniels sends John home with mum’s the word and takes the fatally wounded Bat out of town to die instead of alerting he coroner and damaging John’s scholarly reputation.

“Don’t Turn ‘em Loose” is a snappy little B-picture. There is a lot of violence, but the Hays Office forced RKO to keep from showing Bat’s heartless crimes in gratuitous detail. At one point, Bat confront his moll who turned him in, and he breaks out of prison and murders her at point blank range. Afterward, his accomplices with a lumber company who delivers wood to the prison picks him up to take him back. Bat leaves a lunch box in the crawlspace between the truck’s cab and its bed. Later, as the driver is cruising along a road that hugs the side of a cliff, the lunchbox bomb detonates and the driver is killed when his vehicle plunges into a ravine. The robbery at a milk company is violent, too. As the villainous Bat/Robert Webster, Bruce Cabot grins sadistically and takes advantage of everybody he deals with in both his criminal affairs and his family affairs. Seems that John never believed he could raise a ‘bad’ child, but in retrospect, he realizes that all the petty crimes that happened in their household were engineered by his rogue son. Clocking in at 65 lean and mean minutes, “Don’t Turn ‘em Loose” is a good movie that moves at a fast clip.

 

BLACK SAMSON (1974) *** OUT OF ****

A stuntman turned actor and then later director, Charles Bail helmed two Blaxploitation epics during his 20 plus years of calling the shots behind the camera. “Black Samson” marked Bail’s cinematic debut at the helm, and he made a name for himself, going on to direct the “Cleopatra Jones” sequel “Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold.” Afterward, he made “The Gumball Rally,” and later directed his share of prime-time television shows, among them “CHiPs,” “Manimal,” “Knight Rider,” “Dragnet,” “Adam-12,” and “Baywatch Nights.” During his television years, Bail took time off to direct “Choke Canyon” (1986) and “Street Corner Justice” (1996). As Blaxploitation pix go, “Black Samson” isn’t as well-known as his “Cleopatra” sequel, but it features a dashiki-clad African American role model who stood out from the line-up of sartorially elegant heroes and he shunned firearms! Instead, in the tradition of President Theodore Roosevelt, Samson walked softly and carried a big stick. When he isn’t cracking heads with his lance, he balls up his own fists of fury to pummel the opposition.

In the screenplay by “Kiss of the Tarantula” scribes Warren Hamilton Jr. and Daniel Cady, Black Samson (Rockne Tarkington of “The No Mercy Man”) owns a strip bar in Los Angeles where he keeps a lion behind the bar in plain sight as his mascot! No, this king of the beasts never gets loose to gnaw on the bad guys! Basically, Black Samson keeps a brotherly eye on the neighborhood surrounding his drug free haven where not only his customers—both black and white—can live in peace and harmony but also without the scourge of narcotics polluting their lives. He emerges as a self-appointed benefactor who defends the weak and cares for the poor. For example, he keeps a homeless, elderly, black man, Old Henry (Napoleon Whiting of “Giant”), on his payroll to plink out funky tunes on a piano. Meantime, Samson has made a gentleman’s agreement with a nearby funeral home director, Arthur (Michael Payne of “Good Guys Wear Black”), who steers his coke dealers clear of Samson’s bailiwick. For the record, these two dudes grew up as soul brothers, but they went their separate ways into different livelihoods. Nevertheless, Arthur warns Samson that the latter is living on borrowed time before the gluttonous Italians try to muscle in on his environs and hook everybody he knows and loves on cocaine.

Indeed, the arrogant, reckless spawn of a Mafioso, Johnny Nappa (William Smith of “Any Which Way You Can”), plans to push drugs in Samson’s community. Naturally,  our eponymous hero refuses to let Johnny and his thugs gain so much as a toehold. When Johnny’s lawyer approaches Samson with the prospect of a 20 percent take of drug sales, our hero threatens to throw him from the roof of his bar into the street. Afterward, Johnny sends his men in to change Samson’s mind but to no avail. Literally, Samson wields a ceremonial lance which is as tall as he is, and he can be devastating as Johnny learns to his chagrin. 

The only thing “Black Samson” lacks is an appealing Top 40 hit title tune to give it some vibe. Bail and his scenarists keep the action coming in this predictable but entertaining R-rated, 88-minute crime yarn. As villainous Johnny Nappa, brawny William Smith sports a pencil-thin, Snidely Whiplash mustache and never misses a chance to use the N-word. As it turns out, Johnny’s peace-loving mafia don of a father, Joseph Nappa (Titos Vandis of “Stiletto”), draws the line at violence and advises his volatile son to forget about taking over Samson’s district. Sadly, numbskull Johnny refuses to abide by his father’s non-violent agenda, and he sets out to eliminate Samson. Eventually, Johnny declares open war on Samson, while his torpedoes abduct Samson’s girlfriend, Leslie (Carol Speed of “The New Centurions”), and hold her hostage. Earlier, Johnny had dispatched a sexy little dame, Tina (Connie Strickland of “Act of Vengeance”), to audition as a topless dancer in Samson’s bar. Yes, prepare yourself for some modest frontal nudity. Samson hires her because she displays talent, and Johnny orders Tina to learn everything she can about Samson and his operation. At the same time, Johnny warns Tina to steer clear of any romantic entanglements with Samson.

The grand finale of “Black Samson” is pretty spectacular. First, Bail treats us to a careening demolition derby of an auto chase with Johnny’s reckless henchmen chasing Samson and his girlfriend through teeming city streets. These villains crash headlong into one car after another that they encounter along the way. After they destroy their own cars, these thugs carjack other vehicles and resume their pursuit. Eventually, Samson lures them into his neighborhood where the residents have prepared a special reception for the Italians. As soon as Samson speeds down the street of his quarter, a truck pulls out across the road effectively blocking any pursuit. Later, two wrecker trucks close off the street at the other end! Predictably, the LAPD doesn’t show up until Samson has thoroughly beaten egotistical Johnny to a bloody pulp, while Samson’s supporters have trapped Nappa’s mafia torpedoes in the street below and showered them with a barrage of sticks, bricks, stones, and kitchen appliances! The amount of stuff the residents rain down on the antagonists is simply incredible. “Black Samson” reminded me of a town-taming western with Samson appointing himself the moral crusader who thwarts these drug dealers and furnishes congenial services as a bar owner for the neighborhood.

"THE EXPENDABLES FOUR" (2023)(*** OUT OF ****)

"Act of Valor" director Scott Waugh's "Expendables 4" qualifies not only as the most violent, 'splatterific' entry in the mercenary franchise, but also as the sequel with the shoddiest CGI wizardry which sabotages its authenticity. "Law Abiding Citizen" scenarist Kurt Wimmer, "Black Lotus" scribe Tad Daggerhart, and "Heist" writer Max Adams have recycled all the standard cliches for this outlandish actioneer, but they've put Dave Callaham's original characters through a wringer. Mind you, there is no shortage of bullet-blasting firefights. Whether on the ground in Libya or aboard a booby-trapped supertanker at sea equipped with a doomsday bomb, the body count tops out at 284! Predictably, the stakes are far higher than the original "Expendables" (2010) and our invincible heroes cheat death repeatedly with their fists, feet, wits, and weapons. Worse, heroic Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone of "Rocky") vanishes early after a harrowing fracas with trigger-happy hostiles who have stolen nuclear denotators from one of Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan ordinance depots. The villains are as savage as they are resourceful. The chief villain, Suarto Rahmat (Iko Uwais), shoots an innocent child off-screen in the head while his father watches in one scene. These dastards are scheming to foment a war between Russia and America. Mercifully, Waugh and his writers never let the action bog down in boilerplate exposition. They paint our heroes into a corner early and put their survival skills on the line. Predictably, Lee Christmas (Jason Statham of "Crank") vows to avenge the demise of his best friend.

The stakes in "Expendables 4" loom larger than ever before, and the consequences are devastating. Waugh and his writers provide the characters with some amusing, hardboiled banter, especially the verbal sparring between Barney and Lee as they rib each other with gleeful abandon. Andy Garica storms into the action as an exasperating, upper-echelon, CIA spook named Marsh. Barney Ross and Marsh have a history together. The filmmakers withhold this crucial material until later when it makes more sense. Marsh briefs the Expendables about a critical mission in Libya. They must thwart a nefarious mercenary, Rahmat (Iko Uwais), who wants to hijack nuclear denotators for an enigmatic terrorist known only as Ocelot. Incredibly, not only do the Expendables botch the mission, but also the aircraft Barney flew them in on is blown out of the blue and crashes. Again, a well-aimed shot by Rahmat on a .50 caliber is the coup de grace that sends Barney plummeting to the ground. Approximately, 28 minutes into this escapade, Lee finds Barney's incinerated remains buckled into the pilot's seat. Marsh chews out Christmas for his failure to carry out Barney's orders and prevent the theft of the detonators. Christmas had broken off his pursuit of the warheads to rescue Barney.

Ultimately, Christmas is booted off the team. Lee's curvaceous babe of a girlfriend, Gina (Megan Fox), supervises the second attempt to defeat Rahmat and retrieve the denotators, but now the stakes are soared. These villains have hijacked a cargo ship and stashed a nuclear warhead aboard the vessel cruising into Russian waters. These fiends want to incite World War III. Our heroes 'halo' down from high altitudes, open their parachutes, and touch down on the cargo ship. No sooner have our heroes assembled for the mission than the villains disarm and imprison! Meantime, Lee has been lurking on the periphery. Although no longer an official Expendable, he tracks his former comrades by means of an electronic homing device hidden in a watch. Along the way, he encounters another of Barney's many friends, Decha (Tony Jaa), who is wrestling with a Jekyll & Hyde split-personality. He is a born fighter of great tenacity. However, all those years of unrelenting combat have taken a toll on him. When he meets Christmas, Decha refuses to let him steal the Expendables boat. Christmas enlightens him about Barney's disappearance, and Decha abandons his non-violent vows.

The tenacious villains aren't easily subdued. Meantime, franchise stalwarts will chuckle at Toll Road's blather about his cauliflower ear. Dolph Lundgren's hulking sniper Gunner still wrestles with alcohol and tries to wean himself off the bottle. The volatile Christmas & Gina relationship boils down to a back-and-forth scrap. She proves herself no damsel-in-distress during a display of her agility in close-quarters combat with Christmas. Latino recruit Galan (Jacob Scipio) brags about being the son of the Antoino Banderas character Galgo in "Expendables 3." Galan is just as loquacious as Galgo and as impetuous. Waugh orchestrates two over the top combat sequences. The first takes place in Libya, while the second commences aboard the cargo ship at night. One of the best scenes depicts Christmas hauling butt on a bike with twin machine guns mounted on the handle bars. Careening recklessly around the ship, Lee strafes the villains pursuing him without mercy.

Several new faces crop up for this high-octane thriller about mercenaries on a classified Black Ops mission. Like "Expendables 3," several new faces flesh out the familiar old ones. Asian marital arts legend Tony Jaa of "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" trilogy, Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais of "The Raid: Redemption," "Transformers" actress Megan Fox, HipHop vocalist 50 Cent, aka Curtis James Jackson, "Bad Boys for Life" actor Jacob Scipio, "Female Fight Squad's" Levy Tran, and "Godfather III" actor Andy Garcia join Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lungren, and Randy Couture. For the record, previous "Expendable" characters that Jet Li and Terry Crews portrayed were AWOL in this installment.

Although it suffers from some obvious second-rate CGI, "Expendables 4" delivers more than enough trials by combat to gratify fans. After Barney exits the fireworks in a spectacular plane crash, a reluctant Lee Christmas (Statham) steps into his shoes. Megan Fox manages to look both seductive and pugnacious as Lee's girlfriend Gina. Clocking in at an energetic 104 minutes, the R-rated, fourth installment of "The Expendables" franchise moves swiftly to its explosive finale.

NAPOLEON (2023) (**1/2 OUT OF ****) The Theatrical Cut

 Arguably, Oscar-winning British director Ridley Scott of "Gladiator" fame will be remembered as a cinematic wizard whose films boasted stellar production values, robust casts, and colossal budgets. Sadly, the dramatic content in some of his movies leaves something to be desired. Chiefly, Scott displays his considerable flair for choreography in staging the sprawling battle scenes in "Napoleon." Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, and Rupert Everett headline a cast of thousands. Unfortunately, the blood, guts, and thunder of combat overshadow the quieter moments of the Corsican-born tactician's life. Whereas the battlefield scenes bristle with excitement, suspense, and bravado, Napoleon's life off the field of valor proves far less volatile. Scott creates several 19th century combat scenes that rival Steven Spielberg's 20th century World War II epic "Saving Private Ryan." For example, the horse the eponymous hero rides in his first foray against the British at Toulon has its chest torn open by a cannonball! The chief problem with "Napoleon" (**1/2 OUT OF ****) is Scott himself. He treats Napoleon with nothing but contempt. Since Scott is British, this should come as no surprise.

Now, add the bizarre casting of Joaquin "The Joker" Phoenix as Bonaparte. Although a gifted thespian in his own right, Phoenix generates little magnetism. The way Scott skewers Napoleon in "Napoleon" would be enough to make the 'Little Corporal' spin in his Parisian tomb. Mostly, the impeccably clad Phoenix neither strikes a sufficiently heroic stance nor endears himself to us as a human being with social skills. As his wife and life-long confidante Josephine, Vanessa Kirby of "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" savors every second of screen time as she taunts and belittles Napoleon. The actress reminded me of the late Leslie Caron of "Gigi" because she has such a mischievous personality. Anyway, Kirby dominates every scene with Phoenix in private. Meantime, Phoenix never rises from the ashes of an inscrutable performance as one of history's greatest legends. He remains a cold, aloof figure and little about him would incline us to regard him with a shred of sympathy. Comparably, Rod Steiger looked more believable as Bonaparte in Sergei Bondarchuk's "Waterloo" (1970), a far better film whose scope and spectacle has never been surpassed. If you haven't seen "Waterloo," you must see it!

Scenarist David Scarpa, who penned the abysmal Keanu Reeves "Day the Earth Stood Still" remake as well as Scott's own comatose "All the Money in the World," focuses primarily on Napolean's military successes and failures. Of course, time doesn't stand still long in this 158-minute epic because Scott and Scarpa have so much ground to cover. Presumably, Scott must have worried about not only audience ennui but also story momentum. Since "Napoleon" doesn't lionize Bonaparte, he emerges as an unsavory figure who behaves petulantly at times. Certainly, Scott and Scarpa don't present a balanced portrait of Napoleon. They refuse to highlight some of his enduring culture endeavors, such as the Napoleonic Code that continues today. Furthermore, Napoleon's medical history has been white washed, otherwise we might feel a shred of sympathy for the tyrant. Indeed, characterization is held to a minimum in "Napoleon." The only other actor who stands out  here is Rupert Everett of "My Best Friend's Wedding" as the snobbish Duke of Wellington, and he remains a vague figure with one decent line of dialogue. According to eminent Bonaparte biographer Andrew Roberts, when a sniper at Waterloo had Napoleon in his crosshairs sought permission to shoot him, the Duke snapped brusquely, "No! I'll not allow it. It is not the business of commanders to be firing upon one another!"

The battle of Austerlitz provides the most memorable fireworks. As the combined cavalries of Russia and Austria burst across a frozen river toward the French, Napoleon's artillery pulverizes the ice into slush with barrages of molten cannon balls. Comparatively, the battle of Waterloo lacks the spectacle of Austerlitz. Everybody behind the scenes who toiled on the production design, costume design, and set decoration deserve to win Oscars in all categories. Lenser Dariusz Wolski's widescreen cinematography captures the color and pageantry of 19th warfare. Previously, he shot several Scott notable epics, including "The Martian," "Prometheus," and "The Counselor." Ultimately, Scott glosses over two things about Napoleon which remain inseparable in anybody's mind who has admired the Emperor's portraits. First, never once does Napoleon slip his hand into his tunic to suppress a spell of indigestion. Second, Scott never depicts Napoleon's health issues. Despite a little tampering here and there with history, "Napoleon" qualifies as a better than average military extravaganza. Now, the question remains whether the extended four hour plus  version of "Napoleon" slated for Apple TV+ will make amends for any of these shortcomings.