Search and Destroy

Rating:
Summary: Looking for an off-beat comedy with a great cast?
Review: (For the record, this is a review of the region 4 DVD)
I picked this up in a bargain bin around 6 months ago, not quite knowing what to expect. Easily the best value for money DVD I have ever bought. Why? Becuase I've watched this film countless times and never seem to get tired of it. Without going into too much detail re: the plot of the film, it is essentially the story of a failed businessman (Martin Mirkheim, played by Griffin Dunne) who, inspired by the writings of a late-night tv self-help guru, Dr. Waxling (played by Dennis Hopper), decides to try his hand at making movies. This film boasts a very strong cast. Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken and John Turturro are particularly good. Griffin Dunne is generally quite good in this film, but does tend to overact in a number of scenes. There is a lot of very dry humor and sarcasm throughout this movie, which is the main reason I like it so much. Admittedly, the plot is a little disjointed at times, but it all seems to hang together very well in my eyes. Search and Destroy will definitely not be to everyone's liking. However, if you like subtlety in your humour, this is definitely the film for you.

Rating:
Summary: Scene
Review: Agree with Leonard. One of the best lines is where Chris Walken takes Hopper's "rule" that "The Past is Pointless" to it's logical extreme. When confronted with the fact that he JUST killed a state trooper in broad daylight, he responds "That's in the past." Hilarious in all the ways that brutality mixed with irony were hilarious in Pulp Fiction and in other Hopper/Walken flicks. I hope they re-release it on VHS or else I have to spring for DVD player.

Rating:
Summary: Scene
Review: Agree with Leonard. One of the best lines is where Chris Walken takes Hopper's "rule" that "The Past is Pointless" to it's logical extreme. When confronted with the fact that he JUST killed a state trooper in broad daylight, he responds "That's in the past." Hilarious in all the ways that brutality mixed with irony were hilarious in Pulp Fiction and in other Hopper/Walken flicks. I hope they re-release it on VHS or else I have to spring for DVD player.

Rating:
Summary: Overbite Central!
Review: Arquette, Douglas and Turturro cast together make this movie Overbite Central! Dunne reprises his King of Comedy role, Walken his Deer Stalker, you know, that STARE just before he shoots himself that has made his career. Scorcese plays a good brief part, really the best acting of the film, which is otherwise second rate fare. (4/7)

Rating:
Summary: F#%$ Leonard Maltin
Review: This is a profoundly strange movie that comes to a beautifully futile conclusion. Dennis Hopper plays the strangest self help guru ever portrayed on film with conviction and dead-pan accuracy. No, it isn't the best script ever written - but this is a movie that will make you laugh and shudder. This is angry art, reasonably well executed, with some truly excellent performances.

Rating:
Summary: Christopher Walken is unbreakable
Review: This movie reminds me of "Unbreakable". The trainwreck of a script kills everyone aboard, but Christopher Walken emerges without a scratch. Walken has a strange gift for navigating the most horrible scripts and emerging with increased stature, like a soldier who survived Normandy. But this is by no means a script devoid of merit. It is a good idea, and the satire is at times effective. But it is impossible to believe that a succesful businessman (Walken) would act so erraticly, even if he is severely disturbed. But when Walken assumes the spotlight, I forget about that and just watch his spellbinding performance. The other actors are enjoyable, but they can't pull off being quirky just for the sake of quirkiness. With all the talent in this film, a less bipolar script could have done wonders. But only Walken survives, but unlike Bruce Willis in "Unbreakable", no one wonders why.

Rating:
Summary: Christopher Walken is unbreakable
Review: This movie reminds me of "Unbreakable". The trainwreck of a script kills everyone aboard, but Christopher Walken emerges without a scratch. Walken has a strange gift for navigating the most horrible scripts and emerging with increased stature, like a soldier who survived Normandy. But this is by no means a script devoid of merit. It is a good idea, and the satire is at times effective. But it is impossible to believe that a succesful businessman (Walken) would act so erraticly, even if he is severely disturbed. But when Walken assumes the spotlight, I forget about that and just watch his spellbinding performance. The other actors are enjoyable, but they can't pull off being quirky just for the sake of quirkiness. With all the talent in this film, a less bipolar script could have done wonders. But only Walken survives, but unlike Bruce Willis in "Unbreakable", no one wonders why.

Rating:
Summary: Highlights the importance of good script and direction
Review: This should have been a film I loved. Dennis Hopper, Griffin Dunne, and Christopher Walken are all cast in roles perfect for them, set premise is a nice one--failed dreamer gets caught up in self-help nonsense and gets into deeper and deeper trouble, eventually ending up in serious danger--but the film starts out wobbly focus- and drive-wise and falls apart completely when it should be building steam.

Its roots as a stage play are very evident in almost every scene, but I hope the play was a little more coherent. Otherwise, I can't comprehend why anyone would option, let alone produce it, as a movie.

The sad part is... every actor in the film gives a GREAT performance. As far as that goes, the film is fabulous, so kudos to the director. Unfortnately, the framework within they are giving their performances just isn't enough to support them. Shame on the writer.