Reviews

I'll go against the crowd and point out that this much-reviled movie actually was quite prescient in premise. It anticipated a lot of History... and a lot of Human Error.

Mayhap it was too 'out there' for audiences in 1984,...and mayhap it has become an easy target for arm chair critics to despise out-of-hand without due consideration....

But after Afghanistan and Iraq... After the highly-publicized and critical defense industry design errors such as the Osprey and basics such as protective armor in Hummvees and personal protective gear for troops on the ground.... After the loss of life due to a 'so-what-if-it-works-take-the -$$$-and- we'll-fix -it-later-if-we-have to' attitude prevalent in the defense manufacturing industry....

Can anyone really throw rocks at the plot line of 'Best Defense'...?

Sure, it could have been executed better... Sure, Dudley Moore was still under the character-success-type-casting curse of '10'; having to be a perpetually the befuddled Randy-But-Inept Nice Guy in his every movie role....

Sure Eddie Murphy was ...well...stuck being 'Eddie Murphy'... (but you really can't take that away from him, y'know !)

I still maintain that in the cold, hard light of 2014... 'Best Defense' makes A Lot Of Sense....(sadly, so..SO... sorry to say)

As a fan of "Babylon 5" I could go at this from several angles; as some others have done, I could express disappointment at not seeing more of the characters and situations that made B-5 so intriguing expounded upon in this new entry...

I could focus upon the pleasure at re-visiting this Universe in any form, no matter what limitations...

Then again, I could go another direction....

Well, certainly I would like to see more characters revisited, more stories told, and more of...EVERYTHING. But, all of that takes TIME. Hopefully, this new entry will succeed financially, and create that time for more stories to be told in the future (and about this future) in this format.

Bottom Line: I believe that the best standpoint is to NOT focus upon what is NOT there and appreciate what IS.... while hoping for what MAY BE.

Whenever I see anyone comment upon this little film, they immediately begin by blasting it because it cannot compare with the classic; "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid."

I personally do not see that this prequel film was trying to meet or exceed 'The Original' but rather, provide a fun addition and a playful homage to it.

Stars Tom Berenger and William Katt do a credible job as young, fumbling and bumbling outlaws trying to hit their style and stride without getting killed in the process. No, they are not Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but they are not playing Butch and Sundance as seasoned vets at THE END of their criminal careers, either. Watching this, I have no trouble accepting it as a humorous glimpse at the formative beginning and early misadventures of The Legends; Butch and Sundance.

Other aspects in this film's favor are grand location scenery and some top notch supporting cast members, including the ever-enjoyable Jeff Corey reprising his role from the classic as Sheriff Ray Bledsoe (try not to notice that Sheriff Bledsoe is mysteriously older in this "Early Days" film ....But then, aren't we all?)

No, it is not a perfect movie--but then, it can be argued that The Original has it's flaws as well. (Director George Roy Hill expressed his own regrets on a few aspects of his creation that he was never completely happy with)

Bottom Line: If you can accept NOTHING but Redford & Newman, then stay away from this movie, because they are not in it ...

If however, you can just relax and enjoy the ride, then this is a fun little film.

My advice: Give "Butch And Sundance, The Early Days" a shot-- If it don't thrill you, at least it won't kill you !

What is Nero Wolfe here....

1) Wolfe is a genius... 2) Wolfe prefers to stay at home... 3) Wolfe drinks Beer and tosses the caps in his desk drawer.... 4) Wolfe has an assistant named Archie Goodwin.

What is not Nero Wolfe here.....

1) Wolfe is a generally friendly, avuncular fellow who chuckles and smiles constantly. 2) Wolfe welcomes guests to his home, telling them to return "anytime". 3) Wolfe guzzles Beer...straight from the bottle! 4) Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin is a gravel-voiced moron with a Brooklyn accent, who only wants to get away from Wolfe to marry his stereotype dumb blonde Brooklyn accented "galfriend" and Honeymoon at Coney Island, (then become a furniture salesman!)

I could add the other assorted differences...The lack of Archie's narration ( a blessing given this Comic Relief version of "Archie")... Wolfe's 'cook' named Olaf...The stereotype Irish Detective named O'Grady...etc...

Bottom Line: If you are a fan of Nero Wolfe, you will strain to perceive him here. Stick with the A&E series or the books. If, as a collector, you feel you must see this ( as I did ) do not expect anything of consequence and you shall not be disappointed.

After watching this, it is easy to understand why Rex Stout did not care for Hollywood getting it's uncaring hands on his creations.

I both saw and (fortunately) recorded "CLIVE JAMES' FAME IN THE 20TH CENTURY" when it was originally broadcast...and I am SO GLAD that I did!

This is the single most informative and entertaining examination of the nature of FAME in our civilization that has ever been undertaken.

(Any doubt that this is an important topic can be readily dispelled by a cursory glance at the daily news.)

My only regret is that Clive James has not updated his visual thesis; and that the original has never been released on either VHS or DVD.

Given the attention that Ken Burn's "The Civil War" justly garnered, one would think that another insightful treatise on History and Human Nature would attract SOME attention.

Noted Author/Historian (and Film-maker) Max Allan Collins insightfully addresses the life and times of crime-fighter Eliot Ness in this absorbing filmed stage play.

The real Eliot Ness has sadly been overshadowed for decades by the erroneous depictions of TV series, movie portrayals and assorted misguided "experts"....In this excellent effort, Max Allan Collins comes as close as one can to allowing Ness Himself to relate his True Detective adventures. This considerable undertaking is carried out by proxy in the form of a talented actor passionately addressing the audience as Ness. Covered are the pertinent details of the life of Eliot Ness, from his beginnings to his untimely death. From Chicago to Cleveland... Capone, The Mad Butcher Of Kingsbury Run, Moonshiners, Labor Racketeers, and Numbers Runners...Ness went after them all. The Truth is here.

The one hour, forty minute film is much akin to Hal Holbrook's classic "Mark Twain Tonight" production, but is enlivened by a shifting background of settings and assorted props. A snappy, evocative music score adds to the experience. As the man who created the stylish "Nathan Heller" Detective series and "The Road To Perdition" (amongst other notable works); Max Allan Collins knows how to bring a true "Period" feel to life for his audience.

Whether one is already familiar with The Real Eliot Ness, or merely in search of THE TRUTH about The Man; this production is not to be missed.

Here's hoping that Max Allan Collins soon finds a proper venue for getting this gem out to The Public at large !

Robert Stack returns to his most famous role in this return of (the fictional) Eliot Ness.

Being a fan who has the entire early 60's TV series, I can state that Robert Stack does a good job of bringing back his no-nonsense crime-buster characterization. True, Stack appears a bit stiff, and he has of course, aged...But then the story takes place in 1947, so Ness himself has aged since his early 1930's Chicago days.

The plot involves Ness returning to Chicago for the funeral of an old friend and former "Untouchable" who has been shot dead and is now reputed to be corrupt. Ness objects and begins to investigate, uncovering a twisting trail filled with old foes and young mobsters who think that Ness is Over The Hill.

Of course, Ness proves to be far from a fossil and it's good to see Robert Stack with a Fedora and a Tommy Gun again.

I would recommend this for any fan of The Untouchables, if only as a good sentimental "final chapter" to the series' 118 episodes. The television Ness has a style that's extremely enjoyable, even though the REAL Eliot Ness was not the man that Stack portrayed (the real Ness has yet to see Justice done him in any form besides noted author/historian Max Allan Collins' excellent series of Eliot Ness Mysteries)...

"The Untouchables" series stands as the finest sustained example of Film Noir ever done, and "The Return Of Eliot Ness" is...His Last Case.

"McHale's Navy" manages to present THE PERFECT take on "War-Time Comedy", (eclipsed only by "M*A*S*H"). Some may point to "Hogan's Heroes" as being superior, but while I enjoyed that as a kid, nowadays I cannot get past "Hogan's Heroes"' simple-minded take on The Nazis and sugar-coated fantasy prison camp setting. The Nazis were NOT simple-minded, easily-fooled buffoons, and "Hogan's Heroes" is an insult to the ordeals endured by every Allied POW in WW2.

McHale's Navy" on the other hand,never insults the intelligence of The Viewer by taking too many broad liberties with history. The Japanese in Mchale's Navy are a serious enemy,(save for the harmless "Fuji" the escaped POW given shelter by McHale and Crew).

In "McHale's Navy", The REAL Enemy is..... THE BRASS!

That's where honest War-Time Comedy is meant to derive from,and where it is at it's best. When you spotlight the overly- officious asininity of The Higher Ranks, you get Genuine Comedy. It's a Truth that Ernie Pyle, Bill Mauldin, Floyd Gibbons and Richard Hooker understood; and that Truth is showcased no where better than in "McHale's Navy".

"Jake Speed" was NEVER meant to evoke "Indiana Jones" in any way shape or form. This film is both a satire and an homage to the great pulp-fiction adventures of the cheap paperback literature series....ala` "Doc Savage",and the more contemporary exponents such as "The Destroyer" and other similar adventure series. In that light, the movie succeeds admirably,and should not be dismissed by those who came looking for Harrison Ford and did not find him......