You won't be disappointed!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The cinematic swan song for the maverick filmmaker known as "Bloody Sam" Peckinpah, "The Osterman Weekend" is not among his best. Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, it's somewhat muddled, especially when it comes to motivation and methodology. Still, it's not without interest as a politically conscious, and fairly suspenseful, action-thriller. While some viewers may take exception to the late-in-the-game revelations in this story, this viewer found them rather amusing and appreciated just how well characters have manipulated each other throughout. A little too much time is indeed spent on weekend hijinks, but Peckinpah eventually introduces his trademark flourishes to the set pieces in the latter part of the film, making it rather exciting. An excellent cast does what it can with their roles.Rutger Hauer stars as John Tanner, an investigative TV host who tries to hold people in positions of authority accountable. He's approached by a rogue CIA agent, Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt) who attempts to convince him that his three friends - Bernard Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper), and Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) are traitors working with the KGB. Tanner doesn't want to believe it, but he agrees to have surveillance cameras set up in his house and on his property for one of the regular get-togethers between the friends and their wives. Eventually, Tanner finds out that things are not as they seem.Overall, the film is enjoyable if nothing great. The characters are reasonably engaging if never that compelling. Hauer is good in the lead, with strong support from Hurt, Nelson, Hopper, Sarandon, Meg Foster and her real-life son Christopher Starr as Tanners' family, Helen Shaver and Cassie Yates as Hoppers' and Sarandons' significant others, and the always solid Burt Lancaster in an authoritative turn as Maxwell Danforth, director of the C.I.A. Anne Haney, Jan Triska, and Tim Thomerson have small parts. Hurt delivers the most interesting performance in the whole thing.While this may be no "Wild Bunch" or "Straw Dogs", "The Osterman Weekend" is still worth a look for those wanting to see the final Peckinpah film.Seven out of 10.

*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*This is the last movie of famous movie director Sam Peckinpah ("The Wild bunch" , "Bonnie and Clyde" ) . Unfortunately , this one belongs to his weaker movies . Too bad , because it had some real potential . The movie is based on Robert Ludlum novel with the same title . From what I've heard the screenplay was heavily rewritten, so in the end the movie isn't exactly too loyal to the book. Nevertheless it's the screenplay which is the biggest problem of the movie. I've seen this movie two times and I wasn't able to find the answers for my questions. I think "The Osterman weekend" has some big plot holes that destroy the movie. If Hurt was only interested in Hauer then why all the trouble ? Wasn't it much easier for him to kidnap his family and blackmail him ? After all he only wanted the interview . The murder of Hurts wife also doesn't makes sense . They really wanted to convince Hurt that her death was natural ? That she died from heart attack ? There was blood bleeding from her nose and they left a huge trace of needle on her nose , for God's sake. The actions of Hurts henchman are also idiotic. Hurt needs Hauer alive , but they doing everything they can to kill him. But the most stupid thing is the ending . The movie BETRAYS THE TWIST TO THE AUDIENCE that Hauer isn't in the studio while the interview is on TV. And how did Hauer find out where Hurt is ? He did used some kind of heat sensor , but how did he knew that he should go to the port (or wherever Hurt was hiding ) ?Peckinpah was sick while he was making "TOW" and it shows . The pacing is rather bad . The movie never seems to catch any kind of rhythm . Also , the slow motion scenes that Peckinpah is known for ( for modern audiences probably less than John Woo) here are looking absolutely awful . Very cheesy , with no dynamic and beauty. Bad montage . The music by Lalo Schifrin is also strangely inadequate. There is some impressive cast here : Rutger Hauer ( "Blade runner") , John Hurt ("1984") , Burt Lancaster ("Birdman of Alcatraz") , Dennis Hopper ("Blue Velvet") and Craig T. Nelson ("Poltergeist") . None of them fails . They all give really solid performances , especially Hauer and Hurt . Hauer doesn't quite fit the role of a TV journalist , but in the end I didn't mind it. There is some violence and nudity here . It's also interesting that both Ludlum and Peckinpah are showing us some kind of reality show before the idea of reality show even appeared. This is also the most intriguing part of the movie , when Peckinpah was able to create some true psychological tension between the characters.Still , this one was a disappointment . Not a total failure , but definitely below the expectations. I give it 4/10.

The Osterman Weekend, a respectable, entertaining if not auspicious swan song of a great subversive director's career (then again neither was his death very auspicious), is from a Robert Ludlum novel. Being that it's from the 'Bourne' series writer, going in without much knowledge of how he exactly writes one can be sure of certain traits that the film adaptations will have. One of which, chiefly, are some twists, and then double-twists, and maybe one more twist for the road. It's fitting though since the story is pit in the arena of the CIA, KGB, shady dealing, backstabbing, revenge, and friendships and family on a slippery slope. For Peckinpah, it's more of a "job" than an actual artistic endeavor like an 'Alfredo Garcia.' And, in fact, his final cut was taken away and re-edited slightly by the producers.Whether or not it's a credit to Bloody Sam's talent and intuition that the film looks as good as it does with the producer's meddling is hard to figure. Certainly things need to be paid attention to closely for confusion not to run rampant, but for this kind of thriller it doesn't feel too compromised. This isn't to say this is any unique material for Peckinpah, with the story of a TV show host (Rutger Hauer) who is put under pressure by an operative (John Hurt) to turn in his old college friends (i.e. Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper) who come every year to his house for a weekend of frivolity, and then everything going to pot as the tables are turned. In fact, to be blunt, most any director with a capability for the spy-thriller genre could handle the material with good enough gloves to make it watchable.But for Peckinpah, luckily, there are some points where he can put his trademark touches on the material (i.e. car chase, final attack scene by the pool-side), and he's also got a pretty good ensemble to work with (aside from the others mentioned, Burt Lancaster appears in a few scenes and is terrific as usual in all of them). It's not very heavy material, and there's even some dated 80's music- odd since it's dependable Lalo Schifrin at the chords- put in a couple of scenes to badly staged sex scenes. But overall it's still good work from the director, usually on his toes with the material despite the reports of his alcohol abuse on the set. We're sucked into this character John's dilemma, and see the subtleness of Hurt's performance as an indicator that something isn't quite right throughout until the surprise comes along.It's slick film-making, with some touches of taut suspense thrown in, and a fairly tasteless bit involving a dog's severed head! Just don't go in expecting full blown magnificence (or the rock-em-sock-em style of the Bourne movies).

The last hurrah of legendary maverick director Sam Peckinpah was a cynically interesting, but unsatisfying accomplishment. Taken off Robert Ludlum's novel, and penned by Alan Sharp. This tight and calculated adaptation on the intrusiveness of media manipulation and surveillance for personal gain effectively exposes the dark corrupted underbelly, and the paranoia that follows it within the Cold War era. It's quite a topical subject. The complex script can feel convoluted, but the lean and nervous layout pulls you in. Appearances can deceive, and it becomes a real relationship tester between the characters on just who's behind the puppet work. The drama within these moments work well, and draw you in as the characters begin ask questions about each other, and their motives. Although the more I think, and concentrated on the plot details. The more I seemed to question the story's progression, and outcome. Sure it compels, but it leaves some niggles.Leading the way is a very solid showing by the ensemble cast of character actors. Rutger Hauer' superbly uneasy, but patriotically brave lead performance heads up the cast. John Hurt builds quite a good turn, in getting you suspicious about his CIA character. The three men that are under the microscope are brilliantly played by a twitchy Dennis Hopper, hasty Chris Sarandon and a spiritually calm Craig T. Nelson. Showing up in strong support are the ladies too. Meg Foster ably holds her own with a hard-nose turn. Her eyes are beautifully striking. Helen Shaver is lively seductive and lewd, as Hooper's cocaine addict wife and Cassie Yates is prominently good. Burt Lancaster's small, but controlled performance lends well too.Peckinpah's structured direction features a lot of his recognizable staples. Like his precisely polished set-pieces of slow-mo (no one else does it better) to the kinetic camera-work and the poetic-like violence. It's beautiful to watch, and quite suspenseful. However sometimes it just felt like an uneven balance between what the writer wanted, and Peckinpah visualised. Technically the film was competently executed, but seemed a little cold. Lalo Schifrin's fantastic music score is experimentally saucy, and eerie with some delicate acoustic touches.Intellectually too smart for its own good? Maybe, but this paranoia political thriller does keep one watching until the end.