HOME |  CULT MOVIES | COMPETITIONS | ADVERTISE |  CONTACT US |  ABOUT US
 
 
 
Newest Reviews
American Fiction
Poor Things
Thunderclap
Zeiram
Legend of the Bat
Party Line
Night Fright
Pacha, Le
Kimi
Assemble Insert
Venus Tear Diamond, The
Promare
Beauty's Evil Roses, The
Free Guy
Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventure
Rejuvenator, The
Who Fears the Devil?
Guignolo, Le
Batman, The
Land of Many Perfumes
Cat vs. Rat
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
Naked Violence
Joyeuses Pacques
Strangeness, The
How I Became a Superhero
Golden Nun
Incident at Phantom Hill
Winterhawk
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Maigret Sets a Trap
B.N.A.
Hell's Wind Staff, The
Topo Gigio and the Missile War
Battant, Le
Penguin Highway
Cazadore de Demonios
Snatchers
Imperial Swordsman
Foxtrap
   
 
Newest Articles
3 From Arrow Player: Sweet Sugar, Girls Nite Out and Manhattan Baby
Little Cat Feat: Stephen King's Cat's Eye on 4K UHD
La Violence: Dobermann at 25
Serious Comedy: The Wrong Arm of the Law on Blu-ray
DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery and More on Blu-ray
Monster Fun: Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror on Blu-ray
State of the 70s: Play for Today Volume 3 on Blu-ray
The Movie Damned: Cursed Films II on Shudder
The Dead of Night: In Cold Blood on Blu-ray
Suave and Sophisticated: The Persuaders! Take 50 on Blu-ray
Your Rules are Really Beginning to Annoy Me: Escape from L.A. on 4K UHD
A Woman's Viewfinder: The Camera is Ours on DVD
Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on Arrow
A Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray
You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray
Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI
The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray
Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray
Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray
Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray
What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow
Keeping the Beatles Alive: Get Back
   
 
  Fight for Your Life Pride And Prejudice
Year: 1977
Director: Robert A. Endelson
Stars: William Sanderson, Robert Judd, Catherine Peppers, Lela Small, Yvonne Ross, Reggie Rock Blythewood, Ramon Saunders, Daniel Faraldo, Peter Yoshida, Bonnie Martin, David Cargill, Richard A. Rubin, David Dewlow, Nick Hardin, Robert Whelan, Lenny Chance
Genre: Thriller, TrashBuy from Amazon
Rating:  5 (from 1 vote)
Review: Three convicts are being transported through New York City, but the police van carrying them crashes; when one of the guards ventures around the back to check on them, he opens the doors only to be struck on the head by their leader, Jessie Lee Kane (William Sanderson) who knocks him insensible and steals his gun. Shooting the handcuffs apart with it, the three bad guys indulge in a brief gun battle with the driver, then carjack another vehicle, heading off for the Canadian border - but will they reach it?

As this trio are waylaid on the road to the border, it seems unlikely, but that was not what most of those who caught this tawdry little film were pondering, as what was really pushed into your face was the outright racism of the Kane character. Legend has it that in the few cinemas it was shown, there were a number of riots started, or at least a lot of loud complaining directed at the screen, such was the vileness of Kane's dialogue which sounded as if the filmmakers had drawn up a list of every racial slur they could conceive of and included it in their script.

Not that he simply sits there on the journey North and spouts these insults for his own amusement, he does meet a black family presently, thanks to holding up a liquor store, shooting the owner, and taking a young woman hostage, demanding that she shows them the way to her isolated home in the woods where she lives with her folks, including preacher Ted Turner (Robert Judd). This is not the sort of movie the real Ted Turner would show on his channels, it's safe to say, and indeed it would be hard to justify reviving anywhere much, especially as director Robert A. Endelson presented a dilemma with some shady aims.

True, he did include a couple of scenes showing members of the Turner family in racial harmony with a couple of whites, the daughter's best friend and their deceased son's ex-fiancée for one, and the youngest son's best friend who we see becoming "blood brothers" with. But the relish in the scenes where Kane terrorises the Turners is suspiciously full-blooded, as if instead of the usual sex or violence utilised in grindhouse flicks to pull in the punters Endelson had opted for race hate as his unique selling point. Not that Fight for Your Life was intended to start any violence in real life, but it did have you wondering what the appeal was supposed to be, a few (unintentionally?) comical asides from the indignant grandma apart the satisfaction gained would surely be a Pyrrhic victory.

Sanderson, at the beginning of his career and evidently unafraid to take roles which showed him as the worst kind of hick imaginable, was to his credit fully committed to his performance, not making this any more palatable, but at least he recognised that was far from the intention anyway, or not his intention at any rate. With his two criminal accomplices, Kane humiliates his hostages as the police uselessly try to track him outside, with every ray of hope extinguished, forcing the denouement to be as violent as possible. The Turners may grumble, but they put up with this until the breaking point is reached, Ted being a man of peace which he believes will help him through this ordeal when it makes things worse because Kane thinks he can walk all over them. As the day explodes in rape, murder and eventual revenge, a film that is often described as a cross between The Desperate Hours and Last House on the Left fizzles out much as you'd expect, not helping that Kane's punishment looked too much like the easy way out. Music by Jeff Slevin.
Reviewer: Graeme Clark

 

This review has been viewed 4591 time(s).

As a member you could Rate this film

 
Review Comments (2)


Untitled 1

Login
  Username:
 
  Password:
 
   
 
Forgotten your details? Enter email address in Username box and click Reminder. Your details will be emailed to you.
   

Latest Poll
Which star probably has psychic powers?
Laurence Fishburne
Nicolas Cage
Anya Taylor-Joy
Patrick Stewart
Sissy Spacek
Michelle Yeoh
Aubrey Plaza
Tom Cruise
Beatrice Dalle
Michael Ironside
   
 
   

Recent Visitors
Mary Sibley
Enoch Sneed
Darren Jones
Mark Le Surf-hall
  Louise Hackett
Andrew Pragasam
Graeme Clark
  Desbris M
   

 

Last Updated: