Jaws 2 (1978) - Review

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Cast: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Jeffrey Kramer

Country: United States

Rating: PG

Run Time: 116 min

When cinema fans discuss their favorite slasher/horror films, such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Halloween, they can't help but bring up the entire series as well. There's something fun about discussing both the ups and the downs of a franchise, especially one that stems from such stellar first entries. However, I don't think I have ever heard anyone bring up the Jaws sequels whilst also discussing the original. It's as if they don't exist. Even Universal Pictures, the studio who put out all four films, pretends they don't exist. Whenever the tour guide at Universal Studios brings up Jaws, they rarely ever mention the sequels. It's funny, because every entry in the series was financially successful, especially the second one. I guess their critical revilement more or less buried them into non-existence within both the studio's and public's consciousness, who view them more as an embarrassment and a blemish on the sanctity of the golden idol that is Jaws. Jaws was a such an unstoppable monster that it somehow swallowed up all of its sequels from existence. Now that's impressive.

Jaws 2 is a mostly forgotten sequel, which is surprising considering the film's massive box office take in 1978. It seems that the only thing people seem to remember about the film is its great tagline, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." Anyways, French director Jeannot Szwarc took over the reigns of the series from Steven Spielberg, a daunting challenge if there ever was one. Nevertheless, Szwarc did his best, and crafted a mostly solid sequel that gave audiences more of the shark attack action and principal players that made Jaws so great. 

Talk about a jab at Orca the Killer Whale.

Unfortunately, the sequel features about half as much content as Jaws, and is somehow still as long. Remember how exciting and terrific the final hour of action was in Jaws? Of course you do, everyone does. Remember how exciting and terrific the final hour of action was in Jaws 2? Of course you don't, because that sucker drags on forever, like an anchor hooked on the ground for miles and miles. Jaws 2 explores some extremely interesting material in its first half, that of an obsessive Chief Brody, but drowns in its second half where its flimsy script and half hearted direction results in nothing more than a sub-standard shark attack film. Than again, I'd much rather take a sub-standard shark attack film with a score by John Williams and performances by Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton over any other shark attack film out there.

Jaws 2 proves that the heart and soul of the Jaws franchise is the Brody family, to whom the sequel thankfully takes the time to reintroduce in the first act. Jaws 2 picks up a few years after Jaws, with Chief Brody still standing as the Chief of Police in Amity. When a shark starts killing people in Amity again, Brody becomes obsessed with stopping it once and for all. However, his obsession scares the citizens of Amity to the point where he is fired from his job. When his son Michael goes out at sea with his teenage friends, they come in contact with the shark and radio Brody for help, thereby leading to another showdown between man and shark, Jaws style.

In a world where many horror sequels either follow an entirely different group of characters (A Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy's Revenge) or drastically shift their tone (Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part II), Jaws 2 is nearly a best case scenario from both a storytelling and creative stand point. Although not every character or filmmaker returned (both Drefyus and Spielberg's absences are felt throughout), most of the creative team did return, along with many of the extremely memorable actors and characters from the first film. Most notable is Roy Scheider, who returned only to fulfill a contractual agreement to Universal Pictures, and composer John Williams, who supplied one of the key factors to Jaws' success. With both the original film's star and composer back on board (strangely the same situation as Halloween II), Jaws 2 could've been a stellar sequel. Unfortunately, Szwarc's decision to aim for blockbuster action over searing tension, along with a lackluster script that retreads the plot of the original, hinders the film from ever taking off like Spielberg's blockbuster predecessor. All in all though, Jaws 2 gives you the exciting shark kills and human peril that you would want from a Jaws sequel, just not as skillfully as Jaws obviously.

Chief Brody: one of the all time great badasses of action cinema.

For an actor who only returned to fulfill a contractual agreement, Scheider gives a stellar performance once again as Chief Brody, everybody's favorite shark slaying police chief. The reason Scheider comes off so well in the picture is because his character is put through the ringer and depicted as an obsessive person who will do anything to protect Amity from danger once again. The greatest success of Jaws 2 is this character dynamic that makes for an extremely interesting first half of a film. All of the scenes focused on Brody's shark obsession come out the greatest, such as the stellar scene in which Brody thinks he sees a shark in the water, and than proceeds to shoot into the water as horrified beach-goers watch on. I know that I've been on a roll with the Halloween connections, but one could also compare Brody in Jaws 2 to Loomis, Michael Myer's therapist and hunter, from the Halloween series. It's a shame that the sequel couldn't see through this obsession story to the end in a satisfying matter, but it's nice to have a taste of what could have been great in the first half of the film.

While the first half of Jaws 2 shakes up the formula of the first film by forcing Brody into a corner all on his lonesome, it caves into established formula and flounders in its second half in which Brody is sidelined in favor of a group of teens and their peril with a shark that heavily resembles the final hour of Jaws. Whereas the first half of Jaws 2 feels fresh, the second half is uninspired tripe, the type of blockbuster entertainment that Universal figured had to be stretched out to an hour in order for audiences to get their money's worth. The weaknesses of the film's narrative are most apparent in this second half, as the film's natural story of Brody's obsession leads into a teens in peril sub-plot that becomes the dominant plot of the picture for no good reason. It's a shame that the through line of the picture is so wonky and lopsided, as numerous scenes fail to gel with one another, all culminating in a lazy finale that doesn't feel earned or worthwhile the way Jaws' second half was. 

Either way, this transition into teen territory does place Jaws 2 into a fun sub-genre: the slasher sub-genre that is. Released in 1978, a few months before John Carpenter's Halloween, Jaws 2 acts as a proto-slasher before the slasher boom of the 80s. The sequel's group of teens, who are mostly horny and sex fueled, are typically flat and disposable bait to the shark's unstoppable killer, key elements of the slasher genre. While the film is far from scary, due to Szwarc's inability to produce honest tension, it still stands as a unique blockbuster slasher before the solidification of the low budget slasher a few months later.

Look out for that mechanized shark whose mouth is bending!

Szwarc seems to be a decent director, although he is no Spielberg. Whereas Spielberg masterminded Jaws and made it a success, Szwarc seems more like a director for hire. Interestingly enough, Szwarc replaced original director John Hancock after several production and personal issues between the director and the studio. Therefore, Szwarc was literally hired on to complete the project, just as original Jaws screenwriter Carl Gottlieb was re-hired to touch up the script. All of these last minute shake ups are ultimately to blame upon the uneven sequel.

Szwarc has specifically stated that he never intended to ape Spielberg's style, which owed much to Alfred Hitchcock and his view of suspense and tension. After all, the shark is completely shown within the first twenty minutes of the film. Therefore, Szwarc crafts a more action packed shark attack film instead of a terrifying one along the lines of the original. Compare the scene where Brody discovers the burnt body in the ocean to the infamous scene from Jaws where a head rolls out of a boat. One is fast paced while the other is slow paced and satisfying. See what I mean? Whereas Jaws was satisfying to watch above all else, Jaws 2 is nothing but entertaining. And while never ending shark attacks may be entertaining to watch for a period of time, Jaws 2 reminds us that the presence and threat of a killer is far more formidable than the killer itself. 

That being said, Jaws 2 is still a fun time for a summer blockbuster. The sequel is more or less a direct retread of the original film: shark attacks citizens of Amity, Chief Brody tries to warn people, nobody listens, somebody significant dies, Brody goes out on boat and kills shark once again. Even though it is a fairly lazy sequel, Jaws 2 is still a lot of fun to watch, especially for its more over the top action sequences. For example, one of the first shark attacks in the film results in a hilarious scene where a girl dumps lighter fluid on her boat, shoots a flare at it, sets herself and the shark on fire, and than explodes! It's the highlight of the film purely for how ridiculous it is. Even the lengthy finale, while flawed, features some fun shark kills, such as a moment where a poor coast guard lands his helicopter in the water, only for the shark to pop up and eat him and the vehicle whole! The only dissatisfying death in the whole film belongs to the shark itself, who dies in a fairly lame way that feels immensely forced if only because Jaws ended the same way. If you can forgive a sequel for directly retreading the same water as its original, than Jaws 2 should be nothing but a serviceable time for you.

At least they have the option of an open casket burial for this Jaws.

I think that I would be willing to forgive Jaws 2 for its minor flaws if it were at least a shorter film. Many of the film's scenes run for far too long and drain the film of all tension whatsoever, thereby dragging the film to a near two hour run time. I always felt that the original Jaws ran for 10 or so minutes too long, as the final hour is nothing but shark hunting. Unfortunately, Jaws 2 runs for a whopping 30 minutes too long, which is far from excusable and damn near sequel killing. 

All in all though, Jaws 2 is undeniably a solid sequel with good production value, memorable characters who are only memorable because they were great in the original, and some fun shark action. Szwarc does his best to move the story along, Scheider does a fine job holding the audiences' attention, and Williams crafts some new and fun pieces of music that liven the tone. Therefore, Jaws 2 gives you new worthwhile material to walk away with, especially Brody's near asylum inducing freakout at the beach that stands as my favorite scene in the film. In conclusion, Jaws 2 is the best non-original-Jaws shark attack movie...next to maybe Renny Harlin's Deep Blue Sea, which is on a whole other level of ridiculousness. It's no Jaws, but Jaws 2 does not deserve to be forgotten amongst the halls of blockbuster cinema and sequel-dom. Give it a re-watch, you may find yourself surprised at how well it holds up, in parts that is.

Rating: 6/10 - Jaws 2 is a flawed but entertaining sequel that delivers both the shark action and some of the memorable principal players that audiences loved about the first film.

Franchise:

Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

Jaws 2 (Jeannot Szwarc, 1978)

Jaws 3-D (Joe Alves, 1983)

Jaws: The Revenge (Joseph Sargent, 1987)

The Getaway (1972) - Review

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Cast: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, Sally Struthers

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 122 min

Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Convoy) is one of the originators of bad ass cinema. He helped pioneer slow motion editing, excessive blood letting, morally ambiguous anti-heroes, and high body counts in American cinema all the way back in the 60s. Peckinpah was highly criticized for his odd filmmaking choices during his career, especially his extreme taste for montage editing and gory violence. However, Peckinpah finally got the credit he deserved once he died, thereby making him a posthumously respected filmmaker. Much like Stanley Kubrick, most of Peckinpah's films were misunderstood or deemed too extreme for their time period. Few of his films were ever financially or critically successful upon release either.

However, 1972's The Getaway was that rare film of Peckinpah's that was actually a box office hit upon its release, thereby making it one of his only mainstream successes. Starring both Steve McQueen (The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt) and Ali MacGraw (Love Story), The Getaway appealed to audiences because of its true to life celebrity couple pairing and stream lined action packed plot that worked as a solution for those in search of another Bonnie and Clyde type film. The Getaway is surely no Bonnie and Clyde, but it's infinitely more bad ass and far more entertaining as an action picture. Plus, every action fan will want to check out the film if only to see action maestro Peckinpah direct the king of cool, Steve McQueen, from a screenplay by bad ass extraordinaire, Walter Hill (Red Heat, Last Man Standing).

The Getaway couple, Doc and Carol.

Based upon the novel of the same name, The Getaway tells the story of outlaw couple Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) and Carol McCoy (Ali MacGraw). After spending years in prison, Doc tells his wife Carol to do whatever it takes to convince a corrupt businessman, Jack (Ben Johnson), to get him out of prison. Upon his release, Doc meets up with Jack only to learn that he must help him rob a bank for a half a million in cash. Although reluctant, Doc agrees, and he and his wife Carol team up with two of Jack's men, Rudy (Al Lettieri) and Frank (Bo Hopkins). When Frank snaps during the heist, Rudy attempts to double cross everybody and gets shot by Doc. Doc soon learns that it was all a set up and that Jack not only slept with his wife, but also told her to kill Doc herself. As Doc and Carol make their way across Texas to a safe hotel for criminals, a bloodied Rudy makes his way across the country as well with a hostage married couple in order to enact his vengeance on Doc and steal back the money.

The Getaway is a simple, yet classic caper picture. This type of genre picture is particularly nostalgic, as it combines the thrill of breaking the law and the charm of two people in love, all the while set in the desert-like surroundings of Texas. Coming off the heels of 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, it seems that the film's producers were hoping to churn up a similar product in order to cash in on the genre's success. However, The Getaway is no throw away caper picture. After all, the film was penned by Walter Hill and directed by Sam Peckinpah, two of action cinema's greatest auteurs. It also resembles the New Hollywood films that Bonnie and Clyde kicked off in that it blends morally ambiguous characters with harsh subject material. However, The Getaway ultimately buckles underneath its own simplicity, thereby preventing it from achieving greatness the way that the similar Bonnie and Clyde did.

The film's source material is ultimately a very simplistic and basic template for an action picture. Two down on their luck people join up with a corrupt businessman in order to rob a bank. When everything goes wrong, they go on the run and compete with vying criminals and wary cops for their freedom. That's it. Beyond that, the most interesting element of the film is the two's severely tested relationship, which runs the gauntlet to say the least. Unfortunately, there simply isn't enough substance here to suffice a two hour film. 

It's not wise to tell someone you are going to kill them before you shoot them.

While no masterpiece, The Getaway could have been an expertly directed genre picture that clocked in somewhere around an hour and a half. Unfortunately, the film drags on for two hours because of an immensely useless and unnecessary sub-plot concerning the revenge of Rudy, one of Jake's henchmen. After Doc guns down Rudy, it turns out that Rudy got the jump on him by wearing a bullet proof vest. Therefore, Rudy stumbles towards a married couple's home and forces them to heal him. Hill's script takes the time to juxtapose Doc and Carol's struggles to get to El Paso along with Rudy's bizarre relationship with the couple and their own adventures across the country.

However, none of the trios' scenes add anything to the film and bog down an otherwise subtle and slow paced action thriller. After all, this is Doc and Carol's film, not Rudy and the married couple's. Even though its clear that Rudy's sub-plot is meant to build up to a final showdown between him and Doc, their final face off could not be more disappointing. Rudy's recovery and cross country trip swallows up a solid one quarter of the film and severely damages it beyond repair.

Still, Peckinpah's cross country romance is a solid and commendable picture through and through, right down to its contemporary Western setting and plot, both a Peckinpah and Hill staple. It has all of the markings of a Peckinpah picture; right down to its montage editing, morally ambiguous characters, excessive violence, and previously mentioned silence and nuance. The most striking element of any Peckinpah film is the editing, here done by Robert L. Wolfe. One example of notable editing within The Getaway includes the overlapping sound of prison doors shutting repeatedly over the image of the daily ins and outs of Doc's time in prison. The excessive nature of both the noise and Doc's routine is meant to convey the repetition that prison dwellers experience. The screen image also predicts what a character will do sometimes, such as when McQueen looks at a rope swing, thereby followed by a scene of he and MacGraw's celebration in the water. Even though the editing in Peckinpah's films is mainly remembered for how striking it makes his action sequences, one should also take into account how the editing conveys his character's emotions.

There's nothing quite like a pump action shotgun in a 70s movie.

Peckinpah's Wikipedia page states that his films focus on lone characters, masculinity, and the conflict between ideals and values. Never are those themes more apparent than here in The Getaway, a film that pairs two loner characters together, thereby making them a loner couple (if that makes any sense at all). After all, the two rarely talk, nearly break up, and act far different than most married couples. But alas, this is what makes a pair of Peckinpah characters more interesting than your run of the mill married criminals. 

McQueen gives an amazing performance, surely bolstered by Peckinpah's direction, as a morally ambiguous criminal. McQueen exudes silence and grace as a man of few words who conveys his emotions and feelings through his actions more often than his mouth. Much like Mel Gibson's performance as Max Rockatansky in the Mad Max series or Tomisaburo Wakayama's performance as Itto Ogami in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, McQueen's turn as Doc is silent, simplistic, and very affective. His character is also likable even though he is a criminal. For example, Doc never kills cops and only shoots to kill corrupt lawmen or backstabbing thieves. He may threaten the lives of others or even beat them up, as he does the con man who steals his money, but he never kills them. And even though he robs banks and works with criminals, he clearly has no venomous intentions. Doc remains an admirable morally ambiguous character because he never crosses the line into murderous territory. Contemporary examples of characters like Doc include Ben Affleck's Doug MacRay from The Town or even Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto from the Fast and Furious series.

Of course, it's not a Sam Peckinpah film unless there is some excessive or notable violence. While hardly packed with wall to wall action, The Getaway is an extremely entertaining action film with several hard hitting shootouts and chase scenes. The first set piece of the film comes in the form of a tense bank heist in which Doc and Carol break into a bank and than try to outrun a series of explosions the two placed throughout a town in order to cause a distraction. There's an especially great slow motion shot of the two driving a car into a wooden porch and that causes it to shatter into smithereens. Once Doc gets his hands on a pump action shotgun, the film boldly steps into bad ass territory and rarely lets up. Besides laying waste to a police car in glorious slow motion fashion, Doc's shotgun skills are best exemplified by the blockbuster shootout that closes out the film in a hotel. Doc goes up against a handful of corrupt Texas lawmen in one of the greatest shootouts of both Peckinpah and McQueen's career, as well as the entirety of the 1970s. It's surely nowhere as good as The Wild Bunch's finale, but The Getaway's final shootout is great as far as short and small scaled action sequences come.

A poor law man meets the wrong end of McQueen's shotgun.

The Getaway could have been a run of the mill cross country action picture if it were not directed by Peckinpah. As stated before, The Getaway is based off a fairly simplistic novel that offers little more than basic thrills. Fortunately, Peckinpah bolsters the simplistic story with stupendous style to boot in the form of his mastery of nuance and eye for slow motion action. McQueen's involvement also adds major credibility and watchability to the film's romantic laden thievery. While far from great, and nowhere near as excellent as some of Peckinpah's superior efforts, The Getaway is still a damn good action thriller, and one that any filmmaker would be proud of. Minus the terrible sub-plot. 

Rating: 7/10 - One of Peckinpah's most simplistic yet immensely satisfying crime capers with several shotgun shootouts to entertain the action hounds.

Note: There is a 1994 remake of the film starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. While I have never seen the entire film, it appears to be a beat for beat remake, right down to scenes and lines being recreated exactly as they were in the original film. I personally find this to be the worst kind of remake, just like Simon West's The Mechanic. 

The Hand of Death (1976)

Hey everybody! I recently had the privilege of contributing to City On Fire, an action movie news and reviews site that mainly focuses on Asian cinema and martil arts. For my first review, I tackled one of John Woo's earliest films, The Hand of Death, featuring two of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung's earliest performances. Check out the review here!

Taste the Anticipation - The Mechanic (1972)

Director: Michael Winner

Cast: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vinent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland

Country: United States

Rating: PG

Run Time: 100 minutes

Taste the Anticipation is a series dedicated to reviewing films in anticipation of a newer up and coming release. Whether it a previous franchise installment, a forgotten film within a director's immense oveure, or a thematically similar venture, anything is fair game as long as it relates to a newer cinematic product of sorts that I am anticipating.

It's been a while since I've reviewed some classic Bronson on my blog. Therefore, I thought that I'd give The Mechanic a revisit. I also wanted to revisit this film along with Simon West's remake in the wake of the announcement of the sequel; Mechanic: Resurrection. It's weird to say it but I guess The Mechanic has become a franchise of its own now. But alas, Statham is returning and that means more guns, bullets, and assassinations "Mechanic style."

If you ever need evidence of Bronson's bad-assery, look no further than his films from the late 1960's and early 1970's. These films feature Bronson at his most chiseled, fashionable, and bad ass. If I were to be more specific though, I would say to look towards the films that Bronson collaborated on with director Michael Winner. Bronson and Winner team ups like The Stone Killer and Death Wish showed how natural and simple it was to make a bad ass action movie in the 1970's. One of their best collaborations though is The Mechanic, an assassin film with great action and a great twist ending.

That's what you call an awesome title card.

Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is a mechanic, or an assassin, for an unnamed group of people who use him to eliminate targets of theirs. Bishop is an expert planner who takes his time and plans his assassinations. He never rushes in like a cowboy or takes out someone unless he studies all of their habits and background. When Bishop eliminates a man named Big Harry, he attracts the attention of Big Harry's son Steve (Jan-Michael Vincent) at the funeral. Bishop's comments about Steve's personality and characteristics triggers an interest in Steve as to Bishop's secret profession. After much questioning, Bishop agrees to let Steve in on the assassination profession since having a back up would make jobs easier for him. Bishop trains Steve in the ways of concentration, martial arts, and gun fire to prepare him for his first task. However, Bishop angers the unnamed group who uses him once they find out that an outsider has been brought into the business. Bishop also comes to doubt Steve's loyalty to the business and their partnership as he grows increasingly suspicious of Steve's actions.

Man, it really has been awhile since I visited a truly awesome Bronson film. I forgot how bad ass and stylish the guy is. His outfits are amazing in this movie! I wish I dressed as good as he did. Anyways, Arthur Bishop is a great character because he isn't like every other movie assassin or Bronson character. He's a detached loner who likes to keep to himself, uses a prostitute to fake a real relationship, takes his time with his assassinations, and keeps up on his extracurricular activities. He's in to going to the aquarium, shooting skeet, scuba diving, and even karate. He also refuses to pay hospital bills. He just crumples that crap up tosses it in the garbage. Arthur Bishop is a great character brought to life by Bronson's real life detached and lonely personality.

We learn everything that we need too about Bishop in the film's slow burn opening sequence. Within 16 minutes, we see Bishop stalk a target, prepare to kill him, and than take the guy out. However, there is no dialog in all of these 16 minutes. Director Michael Winner relies purely on visual storytelling to introduce us to Bishop and his profession. It's truly masterful filmmaking. Winner doesn't hold our hand or incorporate any unnecessary narration. He just lets the visuals do all of the work.

The weary mentor and the young apprentice.

I also can't go without mentioning co-lead Jan Michael Vincent as Steve. Much like Bronson, Vincent is cold and emotionless. He makes for a good co-lead who holds his own next to Bronson. He and Bronson also have a great mentor/apprentice relationship that makes the film a passing of the torch kind of story. I typically love films about passing the torch from the older generation to the younger generation in one way or another.

When The Mechanic was originally scripted, Steve and Bishop were written as gay lovers. However, the film's producers found financing hard to come by. Therefore, changes were made and the two became simply friends. Even though I already love the film the way it is, I am very curious as to how the film would have played out with the two being homosexual. A dynamic like this would have added far more to the film and made it that much more unique and complex in contrast to other hit man and assassin pictures of the time. This homosexual dynamic is either unintentionally or intentionally teased during Steven and Bishop's first meeting as they trade interesting eye glances at one another before even saying, "Hello." If you asked me, there is something going on in their eyes.

Bronson's wife Jill Ireland (Death Wish 2) also pops up as a prostitute that pretends to be Bishop's lover. Even though her appearance is simply a cameo, Ireland's role as the prostitute is important in explaining how distant Bishop is from reality and world. 

I always love a good motor cycle chase.

The Mechanic is surprisingly only rated PG even though it includes a heavy body count, implied sex, explosions, and a scene where Steve's girlfriend slices her wrists with razor blades. Man, how the ratings system has changed over the years. I also read up on reviews of the film's initial release and found it interesting to note that critics disliked the film for its many action scenes (note: there are a whopping two set pieces, that's it). This is quite humorous to read considering how ridiculously action packed the likes of John Wick and The Raid 2 were this year and yet both of those films received very positive reviews. Man, how critics have change over the years!

As far as slam bam action comes, The Mechanic keeps its action to a minimum, opting for quality over quantity. The two stand out set pieces (the only one's I might add) are the motorcycle chase after Steve's first assassination and the big car chase and shootout in Italy. I can't remember the last time I saw an action film devote some time to a motorcycle chase but I love the one found here. As Bishop chases after a target on motorcycle, the two traverse through hills, ride over a man's parked car, and crash a rich family's pool party. You have to love a chase that ends with a dummy going off of a cliff on a bike into a firey explosion.

The action scenes, 70's fashion design, and Italian setting found in the final act makes the film look like a Euro-crime thriller a-la Enzo G. Castalleri's The Big Racket or Street Law. Bishop and Steven have a great gunfight between a helping of assassins that makes for great entertainment. Bishop lands the best kill of the film when he jump starts a bulldozer and plows an assassin inside of his car off of a cliff. Talk about an overkill.

As many fans of The Mechanic know, the film ends with a great twist ending that sort of puts the cherry on top of the whole experience. In a film that is all about people killing one another, the final moments are saddening yet satisfying. Unfortunately, I think that the ending is a tad rushed. I'm talking about the very final shot of the film that delivers the ultimate bang to the twist. If Winner had slowed the ending down and allowed more time for the audience to take in the surprise, than I think that it would have worked far better. It's surprising to see Winner rush the finale in contrast to how slow he allowed the rest of the film to play out. However, it's still a great ending.

No one pumps a shotgun better than Bronson.

Winner's The Mechanic is a special kind of action film that pairs the typical lonely assassin story with a completely unexpected ending. Critics of 1972 would love this film in contrast to today's slam bam action flicks. It takes far more time with its characters and their mentoring than any film of today does. I also think that Bronson delivers one of his best roles here too. The role feels slightly reflexive in how it incorporates Bronson's true to life detached personality. In conclusion, I would place The Mechanic on the list of other great lone assassin/hit men films like Leon: The Professional, The Bourne Identity, Le Samourai, The American, and Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. Highly recommended!

Rating: 8/10 - One of Michael Winner's best action films. Check it out!

Franchise:
The Mechanic (dir. Michael Winner, 1972)
The Mechanic (dir. Simon West, 2011)
Mechanic: Resurrection (dir. Dennis Gansel, 2016)

Game of Death (1978)

Director: Robert Clouse (w/ segments by Bruce Lee and Sammo Hung)

Cast: Bruce Lee, Yuen Biao, and Kim Tai-jong as "Billy Lo", Gig Young, Colleen Camp, Robert Wall, Dean Jagger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chuck Norris (stock footage)

Country: Hong Kong

Production Company: Golden Harvest

Rating: R

Run Time: 100 minutes

From 1971 to 1972, Bruce Lee starred in three of the best martial arts films of all time (The Big Boss, Fists of Fury, Way of the Dragon). After Way of the Dragon, Bruce immediately began production on his newest film, The Game of Death. While working on the film, Bruce received an offer from America to come to the U.S. and to star in the biggest budgeted martial arts film of the time, Enter the Dragon. Therefore, Bruce suspended production on The Game of Death and went to America to film Robert Clouse's Enter the Dragon. The plan for Bruce was to film Dragon and than return to Hong Kong to complete The Game of Death. Unfortunately, Bruce died of cerebral edema before being able to continue his work on the incomplete film and was pronounced dead at the age of 32 in 1973.

After Bruce's passing, The Game of Death was taken over by Dragon director Robert Clouse (now retitled Game of Death). He shot numerous scenes, reworked the script, and used body doubles and stock footage to stand in for the actual Bruce Lee. Even though I am sure that Clouse and Golden Harvest had the best of intentions with honoring Bruce, Game of Death is a lousy mess of a film. None of the acting is any good, all of the action scenes are decent in comparison to Bruce's actual work, and the attempts to convince the audience that the "real" Bruce Lee is in the film is preposterous. And yet, all of these things make Game of Death a horrible but enjoyable mess of an action film. I know some action fans disown this film and consider it an insult to Bruce Lee. And in all honesty, those fans are completely right. Why try to create a new film with body doubles that also uses old footage of a deceased actor? However, if you can overlook that insult and look at it as an honest but laughable attempt to complete Bruce's final film, than you will have a great time watching it.

"Hey! It's Bruce...wait."

Game of Death opens with an awesome title card sequence that makes you think you are about to watch some kind of lost James Bond film. Unfortunately, it's just Game of Death. The film opens with stock footage of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris fighting from the end of Way of the Dragon. Apparently, this footage is a new fight scene that actor Billy Lo is shooting. After Billy Lo completes the fight, a light falls and almost crushes him. Lo quickly finds out that gangsters are threatening his life because they want to sign him to their entertainment company. When Lo disagrees, the gangsters try to kill him on the set of his next scene (which is just more stock footage from Fists of Fury). After getting shot by an actor, Billy stages his death and convinces the public that he is deceased. The film even uses actual footage from Bruce Le's real funeral to portray this! 

Now that Lo has convinced the public he is dead, he decides to go after the gangsters who threatened him and his girlfriend's life. He even dons a "very convincing" beard to disguise his identity from the gangsters and their many henchmen (including Way and Enter the Dragon's Robert Wall). This plan doesn't really make much sense but we might as well go along with it. The film finally becomes exciting when Billy fights a bunch of motorcycle riding henchmen in a warehouse. This action scene leads into the actual footage that Bruce Lee shot in 1973 in Hong Kong. The real Bruce Lee works his way up a multi-leveled restaurant and fights a new henchman on each level. It's something straight out of a video game and it's the real highlight of the film. Bruce continues to work his way up the building until he takes out each and every henchman and gangster he can get his hands on.

"There's the real Bruce...with a superimposed towel around his neck."

I normally don't go into as many plot details as I just did but Game of Death has no real spoilers. It's an attempt at completing an incomplete film anyways so it's not like the plot was going to blow your minds away. I admire Clouse's attempt at trying to work the original footage into this new film but the whole film is just a mess. Every time the film cuts to a close up of Bruce Lee and tries to pass it off as footage from the current fight scene, it looks terrible. It's really distracting when the film shows a close up of Bruce Lee from a previous film and than cuts to a shot of the stand in actor who clearly is not Bruce Lee. I really thought about how they could have saved this film and I came up with two answers.

1) Don't use any stock footage or any real Bruce footage until the very end of the film. This way the entire film looks like a new movie even though it is clearly not the real Bruce Lee until the very end.

2) Don't film any new footage. Simply charge a lower ticket price and show the original yet short amount of footage shot and edited by Bruce Lee. This way, people can see the last pieces of the very last movie that Bruce ever worked on and appreciate the little work that he left us with.

This half-assed attempt at using stock footage, superimposing heads and towels onto an actor, using stand in actors, shooting actors from behind their head, using footage from Bruce's actual funeral, dubbing in dialog whenever a character's face isn't shown, and combining it all with footage of the actual Bruce Lee can't be taken seriously. However, all of this also makes Game of Death one of the most interesting action films ever made. It's not often that we get a film as baffling and chopped up as this. It's a glorious mess and I enjoyed every second of it.

The real corpse of Bruce Lee actually makes an appearance.

Stand in actors Yuen Biao and Kim Tai-jong try their best to emulate Bruce Lee but fail miserably. They seem to have Bruce's mannerisms down during the fight scenes but can't emulate his charm or personality during the dialog and dramatic scenes. Bruce wasn't just an action powerhouse. He was a funny, charming, and lovable screen presence that few action icons have been able to match. The horrible wigs, sunglasses, and fake beards that the stand ins wear are also laughable. Especially the beard! What were they thinking?

Almost every newly shot actor in the film is either decent, bad, or really bad. The worst offender is Billy Lo's girlfriend played by Colleen Camp. Even though she looks adorable, her screaming, crying, and yelling comes off as hilarious and over the top. All of the American villains are pretty weak too. My favorite was main villain Dr. Land. He's an old unpredictable man who enjoys feeding little fish to his killer scorpion fishes. He continually asks throughout the film, "What about Billy Lo? What's going on with him?" It's so funny whenever he asks this, I can't get enough of this guy. It's as if he has no clue what is going on even though he has ordered his henchmen to attack Billy numerous times.

There are several notable supporting players in the film. Robert Wall has a pretty large role as one of Dr. Land's best henchmen. He and Billy Lo have the best newly shot fight scene for the film in a locker room and it shines thanks to some great slow motion editing and solid choreography. Wall had previous fights with Lee in Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon so it makes sense that his big fight scene would be a solid one. Legendary martial artist Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors, SPL) even gets to fight Wall in an organized match in a boxing ring. The fight has nothing to do with the plot but it's a great showcase of action and it's always great to see a young and plump Sammo do his thing. James Tien (The Big Boss) also appears in some of the original footage from 1973.

David vs Goliath

The best acting and performing in the whole movie takes place in the footage actually shot by Bruce Lee. Bruce is as lovable and bad ass as ever in these short 11 minutes of action packed greatness. Bruce gets to fight three different henchmen and each one has a different fighting ability. The first one fights using red nun-chucks, the second fights with just his fists, and the third is the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Each of these fighters possess a unique personality and shine in their few minutes of screen time. The fights here are some of the best fight scenes in Bruce's career, especially the one between him and Kareem. It's a shame the film was never properly finished because these excellent fights would have gone great with the originally intended film.

All of the action that Robert Clouse shot for the film ranges from decent to excellent. As I stated before, the two fights that Robert Wall has are very good. The other standout action scene is the big motorcycle fight in the warehouse. It's an extravaganza of slow motion kicking, jumping bikes, and henchmen flying into cardboard boxes. This is easily the best action scene of the film shot by Clouse. John Woo must have gotten his love for motorcycle driving henchmen from this film (check out Hard Boiled, Hard Target, Black Jack, Mission Impossible 2, and Paycheck).

The most iconic aspect of the entire film lies in Bruce Lee's yellow and black track suit. This track suit has appeared in numerous other martial arts films (High Risk, Shaolin Soccer, Kill Bill Vol. 1, and City Hunter) and stands as Lee's most memorable costume from any of his films. The yellow track suit is homaged to this day and has appeared in comic books, music videos, and even video games.

More slow motion would have been appreciated.

I think you could classify Game of Death as a "Bruce-ploitation" film even though it contained brand new footage of Bruce Lee at the time of its release. It's definitely playing off of Lee's success and fandom and uses other actors who try to look like "Bruce Lee." The poster should have advertised the other stand in actors because it's unfair to solely advertise Bruce Lee as the star of the film. Not counting stock footage, Bruce is only in 11 minutes of new footage.

It is most unfortunate that Bruce Lee was never able to complete The Game of Death as originally planned. The original plot deals with Bruce and some friends trying to discover what is located atop a large pagoda. To get to the top of the pagoda, Bruce and friends have to make their way through the henchmen who appear in the 11 minutes of real Bruce Lee footage in Game of Death. Bruce had originally planned to film scenes with Nora Miao, Robert Wall, George Lazenby, Shih Kien, Bolo Yeung, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Betty Ting, and even Jackie Chan! It's a shame Bruce passed because I would have loved to have seen this line up.

For those who are curious, the original surviving footage of The Game of Death can be found on the Enter the Dragon DVD. It is in the middle of a documentary on Bruce's life. The footage is as originally intended by Bruce and not the way it is found in Clouse's Game of Death. I highly recommend all action fans seek out these surviving minutes of the film because they are better on their own than the entirety of this film.

Will the real Bruce Lee please stand up?

Robert Clouse's Game of Death is a mish mash of three things: stock footage of Bruce Lee, about an hour and 30 minutes of newly shot material by Clouse, and 11 minutes of footage from Bruce Lee's originally intended The Game of Death. It all adds up to a mess of a film but it's darn fun to watch. You'll find yourself laughing at the ways the filmmakers thought they could convince the audience that Bruce Lee is in the film whether it be through stock footage or actors standing in for him. Underneath it all, Game of Death is a silly, dumb, and serviceable 70's action thriller with lots of martial arts in it. Even though it's not very good, I am going to recommend this film. It's such an unbelievable piece of cinema that you have to check it out in order to believe it. Bruce Lee's original intact footage is amazing and honestly the only thing worth watching. However, a group of action fans might have a hoot checking out the whole movie. 

Rating: 6/10 - A mess, but a fun mess. I wonder how great the film would have turned out if Bruce hadn't passed away.

Franchise:

Game of Death (1978, dir. Robert Clouse)

Game of Death II (1981, dir. See Yuen-Ng)

Mad Max (1979)

Director: George Miller

Cast: Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tim Burns, Geoff Parry

Country: Australia

Rating: R

Run Time: 93 minutes

Post-apocalyptic cinema is one of the greatest sub-genres out there. There's something about watching action movies set after the end of the world that makes for an exciting experience. While there are too many post-apocalyptic action films to count (Escape From New York, The Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend, The Omega Man, The Postman, Waterworld, Terminator Salvation, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead, and Doomsday, just to name a few...), I think that the first name that comes to people's minds when they think post-apocalyptic action is Mad Max.

The Mad Max series is a personal favorite of mine. I think all three films (soon to be more) in the series are truly excellent even though they are all completely different from one another. Writer and director George Miller helmed all three films and is to be commended for creating one of the greatest series and characters in all of action cinema. Just thinking about Mad Max gets my blood pumping and makes me want to get behind a car and floor it down an empty highway.

Glorious vehicular mayhem that only the cinema of the 70's could deliver.

Mad Max is a really unique action film. For starters, the film has an atypical plot. The film presents a post-apocalyptic world where society is still trying to hold onto the ideals of the old world. There isn't much of a typical plot until the final fifteen minutes of the film when Max sets out for revenge against The Toecutter and his biker gang. The first hour of the film jumps from character to character and feels almost experimental in a sense. Even though everything always dials back to Max Rockatansky, you really can't tell what is going to happen to next. The film is about as unpredictable as The Toecutter himself!

Mad Max separates itself from the pack of pre-existing post-apocalyptic action films like The Omega Man and The Planet of the Apes by having next to no budget. The film feels raw and gritty thanks to its deserted location shooting, realistic action, and minimalistic dialog. You can really tell that everyone poured their hearts, souls, and wallets into this film. I remember not really liking Mad Max the first time I saw it because I thought that it lacked the action of its masterful sequel, Mad Max 2 (a.k.a The Road Warrior). However, I was looking at the film the wrong way. There was no Mad Max 2 when it came out. There was the little action film that could and that was it. In retrospect, Mad Max is an essential action film and one of the most impressive low budget indie-actioners ever made. It's pure Ozploitation (exploitation of Australian culture) at its best.

The film opens by stating that its events take place "a few years from now..." Mad Max really hammers in the post-apocalyptic vibe right away by opening on a street with a sign that reads "Anarchie Road." It doesn't get more literal than that.

The post-apocalyptic world is rife with rape and murder. Therefore, the men of the MFP (Main Force Patrol) peruse the land in search of crime. The force's top officers are Jim Goose (Steve Bisley) and Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). Jim is a loveable hot shot who scores with the ladies while Max is an unstoppable officer with a beautiful wife and child. The film opens as Max chases down a mad man named Nightrider. The Nightrider gets careless though and plows into another vehicle killing himself. However, the Nightrider belonged to a group of bikers led by the insane Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Toecutter and his gang blame the "bronze", Max and Goose that is, for the death of the Nightrider. Therefore, the gang slowly but surely stalk and terrorize Max and his friends until Max is pushed a little too far.

A young Mel Gibson shines in his debut action picture.

I believe that Mad Max is the most important post-apocalyptic action film ever made. Even though many post-apocalyptic films had been made before, Mad Max seemed to set the precedent for how most post-apocalyptic action films would be made for the rest of time. A "Mad Max" type of post-apocalyptic film includes crazy villains who like to rape and pillage innocent victims, highly stylized vehicles adorned with rust and spikes, lots of practical vehicular stunt work, bloody gun play, somber heroes, tragic plots, wide open desert spaces, broken down cities, and a unique style of fashion and clothing. The original Mad Max has influenced and inspired every blatant rip-off and post-apocalyptic film to come after it. The Book of Eli, Escape From New York, Waterworld, and so many more films owe their heart and soul to George Miller's Australian actioner.

It is unfortunate that Mad Max's sequel, Mad Max 2, casted a massive shadow over its low budget original. Many of my friends and fellow movie buffs write off the original Mad Max in favor of the bigger and better Mad Max 2. Many of them haven't even seen Mad Max or have only seen bits and pieces! While I completely agree that Mad Max 2 is a far better film and one of the greatest action masterpieces of all time, the original Mad Max is a special little film. You would be doing a massive disservice to yourself as an action fan if you skip or try to ignore this little film. It set the precedent for post-apocalyptic action cinema, established Mad Max as one of the most iconic action characters, and launched Mel Gibson's career.

Mel Gibson is a fantastic action star. He has starred in countless action classics (Mad Max 2, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, The Patriot, etc) over the years and has yet to disappoint me. While one could argue that Mad Max 2 truly launched Mel Gibson to stardom, it was Mad Max that introduced him to the world. It was also Mel's very first action film and it kicks tons of ass! Mad Max was for Gibson what Above the Law was for Steven Seagal, Die Hard was for Bruce Willis, Conan the Barbarian was for Arnold Schwarzenegger, A Better Tomorrow was for Chow Yun Fat, and Pitch Black was for Vin Diesel. It took a relatively unknown actor or action newcomer and blew them up to action stardom overnight.

"I am the Nightrider!"

Mad Max is one of the few post-apocalyptic films that presents a morally upright society that operates fine. Characters live in their own homes, restaurants still have business, people go on vacation, junkyards still operate, and night clubs even boom. There is even a police force and a court system too. It's rare to see a post-apocalyptic society do so well. Supplies and food don't seem all that scarce either. We do see Toecutter and his gang steal some oil from a truck on a highway near the end of the film (which acts as a little bit of foreshadowing for the plot and theme of Mad Max 2). Otherwise, crime, a lack of cities, and the deserted landscapes are the only signs of a changed world. It could be argued that Mad Max is more of a pre-apocalyptic film than it is a post-apocalyptic film. But come on, we've been saying that for years. Why break the trend now?

I especially noticed the prevalence of heroism this go around of the film. Max's boss continually states that he wants to give people back their heroes. His boss believes that things can go back to how they used too if heroes would step in and do the right thing. Max just wants to retire and live a happy life with his family. However, he is pulled back into the role of the gun toting hero by the end of the film whether he likes it or not. It is in Max's blood to be a hero and I love this about him. This theme continues into both Mad Max 2 (Max arcing from a passive wanderer to a hero by driving a truck to help innocent people) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Max saving Master's life even though he did not need too + Tina Turner's opening theme song, "We Don't Need Another Hero").

I have stated it enough, but Gibson is very kind and likeable as Max Rockatansky. Unlike the sequels, the circumstances of Max's life are far different in this film. Therefore, we meet a kind and caring Max. He does his job because he wants to protect others and support his lovely family. His wife and child are also absolutely adorable. You really feel like Max and his wife Jessie are truly in love. We don't get to meet the cold and passive Max until the next film. He had to be Kind Max before he could become Mad Max.

However, it isn't a Mad Max film without some insane and memorable villains. Toecutter and his gang are absolutely relentless madmen. There is no clue as to what Toecutter will do next, he is that unpredictable. I noticed that Toecutter hisses like a snake off screen sometimes just to silence and halt his gang. He's a mad man with a crazy hair do that I would not want to mess with. I also really enjoy his two main minions: Johnny the Boy and Bubba. Johnny is a new wannabe member of the gang and acts as unpredictable as Toecutter. Bubba on the other hand is the only calm and toned down member of the gang. He has a pale face and a cold and chilling demeanor. He and Max have a small face off at the end of the flick that makes for a truly bad ass moment of triumph on Max's part.

"Remember him when you look at the night sky."

Even though Mad Max had a small budget, its small action scenes and realistic stunts are incredibly impressive and hold up quite well. There are only two big action scenes in the film; the car chase that opens the film and Max's vehicular revenge that closes the film. The opening chase is arguably the best action scene of the flick. Some MFP chase down a mad man named The Nightrider as he plows his vehicle down a highway. However, two buffoon officers keep crashing their car as they pursue The Nightrider. I cannot stress enough how awesome these car crashes are! There are two glory shots in this chase that make the whole film worth viewing. The first is when the officers plow their car into a blue van that sends said van spinning off the highway in glorious slow motion. The second is when the same officers floor their car through a trailer and cause the trailer to literally explode into smithereens. It's so beautiful!

Miller's excellent eye for editing and choreography is most evident in the tense opening chase. There is a huge pile up / crash leading up to the amazing trailer explosion that benefits from truly excellent editing. Miller could not have set the scene up any better. As the officers plow down the road, a young baby wanders out into the street. The Nightrider swerves around the kid and causes the officers behind him to tip their car and slide off the street. The tension is literally unbearable during this scene! And it all literally explodes when the officers plow through a poor innocent trailer. The end of the film also has some great stunt work and even more vehicle chases. However, I'd rather leave those scenes to be enjoyed unspoiled. After all, they are the emotional climax of the film.

Max's iconic vehicle shot.

I can't get enough of Mad Max! There just aren't that many action series out there that are as consistently great as Miller's epic trilogy. I am so glad to have rediscovered this action classic. One of the great things about this film is that even highly esteemed critics love it. How often does a bad ass action film get met with critical acclaim by people who aren't action fans? Mad Max is an excellent post-apocalyptic film that hits all of the right notes: great acting, affective atmosphere, relevant themes, and breath taking action. Miller's debut action picture is truly the Breathless of action cinema, a film that broke all of the rules and did it all on a shoe string budget. I should warn newcomers though that Mad Max may be a tad extreme for them. The film's slow second act, odd pace, and unpredictable characters may chase off the uninitiated. If you give Max a chance though, you'll discover a unique low budget indie film that would set the groundwork for one of the greatest sequels of all time.

Rating: 8/10 - A must watch post-apocalyptic action film! Vehicular mayhem has never been the same.

Franchise:
Mad Max (dir. George Miller, 1979)
Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior (dir. George Miller, 1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (dir. George Miller and George Ogilivie, 1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller, 2015)