chimoves Reviews

Riders of the Purple Sage (1996 TV Movie)

Solid Western action

[9/10 · 17 December 2003]

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this movie. The

costuming is excellent, the location is perfect. Ed Harris plays a

rough and tumble gun-slinger named Lassiter. He's a man with a

mission and he means to see the mission through to the bitter

end, no matter what the cost. In the process he does some great

riding, some fancy gun play, and gives a solid performance as a

man who gets the job done. The romantic action between Harris

and Amy Madigan is subtle and beautifully portrayed. Some of the

supporting cast are a bit one dimensional but the overall film is

smooth paced, well-done, and has a happy ending. If you are

looking for a good modern western film, this is it.

Gunfighter's Moon (1995)

A great exaggeration

[10/10 · 5 April 2003]

Well this is one of those Westerns that seems almost a spoof of Westerns and then surprises you with how much fun it is to watch... over and over again. Lance Henriksen is simply outstanding as the gunfighter Frank Morgan. He plays his role with a sense of restrained exaggeration. Note the way he mounts and dismounts... his conversation with the dog, his eye movements in the first shoot-out. The rest of the cast does a good job in providing Lance with numerous opportunities to sling out some good one-liners. Morgan ends up facing off with his ex-wife, a town sheriff, a puffed-up deputy, multiple bad guys and a long lost daughter. Yikes! This film had me smiling and laughing out loud all the way through. The exaggeration of characters alone is worth the price of the film.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

the best war movie since the Wild Geese

[16 May 2002]

Let's cut to the quick here. This is one terrific war flick. It has excellent development of the differences between Rangers and Delta Operators, lots of accurate portrayal of combat, more action than you would expect and enough humor and personal development that I felt I knew the men involved. As a former combat Marine with three tours in Viet Nam I was pleased to see a movie that showed American fighting men as FIGHTING MEN... not bigger than life... but living life and doing what they were trained to do. It's about time that movie shows Americans can "kick some ass" without being politically correct. Yes there are a couple of times when you have to laugh at the distance a delta operator throws a frag, but hey... it's a movie afterall. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who is part of the Academy... He loaned me the DVD and I have watched it at least 25 times, shown it to over 20 friends (mostly women) and they all were highly moved by the entire experience. Long live America and the men (and women) who protect the country.

We Were Soldiers (2002)

I've been waiting over 30 years for one

[23 March 2002]

Ever since 1970 when I finished my third tour of combat duty with the Marines in Viet Nam I have been waiting for a film that reflected the American Fighting Man in the Viet Nam war as an American Fighting Man; not a drugged-out, anti-war whiner. Well this is it. The movie is non-stop action after the first fifteen minutes of character development is finished. Having experienced what it is like to be over-run by the NVA during the third week of my first VN tour I can tell you that this movie does an excellent job of showing the excitement, tension, exhaustion, chaos, and courage of an extended battle. While this is by no means the best war movie I have ever seen, it is the first Viet Nam war movie which has provided me with a sense of satisfaction after leaving the theater. Mel Gibson turns in a good performance, Sam Elliot is a bit stiff. The wives of the soldiers are believable. Including a bit of the NVA's attitude about the war adds a balanced flavor to the film. Overall I would say that you will experience at least a small part the intensity of war if you go to this movie. I took my female companion and she was shocked, touched, and thrilled with it. As Americans, we need to remember that freedom is not, and never has been, free. It is always paid for with the blood of those who fight to get it, sustain it, or expand it. The politically correct may not like this film, but then who cares what they like. Thanks for making this film Mel. I've been waiting over 30 years to see it.

The Boondock Saints (1999)

Symbolism and The American Unconscious

[10/10 · 22 February 2000]

I was fortunate enough to stumble on this movie at my local video store. What an unexpected joy it was to watch this iconoclastic film. The humor, action, symbolism, and overall inter-connectedness of the film is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the numerous symbolic representations as well as the mythic hero's journey in modern day Boston. My friends and I were touched by the brotherly love, the direct action (retribution), and the interwoven expressions of authentic spiritual focus.

What American doesn't have at least an occasional desire to "take out the bad guys?" What person, with any intelligence, isn't sick & tired of the stifling oppression of "political correctness" that has flooded into every aspect of American life in the last 15 years. This film gives vent to many of those feelings, and puts "paid" to the account.

I think that this film will end up a cult classic. It is an modern epic, a revolution of iconoclastic blasts at the excepted and explained, the injustice and absurdity of current American society.

And... it is just plain good fun. Humor, action, good guys winning, bad guys wasted, the forces of light marching to glory against darkness. Luke Skywalker