Reviews (121)

"Whoever has the gold, makes the rules"
So says one character in "They Live," a witty, incisive satire aimed at Reagan-era politics and delivered by an unlikely source: genre director John Carpenter, who takes the commentary and blends it seamlessly with elements of action and science fiction.

The story revolves around a drifter (ex-wrestler Roddy Piper) who stumbles upon X-ray specs that reveal the literal ugliness under the skin of upper-class Americans. As it turns out, everyone is 'selling out' in an effort to snuff out the lower class, until Piper and fellow struggler Keith David join up with a resistance movement to tear down the system.

"They Live" shows Carpenter in top form. He takes the material in many different directions, dabbling in action, sci-fi (the black-and-white POV shots are creepy and effective), and even physical comedy (the drawn-out streetfight in the middle of the film is a riot), all while keeping the underlying satire the main focus. If this film was misunderstood upon its initial release (which Carpenter says it was), now is the time to rediscover it, seeing as how the issues it addresses (television as a form of mind control, the increasing importance of wealth if you hope to survive in the world) have only snowballed into the 1990s and will no doubt continue well into the future.

Classic Cult..
They Live is a sci-fi movie about aliens trying to take over the world and colonizing it through the media. It starts slow but when Piper's character finds a pair of special sunglasses that allows him to see the reality of society, that's when the fun starts and never lets up. The story is excellent and the script reflects well with some of the best one-liners .."I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum". The ending though is abrupt and makes little sense and the cast is more or less forgettable with the exception of Roddy Piper and Keith David who give great performances. They stage one of the longest, and best fight scene in movie history. Overall, an enjoyable 80's sci-fi flick that really gets you laughing. They Live is one of Carpenter's best films definitely a must see for everyone!

Strong philosophical and religious undertones
Made as the Reagan era came to a close, this film not only has strong political undertones, but religious and philosophical connotations as well. Carpenter emphasizes the B-film aspects of his movie - outrageous violence (and a well-known wrestler to play the main character), elaborate make-up effects, aliens, etc. as much as he can, so that the film's subversiveness is sufficiently hidden. Masquerading as a routine invasion story, it portrays a society whose members blindly accept all of the implicit materialist/capitalist messages thrown their way; the only resistance is offered by those who don't fit in that money-oriented mold - a blind preacher, the poor, some dissident intellectuals. Many religious and philosophical grids can be used to read this movie - Hinduism's doctrine of maya, Plato's cave, Gnosticism: an unlikely visionary (Piper) realizes that the 'real world' is in fact full of illusions; convincing others of his discovery proves to be difficult (witness the famously extended fight scene, at once hilarious and revealing), and a battle soon begins between two secret fraternities - one determined to maintain the illusions, the other eager to dispel them. This is one of Carpenter's best films.

The paranoid are always right!
Carpenter's classic 1988 film, THEY LIVE, can be seen as an(other) inspiration to Chris Carter's "The X Files" with its conspiracy of like-minded aliens and humans manipulating the masses of Earthlings. Roddy Piper, as an out-of-work working class hero, stumbles upon sunglasses which allow him to see the reality behind the facades, the messages beneath the billboards, the subliminal under the overt, and, more eerily, the strangely Dan Quayle looking creatures under the human masks. (Appropriate for 1988--after all, Quayle was vice president at the time.) Piper's efforts to alarm the general public and infiltrate this conspiracy make up most of the middle third of the film, and it ends, appropriately, with guns ablazing and things exploding.

Fortunately, this movie doesn't take itself too seriously, otherwise it might have been disastrous. (In mood and tone, THEY LIVE is first cousin to 1989's TREMORS.) A good dose of campy humor keeps THEY LIVE from becoming a diatribe on capital versus labor, rich versus poor, etc. Instead, THEY LIVE is a classic, sci-fi B movie whose heart is in the right place.

elite, parasitic sub-society exploits American workers
Elite, parasitic subsociety exploits American working class--reflects real American society?

This movie is not so much about aliens who are hiding among us, but instead it taps into the deeply submerged suspicions of most of us that we are being manipulated and taken advantage of by the elite of American society, by our leaders, by the rich, etc. Also, we sometimes feel that we are manipulated and programmed (in a subtle way) to respect hierarchical authority ( e.g., the "OBEY" subliminal command from the movie).

Some leftist thinkers might say that human societies are in a way being parasitized by the elite of their societies, and that the elite operate as a parasitic sub-society, living off of the lower classes. America might be said to be operated more in such a fashion (i.e., parasitized by the elite) than are the countries of western Europe. Obvious examples of this parasitic behavior are the "golden handshakes" and backscratching exchanged between corporate CEO's and the Boards of Directors of their companies. But it is far more pervasive than just that.

_They_Live_ uses the invisible alien elite as a proxy for our suspicions about how we are all being exploited by the elite of our real-life society, and how these elite are subtly programming us to accept this exploitation.

So, the major theme of the movie is not, as another poster correctly pointed out, about being manipulated to be good little consumers in a crassly commercial world. No, it is far more profound than that. Instead, it is more about how the working class Americans in _They Live_ are being exploited by the elite upper crust, who, in the movie, happen to be aliens. Also, this movie is not relevant ONLY to Reagan's time, or to Reaganomics, but it is more relavant today than it was when it was released.

Unfortunately, this movie only explores this exploitation theme in a somewhat superficial way, and the movie itself has an unintentionally comic air to it sometimes. Still, the exploration of that theme is so rare in pop culture, and that theme is so profound, and reaches so far into what American society is, was, and is becoming, that this movie is a Must-See for anyone with an interest in politics and sociology. ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Good, But Flawed
Although I have seen this picture well over a dozen times and although I think it's basically a good movie, I must be objective and admit that "The Green Berets" is basically a propaganda piece that at the time of its filming was an attempt to change public sentiment about our country's involvement in Vietnam. For this reason, as well as the healing period our country went through after Vietnam, the movie seems rather archaic and naive today. Those on the far left ridicule it. Those on the far right treat it with the reverence of a Biblical tale. The truth about "The Green Berets" is that it lies somewhere between these two extremes.

The Fort Benning, Georgia filmed training sequences appear to be as real as anything I ever saw while I was in uniform. The combat sequences, however, contained a fair share of errors, most notably the well-known "sun setting in the east" flub. The acting was rather wooden, especially from Wayne as well as Jack Soo, portraying the ARVN officer, and the plot meandered from being quite good in some parts to being downright silly in others.

The most important thing to remember about this movie is that it should be taken for what it is...a good war movie. To casually dismiss it as irrelevant or hopelessly out of step with the truth simply doesn't do it justice. In similar fashion, it's rather stupid to portray it as an homage to the American way of life and characterize those who point out this picture's many flaws as "un-American", as one previous review did. This picture is best enjoyed with the viewer's bias, be it liberal or conservative, turned off.

from a patriot who was not afraid.
if John Wayne had made something like this today he would be ostracized from all of Hollywood and from about 2% of this nation. he was a man, a patriot and he wanted to show the good of our struggle. vietnam was a war that was not unlike every other war, the only difference was our citizens. the baby boomers grew up spoiled (founding fathers of the modern left). they didnt understand hard work and what a country need's to do for freedom. the left will today say freedom is a slogan, that we will always be free, they will say bush's war is for oil or some uneducated and clichéd response, but freedom is not just about a war or occupation, it's the freedom to not be afraid to get on a airplane, the freedom to not fear going into tall buildings, the freedom not to fear gathering large groups in public. and for the arab world it means to not be afraid to have your wife drive your car, or wear a dress in public, or to question a religious authority. the whole idea of vietnam was to prevent the spread of communism, it was a war that transcended vietnam itself, it was a war to measure our country and our people's resolve. vietnam taught our enemies (and todays modern terrorists) that if they can scare us, horrify us or kill enough of us that we will cower and not fight. Stalin, Khrushchev, khadafi, Usama, and hussein thought this, and we taught them all a lesson through might.

just because liberal's think war is not the answer it does not mean that our enemies do also. we are not europe, if we do not spend money on our military, flex our muscles, set deadlines and take action no one ele will. we do not have anyone to protect us like europe and the world have us. terrorist do not seek peace, they do not hate us because we are us they hate us because of hollywood, because of our freedom from starvation, our comfort in life and from our belief that we can live life any way we want without regard.

John wayne in his portrayal of vietnam was not "propaganda" it was to boost moral for the country, to support our efforts in defeating communism. i read before someone said john wayne was no patriot, what is a patriot if not to support the united states and to keep it's moral up? john wayne did that, ask any soldier from WWII to the present day. i feel bad for the liberal's they hate everyone, stand for everything while believing in nothing and really do not know anything of history or of humanity.

THE DUKE HAS THE LEFT TIED IN KNOTS
In 1969, John Wayne infuriated the Left with "The Green Berets", a film that made no apologies in its all-out support of America's effort in Vietnam. It was lambasted by critics, but in a very interesting sign, sold out at the box office. It plays today and while it is heavy-handed, there is little about it that rings untrue. The soldiers do not swear, complain or bastardize their uniforms like the actual guys did, but their patriotism and military professionalism was the real deal. The Communists they fight in the film are shifty little pissants. This does not deviate from the essential truth.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM

bad propoganda but a couple of gem performances
the performances of david jansaan and jim hutton stand out in this really blatant propoganda piece.
wayne the director and producer is not someone i empathize with but i do believe wayne the actor was vastly underrated.
too many people, myslef included, often let waynes politcs get in the way of acknowledging his acting powers.
this film is that in a nutshull.
his politics are unavoidable but the scen in which he wells up, on the verge of tears, trying to tell the young boy of huttons death is powerhouse acting pure and simple.
try to appreciate it.

A solid, well-made film
John Wayne like any other American had the right to promote his opinion. Period. ...

Now, the film is as accurate as any other Vietnam film made in that last 30 years because films are created to promote an opinion. (I've known Vietnam Vets who were not dope smoking, gun-totting genocidists.)

As far as action and commitment, the Green Berets succeeds as a solid "war film." No one who cares about good film making can argue that, unless they believe in censorship. The film is panoramic and energetic in cinematic quality. The characters are strong male types (like Vets I've known.) The film chose its side and promoted it. There is one strong element that the film brings home. The US military was better at killing, and it had to be. Most US detachments were generally outnumbered, fighting an opposition armed by numerous totalitarian countries from Europe to Asia. That is a historical fact, which interestingly enough, was introduced into a film over 35 years old.

The Green Berets, again, is a solid war-film and interestingly enough, is less fancifully than Platoon. The Green Berets is worth the time to see. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Poignant, impassioned film
This is one of my favorite films. Rod Steiger, the most underrated artist alive, in my opinion, plays a Jewish pawnbroker who struggles with memories of the war, loss of his family and the apathetic shell his life has become. When he finally realizes that the people around him need his concern and without it, they can't survive, it's too late. A young Quincy Jones composed the tremendous Jazz score that gives every scene depth and punch. The film is in black and white which makes the characters seem more shady, sad and poignant. It is filmed on location in Hell's kitchen, at that time, a derelict New York neighborhood. This gives the film an atmosphere of desperation, fear, foreboding and regret. It is a sensitive, complex film that stirs the emotions on so many levels. See it if you can.

Astounding performance
Rod Steiger's performance in this film is the best of his career. Period. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, 1965, and should easily have won--although he did not. In this powerful film, he plays Sol Nazerman, a seedy denizen of New York's Lower East Side who makes his living as a pawnbroker. Into his store come lowlifes of all sorts--hookers, junkies, thieves. Nazerman is a survivor of the Holocaust and carries enormous psychic scars that refuse to stop tearing at his soul.

As a vicious menacing crime figure, Brock Peters is also superb--the present-day reminder to Nazerman of how evil never dies. Other cast members include Geraldine Fitzgerald as a sympathetic caseworker and Jaime Sanchez as Nazerman's young Latino assistant who is of another generation and another culture, and cannot understand his boss' terrible anguish.

Director Sidney Lumet has done an outstanding job here conveying the lifelong suffering that horrific evil brings with it. This is not a graphic film, but one that delivers its message before the days of special effects via pure drama. It is a great thing to have this now available on DVD; this is a film that should be seen by those who treasure phenomenal acting and powerful emotion.

Very highly recommended; the best American film of 1965 and one of the best American films of the 20th century.

Brilliant film but with one inexcusable flaw
"The Pawnbroker" is a bleak, shattering character study concerning the ravages of guilt on a holocaust survivor who has psychologically shut down his emotions in order to survive. Sol Nazerman's (Rod Steiger) guilt is based on his inability to save his family at Auschwitz while he himself has continued to live. His emotional shutdown results in his ability to empathize with the desperate, pathetic customers who pawn their valuables at his store, or to care about his mistress, his Puerto Rican employee, or anyone else. However, through a sort of cinematic stream of consciousness, director Sidney Lumet is able to reveal how current situations act as catalysts on Sol, enabling memories of the past, through flashback, to return and haunt him still. This is arguably the best performance of Rod Steiger's career, with exceptional support from the entire cast.

So what's the flaw? Well, the filmmakers convincingly show where the horrors of hatred and bigotry that led to the Holocaust can lead. And then the filmmakers proceed to promote another form of hatred, as if this were somehow acceptable. The problem for me is that for no positive reason, several of the arch villains in this piece are shown to be gay men, and one can't help but wonder at the homophobia behind the director or author's choice in this. The main villain of the piece is Rodriguez (excellently played by Brock Peters), who uses the pawnship as a money-laundering "front" for his personal crime syndicate, and pays Sol well for his compliance. Rodriguez is continually shown with his blond male lover, a handsome but subservient figure in a non-speaking role. After one threatening interchange between Rodriguez and Sol in Rodriguez's living room, Rodriguez and the lover are seen ascending the stairs, presumably to the bedroom, to turn in for the night, leaving the distraught and vanquished Sol by himself. [...]

And then there are the three evil thugs who decide to rob the pawnshop. Prior to this robbery attempt, we see one of robbers lovingly examining the photos in a men's muscle magazine. Again, why??

The movie even contains an East Harlem nightclub scene, in which a pathetic drag queen of advanced age struts his sad stuff in a performance worthy of "The Gong Show" before removing his wig at the dance's end. For the third time, why???

This facile use of homosexuality to highlight modern-day evil is quite frankly repugnant and both tarnishes and sabotages an otherwise brilliant film. If the filmmakers are attempting to show where hatred toward one minority group can lead, how can the writer and director justify reviling yet another persecuted minority group? Were they not aware that hundreds of thousands of gay men and women also perished in the death camps? Was the suffering of the concentration camp prisoners who were forced to wear a yellow star more valid than the suffering of the prisoners who were forced to wear a pink triangle?

Rod Steiger's best work.
This black & white art film from the Sixties holds up extremely well thanks to Rod Steiger's wonderful performance and Sidney Lumet's gritty direction. The film, not to mention the novel it was based upon, is one of my favorites because it captures graphically the way the main character's memories of the Holocaust hold him prisoner years later as a Harlem pawnbroker. With his life long ago drained of joy and feeling, he is at once the victim of his pawnshop and life, and the businessman who's lost the ability to empathize with his poor and victimized (but often amazingly hopeful) customers. Add to the drama an urban jazz score by Quincy Jones and you have a picture that belongs in any serious film lover's collection.

The Sounds of Silence
This is one of only a few films in which there are certain scenes which, for various reasons, I find almost unbearable to watch again. The others include the scene at the train station when Sophie must make her choice, the sequence of murders in In Cold Blood, the burning of the church in The Patriot, the multiple hangings in The Ox-Bow Incident, and the evisceration of William Wallace in Braveheart.

Brilliantly directed by Sidney Lumet, with equally brilliant cinematography by Boris Kaufman (both of whom should have at least been nominated for an Academy Award), this is among the first films to dramatize with high levels of seriousness and sensitivity the essential evil of the Holocaust. Sol Nazerman is the central character, played by Rod Steiger who was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor. Lee Marvin received that award for his role in Cat Ballou. (I thoroughly enjoyed Marvin's performance but still think Steiger deserved the award. To his credit, so did Marvin and said so.) Nazerman is a pawnbroker in New York City, having long ago lost (or so it seems) his ability to have an feelings for anyone else...or even for himself. His mind may be especially alert but his heart is numb.

In terms of plot, not much happens. Most of the the film focuses is on Nazerman's dysfunctional interactions with other people, notably with Marilyn Birchfield (played by Geraldine Fitzgerald) and Jose Ortiz (Jaime Sanchez) who works for Nazerman. What's Nazerman's problem? With meticulous care, Lumet gradually reveals the past from which he emerged but, in certain respects, from which he has not survived. His "problem" is that he has lost his will to live but not to exist.

Many of those who have seen the film will insist that, in the final scene, when Nazerman screams out in pain, the sound of that scream has haunted them ever since. In fact, there was no sound. Steiger later explained that his approach to that climactic moment in the film was inspired by Picasso's anti-war mural, Guernica, which portrays unprecedented atrocities committed on April 27th, 1937, against the civilian population of Guernica, a small Basque village in northern Spain. To Steiger's and Lumet's everlasting credit, Nazerman's silent scream allows the film to have the greatest possible subliminal impact on those privileged to experience it. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wow.
Another movie in which Calvin Lockhart is momentarily shirt-less. A hundred, thousand, million stars!

Cotton Comes to Harlem
a little slow in delived but an excellent movie.

I thought it was a funny movie!
I am a huge fan of blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. I thought it was really funny, especially in the beginning of the movie. This is the kind of movie that you can't take very seriously because a lot of it is cliche. Calvin Lockhart's character (Rev. Deke O'Malley) is conniving, but irresistable. You will enjoy this DVD!

Two Words: Judy Pace!
Seeing Judy Pace in this movie is worth the price of admission alone! The movie itself has an interesting storyline and it does bounce around a little but is definately entertaining. This movie isn't as cliche as many of the other films in this genre. There are some good chase scenes and it was interesting to see Redd Foxx pre 'Sanford and Son'. I would consider this one of the most important movies of the blaxploitation genre.

One of the Best Films of the Day, That Set the 70s STYLE
"Cotton Comes to Harlem" is a solid, funny, and most of all, cool movie which was, besides "Shaft" and "Coffy," to set the trend of the black movies of the 70s. Look how Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques walk and talk, and you'll know the meaning of "style."

Based on Chester Himes's novel, the film follows the two super-cool cops who suspect that Rev. O'Malley's "Back to Africa" campaign (minimun entry 100 dallors needed) is a fraud to steal money from people living in Harlem. But things get complicated when, during the rally, the organization is attacked by masked gangsters who took the money of $87,000, and that was done under the nose of the very cops. Determined to nail the criminal, and possibly the preacher himself, the detective Gravediffer & Coffin start their investigation, and do it in their own fashion.

The film keeps the fast pace with a tightly knit web of characters including Reverend's beautiful wife Iris. But most charming part of the film remains the same today: its being funny and smart. In fact, you will see among violent actions suddenly unexpected humor. The best thing of the film is, in my book, the car chase scene that include "the cemetary chase" and "a flying guy." The film also ends with a showdown in the Apollo Theater (though I don't know whether the inside scene of it was really shot there) And the real Harlem locale of the 70s, which helps to create the authentic atomospher, would be someday a precious record of the New York City.

In short, this is a film Quentin Tarantino with his known flair for characters and story might have shot 30 years ago. Some part of the film look, I admit, dated today when you see women's parts are little better than secondary, just catering obligatory sex scenes. Still, those scenes have been given slight touch of humor, that might almost compensate for the lack of the screen goddess like Pam Grier. Buy this one, along with "Coffy" and "Shaft" and perhaps "Across the 110th Street." That makes a quick course of learning what the blaxploitation films are all about.

Those two main charaters are to reappear in "Come Back Charlston Blues," which is, unfortunately, not as good as this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

They don't make detective thrillers like this anymore. Madigan isa gem from the '60s, anticipating the more popular French Connection and Dirty Harry with its gritty urban realism. However, this film has a wonderful poetry and sense of camaraderie, thanks to Abraham Polonsky's writing and Don Siegel's inspired direction. Richard Widmarkplays a hardbitten New York cop who must redeem himself after losing his gun to a psychotic thug (a plot somewhat reminiscent of Kurosawa's Stray Dog). Henry Fonda costars as a stern police commissioner overwhelmed by his day-to-day decisions. He can't stand Widmark's freewheeling attitude, but he's a hypocrite when it comes to his own private life. Moral decisions don't come easy in this contemplative film. Fine support is providedby Harry Guardino as Widmark's partner, Inger Stevens as Widmark's wife, James Whitmore as Fonda's slightly corrupt pal, and Steve Ihnat as Widmark's charismatic nemesis. --Bill Desowitz ... Read more

Reviews (10)

60's police drama...
New York City detectives Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Bonaro (Harry Guardino), mess up making a routine arrest, allowing a murderer (Steve Ihnat) to escape. This sets the stage for a look at the activities of the NYPD over a three-day period, while the two detectives try to recapture their man.

"Madigan" follows two loosely connected story lines, one the pursuit of the fugitive, and the second involves the activities of the Police Commissioner (PC), played by a prim Henry Fonda. This separation of focus, keeps the movie from reaching it's full potential, as the story elements related to the PC are banal and distract from the chase. There is almost no personal interaction between Madigan and the Commissoner to connect the two stories, and keep the movie's focus tight. While the detectives follow leads to the killer, the PC deals with corruption, accusations of misconduct, and his own moral hypocrisy.

The film does boast a top-notch cast, including Inger Stevens, James Whitmore, Michael Dunn, Don Stroud, Susan Clark and Sheree North. Ihnat is particularly effective as the vicious killer on the run. Stevens is luscious as Madigan's attention starved wife. And Clark is the Commissioner's adulterous young mistress. "Love", Hollywood style is wonderfully realistic, matching the young with the old. Widmark (54) is paired with Stevens (34), and Fonda (63) with Clark (28).

"Madigan" is dated, and may not be well received by today's audience. What was gritty action back then, is tame by today's standards. But if you are into the late 60's, you will probably enjoy the many familiar faces found here. Brought to you by the same people who did the NBC Mystery Theater, and programs like Colombo, McCloud, McMillian, and Banacek.

'Madigan' is enjoyable police drama
As others have noted, "Madigan" is at its best in basic cops-and-robbers mode, when Detectives Dan Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bennaro (Harry Guardino) are pursuing insanely dangerous gunman Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnat). Director Don Siegel knows what he's doing when it comes to movement and violence, and that's more than evident here.

A subplot involving the embattled police commissioner (Henry Fonda) and his struggle with possible graft on the part of his long-time friend and captain (James Whitmore) works reasonably well.

The commissioner's affair with a married woman (Susan Clark) isn't too much of a distraction, especially since Clark is nice to look at, as usual.

But the subplot that doesn't work is the unhappiness of Madigan's wife (Inger Stevens). Stevens does what she can to bring the woman to life, but the script defeats her, particularly in a scene following a police ball.

Production values are very high, as 1968 New York emerges vividly in the location shooting. Don Costa's score deserves to be released on CD - it's a very memorable and exciting one, especially the main title and the build-up to the climax.

The nitty gritty of police work.

Director: Don Siegel
Format: Color
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: January 5, 1999

Cast:

Richard Widmark ... Det. Daniel Madigan
Henry Fonda ... Commissioner Anthony X. Russell
Inger Stevens ... Julia Madigan
Harry Guardino ... Det. Rocco Bonaro
James Whitmore ... Chief Insp. Charles Kane
Susan Clark ... Tricia Bentley
Michael Dunn ... Midget Castiglione
Steve Ihnat ... Barney Benesch
Don Stroud ... Hughie
Sheree North ... Jonesy
Warren Stevens ... Capt. Ben Williams
Raymond St. Jacques ... Dr. Taylor
Bert Freed ... Chief of Detectives Lynch
Harry Bellaver ... Mickey Dunn
Frank Marth ... Lt. James Price
Lloyd Gough ... Earl Griffin
Virginia Gregg ... Esther Newman
Henry Beckman ... Philip Downes
Richard O'Brien ... Det. O'Brien
Woodrow Parfrey ... Marvin
Robert Granere ... Buster
Dallas Mitchell ... Tom Gavin
Lloyd Haynes ... Sam Woodley
Rita Lynn ... Rita Bonaro
Ray Montgomery ... Det. O'Mara
Gloria Calomee ... Policewoman Doris Hawkins
Seth Allen ... Subway dispatcher
Robert Ball ... Prisoner
Kay Turner ... Stella
Albert Henderson ... Lt. Strong
Toian Matchinga ... Rosita
Abel Fernández ... Det. Rodriguez
Paul Sorenson ... Benesh Look-Alike in Saloon
Robert Biheller ... Man
Ollie O'Toole ... Man
Al Dunlap ... Man
Pepe Hern ... Man
Scott Hale ... Ambulance driver
Sean Kennedy ... Man
Bob O'Connell ... Man
Conrad Bain ... Hotel clerk
Ed Crowley ... Man at precinct
Tom Rosqui ... Man
Diane Sayer ... Doreen
Mina Martínez ... Woman
Kathleen O'Malley ... Woman
Elizabeth Fleming ... Woman
Madeline Clive ... Woman
Philippa Bevans ... Mrs. Hewitt
Nina Varela ... Woman
Kate Harrington ... Woman
Al Ruban ... Kowalski
Lincoln Kilpatrick ... Patrolman Grimes
Ralph Smiley ... Captain
John McLiam ... Dunne
James Nolan ... Detective
Hal Taggart ... Dance Extra
William Bramley ... O'Brien
Ralph Brooks ... Dance Extra

Originally planned to be titled "The Commissioner," Fonda thought he had the title role, but it was re-titled Madigan, Widmark's part, which miffed Fonda who had an ego problem. However, he had played five movies with Widmark, whom he liked and respected, so he swallowed his ego. But it always bothered him that he had been relegated to the second string.

This is the story about policemen and their wives, friends, and colleagues. A good friend and coworker once told me that prison work involved weeks, months, and often years of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. He was right. This movie, and most such films, show a succession of the "moments of sheer terror" pretty much to the exclusion of the boredom, because boredom does not make a good story, of course.

Still, the stress and pressure are relatively constant, and that is perhaps why the divorce rate among peace officers is so high. This story graphically depicts how the policemens' marriages suffer from the stress. In that respect, it accurately depicts, I think, one slice of reality. I base my opinion on twenty years spent working in prisons--a differenct occupation, but similar in many ways.

Daniel Madigan and Rosco Bonaro are detectives--partners--who, while making a bust allow the crook to get the drop on them, get their weapons, and get away. They are given 72 hours to catch him. It turns out that he has been upgraded from a suspect to a killer. The Police Commissioner, Anthony Russell (Henry Fonda) is most interested in the case and under pressure himself, maritally as well as professionally.

This film was, accidentally or on purpose, a good portrayal of some of the aspects of a policeman's life, although when the dangers are so telegraphed together for the sake of the story, it does have the effect of making it a caricature of reality, rather than the true depiction of reality it purports to be.

Nevertheless, I recommend the film.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

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

GOLD STANDARD FOR ITS TIME
Richard Dougherty's THE COMMISSIONER, upon which MADIGAN, is based was one of the first works of fiction to accurately portray cops problems away from the station house. MADIGAN, one of the best films of 1968, is true to that part of the book and Don Siegel implants his own brand of genius on the rest. MADIGAN shows a not too distant era when there were blood-and-guts hat wearing detectives who worked their own angles to solve their cases. The portrayls by Widmark and Guardino are lasting and solid to the core. For it's time, MADIGAN was a gold standard in police procedurals. The NYC landscape bolstered by the Don Costa soundtrack is stunning.

Journeyman Cop Movie.
One can only wonder what might have been made of a pretty good story with a great cast and director if it had been made somewhere other than the Universal factory which churned out more garbage over the decades than practically any other studio.

Constrained by the loosening but not yet free film-making environment of 1968, Don Siegel keeps the film moving at a brisk pace while alternating his story from the efforts of two detectives (Richard Widmark & Harry Guardino) with 48 hrs to redeem themselves after losing the drop-on and their guns to a suspect, and the political and personal problems of the NY Police Commissioner (Henry Fonda). This view of the street cops who can and will bend the rules and the politics and stresses at the top of the beauracracy was fresh in 1968, but have been done to death since with the result that Madigan seems tame and dated now. While a little tougher in depiction for its time, and aided by location shooting and a tad more sexual explicitness, the movie is quaintly on that cusp between the sanitized early 60's and the explosion of explicit sex and violence in film that was yet to come. It bends the stereotypes but it doesn't break them.

Still and all, Don Siegel was a director that could move a story, and no film with Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, James Whitmore and Inger Stevens is without interest or merit. I was still entertained and found the characters & story very watchable, but I could only wish for a different studio and a later time that would have allowed for a grittier and more honest film. Nonetheless, it was a solid effort and had something to say about the dilemmas and conflicts of loyalty and honesty and doing the right thing. A good film at 3-1/2 stars that with this cast & story, might have been much better. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Absolutely Brutal Bronson Actioner
Charles Bronson passed away recently, and to remember him I decided to view once again one of his most bizarre films, "The Evil That Men Do." Returning to this film at least ten years after I last watched it was quite the trip down memory lane, back to the invigorating 1980s when low budget films like this played on cable every night. Some of the best B-movie action flicks in that era starred Bronson, who worked closely with companies like Cannon in order to bring us numerous sequels in his "Death Wish" franchise, the gruesome "10 to Midnight," and the immensely unentertaining "Assassination." Of course, Bronson was much more than a string of cheesy actioners in the 1980s; he also appeared in some of the best known films of all time, like "The Dirty Dozen," "Once Upon a Time in the West," and "Chino." Bronson's death at the age of eighty-one means we will never see a new Charles Bronson film, but at least we have plenty of great films to remember him by. I will miss him.

"The Evil That Men Do" may not be one of Bronson's best roles, but it certainly ranks as one of his seediest. In this sleazy production, Bronson plays a retired assassin named Holland living out his days on the Cayman Islands. Life looks good until an old friend arrives on the island looking to lure Holland back into business again. This friend, Hector Lomelin (played by Jose Ferrer) brings with him a mountain of videotaped testimony in which an endless string of people relate personal accounts of the most repulsive tortures inflicted upon them and their families. One name repeatedly appears in these accounts: The Doctor, specifically Dr. Clement Molloch, a demented physician who dedicates his life to instructing petty despots in desolate Central American countries about the intricacies of mental and physical torture. In fact, the movie begins with a lengthy scene of the doctor's work, as he teaches a group of military officials in Surinam how to put out the lights on those pesky political opponents who always complain about such irritating things as elections, civil rights, and due process of law. Holland eventually agrees to exterminate the doctor in the name of human decency; he even refuses to accept a fee for hunting down this aberrant creature.

Holland heads to Central America to track down Molloch, but in order to allay any suspicions from the doctor and his gang of bodyguards, he brings along Rhiana Hildalgo (Theresa Saldana) and her daughter to pose as his wife and child. Hildalgo's husband died at the hands of Clement Molloch, so she ostensibly wants to see his memory avenged. Holland and his "family" meet up with Max Ortiz, a guy who hates despotic regimes and their reliance on Molloch as a political weapon. With Ortiz supplying the information on the doctor's whereabouts, Holland starts knocking off the hired help. He kills one of the bodyguards by flinging a knife into his throat, hangs another one with a fire hose, shotguns a couple of baddies, and kidnaps Molloch's seamy sister in order to lure the doctor into the line of fire. Along the way, Holland runs into problems with Paul Briggs, a U.S. embassy official who kowtows to Molloch and his goons. In a film loaded with atrocity piled on atrocity, the ending is nauseating to watch, as Molloch gets his comeuppance at the hands of a group of peasants who remember him only too well.

"The Evil That Men Do" is one sick puppy of a movie. It's difficult to picture Bronson starring in such a tacky movie, but nearly all of Bronson's efforts in the 1980s depicted him as a vengeful entity mowing down the bad guys in increasingly sadistic ways. This film is no different, except that nearly every character (even the supposed good guys) leaves a bad taste in your mouth. To make matters worse, the script is so full of holes that you could sail a fleet of battleships through it. How could Molloch's bodyguard think Holland was anything but trouble after spotting him glaring at Molloch during that sporting event? And what was up with the weird recognition between Cannell and Holland in the village café? Maybe I slipped into a coma while watching the movie, but I don't remember any background about these two characters knowing each other from some other place and time. I also never grasped the reasons why Holland decided to accept the mission after some initial reluctance. He watched several of Lomelin's tapes without batting an eye, and adamantly refuses to assassinate the doctor. Then suddenly he decides to lend a hand. Why? I don't know because it's never explained clearly. It's problems like these that handicap "The Evil That Men Do."

The DVD version does contain the uncut version of the film, or at least it appears so. The first segment is really a doozy, and it sets the tone for the monstrous activities to follow. Unfortunately, the only extras on the disc are three trailers: one for this film, one for "The Replacement Killers," and one for "The Big Hit." At least the picture quality is quite good for such an old, low budget film. Maybe watching this slightly above average Bronson film isn't the best way to pay homage to the man, but it is a good representation of the movies Chuck churned out in the 1980s. After you work your way through the "Death Wish" films, you will need to see "The Evil That Men Do" in order to attain the rank of a Bronson completist.

........Lives On And Ooooooooooon!
Bronson's back, kids! This time his sights are set on a sadistic doctor of torture(as opposed to unsadistic doctors of torture) in South America. Bronson's an ex-hitman who's comes out of retirement(naturally) to take out an evil brute known as "The Doctor." Scared yet? You will be when you see Bronson and his "wife" try to pass themselves off as swingers to one of The Doctor's goons. Bronson may be old, but he kicks some butt in this one(as usual) and kills anyone who gets in his way. This is what entertainment is about.

what do i remember about THE EVIL THAT MEN DO?
i am trying not to remember much of this disgusting actioner with bronson looking somber and wooden as an agent or a hitman lured out of retirement and tracking down a sadistic doctor in south america. i remember the gruesome opening sequence of torture where some guy is tied up and having his, um, i am thinking of an anatomically G rated term---lower portions getting shock treatment (his back toward the camera but still...gross)? ugh. i also remember bronson living on an island saying hi to a fish named quasimodo. i also know of bronson beating up a tall indian in a bar and doing something to his, um, lower portion. i also remember theresa saldana sadly wasted here. i also recall the film's ugly bloody climax ... i do know all this sick violent stuff is in THE EVIL THAT MEN DO. you are better off seeing earlier charles bronson material ...

What some foreigners think of us
One of the classic lines is when this big ugly Indian nuzzles up
to Bronson's wife and looks straight at Bronson and says "what you looking at you American ****" , this movie was made during the Reagan administration's moves in Central America but certainly many other foreigners think the same way now during the war on terrorism....

From a bronson Fan - Good Bronson Flick!
I just saw this movie for the first time and it was great. Bronson is hardcore in it. I espiecially enjoyed the wife-swapping/murder scene. (You just have to see it for yourself.) It is defenately a great flick for so late in his career.
OK, so overall, not as good as the best- Death Wish 3, but it was defenately good. Check it out A LOT OF ACTION!!! ... Read more

Description

A provocative, emotion-packed drama about race relations in an all-white suburban community, this play depicts the confrontaion between an upper-class white couple and a black couple from Harlem who plan to buy their expensive suburban home. In negotiating the sale, all four parties learn a little more about each other...and a lot about their own latent prejudices. A stellar cast - including Oscar-nominee and 2-time Emmy-winner Cicely Tyson (Sounder), 3-time Emmy-winner Jane Wyatt (Father Knows Best), Andrew Duggan (Rich Man, Poor Man), and Raymond St. Jacques (Roots) - delivers outstanding performances. By Arkady Leokum. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work.What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism.His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned.Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT.Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens.The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters.Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections.The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (121)

"Whoever has the gold, makes the rules"
So says one character in "They Live," a witty, incisive satire aimed at Reagan-era politics and delivered by an unlikely source: genre director John Carpenter, who takes the commentary and blends it seamlessly with elements of action and science fiction.

The story revolves around a drifter (ex-wrestler Roddy Piper) who stumbles upon X-ray specs that reveal the literal ugliness under the skin of upper-class Americans. As it turns out, everyone is 'selling out' in an effort to snuff out the lower class, until Piper and fellow struggler Keith David join up with a resistance movement to tear down the system.

"They Live" shows Carpenter in top form. He takes the material in many different directions, dabbling in action, sci-fi (the black-and-white POV shots are creepy and effective), and even physical comedy (the drawn-out streetfight in the middle of the film is a riot), all while keeping the underlying satire the main focus. If this film was misunderstood upon its initial release (which Carpenter says it was), now is the time to rediscover it, seeing as how the issues it addresses (television as a form of mind control, the increasing importance of wealth if you hope to survive in the world) have only snowballed into the 1990s and will no doubt continue well into the future.

Classic Cult..
They Live is a sci-fi movie about aliens trying to take over the world and colonizing it through the media. It starts slow but when Piper's character finds a pair of special sunglasses that allows him to see the reality of society, that's when the fun starts and never lets up. The story is excellent and the script reflects well with some of the best one-liners .."I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum". The ending though is abrupt and makes little sense and the cast is more or less forgettable with the exception of Roddy Piper and Keith David who give great performances. They stage one of the longest, and best fight scene in movie history. Overall, an enjoyable 80's sci-fi flick that really gets you laughing. They Live is one of Carpenter's best films definitely a must see for everyone!

Strong philosophical and religious undertones
Made as the Reagan era came to a close, this film not only has strong political undertones, but religious and philosophical connotations as well. Carpenter emphasizes the B-film aspects of his movie - outrageous violence (and a well-known wrestler to play the main character), elaborate make-up effects, aliens, etc. as much as he can, so that the film's subversiveness is sufficiently hidden. Masquerading as a routine invasion story, it portrays a society whose members blindly accept all of the implicit materialist/capitalist messages thrown their way; the only resistance is offered by those who don't fit in that money-oriented mold - a blind preacher, the poor, some dissident intellectuals. Many religious and philosophical grids can be used to read this movie - Hinduism's doctrine of maya, Plato's cave, Gnosticism: an unlikely visionary (Piper) realizes that the 'real world' is in fact full of illusions; convincing others of his discovery proves to be difficult (witness the famously extended fight scene, at once hilarious and revealing), and a battle soon begins between two secret fraternities - one determined to maintain the illusions, the other eager to dispel them. This is one of Carpenter's best films.

The paranoid are always right!
Carpenter's classic 1988 film, THEY LIVE, can be seen as an(other) inspiration to Chris Carter's "The X Files" with its conspiracy of like-minded aliens and humans manipulating the masses of Earthlings. Roddy Piper, as an out-of-work working class hero, stumbles upon sunglasses which allow him to see the reality behind the facades, the messages beneath the billboards, the subliminal under the overt, and, more eerily, the strangely Dan Quayle looking creatures under the human masks. (Appropriate for 1988--after all, Quayle was vice president at the time.) Piper's efforts to alarm the general public and infiltrate this conspiracy make up most of the middle third of the film, and it ends, appropriately, with guns ablazing and things exploding.

Fortunately, this movie doesn't take itself too seriously, otherwise it might have been disastrous. (In mood and tone, THEY LIVE is first cousin to 1989's TREMORS.) A good dose of campy humor keeps THEY LIVE from becoming a diatribe on capital versus labor, rich versus poor, etc. Instead, THEY LIVE is a classic, sci-fi B movie whose heart is in the right place.

elite, parasitic sub-society exploits American workers
Elite, parasitic subsociety exploits American working class--reflects real American society?

This movie is not so much about aliens who are hiding among us, but instead it taps into the deeply submerged suspicions of most of us that we are being manipulated and taken advantage of by the elite of American society, by our leaders, by the rich, etc. Also, we sometimes feel that we are manipulated and programmed (in a subtle way) to respect hierarchical authority ( e.g., the "OBEY" subliminal command from the movie).

Some leftist thinkers might say that human societies are in a way being parasitized by the elite of their societies, and that the elite operate as a parasitic sub-society, living off of the lower classes. America might be said to be operated more in such a fashion (i.e., parasitized by the elite) than are the countries of western Europe. Obvious examples of this parasitic behavior are the "golden handshakes" and backscratching exchanged between corporate CEO's and the Boards of Directors of their companies. But it is far more pervasive than just that.

_They_Live_ uses the invisible alien elite as a proxy for our suspicions about how we are all being exploited by the elite of our real-life society, and how these elite are subtly programming us to accept this exploitation.

So, the major theme of the movie is not, as another poster correctly pointed out, about being manipulated to be good little consumers in a crassly commercial world. No, it is far more profound than that. Instead, it is more about how the working class Americans in _They Live_ are being exploited by the elite upper crust, who, in the movie, happen to be aliens. Also, this movie is not relevant ONLY to Reagan's time, or to Reaganomics, but it is more relavant today than it was when it was released.

Unfortunately, this movie only explores this exploitation theme in a somewhat superficial way, and the movie itself has an unintentionally comic air to it sometimes. Still, the exploration of that theme is so rare in pop culture, and that theme is so profound, and reaches so far into what American society is, was, and is becoming, that this movie is a Must-See for anyone with an interest in politics and sociology. ... Read more