I watched this a lot as a kid in the 80s, always recording and rewatching when on TV. I loved it then, as an adult it's hard to remember why. The short story takes a while to develop, while acclimatising to kids who have no hardships, struggles or things to overcome. I can't imagine younguns now lasting more than a minute before reaching for their handheld games. The direction from Craven is pretty poor, the acting from peripherals pretty terrible, and the script corny and uninteresting. Maybe as a kid I just thought "Ski" was cool? The soundtrack is good though, at times it vibes of Beverley Hills Cop (for kids).
2 Reviews
Wes Craven Does Disney!
iwantsofia23 May 2008
After two theatrical bombs in a row, The Hills Have Eyes Part II (filmed in 1983, but released in 1985) and Deadly Friend (1986), Wes Craven took a break from horror to make this very short (46 minutes!) TV movie - for Disney!
The story has two kids (Noah Hathaway and Virginia Keehne) visiting their grandpa (Pat Hingle), a former cop turned Security Patrol man. Allie (Keehne) has read every mystery book ever written and sees a boy break into a house to steal food. She calls grandpa on a walkie talkie and the kids get in the car and they chase him. The house owners let the thief go. Turns out that they had good reason - they're counterfeiters! Eventually the thief joins the two kids and their grandpa in an effort to stop them.
The movie starts with the Hall & Oates classic "Private Eyes", and throughout the movie we hear music by Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Pointer Sisters. (What tells me this movie was filmed in the '80s?) All in all, a cute movie with a good cast. Craven previously worked with two members of the cast. Virginia Keehne played a child in an episode of The Twilight Zone titled "A Little Peace And Quiet" (1985). Nicholas Worth, one of the bad guys, was in Swamp Thing (1982). Virginia hasn't done anything since 1999. What happened to her? And why won't Disney release this movie on DVD? (Could the music rights have something to do with it?)
The story has two kids (Noah Hathaway and Virginia Keehne) visiting their grandpa (Pat Hingle), a former cop turned Security Patrol man. Allie (Keehne) has read every mystery book ever written and sees a boy break into a house to steal food. She calls grandpa on a walkie talkie and the kids get in the car and they chase him. The house owners let the thief go. Turns out that they had good reason - they're counterfeiters! Eventually the thief joins the two kids and their grandpa in an effort to stop them.
The movie starts with the Hall & Oates classic "Private Eyes", and throughout the movie we hear music by Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Pointer Sisters. (What tells me this movie was filmed in the '80s?) All in all, a cute movie with a good cast. Craven previously worked with two members of the cast. Virginia Keehne played a child in an episode of The Twilight Zone titled "A Little Peace And Quiet" (1985). Nicholas Worth, one of the bad guys, was in Swamp Thing (1982). Virginia hasn't done anything since 1999. What happened to her? And why won't Disney release this movie on DVD? (Could the music rights have something to do with it?)
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
