Young Hollywood returns from the dead in our pick of the week
Flatliners [4K UHD, Arrow Video]
What is it? Five medical students experiment with death.
Why watch it? Joel Schumacher’s filmography features more than a few descents into darkness, and while this one is often literal darkness – the lighting and production design are insanely stylized – it’s also an entertaining and star-studded one. Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt and Billy Baldwin play the students who tease death only to bring back guilty secrets from the other side. It’s a ridiculously isolated film as the majority of the film plays out as if there is no one else in town let alone at this school, but the style works and helps deliver some tension and emotional beats. Arrow’s new 4K UHD is a beauty.
[Extras: New 4K restoration, commentary, interviews]
The best
Catch the heat [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? A slice of 80s action you’ve never heard of.
Why watch it? Well, you may have heard of it, but Catch the heat is a new one for me and it’s crazy! An 80s action movie with an Asian-American female lead! And Tiana Alexandra, who trained under Bruce Lee as a teenager, also became the first Vietnamese woman to join SAG! And it’s written by In the heat of the night‘s Stirling Silliphant! That said, I’d be lying if I said it was great, so consider this a recommendation based more on the film’s cache and its delayed arrival on Blu-ray. It’s still a solid enough action picture, though, so let’s just agree that this recommendation is for 80s action fans only.
[Extras: None]
A power of one [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? A karate expert helps stop a cop killer.
Why watch it? The 80s would see Chuck Norris go into overdrive when it came to killing baddies, but for this late 70s thriller, he’s more content to kill just one. The movie is no less entertaining for that, though, as that villain has quite a body count of his own, and they’re mostly cops. Jennifer O’Neill co-stars (and gets top billing!) as one of the cops who hopes to learn a few tricks from the master in hopes of fighting crime and fending off the cutthroat killer. We get some solid, kick-ass fights, an evil villain, and even a Clu Gulager! Kino’s new champion also looks nice and bright.
[Extras: New 2K master, commentaries, featurette]
The Octagon [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? Terrorists using ninjas?! In this economy?
Why watch it? This 1980 action gem has always been a bit divisive for genre fans as its cool elements are balanced with some goofy cheese. Chuck Norris’ low whisper voiceover work is silly at times, and for many of these ninjas, the opposite of cool and highly skilled. Accept those things, though, and it’s an undeniably entertaining film that pits Norris against ninjas, terrorists and a menacing Richard Norton. The action builds to a full beat down in the title arena, and the addition of Lee Van Cleef and Art Hindle certainly doesn’t hurt.
[Extras: New 2K master, commentaries, featurette]
The rest
Good Guys Wear Black [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? Members of an elite military squad are murdered!
Why watch it? This 1978 feature made Chuck Norris a star, but as great as the title is, the film itself is something of a middling effort. Norris plays a commando looking for answers when his old team members end up dead. It seems the government has some unfinished business. Yes, this sounds like the basis of the latest Prime series The terminal list, but it’s a little less exciting. The fights are minimal and arguably a bit comical? There is also far too much downtime. Kino’s new disc looks great, though, and fans still want to pick it up.
[Extras: New 2K master, commentary, featurette, interview]
High Desert Kill [Scorpion Films]
What is it? Three friends go hunting in the desert and find an alien threat.
Why watch it? The premise here is enough to suggest a lower budgeted take-on Predator (1987), but the script isn’t really interested in such visceral action beats. Instead, we get a largely invisible alien messing with their minds. We still get some entertainment here, and Marc Singer is always fun in the genre, but the psychological angel can’t quite find the necessary tension to maintain momentum and interest. It also stars Chuck Connors and Anthony Geary.
[Extras: New 2K master, both 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 versions]
White elephant
What is it? Killers come calling to eliminate a police witness.
Why watch it? Director Jesse V. Johnson has delivered some fun action movies over the years – 2019’s one-two punch of Triple Threat and Revenge is a particular highlight – but his latest is a star-studded dud. Michael Rooker and Olga Kurylenko are the ostensible leads, while Bruce Willis and John Malkovich are minor supporting players. The action is pretty standard, but too much of the dialogue feels flat and sounds like it was delivered via ADR or by actors who weren’t in the same room or on the same day. It’s just an inert experience when it should excite.
[Extras: None]
Also out this week:
Apples, cow, last days in the desert [Shout Select]Darkness [4K UHD, Synapse Films]Waiting: The Van Duren Story