Reviews (59)

The Demon of the Amazon
The classic feature "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" is the latest DVD in Universal's Classic Monster Collection. In a forbidden lagoon on the Amazon, a scientific expedition searches for the fossilized remains of an "amphibious missing link" and discover a living specimen that falls for the head scientist's female assistant. When attempts to capture the creature failed, the powerful beast plots his revenge upon the scientists. Though not the scariest feature in the Universal Monster Collection, "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" is a solid and effective Sci-Fi film that features one of the most inventive movie monsters. This 1954 film contains a well-paced storyline, interesting characters and great underwater photography. The "Gillman's" scaly design is quite remarkable. The cast includes Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Richard Denning.

Universal earns high marks for giving a classic monster feature a great DVD presentation. The film is presented in its original fullscreen format. The DVD contains a stunning B&W picture quality with great clarity. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is well preserved and surprisingly clear. The DVD also includes audio commentary with film historian Tom Weaver, theatrical trailers and "Back to the Black Lagoon" featurette. With such fine picture quality and interesting supplements, "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" earns a solid "B".

THE GILL-MAN OF THE AMAZON.....
Probably the most celebrated monster film of the 50's (it even had a small role in "The Seven Year Itch"), "Creature from the Black Lagoon" deserves re-issue along with it's two sequels "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us". The legendary tale of an ill-fated expedition up the Amazon after the discovery of a humanoid claw fossil remains a favorite for so many reasons. The Gill-Man monster suit and the leading lady Julie Adams are two reasons in my book. The Creature still looks good on film and Adams was the perfect heroine in her short-and-halter top oufits and, of course, that white swim suit. The underwater scenes of the Creature swimming underneath her in the lagoon have stayed in my memory all these years. Director Jack Arnold created a lasting film that may not hold up as well as it once did, but it's a treasure for sci-fi/horror fans all over the world. Richard Carlson and Richard Denning provided the stalwart male drama and heroics but the Creature's pursuit of Julie Adams is what gives this classic that strange sort of sex appeal that lies underneath the terror. It's a beautifully photographed b&w thrill ride for those of us who never get tired of watching it. Out of print? For now maybe. But he'll be back. And maybe with his sequels...

Should have included a Field Seqential 3-D version!
Not that many people are aware of the Field Sequential 3-D.
This is a 3-D TV system that uses special shutter glasses that can be purchased here through Amazon in a set that includes 3 DVD's using this process. This system Is the only way to view a 3-D film effectively on TV to date. The result is about 90% close to the effect you will see in a theatre showing.. like IMAX and Disney and Universal.
These glasses are made of sturdy plastic and clear not these cardboard red and blue pieces of garbage, so you can view the film without constricted to seeing red and blue colors and with this system you will see more actual 3-D depth with the films true colors.. It's really amazing!
For some add reason the big studios haven't adapted to include a separate version of a 3-D title in this great format.
Films like:
"House of Wax","Kiss Me Kate","Friday the 13th Part 3", "Robot Monster, "Cat Woman on the Moon", "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Jaws 3" are all now in 2-D DVD, but were originally shown in 3-D and could have been included using the Field Seqential 3-D system on the same disc with the 2-D version.
In Japan in the late 80's there were a few 3-D titles released using Field Sequential and can be found on e-bay converted to DVD and VHS.
Why aren't the studios producing these now!
I boycott any film DVD release that was originally intended to be seen in 3-D that's only presented in a 2-D version or anaglyph (Red and Blue Glasses).

Since this is out of print maybe we can hope that Universal will wake up and produce a new version containing Field Seqential 3-D!
The studios should really be awaken to this great 3-D system.

Good thing it was made in the 50's
This movie is one of the best horror/scifi/monster movies ever! Its shows how good monster movies could be even after the Golden Age of Universal's horror into the fifties where there were more chessy than classy monsters terrifying audiences. A marine humanoid goes after a human girl for whom he is attrached to. May sound hoaky but this movie is nothing of the sort. If it had been made today, it would proably be another crapfest like "Sabertooth" or "Reptilian" made by the Sci Fi channel. The characters wouldn't be likable (Yeah I think Mark's a jerk) and the Creature would just have no pride. This movie was good enough and the Creature is cool enough to be included alongside Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein and the Phantom of the Opera. To stand alongside such a classy work of Gothic art like Dracula or the first two Frankensteins is pretty good. This movie got me into old horror movies. Now I am a classical horror fanatic thanks to this movie. Above are the eight characters I think of when I think of horror

Better than I thought it would be, now one of my favorites.
First of all, I am fairly new to these classic monster movies. I have seen Dracula before but that was it. I knew that the Creature dvd was out of print and considerably rare, so when I stumbled upon it for $25 I knew I had to give it a shot. I am glad because it turned out to be a great movie, a true classic to be sure.

The story revolves around a scientist who discovers the hand of some unknown creature in the rocks. Knowing it was a water based creature, he heads back to get an expedition together to further explore his finding. The thought was that this creature could be the link between man and aquatic animals. When two scientists dive into the black lagoon they encounter the creature, and one of the scientists becomes determined to kill the creature in order to get the credit for this find. Later Kay, played by Julie Adams, goes for a swim in the lagoon and becomes the object of the creature's desires. That is all I will say about the plot, but you need to see this classic for yourself because it has such a great story, great acting, and the underwater scenes look terrific.

I love this movie now, and I am sure any fan of classic monster movies will too, that is if you havent seen it already. I was lucky enough to find this for a reasonable price but since it is out of print it is in high demand, selling for around $60 and up on Amazon/Ebay. Also there are some great extras on the disc, such as the 40 minute Back to the Black Lagoon which goes behind the scenes for The Creature and two sequels made after it. There are also theatrical trailers and posters which are interesting to see. Since I liked this so much I will view The Monster Legacy set, but I am sure the Creature will rank right at the top with the best of them. Get this if you can, you won't be sorry you did.

(...) ... Read more

Description

Police lieutenant resigns from the force to track down some = big dope dealers involved in killing a couple of police officers. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Dirty Harry wannabe movie
Despite of being a John Wayne fan, I have to say that this movie stink pretty badly. Now don't get me wrong, there are actions, intrigue and backstabbing all over this film as John Wayne takes on most of Seattle's corrupt police and underworld to see justice done. But according to all of his biographies,even Wayne knew he was in a bad film, poorly scripted and handled. The main problem with this film lies in the simple fact that John Wayne was trying to be Dirty Harry. He knew it, director and scriptwriter knew it and the fans knew it. And it just don't work because John Wayne is not Clint Eastwood. Trying to pretend that he can do what Eastwood can, make him feel and look bit pathetic.

The DVD edition of this movie appears to be in very good shape. I got just a regular TV set so I can say with relative state of mind that picture quality is clear, the sound quality is good although the special features lies on a thin side. The movie is shown in its widescreen format which is a good thing.

McQ is a movie that totally misfired for John Wayne who was playing a role for which he was totally miscast. Funny thing was that he knew that as well although he tried his best to be professional about it. I would recommend the movie "Brannigan" for anyone who wishes to see Wayne in action in a more modern theme.

THE DUKE MEETS DIRTY HARRY
I saw this picture at the theater with my brother when it first came out.I'll admit that on the surface John Wayne playing a tough, renegade, "Dirty Harry" style cop may be a bit far-fetched, but hey, it's John Wayne...few could ever match his screen presence so you just accept it as a pretty entertaining cop action film.There's certainly some "Bullitt" influence as well with the car chases and Wayne driving a Trans Am.

Wayne is Lon McQ whose partner turns out was involved in some dirty doings and is killed because of it.Wayne finds out a drug kingpin (Al Lettieri) was responsible for the murder and goes after him.When McQ's superior Captain Kosterman (Eddie Albert) suspends him, he quits the force and joins the PI firm of his friend "Pinky" (David Huddleston).Duke now can go after Santiago and his men and garners help from an aged junkie informer played by Colleen Dewhurst in a short but strong role.The supporting cast is rounded out with Diana Muldauer and Clu Gulager.

The film is punctuated by what is actually a number of good (for the era) action sequences climaxed by an auto chase and shootout with Duke wielding an automatic weapon on a beach in what really is an exciting scene.One can certainly argue that all of the main actors including Wayne, Albert, and Dewhurst were a bit too long in the tooth for the roles they are playing but so what.It's still an enjoyable film with Wayne, even at 67 years old displaying the macho toughness that had made in a huge star for over 40 years.Dated but fun!

Mc Q's car
The car thats in the movie is a 1973 trans am--firebird conversion with a 400 ci motor and mufflers removed NOT A 1974 the front of the 1974's were slanted backwards and not ovalscoops that come to a point in the nose like the 1973's the car couldnt have a 1974 because the movie came out in 1974 and they had to have traveled forward in time to get a 1974 T/A to make the movie in late 1972 to mid 1973. Great Movie for all car movie lovers

What does Leverton know?
This movie is one of the Duke's best. Reviewers like James D. Leverton like to pick films apart, pointing out all the politically incorrect stuff.He was offended by a spanking joke in I Love Lucy.Wayne's step into the 70's "detective with an attitude" genre is fantastic.By the way, the DVD is not far off.

When will it be issued on DVD ??????
It is a great film and despite being mature Big W wasn't driving a Camaro. It was a Trans Am, the colour was metallic green, or Brewster Green as Pontiac called it. For any Wayne fans think True Grit - it was apt that Brewster Cogburn received a Brewster Green Steed. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

NOT "modified to fit your screen." DVD is OAR
The movie is a solid 50s western--decent entertainment but not high art like, say, High Noon. It's true star is Mt. Hood, Oregon, shown sparkling in every other shot.

Despite the disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD, this film was NOT "modified to fit your screen." It was shot in 1952, when most films were "full frame," and well before widescreen became standard. In fact the Technicolor process used here never made the transition to widescreen, and that's why the full-frame presentation is correct. (The same is true for Shane, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and the Wizard of Oz.) You'd think the studios would not insert the bogus disclaimer, since it's a dumb mistake that can cost them sales, but this error is actually pretty common on DVD packaging.

The DVD transfer is from a clean source that looks and sounds great. Unlike many later color films, the color is vivid and unfaded. Some scenes do show registration problems, but that's hard to avoid with Technicolor materials (fixing it is $$$$$).

Summary: a potboiler western with pretty pictures at a budget price.

Pioneers struggle to survive in the great Northwest
This western is a film of great visual beauty that has a great cast headed by James Stewart whose task is to guide a wagon train of pioneers through the Northwest Territory to their new settlement in Oregon. Stewart's Glyn McLyntock has a troubled past but also a conscience and a sense of fair play and justice that saves a gunslinger from a hanging. The ungrateful Emerson Cole repays McLyntock with treachery and gun-play and gets involved in swindling the settlers out of their needed winter supplies that have been seized by an unscrupulous owner of a steamboat and saloon. The rugged terrain of the Oregon countryside and dangerous river rapids lend realism to this story, and there is an interesting sub-plot that has McLyntock and Cole fighting Shoshone warriors at night. Julia Adams is pleasing to the eye as a pioneer girl and old hand Jay C. Flippen is a straight shooter who knows a bad apple when he sees one. The rough and tumble action has shoot-outs between the settlers and gold-crazed miners and hired double-crossers who aim to steal the supplies and sell them at a profit. Rock Hudson is a gambler who's handy with a six-gun.

No complaints from me!

It seems that many are complaining about the DVD version. I saw the VHF, and concentrated on the story rather than screen flaws, and so like other Stewart films, I was delighted and entertained.

This is a 1950s movie, when Stewart was in his hay day, and the story (screenwriter Borden Chase wrote the screenplay from his own novel) was a superlative story of the Oregon country, including scenery around Mt. Hood and the Columbia River.

This is one of the series of eight films directed by Anthony Mann and starring the late Brig. General James Stewart, USAF, in his youth.

Rock Hudson played a youthful gambler from California, and Arthur Kennedy a former Kansas border raider and the leading bad guy, after acting as a Stewart supporter. Stewart was also a former border raider from Missouri who was trying to forget his past. Supporting players included a youthful Harry Morgan and some other rowdies I didn't immediately recognize.

This is one of the old-time "straight" Westerns that I grew up loving, with plenty of gun play, with good and bad guys easily recognized (but not necessarily by their hat color).

If you are a fan of those old-time Westerns, you'll probably love this one, which was filmed in Technicolor.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handuns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

One Of The Best Westerns
Jimmy Stewart is a great actor.This is a great western with plenty of action.i like westerns of the 1950,s and 1960.s

This is a decent western but it's not great.
I would say it's good or about average. There is some good scenery and it isn't slow. It just doesn't have a lot of punch as far as I'm concerned. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pirandello's masterpiece does well as a Television Drama
This was a famous (and somewhat erudite) stage play meant for 1920's audiences that was a landmark work from the "Theatre of The Absurd". This DVD presents a very unusual but great version of this play, changing the situation from a stage to a Hollywood Television studio where actors are gathered to perform a rehersal. Suddenly the professionals are interrupted by six characters who claim that they are part of a work of an author who never completed their story and are seeking to have their much more interesting drama performed. (We never know whether they really exist at all) The director, (John Houseman) listens to a very convincing arguement from "The Father" (Andy Griffith)who presents his case as to why their "play" must be done and incredibly they dominate the action from this point. There are some real surprises here! Good direction by Stacey Keach. An appearance by his son James Keach as "The Son". A unique turn in making part of the drama involve interracial romance (a major step in 1976) and perhaps the biggest stunner of all, Andy Griffith as "The Father" proves that he is more than just a simple country bumpkin sheriff in a departure from his usual nice guy roles. Of course everyone gives away the era in which this was made in dress and hairstyles (1976) but it is still an unusual and intelligent adaptation of the classic absurdist play that is worth your time and investment. ... Read more

Description

For the first time ever, the original Creature from the Black Lagoon film comes to DVD in this extraordinary Legacy Collection. Included in the collection is the original classic, starring Richard Carlson, and two timeless sequels, featuring such legendary actors as John Agar and Jeff Morrow. These are the landmark films that inspired an entire genre of movies and continue to be major influences on motion pictures to this day. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wave 2 Of Universal's Monster Legacy Collections Arrives!
I was expecting quite a bit from the Legacy Collections of DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, and THE WOLF MAN. But even so, all my expectations were thrown out the window, and then some. They are extraordinary DVDs, and any lover of classic horror would be ashamed not to have picked them up already. (By the way, the best way to do so is to get the box set, complete with three super-cool statuettes of all three monsters. Trust me, it's worth the extra $.) I was hoping (no, praying) that Universal would continue to deliver similar releases from their classic film vault. And now my, and all other monster fans' prayers have been answered. Come October (just in time for Halloween, obviously), three more L.C.s will appear on store shelves, featuring all five MUMMY films, the INVISIBLE MAN series, and, by far my favorite of all, the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON collection. These have always been my absolute favorite monster movies of old, and to see not only the first one, but both its classic sequels previously unreleased on DVD, get similar treatment is quite exciting. Honestly, if Wave 2 of the L.C.s is half as good as Wave 1, I'll be far more than satisfied. (Oh, and I hope to God that a box set with collectible busts of the Mummy, the Invisible Man, and the Creature will also be available. Woudln't that be heaven . . . . . . . .) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Chandler gets my Vote any Day
AWAY ALL BOATS is a great WWII film set in the Pacific. Jeff Chandler gives one of his best performances ever as the Captain. He was the best choice for this role because it brought out his best qualities. He is a thinking man's Captain in the best tradition of the genre. There is also a lot of WWII jargon that has been lost from films for many years now. They don't make them this way now days. Our loss.

DVD is less than average
I saw this DVD at a local retailer at a discounted price and couldn't resist the bargain. It's a total waste of money. The picture qaulity is pretty good, but it's a pan and scan transfer, the sound is mono and not that great, and there are no special features save the usual French + Spanish subtitles and scene index. Typical GoodTimes style disc.

A Study in Naval Leadership
This is a story of a ship, its captain and crew, as they are melded into one. Chandler is great (I agree with other reviewers: we lost him way too young), but it is the story that is fascinating.

As the son of a WWII Chief Petty Officer, I was glad to see that the film captures the Chiefs as the "backbone of the Navy."

It is a must have for a WWII film library.

A great Clint Eastwood film!!
Can you find him? Mr. Eastwood plays a bit part in this pretty good WWII movie. I gave it 5 stars because I think everyone should see it at least once.

# 1 reviewer has it right, good for a rainy day
I was a great fan of Jeff Chandler when I was young. I did not even see this movie until years after his death. He was underrated as an actor, and died way to young (at 42 of blood poisoning following surgery in 1961). Men will probably appreciate this as a "war film" more than women. Women will only appreciate it if they were fans of Chandler in their youth. Most people don't know about him. He is all but forgotten today, and was in the mid-fifties one of the highest paid actors of his day. Check out the tribute sites to Jeff Chandler on the web, and buy Esther Williams new bio "Million Dollar Mermaid" due out Sept. 14. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

a thrilling old-fashioned adventure
the running time on the VHS version that i've got says 102 minutes, approximate. it's on Vestron and on the back of the cover is two rows of three pictures: John Turturro, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward, Dennis Hopper, and Vincent Price. Charlie Sheen makes an appearance as does Joe Pesci in a major role, yet he's not credited...but this movie is a good one. frankly, i could care less about the technical stuff behind the scenes about which version is which and all that...the VHS i have is just perfect and that's fine with me. the story is about a woman {Foster} who sees a mob hit and the Mafia {Avoca, played by legend Vincent Price} sends a hit-man {Hopper} out to kill Foster's character {Anne Benton}. hit-man Milo falls for Benton instead and soon the police get involved {Fred Ward is hilarious even though he's not suppose to be!}. Milo and Anne find themselves running from the police AND the mafia {Dean Stockwell appears as Avoca's mouthpiece throughout the whole film since Vincent only has three very brief scenes}. yes, Bob Dylan appears in the movie too! the film was made in 1989, according to some Vincent Price items i've read over the years. THEN, the film was re-released in 1991 on Showtime as "Catchfire"...then in 1992 it was called "Backtrack" again for the VHS i'm reviewing!

An average thriller with a superb cast
As a big-time Jodie Foster fan, I try to watch any movie she appears in, yet I left BackTrack sitting on my shelf for basically several years before popping it in the old VCR (and, for the record, I have the 1992 Director's Cut version on VHS). After hearing a reviewer I respect heap praise upon this film, I knew there must be something there that never came across to me on the box cover. Actually, the film was better than I expected, yet it is not a film that distinguished itself in my eyes as anything very special. Jodie Foster is, of course, terrific as always; Dennis Hopper does not wig out too many times; and a most interesting cast of characters come and go along the way. The problem I have is with the characterization, which is not sufficient in my eyes to describe the transformation of Jodie Foster's character in the course of the events that play out.

Foster plays Anne Benton, an up-and-coming young artist (who uses a most unusual medium for her art) who forgets all about the front tire that blows out and almost causes her to wreck her car when she accidentally witnesses a gang-land hit. Luckily, the Mafia bad guys in this movie can never seem to hit a moving target, so Anne escapes and goes immediately to the police, unaware of the true nature of this particular homicide until two hit men break into her home in an attempt to kill her and the police start expounding upon the virtues of the federal witness protection program. She decides to make a run for it and try to build a new life elsewhere on her own. The police want her as a witness, and the Mafia family run by Mr. Avoca ( an aged Vincent Price) just wants her silenced. The Mafia man for the job is Milo (Dennis Hopper), an accomplished hit man who begins tracking Anne down as she moves across the country. By the time he finds here, though, Milo has fallen in love with her, which is something of a no-no for a man in his profession. He and Anne do not seem to be a natural match by any stretch of the imagination, and thus their evolving relationship just never makes complete sense to me, especially from Anne's perspective, and this is my main point of contention here with the film. Anyway, the movie-long chase has to end somewhere, and the filmmakers do succeed in pulling off a pretty satisfying conclusion.

BackTrack does deserve better than the relative obscurity in which it has lain, although I would not consider this a great film by any means. It is worth a look just for the surprising number of famous faces that grace the screen; besides Foster and Hopper you will see Charlie Sheen, Dean Stockwell (who speaks in one of the most ridiculous put-on voices I have ever heard), the aforementioned Vincent Price, Joe Pesci, and none other than Bob Dylan. I love Bob Dylan and his music, but he really does not possess the charisma or talent necessary to be an actor. Still, it is quite a hoot to see him pop up unexpectedly in the film in a small but quite memorable little scene. All told, BackTrack does have a few interesting things to show the viewer above and beyond the sight of a young Jodie Foster working her magic in front of the cameras (without her clothes at one point, for those who care about that sort of thing). I would not rush out and try to find a copy of the movie, but if it ever passes your way, it is certainly worth a couple hours' of your free time.

Gimme a break
BACKTRACK is unbelievably dopey. Its only redeeming factor is that Jodie Foster shows an eye-popping amount of flesh - and it's no body double. And what a great set of legs! That's why I'm awarding two stars, one for each gam, which just goes to show the sophistication level of the film (AND my review of it).

Anne Benton (Foster) is a "conceptual artist", which means, in the wacky Southern California milieu in which she has her gallery, she creates pieces using message board displays. You know, those where one line of illuminated text moves right to left across a long and narrow screen. Anyway, one night after experiencing a flat tire on the freeway, she witnesses a mob hit on the premises of an oil refinery. (For those LA viewers, it's the one just off the 405 south of LAX where the freeway curves to the east above Palos Verdes.) Like a good citizen, she goes to the police, who realize that they have in Benton a valuable witness against organized crime, and specifically against Big Boss Mr. Avoca (Vincent Price). But after her apartment is invaded and her boyfriend (a quickly expendable Charlie Sheen) shot to death, Anne realizes neither the cops nor the Feds can protect her, so she flees town and establishes a new identity and career. To hunt her down, mob goodfella Leo Carelli (Joe Pesci) hires the saxophone-playing assassin Milo (Dennis Hopper), who tracks her across the West using computer databases. The thing is, he begins to obsess about Anne after finding photos of her (un)dressed in dominatrix accessories. Milo has issues.

The plot has a Keystone Cops quality as law enforcement seeks to retrieve Benton by following Milo. And after the latter severs communication with his employers in favor of his own agenda of infatuation, Leo's thugs go after Milo and Anne by following the cops. Even then, the storyline might've been redeemable if it hadn't taken such a Bonnie and Clyde twist, and the conclusion (at that same refinery) is positively ludicrous.

Hopper as Milo is almost the caricature of a mob hit man. Where did he get those clothes, that hat, and that accent? And speaking of accents, Leo's lawyer John Luponi (Dean Stockwell) has to be one of the most over-acted roles in recent memory. If it didn't get a Razzie Award, it should've.

Perhaps even the cast realized what a disaster BACKTRACK is. Joe Pesci, whose role is not insignificant, isn't even listed on the ending credits. I wonder if he tried to buy up all the prints?

A dedicated Jodie fan will perhaps wax rhapsodic over her nude shower scene. Beyond that, don't bother.

Odd, but intriguing
This film starts off a bit slowly and wastes undue time on characters not terribly important to the overall story. Once you get to the things between Foster and Hopper's characters then this gets interesting. To see how obsession and a covert admiration gets turned into a romantic [one-sided] affair for Hopper's 'Milo' reminds me a little of 'The Professional' with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Seeing how a very mature man who essentially operates alone deals with, then adores the new woman in his life and will do anything to protect her is a lure to watch in itself.

This movie is not fully in league with 'The Professional' but, flaws aside, it has its own charms. Kudos as well for filming part of it in New Mexico instead of some other big-name places. The budget might not have allowed extravagance but it might have ruined this particular film. Anyone who has been to New Mexico will likely know how I feel.
Ultimately, you can spend your money on a far worse film than this one.

Jodie's Leg Fan's Will be Disappointed by Cut Scene's
If your a male fan of Jodie Foster's and you saw this movie on cable, this version is a disappointment. A couple of the scene's showing her dynamite leg's were cut from this version. It's rated R, they show her topless, but they cut out the best leg scene's, go figure? ... Read more

Reviews (15)

a thrilling old-fashioned adventure
the running time on the VHS version that i've got says 102 minutes, approximate. it's on Vestron and on the back of the cover is two rows of three pictures: John Turturro, Jodie Foster, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward, Dennis Hopper, and Vincent Price. Charlie Sheen makes an appearance as does Joe Pesci in a major role, yet he's not credited...but this movie is a good one. frankly, i could care less about the technical stuff behind the scenes about which version is which and all that...the VHS i have is just perfect and that's fine with me. the story is about a woman {Foster} who sees a mob hit and the Mafia {Avoca, played by legend Vincent Price} sends a hit-man {Hopper} out to kill Foster's character {Anne Benton}. hit-man Milo falls for Benton instead and soon the police get involved {Fred Ward is hilarious even though he's not suppose to be!}. Milo and Anne find themselves running from the police AND the mafia {Dean Stockwell appears as Avoca's mouthpiece throughout the whole film since Vincent only has three very brief scenes}. yes, Bob Dylan appears in the movie too! the film was made in 1989, according to some Vincent Price items i've read over the years. THEN, the film was re-released in 1991 on Showtime as "Catchfire"...then in 1992 it was called "Backtrack" again for the VHS i'm reviewing!

An average thriller with a superb cast
As a big-time Jodie Foster fan, I try to watch any movie she appears in, yet I left BackTrack sitting on my shelf for basically several years before popping it in the old VCR (and, for the record, I have the 1992 Director's Cut version on VHS). After hearing a reviewer I respect heap praise upon this film, I knew there must be something there that never came across to me on the box cover. Actually, the film was better than I expected, yet it is not a film that distinguished itself in my eyes as anything very special. Jodie Foster is, of course, terrific as always; Dennis Hopper does not wig out too many times; and a most interesting cast of characters come and go along the way. The problem I have is with the characterization, which is not sufficient in my eyes to describe the transformation of Jodie Foster's character in the course of the events that play out.

Foster plays Anne Benton, an up-and-coming young artist (who uses a most unusual medium for her art) who forgets all about the front tire that blows out and almost causes her to wreck her car when she accidentally witnesses a gang-land hit. Luckily, the Mafia bad guys in this movie can never seem to hit a moving target, so Anne escapes and goes immediately to the police, unaware of the true nature of this particular homicide until two hit men break into her home in an attempt to kill her and the police start expounding upon the virtues of the federal witness protection program. She decides to make a run for it and try to build a new life elsewhere on her own. The police want her as a witness, and the Mafia family run by Mr. Avoca ( an aged Vincent Price) just wants her silenced. The Mafia man for the job is Milo (Dennis Hopper), an accomplished hit man who begins tracking Anne down as she moves across the country. By the time he finds here, though, Milo has fallen in love with her, which is something of a no-no for a man in his profession. He and Anne do not seem to be a natural match by any stretch of the imagination, and thus their evolving relationship just never makes complete sense to me, especially from Anne's perspective, and this is my main point of contention here with the film. Anyway, the movie-long chase has to end somewhere, and the filmmakers do succeed in pulling off a pretty satisfying conclusion.

BackTrack does deserve better than the relative obscurity in which it has lain, although I would not consider this a great film by any means. It is worth a look just for the surprising number of famous faces that grace the screen; besides Foster and Hopper you will see Charlie Sheen, Dean Stockwell (who speaks in one of the most ridiculous put-on voices I have ever heard), the aforementioned Vincent Price, Joe Pesci, and none other than Bob Dylan. I love Bob Dylan and his music, but he really does not possess the charisma or talent necessary to be an actor. Still, it is quite a hoot to see him pop up unexpectedly in the film in a small but quite memorable little scene. All told, BackTrack does have a few interesting things to show the viewer above and beyond the sight of a young Jodie Foster working her magic in front of the cameras (without her clothes at one point, for those who care about that sort of thing). I would not rush out and try to find a copy of the movie, but if it ever passes your way, it is certainly worth a couple hours' of your free time.

Gimme a break
BACKTRACK is unbelievably dopey. Its only redeeming factor is that Jodie Foster shows an eye-popping amount of flesh - and it's no body double. And what a great set of legs! That's why I'm awarding two stars, one for each gam, which just goes to show the sophistication level of the film (AND my review of it).

Anne Benton (Foster) is a "conceptual artist", which means, in the wacky Southern California milieu in which she has her gallery, she creates pieces using message board displays. You know, those where one line of illuminated text moves right to left across a long and narrow screen. Anyway, one night after experiencing a flat tire on the freeway, she witnesses a mob hit on the premises of an oil refinery. (For those LA viewers, it's the one just off the 405 south of LAX where the freeway curves to the east above Palos Verdes.) Like a good citizen, she goes to the police, who realize that they have in Benton a valuable witness against organized crime, and specifically against Big Boss Mr. Avoca (Vincent Price). But after her apartment is invaded and her boyfriend (a quickly expendable Charlie Sheen) shot to death, Anne realizes neither the cops nor the Feds can protect her, so she flees town and establishes a new identity and career. To hunt her down, mob goodfella Leo Carelli (Joe Pesci) hires the saxophone-playing assassin Milo (Dennis Hopper), who tracks her across the West using computer databases. The thing is, he begins to obsess about Anne after finding photos of her (un)dressed in dominatrix accessories. Milo has issues.

The plot has a Keystone Cops quality as law enforcement seeks to retrieve Benton by following Milo. And after the latter severs communication with his employers in favor of his own agenda of infatuation, Leo's thugs go after Milo and Anne by following the cops. Even then, the storyline might've been redeemable if it hadn't taken such a Bonnie and Clyde twist, and the conclusion (at that same refinery) is positively ludicrous.

Hopper as Milo is almost the caricature of a mob hit man. Where did he get those clothes, that hat, and that accent? And speaking of accents, Leo's lawyer John Luponi (Dean Stockwell) has to be one of the most over-acted roles in recent memory. If it didn't get a Razzie Award, it should've.

Perhaps even the cast realized what a disaster BACKTRACK is. Joe Pesci, whose role is not insignificant, isn't even listed on the ending credits. I wonder if he tried to buy up all the prints?

A dedicated Jodie fan will perhaps wax rhapsodic over her nude shower scene. Beyond that, don't bother.

Odd, but intriguing
This film starts off a bit slowly and wastes undue time on characters not terribly important to the overall story. Once you get to the things between Foster and Hopper's characters then this gets interesting. To see how obsession and a covert admiration gets turned into a romantic [one-sided] affair for Hopper's 'Milo' reminds me a little of 'The Professional' with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Seeing how a very mature man who essentially operates alone deals with, then adores the new woman in his life and will do anything to protect her is a lure to watch in itself.

This movie is not fully in league with 'The Professional' but, flaws aside, it has its own charms. Kudos as well for filming part of it in New Mexico instead of some other big-name places. The budget might not have allowed extravagance but it might have ruined this particular film. Anyone who has been to New Mexico will likely know how I feel.
Ultimately, you can spend your money on a far worse film than this one.

Jodie's Leg Fan's Will be Disappointed by Cut Scene's
If your a male fan of Jodie Foster's and you saw this movie on cable, this version is a disappointment. A couple of the scene's showing her dynamite leg's were cut from this version. It's rated R, they show her topless, but they cut out the best leg scene's, go figure? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

not good
i bought this dvd and i regret it completely... it sounds really bad for what i had expected

Great book, bad movie
I was excited about seeing this movie because I am a huge Jim Thompson fan. Unfortunately, the people involved in producing this movie were unable to replicate the feel of the novel.

Solid performance by Keach, but read the book first.
Keach plays a deputy sheriff in a small town who's everyone's buddy. He's the kind of guy who settles barfights and counsels couples and gets kids cats down out of trees. Thing is, he's also a psychopathic killer who's quickly losing his grip on reality, and his ability to fool the people around him. KILLER INSIDE ME follows him through his rapid decline and ultimate doom. I looked for YEARS to find this movie, because I'm a HUGE fan of the book of the same name by Jim Thompson (who also wrote THE GETAWAY, THE GRIFTERS, and a number of other gritty, suspenseful books that became solid films). Ultimately, I was a little disappointed with this movie. In the book, the main character (it's told in first person from his perspective) is pure evil personified. He knows what he's doing is wrong and doesn't care a bit. In fact, he gets off on it! Hollywood had to make Keach a "poor victim" by pitching him as a nice guy whose terrible childhood catches up with him, and that kind of blew is for me. I mean, we're supposed to be rooting AGAINST this guy! That's the whole irony of the book! That said, Keach's performance is great (the way his eyes glaze over when his evil side comes out is just perfect), as is Susan Tyrell's performance as a scheming hooker. (Tyrell also co-starred with Keach in John Huston's wonderful FAT CITY, a film I HIGHLY recommend.) There aren't ANY extra features on this DVD (no production notes, commentaries, etc), and it's in full-screen, but you can't beat the price! In short, I'd recommend this movie if you're a Keach/Jim Thompson fan, but you should read the book (which I'd just bet you could find right here on this site) first. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Greatest heroes of the bible are great
Up to now I have seen only the part Samson and Delilah on video. I was positively surprised. I like the episode and I think its good how God was represented in the part. Very beautifully I find is the narrator at the beginning of the series which explains the birth of the life. Only sad is that the parts are not a little bit longer. Therefore, the story comes a little bit too shortly. That`s the reason why I can give only four stars.

But the series is definitely worth to seeing and I will still buy the DVD Collection anyway.

Greatest Heroes Of The Bible
This Movie had great color and surrounding content. The Actors were of better than usual sincerity, but could have done better. As for the accuracy of Scripture, much was lacking. A lot of historical events of more importance were omitted and should have been given more consideration. There have been few movies where the Bible is presented that Scholarly concerns have been at the forefront. For the mosy part , the movie was of some importance and did shed some light on what scripture was trying to say. Since no one is perfect, I guess there is always room for improvement.

Greatest Heroes Of The Bible
This Movie has great color and background content. It is lacking in authenticity of facts as recorded in the Bible. There was a lot left out and not covered as concerning the Life of Samson and others. The Ten Commandments of Cecil B. Demile was much better and had more factual content than a movie of this caliber. It seemed as if the Producer was trying to create a fast event movie that would attract a less informed audience than those who are Bible Scholars.Accuracy is a must with Bible Scholars. R.C. Timms ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Horror Express
This film is about an alien killing passengers aboard a train from Peking to Moscow. The main actors are Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing who play British scientists. Lee brings a fossilised apeman aboard the train, unaware that an alien lies dormant within it. It is let loose and kills people, including the train baggage man, a Russian soldier, a woman spy, two scientists (one of whom happened to be Cushing's assistant), a Russian count, and a Russian army patrol, including its leader, played by Telly Savalas. The alien posseses a police inspector and priest to kill. The film ends with the alien (as the priest) dying whilst trying to stop the train from falling over a cliff. The plot is good, showing how the alien absorbing its victim's memories through their eyes (resulting in the victims having white eyes and empty brains) so that it can find a way to go back to its home world in outer space. The film has a haunting whilstling tune.

All Aboard!!
HORROR EXPRESS is a wild movie! Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing play rival scientists (Saxon and Wells) who must band together to battle the force that is loose on the trans-siberian express. People are being killed by having their brains emptied of all memories, their eyes turning white. Has the "fossil" that Saxon has brought aboard sprung to life? Can it be stopped before killing everyone? This is no ordinary hunk of cheese! Lee and Cushing are great together (as usual). Telly Savalas is over-the-top but quite enjoyable as the head cossak. Check out the crazy monk who decides to give up on God and serve "satan" (the creature) instead! Talk about a fast switch of sides! This movie is engaging and fun to watch. Sort of a cross between MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE CRATE (found on CREEPSHOW by Stephen King), and a really good X-FILES episode. Hop on the train and enjoy...

Decent Horror Movie but watch out for the versions
I bought this movie after seeing it on TV. It is a decent little horror flick, BUT the copy I got (cover "Different from the one shown", quoted from the remarks by the seller, for used/new marketplace copies) is from Diamond Entertainment. Packaged attractively, professionally, and with some (useless)special features -- don't be fooled, this is a BAD transfer to DVD. Some scenes inexplicably shimmer, as if you were looking at some gently sloooooshing water. Overall, the image quality is BAD, like it was filmed from a film screen rather than a direct transfer from an original source. Watch out. Don't waste hard earned money on bad copies, unless you are desparate.

Early Tribute To Lovecraft!!!
Ok, first off Christopher Lee (crappy Starwars) and Peter Cushing (kool Starwars) known for decades of horror fame, are both in this awsome film, and Diamond Entertainment has recently released it on DVD for only $5.00, so...
...like buy it already.

As for the movie itself, yes it does have two horror icons in possibly there best movie ever, but it also serves as a very kool tribute of sorts to H.P. Lovecraft, the plot is great, I had no problems with the acting, the white eyes were great, and it kept me interested all the way, though be warned action fans, there is no action here, just an evolving tale with character developement, better stick with your Independance Day crap if that ain't your thing, it has aliens and product placement, not to mention a cheesey corprate sound track all of which is void from this awsome movie! :)

WARNING, PLOT LEAK AHEAD!!!!

Ok, so Lee finds this frozen monster which he thinks will explain a vital part of man's past. He loads it up on a train, and the monster escapes, and begins to kill, they kill the monster, ect ect. But...

...the murders continue, and every victum is found with his eyes completely white, and his brain void of any wrinkles or memories. Along the way they discover that the monster was an alien older than mankind itself, and is capable of transfering itself into other living beings. On top of that, it can also absorb all the information out of a human's brain, and know what they know, giving it an upper hand in survival and blending in with everyone on the train.
The aspect I really enjoyed about this is the Kristian Fanatic! The guy strongly resembles the street person who claims the cube at the end of the 1st (and only true) Hell Raiser film. On top of this Lee and Cushing are persistant to prove to him that his beliefs are all a bunch of idiotic superstition.
When they discover that the alien's cut out eye, contains image imprints of the various things it has seen, and that one of them is a view of the planet Earth from space, they instantly call for the Fanatic to have a look in the micro-scope, and as anyone with blind faith would do, he instantly starts rambling about how it is the eye of Satan, and is a vision of him being cast out from Heaven. What makes this even more awsome and darker is the fact that he steals the eye, and is later corned in the same room with the alien, where he watches it kill a lady, then comes out from hiding, and throws himself before it, asking if it were going to kill him too, at which it replys that there is nothing in his head that he would find useful! And just to step it up a tad bit more, the fanatic gives the eye to the alien so no one else will see it, then goes are far to begin worshipping the alien and becomes its servent, and eventually the "temple for its soul"!
Can't beat that for $5.00.

A defininate must for any reader of Lovecraft or Clive Barker!

THE ICEMAN COMETH WITH HORROR
A frozen neanderthal man comes alive on a train in Russia in the early 1900s and terrorizes crew and passengers for the durarion of the film. Exceptional cast including Christopher Lee as a pioneering scientist and Telly Savalas in a bizarre role as a westerner turned Russian super-trooper. A rather ingenius wild science plotline with regards to '70s infatuation with alien theories about the origin of Earth, as suggested in such '60s-'70s pulp non-fiction like "Chariots of the Gods". Seems a bit inspired by the 1951 ckassic sci-fi, "The Thing From Another World". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good 70's chiller
Psychic Killer is my favourite 70's B movie. The idea, and story of a killer who does not have to be near is victims, is handled exceptionally well. Jim Hutton is excellent as usual and the supporting cast relish in their roles. One either to buy or to borrow, but you must see it.

killer movie
If you love B movies you'll love this. Nothing like a good thriller like this. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What ? Huh . . . . ?
It's just too bad the natives only had stick cameras, they probably could have done a better job. I watched this movie because I wanted to see what caused Dennis Hopper's demise with the studios after the success of "Easy Rider". Disjointed, boring, interesting somewhat, really bad lighting and sound. It's a star-studded borefest. Would be great if Mr. Hopper would re-release a new version that made sense. But maybe that's the point. I am grateful Dennis Hopper survived "The Last Movie" to give us what is, to date, a rich an entertaining body of work. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Absolutely Pointless.
Max Baer Jr.'s directorial debut certainly isn't what you would call impressive. He also wrote, produced and co-starred in this pointless film.

J.J. McCulloch is the rich owner of a trucking company. He believes that most disagreements should be handled with your fists. His poor parenting causes a lot of strife in his family and results in tragedy.

The main selling point of "The McCullochs" in its trailer is that it features one of the finest brawls ever captured on film. That speaks volumes about the mentality of this movie.

Watching several poorly executed fights and listening to the McCulloch clan be miserable isn't exactly my idea of entertainment.

Great Movie about an unforgettable Family! Move Over Dallas!
Max Baer wrote,produced,directed and co-starred in this superb 1975 movie about a proud millionaire family set in 1949 Texas co-starring Forrest Tucker,William Demarest,Julie Adams,Doodles Weaver as the family is tested by love,tragedy and war!!It's a must see!!

What do you get when you cross International Playboy
Jethro Bodine's literary talent, Corporal Agarn's running buddy from F-Troop, Robby, AND Uncle Charlie from My Three Sons, the midget from High Plains Drifter, Frank Nitti from St.Valentines Massacre, the Baker from the Godfather,Madame Queenie from Amos and Andy, the Indian's manager from Major League, and the Creature From the Black Lagoon's leading lady??? Trouble with a capital "T" that's what by doogies!

We begin this lovely trip through the last bastion of stereotypes that the mention of which still gets a laugh, instead of a cap being popped in your a$$....the white Southern male. We begin with Forrest Tucker, all hopped up on Old Forrester I suppose, beating the hell out of another 65 year old character actor that is enjoying getting beat up more than anyone I've ever seen. Actually it's the same guy that played the down and out boxer who was always getting whipped and losing his eyesight but ironically had no other means of paying his doctor bills so he had to keep fighting anyway. Makes sense to me. A few minutes later Forrest continues to make us all proud by dropping the top on his red convertible, and knocking down most of a pint of whiskey as he zips through a number of school zones on his way home to grab him a handful of the little lady, played juicily by a still gorgeous Julie Adams. Very nimbly, with yet another glass of whiskey in one hand, and Julie's rapidly unbuttoning blouse in the other hand he is informed that they are having "green beans" for dinner...all of a sudden his lust is diverted to pork chops and so he pats his wife on the ass as she dutifully, and mercifully trots off to rustle up some dinner. Scuse me, I mean supper--dinner is lunch down here. But before the supper bell rings, Forrest gets a call to advise him that one of the Rhodes Scholars that works for his trucking company had a head on collision as he crashed through a RR barrier, but he was relieved to hear he beat the train with some nifty driving, thus validating why they must have hired the guy in the first place. The driver survived though and one can only speculate that the brain damage he suffered could not have been such a terribly tragic thing. Hang on, that's just the first 5 minutes.

SPOILERS AHEAD. You had to expect that though, I have to share.

Jethro/Culver has a chip on his shoulder from his own personal stereotyping, and the fact that he had to wear a rope for a belt all those years. No vittles here, just the old man's daughter. Oooohhh, this is going to get ugly. And he displays none of the range we were so accustomed too on the Beverly Hillbillies. Takes this writer/director/star thing a little too seriously I think, that could be the reason old man McCulloch hates him so much. Or it could be that statutory rape thing with the 18 yr old daughter? You just know that the old man wants to punch our fledgling brain surgeon in his medula obadala but he is a very classy guy so he defers so he can go spar with his 16 yr old son. Plenty of drunken drag racing, drunken hay riding, and drunken strip poker, and more drunken ass whooping to go around. And if you're a fan of the "beating up your kids is the only way to make them a man" genre you will love this thing.

I won't reveal any of the good parts (giggle snort) but the highlight of the movie is a "homeric" showdown/street brawl, Culver vs. McCulloch and a major, big time ripoff of the Quiet Man complete with odds savvy old ladies, gambling/guzzling priests, and even an old man on his death bed who is miraculously resuscitated by the sound of whooping and hollering as one more right cross lands on it's target. Oh yeah, the contestants even stop to have a beer before resuming the slugfest. I'm not going to tell you who wins the fight but considering Ellie May used to tie Jethro up like a pretzel everytime he'd complain about her biscuits...well, it's the high spot of the (gulp) film so I'll keep that one secret. Clint Eastwood likewise rips off Jethro in Any Which Way You Can. I'm dangerously close to surpassing my vast film knowledge here so I better not draw any more parallels OK?

Believe it or not, the DVD transfer is fantastic and the soundtrack rivals movies like Giant and Hurry Sundown. It's very, very good Jethrine. I like this movie. Somebody slap me but I like this thing. It's really very funny. I've actually never been so hammered that I forgot the words to Old McDonald but in McCullochWorld your punishment is getting dumped out of the bed of a pickup to have your wife turn the sprinklers on you as you simulate a coma on the front lawn. 4 Stars, only cause they just don't make em' like this anymore.

Quiet Man Rip, yeah right...
Leonard Maltin is a stick in the mud. This is not wonderful but it is totally fun and sleezy to watch. It has a great fight scene that lasts about ten minutes and at any rate if you like Max Baer's work you'll probablly like this film. It ain't no ODE TO BILLY JOE, but few things are. Max Baer is a real visionary and auteur in his own right. I love his films. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good 70's chiller
Psychic Killer is my favourite 70's B movie. The idea, and story of a killer who does not have to be near is victims, is handled exceptionally well. Jim Hutton is excellent as usual and the supporting cast relish in their roles. One either to buy or to borrow, but you must see it.

killer movie
If you love B movies you'll love this. Nothing like a good thriller like this. ... Read more