The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 12, 1982, Page Page 6, Image 7
Film
Soc;
BY DOUG BELL
Film Critic
As a rule, Hollywood has
good luck in addressing
topical social issues. From
The Grapes of Wrath to
Norma Rae, The Lost
Weekend to One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest,
Hollywood has applied a
striking touch of intelligence
and earnestness to some
serious problems.
Wli non f if/i To T# A
F? i?vov AO AV r-h i ly wuy
is no exception. From Brian
Clark's highly acclaimed
stage play, Whose Life
examines the mental and
moral turmoil of a hospital
patient whose life is
sustained by artificial
means. Richard Drey fuss
plays Ken Harrison, a young
CPiilntAr tulin
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paralyzed from his neck
clown after injuries received
in a car accident.
Like most of the
characters Dreyfuss has
played, his Ken Harrison is a
bright, witty, free spirit with
a flair for sarcasm. Even
under the strain of his extreme
affliction, he jokes
playfully with the nurses and
orderlies. He is less flirtatious,
however, with John
uassavetes, the hard-nosed
head surgeon who is committed
to a "life-at-any cost"
credo.
The atmosphere becomes
less jovial after Dreyfuss
learns that his condition is
terminal. He requests to be
released from the hospital
and allowed to die without
medical intervention. He
tells his girlfriend to forget
him and hires a lawyer to
prepare a case.
Dreyfuss' predicament
differs from the usual "right
to die with dignity" cases in
that his mental faculties are
perfectly alert. Because his
ability to sculpt? i.e., his
self-expression, i.e., his
self ? has been destroyed, he
believes his existence to be
useless.
That is the reason his
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young sculptor who be
'Whose Life Is It Anywa
girlfriend drops him so !
quickly at his suggestion;
she is committed to the same
artistically-based morality
that governs his decision.
That she could forget him so
quickly and painlessly is a
comment not only on her
personality but on the
quality of their reasoning as
well.
Naturally, Cassavetes
fights him all the way,
maintaining a "you'll thank
me later" attitude. Dreyfuss
draws courage and support
from a pretty physician
(Christine Lahti), and his
ises
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lys Ken Harrison, a
comes paralyzed in
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hip Jamaican orderly
(Thomas Carter) helps to
keep his sense of humor in
tune.
Directed by John Badham,
the movie's position on the
subject is as ambiguous as
the issue itself. Though
Dreyfuss wins his case, he
seems doubtful about his
hard-won fate. Despite its I
dark subject, Whose Life Is
It Anyway? is an enjoyable
movie; it has a fine sense of
humor. And thanks to its
good performances and
thoughtful script, it is a
rewarding film as well.
Burt Re
BY DOUG BELL
Film Critic
You've got to hand it to
Burt Reynolds? he's
prolific. Three movies in a
half-year is nothing to sneer
at. True Cannonball Run was
a dreary, stupid highway
revue, and Paternity a weak
but generally amiable little
comedy. But Sharky's
Machine, which Burt
directed himself, is a surprisingly
good, occasionally
thrilling police drama.
Burt is Sharky, a tough
Atlanta detective who, in the
opeing scenes of the film, is i
demoted from the Homicide <
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like moving from Park I
Avenue to the Bowery). In Vice,
he organizes an ef
ficient organization with the <
help of his cocky colleagues, ?
Brian Keith, Charles Dur- s
ning and Bernie Casey.
4 Venom'
Venom is a highly
forgettable little horror
item, with a good cast gone
to wate. The predictable
story line has a deadly black
mamba being purchased
mistakenly by a little boy
about to be kidnapped by
international villain Klaus
Kinski (a good actor and one
of the most chilling film
personalities since Boris I
Karloff).
J ci
1 Cinematic Arts is
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j.j murder, intrigue and a
I Eichorn and John Heard ,
? Sunday 1\
turns T<
Most of the movie is soent
uncovering a mammoth case
involving drugs, politics,
prostitution and murder. A
corrupt Italian millionaire
(Vittorio Gassman) has his
finger in every putrid pie: he
has his hand-picked
politician (Earl Holliman)
run for the governorship; he
maintains a harem of
gorgeous minors, grooming
them to become call-girls;
he sends his cocaine sniffing
brother to settle all his
disputes with a sawed-off
shotgun.
If you think this plot is
simply a glorified Hawaii 5-0
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story is hopelessly overblown.
But it doesn't matter.
Action is Burt's forte, and
Sharky's Machine has
enough of it to divert your
attention from the insufficiencies
of the plot.
When the action does
Wastes A Go<
Almost all of the action
takes place in and around a
London residence. The
police, under the leadership
of an unusually dull Nicol
Williamson, prove inef
ictuvc in rescuing me Kio (a
comment on present British
capability?). The mamba
solves the case all by his
slithering self, killing off the
bad guys (Oliver Reed,
Susan George, Kinski) while
utter's Wc
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as Alex Cutter, the film's w
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wane, uie muvie s iauits are
readily exposed. Reynolds
seems to take his silly story
too seriously; he tries too
hard to make a "wellrounded"
movie. The
comedy and the love interest f
fare poorly under his ^
direction.
The supposedly tender
love scene with Dominoe
(Rachel Ward), the girl he is
protecting by way of hidden
surveillance (Rear Window
style), is laughably bad.
And the more comic
moments, supplied mainly
by Keith and Durning, have
a forced fake ring to them.
Don't get me wrong. ^
Sharky's Machine is a good
police actioner, and
Reynolds does an admirable
job of directing. At the very
least, it's a refreshing
change from the redneck
smash-'em-ups, which were
becoming monotonous.
ad Cast
ignoring the kid and his
blustery grandfather
(Sterling Hayden).
Of course, any move with a
snake as one of its characters
is going to have plenty of
shock value. But I can't
imagine one with less excitement
than this Anv
Johnny Quest episode is
more inventive.
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cial "sleeper" film,
gripping story about | i
lg Jeff Bridges, Lisa |
ar-torn anti-hero. ! |
and $1.50 ^