Tuesday, April 29, 2014

New Release Last Tuesday

This is from director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) and was released in 1977 around the same time as Star Wars and just got lost in all the hoopla.  It is about group of outcasts from different backgrounds and nationalities are forced by misfortune to work in an oil-drilling operation in South America.  There has never been a good copy of this available on any home video format and Friedkin himself over saw the restoration of the film.  Current news has already surfaced that the blu ray is the best way to watch this as the DVD is apparently in the wrong aspect ratio.  Anyway cannot wait to pick this up and rediscover this movie.

I have never seen this original Brit version starring Michael Caine as his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.

Now I have seen this Sly version and was really underwhelmed more by the direction more than Sly himself.   He was pretty cool in this and we get a glimpse of The Expendables’ Barney Ross here with the goatee.  Sly takes the turn as Jack Carter here as he returns for the funeral of his brother Richie after a car crash during a storm to do an investigation of his own.   Sounds familiar…

This was a nice little action movie as it marked a bit of a return for Seagal as he trimmed down some, cut the pony tail, and was back in a modestly budgeted action movie.  Seagal plays Orin Boyd, a tough cop in an inner-city precinct that discovers a web of dirty cops and corruption.  This has producers Joel Silver’s stamp all over it.




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