It's double feature time and this one makes us wonder why. Two movies for the price of one are always a cool proposition. They are usually paired for fit and fun, but in this case I think they got it wrong.
Our first film find is Roger Corman's 1973 exploration rip off 'I Escaped from Devil's Island'. It stars football legend Jim Brown and television and film star Christopher George. They play Le Bras and Davert, two prisoners attempting freedom from the terrible injustice that French Guiana's Devil's Island holds for them. Seeming to try and ride the coattails of another 1973 prison escape film, 'Papillon', this sweaty bit of cheese just can't hold a candle to that Dustin Hoffman/Steve McQueen epic prison piece. It is however a fantastic fun ride. Our frantic escapees have to fight off corrupt prison guards, shark infested waters, a helpful but obviously problematic Leper colony, not to mention primitive native tribesmen and there hopped up women. From its highly borrowed soundtrack to Mr. Brown's sexy naked ass we are in grade Z movie bliss and laugh filled you have got to kidding awe. A nice piece of exploitation indeed.
Our second film not so much. 'The Final Option' is no option at all. This should never have been made British trash is low end television clap trap. It stars Lewis Collins as a former British Military Capt. Peter Skellen. He goes undercover to infiltrate a antinuclear terrorist group lead by Frankie Leith (Judy Davis). Claiming to be inspired by the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980 and sporting a cast of blink and you'll miss them stars such as Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward, this movie is just plain deadly dull. It is not exploitation but movie of the week instead.
This disjointed package offers no extras and is offered in 1080p High-Definition Widescreen image and DTS-HD Master Audio. The picture and sound is fine if nothing special. Shout Factory is wonderful with their product as a whole and this is no exception. The problem can by found in the pairing of the drive-in picture show. One is passion pit pleasure the other should have left the kids at home aggravation.
No comments:
Post a Comment