Hardly seems like an episode of The Rat Patrol, 14 July 2017
The Rat Patrol is asked to do something a bit different in The Do or Die Raid. Their mission is to get a trained safecracker in and out of a seaside village held by the Germans. The target is a safe in the village that contains a map showing Allied positions in the desert. Before the Germans have a chance to examine the map, the real map will be replaced by a forgery that will lead the Germans into a trap. Sounds simple enough – what could possibly go wrong?
No desert, no sun, no sand, no dune jumping, no Deitrich – The Do or Die Raid hardly seems like an episode of The Rat Patrol. There is also very little action. Instead, The Do or Die Raid is filled with tension. It's real edge-of-your-seat type stuff. There were a few moments when I thought for sure the guys would be discovered and have to fight/talk their way out of it. I'm kind of glad, however, that the writers didn't employ that overused plot device. The safecracker with a weak heart who Troy is forced to carry like a sack of flour provided more than enough predictability for one episode.
The safecracker in The Do or Die Raid was played by Warren Stevens. I didn't know the name, but I definitely recognized the face. With 169 credits listed on IMDb, including Forbidden Planet (1956), it's no surprise he looked so familiar.
6/10
Plenty of drama, 14 July 2017
After an encounter in the middle of the desert, Troy and Deitrich are left stranded. After a brief standoff, the pair is taken prisoner by slave traders, chained together, and made to march across the hot sand. After escaping their captors, still chained at the wrists, Troy and Deitrich must depend on each other if they are to survive the desert's heat. But, how long will their truce last?
The Chain of Death Raid is a very, very good episode. There's not a ton of action, but there is plenty of drama. I don't think that I've mentioned the quality of the acting in what I've written about the previous episodes, but Christopher George and Eric Braeden (or Hans Gudegast as he's credited here) are outstanding. You can see the respect and distrust in their eyes. Nice job. This is one episode that isn't served well by the 30 minute run-time. An hour would have given these two fine actors a better chance to fully flesh out their characters and the story. And that leads me to my biggest complaint with The Chain of Death Raid – an ending that felt horribly rushed. Their mission to destroy a Nazi held oasis is carried out in a matter of minutes. It's like The Rat Patrol had a quota of Germans that had to be killed in every episode even if that meant cramming all the deaths into a couple of minutes.
7/10
Why am I just now discovering Starman?, 13 July 2017
Why am I just now discovering Starman? And there are four of these movies? I can't believe I've never heard of this before. Attack from Space may be my introduction to Starman, but it won't the last time I pay him a visit.
In Attack from Space, the Earth is threatened by a race of aliens known as the Spherions. They show they mean business by blowing up one of the mountains in the Himalayas (odd choice, but whatever). A benevolent race of aliens from the Emerald planet send their superhero, Starman, to Earth to help defeat the Spherions. Starman discovers that one of the Earth's top scientists and his family have been abducted. Can he rescue the Earthlings and save the planet?
Rating and writing about a film like Attack from Space is difficult because, honestly, it's a train wreck of a film. Special effects, dubbing, lighting, acting, plot, logic, and just about anything else you can name is so bad it's impossible to put into words. It's bad, but it's also bizarrely fun. Things like the crazy looking council on the Emerald planet, the Nazi-esque aliens dressed like 1940s era US Navy officers, Starman's lumpy superhero suit, and, most of all, the ridiculous fight choreography – I can't describe what joy these things brought to me. Even though the fight scene between Starman and the Spherions overstayed its welcome by what seemed like hours, it's still the real highlight of the film. Starman has a style of fighting I've never seen before. He reminded me of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz trying to do Kung Fu. Hysterical. The use of silly looking guns, reversed camera shots, and the most obvious dummy I've ever seen only added to the fun. Seriously, this is truly one of those "so bad it's good" type movies. I'm looking forward to the others in the series.
5/10
Moffitt plays Indiana Jones, 13 July 2017
The Kill or Be Killed Raid is another good one. This episode has a definite Indiana Jones vibe to it, but about 20 years before Indiana Jones was a thing. The Nazis have discovered an ancient scroll that may lead to an unknown water source in the middle of the desert. Both sides would love to get the location. Moffitt goes undercover as a German archaeologist to gain the secrets of the scroll. If he's caught, however, Troy has instructions to find a way to kill him before he can be interrogated by the Germans.
The theme of this episode really appealed to me. The ancient scroll, with its ancient secrets, is a plot device I completely enjoyed. Also, in The Kill or Be Killed Raid we learn a lot more about the individual team members. We learn that Moffitt is one tough dude when push comes to shove; we learn that Troy was actually willing to kill Moffitt if it meant there was a chance it might shorten the war for everyone; and we learn that Hitchcock is not afraid of disobeying orders if he feels his comrades are in danger. It makes them all seem more real. Overall, a 7/10 from me.
I've said before that I'm not going to comment on the historical accuracy of Rat Patrol. And while that's generally true, I do want to make an exception here. What's with the color of yellow the Nazi vehicles are painted? The sunshine yellow is laughable. This can't be the right color, can it?
7/10
Fun (if you don't think about it too much), 11 July 2017
As The Wildest Raid of All opens, Troy and Hitchcock have been taken prisoner by the Nazis. They arrive at a German camp and are taken to meet a General. It's all a ruse, though, and before you can say Rat Patrol, the guys turn the table and take the General hostage. But for what purpose? Is he just a POW or do the guys have a more creative use for their prisoner?
Again, I'm not going to comment on the historical accuracy of equipment, uniforms, etc. I watch these episodes for entertainment purposes only – not a history lesson.
The Wildest Raid of All certainly gets off to a wild start. I was settling in to watch the episode when – BAM - there goes the General. It caught me off guard. As for the rest, it's not as exciting as the beginning, but it is entertaining nonetheless. I admit that you have to be capable of turning off your brain and ignoring a lot of illogical facets of the episode. You can't think too hard about things like why didn't the Germans just shoot the Americans and take the General. That would have been too easy. With that in mind, the Rat Patrol's plan for the General is incredibly exciting and makes for good TV. Overall, it's a solid episode.
7/10
I really enjoyed the last 30 minutes, 11 July 2017
The governmental powers that be are concerned that a man known as Hammerhead (Peter Vaughn) will try to steal NATO secrets at an upcoming meeting. They also know that Hammerhead is an avid collector of pornography. To learn more about his plans and to get close to him, Agent Charles Hood (Vince Edwards) poses as a dealer with a large collection for sale. Complicating matters for Hood, he's picked up something of a hanger-on in the form of swinging Sue Trenton (Judy Geeson).
Hammerhead is another of those movie that I really wanted to love. It's not that the whole movie is a complete waste, but it only comes close to fulfilling its promise in the final 30 minutes. The ending is really enjoyable, fast-paced, and exciting. The chase scenes through the crowded Lisbon (I'm assuming it was Lisbon) streets is nicely filmed. Had the whole thing been that entertaining, Hammerhead might have launched another spy series. Unfortunately, Hammerhead is a 90+ minute movie. You have to sit through 60 lifeless, boring minutes to get to the good stuff. There are a couple of problems I'll cite. First, the plot is unnecessarily muddy at the beginning of the film. I'm guessing the filmmakers wanted to save a surprise or two, but how about giving the viewer a clue as to what's going on? Second, Vince Edwards might have been a decent enough actor, but he's not my image of a secret agent. His Hood is just too dull to pull off the lead.
Despite the flaws, overall, I enjoyed Hammerhead. Other than the exciting third act I've already written about, there are a couple of performances worth mentioning. Vaughn makes a wonderful villain. Like all good baddies, he's ruthless when he has a henchman or two around, but turns coward when he's alone. I also got a kick out of the white glove idiosyncrasy. Nice touch. Unlike some other comments I've read on Hammerhead, I really enjoyed Judy Geeson's performance. Yeah, she's annoying at times, but she's meant to be. Her character gives the film a nice 60s vibe that always appeals to me.
6/10
"Very wise to know way out before going in.", 10 July 2017
Charlie Chan and family are invited to attend a circus performance by one of the owners, Joe Kinney. Kinney wants some help from Chan on some threatening letters he's been receiving. However, when Chan pays Kinney a visit in his trailer, he discovers Kinney's dead body. The killer appears to be a gorilla that briefly escaped from its cage. Chan, however, is not so sure and starts to investigate.
Despite what I'm about to write, I do not dislike Charlie Chan at the Circus. The 6/10 rating means that I consider it a better than average film – not great, but not horrible either. There are several issues I have with this one that that keep me from rating it higher. 1. As I've written before (most recently in a "review" of a Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries episode), I'm not a fan of the circus or movies/TV set in a circus. It doesn't work for me. 2. While I appreciate the use of real circus-type performers, Colonel Tim and Lady Tiny get old real quick. George and Olive Brasno might not be the best actors, but that's not my problem. It's the constant jokes about little people smoking cigars or cooking breakfast that I can't stomach. Once or twice might have been okay, but we see Colonel Tim with and/or offering up cigars in just about every scene he appears. Not funny. 3. BIG SPOILER – The way the film handles the fact that the killer is a man in a gorilla suit and not a real gorilla is ridiculous. The "gorilla" is shot dead, but no one but Chan notices it's not a real gorilla. These people are standing literally inches away from the dead body. Impossible. END BIG SPOILER 4. When watching a mystery, I really enjoy playing along with Chan or whoever the detective might be. But Charlie Chan at the Circus has so many clues that the viewer would have no way of knowing, there's no way you can figure out "who done it". It's cheating. Normally, I give Chan films a pass on this, but with everything else that bothered me, I thought I'd mention it. 5. Lee Chan's hijinks are especially annoying in parts of the film. Going undercover as a woman pushing a stroller with Colonel Tim posing as a baby (complete with cigar, naturally) is plain old stupid.
I realize that everything I've written is negative, but this is still Charlie Chan and I find the series highly entertaining. Despite the numerous issues I have with the movie, I've rated it a respectable 6/10. The movie doesn't work as well for me as some of the others in the series.
6/10
- A 001: operazione Giamaica
Hey, that's Dash Riprock!, 9 July 2017
My very brief plot synopsis: After Agent 009 is killed in Jamaica while looking into gun smuggling, Agent 001 Ken Stewart (Larry Pennell) is sent in to investigate.
I watched Our Man in Jamaica last night and, overall, quite enjoyed the experience. Not, it's not James Bond and it's not even one of the better Eurospy films I've seen, but it is fun enough that I got a decent amount of entertainment from it. A few things that make Our Man in Jamaica work: 1. Larry Pennell - He's got the personality and the physical attributes to believably play the lead in a spy film. Whether it's one of the many fight scenes or romancing a lady, Pennell looks the part. Teaming Pennell with Brad Harris, who would go on to make a bunch of these movies, was smart. 2. Location - The 1960s era Jamaica locations are stunning - from the beaches to the resorts to the downtown areas - it all looks very nice. I often wonder when I watch one of these movies what the locations look like today. 3. The reveal - I admit that the final reveal of the head baddie caught me off guard. It's well played. 4. Pacing - With a lot of what I'm going to call lesser Eurospy films, there's sometimes too much standing around talking because the budget wouldn't permit anything else. Our Man in Jamaica certainly has its budget limitations, but director Ernst Ritter von Theumer (as Richard Jackson) keeps things moving along quite nicely.
So, to sum it all up, Our Man in Jamaica isn't the best Eurospy you're likely to run across, nor is it the worst. Pennell makes a good lead, the Jamaican locations are often stunning, the plot has some interesting bits, and the movie is competently directed. A solid 6/10 from me.
6/10
