Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
View MoreA great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
View MoreStrong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
View MoreThis movie is one of the most entertaining I've ever seen. The plot, as can be determined by the other reviews, takes numerous twists and turns, and is enjoyable. What makes this movie so amazing though, are the performances turned out by two of the actors, Michael Kirner as the heroic "Rex Maynard", and Lorenz Schultz who is the mysterious character only known as "Murrays Agent". Mr. Kirner is by far the greatest "everyman" hero in movie history. His way of approaching and coping with every obstacle thrown at him in this movie make all other action heroes seem like absurd bad comic book figures in comparison. You cannot help but be swept inside Rex's head and experience his ordeal firsthand...a truly remarkable performance.Lorenz Schultz plays the menacing, brooding bearded figure "Murrays Agent", who is a chilling shadow that stalks Rex at airports and speedways, and delivers mysterious phone messages to Rex's lovely wife, Linda. Not a major character but one played so effectively that he will remain locked in your head for weeks after seeing this. I admit I even kept thinking he was somehow out there, watching me too.... scary! The rest of the cast also shines, a testimony to director Fred Wilson, but also to the writer, Mr. Ralph Anders (why his work is not standard material in college lit. courses is beyond me). This movie is not easy to find, but is well worth the hunt for lovers of cinema.
View MoreEverything negative any reviewer said about this film is absolutely true. Still, I think it has great entertainment value. First of all there is the lovely Sylvia Koscina as femme fatale which is really pure Matt Helm/The Mna from Uncle terriroty. Then there are nice car chases, some really funny scenes, Stephen Boyd as scheming mastermind etc. The hero, Rex Maynard, is a slightly overweight young singer eloping with his producer's daughter. Given his physique, the fight scenes in which he knocks out at least three mobsters are a laugh. To be honest, I didn't really get what the story was about due to the fact that it was somewhat convoluted and the quality of the soundtrack was awful. The film is set in Africa, yet there is a surprisingly large number of Italian cars on the streets. And I do wonder why someone would fly Allitalia from LA to South Africa.
View MoreAfter completing 13 Television Spectaculars, Rex Maynard, a Sinatra like singer, goes on vacation. He also decides to elope with his producer's daughter to Africa! Stephen Boyd, the producer, stages a fake kidnapping to scare Rex off from his daughter and make publicity for his television spectaculars. All is under control until Rex Maynard, who was also a former stuntman, escapes, using his Stuntman Skills. But the coast of South Africa isn't clear yet! REAL kidnappers decide to grab Rex and it gets out of control! Then we find out who Rex can trust and can't trust. Even his wife is involved some how. But can the Manipulator manipulate the situation to save the day? Who doesn't want to be Rex Maynard? Michael Kirner gives a very realistic performance as a man who's been kidnapped many times in one day. Stephen Boyd is great as The Manipulator. I'm only sorry to see this series did not take off. It would be great to see him put his Stuntman/singer through more adventure. There are lots of side stories going on to keep the characters fresh and add depth to the story.Beautiful locations in South Africa. Great music with, "Man, You Need A Hand" and other songs. The soundtrack would be a great addition to any collection. Very rarely does a movie have an impact on my life, but this one did.This is a very hard film to find and I'm lucky a friend taped in by accident. This was made back to back with 'The Big Game', but they are not related, just the same film crew. If you get a chance, check this film out! The real title of this film is 'The Manipulator'. The Mickey Rooney film came out at the same time and they were forced to change the title.
View MoreThe guy who was a star in "Ben Hur" finds himself in this awful spy drama. I realize that much of it is dubbed from the Italian, but the dialogue is laughable, the characters are wooden and stupid. There is a bunch of judo and karate that looks silly. I'm sure that this emerged out of the James Bond era, but this has nothing to recommend it. The bad guys want money, and somehow they don't have to do much other than ask for it. Then there's the insipid byplay between the newlyweds. Thank God they married each other so they wouldn't bore anyone else to death. This film was part of a collection. Sometimes, it seems, the compilers of these sets must get really desperate. Anyway, the resolution is unsatisfying. There is no real direction, just random action. Watch an old sixties/seventies spy show and you will have a much better time.
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