WHEN TIME RAN OUT 1980 aka EARTH'S FINAL FURY
Paul Newman (Hank Anderson), William Holden (Shelby Gilmore), Jaqueline Bisset (Kay Kirby), James Franciscus (Bob Spangler), Edward Albert (Brian), Burgess Meredith (Rene Valdez), John Considine (Dr. John Webster), Ernest Borgnine (Det. Tom Conti), Red Buttons (Francis Fendly), Barbara Carrera (Iolani), Pat Morita (Sam)
Directed by James Goldstone
The Short Version: Hilariously hokey "natural disaster" flick, the last from bad movie king Irwin Allen. The enormity of the cast explodes with greater force than the imminent volcanic eruption. Jaqueline Bisset is the best special effect here while all the bad composite shots and sparkler fireballs fail to impress in this grand scale gaudiness of the highest order. If awful movies are your thing, then this TOWERING INFERNO of hilarity is must see entertainment.
Hank Anderson, an oil rig supervisor discovering an unusual amount of pressure coming from a newly tapped oil well learns that the cause is related to the islands volcano which is threatening to erupt. Delivering this news to the manager of the expansive resort hotel nearby falls on deaf ears. Proclaiming that everyone is safe from harm, a handful of skeptics decide to take their chances against the impending disaster in an effort to make it to the other side of the island.
The last of Irwin Allen's string of disasters was a disaster in the truest sense of the word. Bombing terribly at the box office to the tune of only 3.7 million, it disappeared from theaters rapidly and showed up in a longer version on TV under the title EARTH'S FINAL FURY (which is where I first saw it in the early 80s). Odd that this "big" movie was virtually unopposed in terms of action spectacles aside from MAD MAX (1979), the modestly budgeted Aussie action film. I guess everyone was going back to see COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980). The plethora of huge names should have been a major draw for the movie-going public, but it's best they avoided this natural disaster and waited to catch it at home. The small screen suits the picture as that's what it looks like--a television movie.
For a big studio production of allegedly twenty million in 1980, one wonders where in the hell the money went. It certainly wasn't to the special effects, the life blood of these kinds of movies. Still, the (mostly) cheap SPX shots add a layer of unintended goofiness made all the more obvious when compared with other big movies of the time. One scene that garners guffaws is when a handful of people are lifted out via helicopter from a tidal wave. As the chopper hovers over the engulfing lava, one of the guys clinging to the outside discovers to his horror that this magma has magnetic properties--when he falls, he is jerked SIDEWAYS to his doom.
As with his other efforts, Allen's last gasp features a wide array of major players put in harms way. The bulk of the budget most likely went into the pockets of the performers and to the expense of shooting on location in Hawaii. And like all disaster movies, a good deal of time is spent with soap opera antics involving the bloated cast before the explosions and screaming starts.
Which brings us to the so-called spectacle--there's relatively little of it...and genuine peril along with it. WHEN THE BUDGET RAN OUT manages a laughable scene early on where Newman, Franciscus and DR. DEATH himself, John Considine descend the volcano inside some sort of capsule (with a glass bottom of all things) to see the activity at the heart of the rocky powder keg. Not only that, but these scientific geniuses thought it was a good idea to build a science lab right at the opening of the volcano. The volcano sequence in 1965's CRACK IN THE WORLD is much better accomplished and elicits suspense as opposed to snickers.
At approximately 50 minutes in, after the various love affairs and promiscuity has been laid out, the not so special effects take over. Presumably from the shock wave of the erupting volcano, the Kraken is unleashed causing a massive tidal wave that wipes out a herd of extras and red shirts on loan from the original STAR TREK series. The "Insert Special Effects Scene Here" science lab gets blown up and tumbles into the erupting crater. The volcano then emits gigantic slow motion sparklers at the star studded resort setting Ernest Borgnine on fire resulting in him doing the remainder of the movie with his face covered in bandages saving him from having to use his hands to cover his shame. Seriously, this movie would have benefited had the writers written in a giant monster emerging from either the sea, or a flurry of them spewing forth from the volcano. At least the realm of believability wouldn't be strained by the atrocious process shots.
Once Newman, Bisset and Bisset's bouncing breasts have met back at the extravagant hotel, Brody proclaims the beaches are not safe, but mayor Franciscus fiercely refuses to close them. Stating that his massive construct is made with only the strongest of bedrock, Fred Franciscus manages to convince the cast of stock characters his hotel is the safest place to be while all the big names follow Paul Newman in an effort to make it to the other side of the island. It's here where the ludicrous meets the languid when our heroes make it to a studio bound bridge set with superimposed lava below them and a painted canvas behind them.
A good twenty minutes is spent here during this explosive finale that erupts like a flurry of firecrackers during a Chinese New Year celebration. This whole sequence could have been a thirty minute episode in an Irwin Allen disaster television series. I wouldn't doubt if the man entertained the thought of such a program--every week it would be a new disaster--onscreen and likely in the ratings, too.
Meanwhile, Burgess Meredith does his characters old tightrope act in order to get some kids across. This over long sequence is anything but a showstopper and one wonders why some form of help never arrived to lift the people out when the sleeping crater blew its top. There's no police or military presence, either. Most probably there were no other big Hollywood stars on vacation in Hawaii at the time and Jack Lord had ended his tenure with FIVE-O so Newman and his Own are pretty much screwed here. There's a bit of discussion about escaping by sea, but the churning waters are stated as making that impossible, yet when we get frequent views of the ocean, there's not a ripple in sight. There is one hilarious bit where a bunch of people with "dead" written on their forehead stampede the helicopter kicking and punching people away in an effort to escape. With none of the passengers that manage to take off not even knowing how to fly the whirly-bird, they end up crashing into the mountainside instead.
Reportedly, few, if any of the stars enjoyed making this movie and it shows. Both Newman and Holden look frustrated and that's probably more to do with ego than being in a big budget misfire. Only Franciscus seems to give a damn here finding time to mack on both Veronica Hamel and Barbara Carrera as well as wrangle his customers inside the bedrock hotel while the volcano festers nearby. Curiously, the script seems to be a disaster movie version of the tale of Sodom & Gomorrah (itself made into a grand international production in 1962)--the lavish hotel being the "city of sex and sin" rampant with infidelity and deceit and Paul Newman is Lot who tries to get the people out of the city before it is destroyed by god; in this case, it's nature's fury that destroys those who refused to find a safe haven.
TIME had run OUT for disaster movies and while they were the box office ticket during the 70s, sci fi had taken over the 1980s. Allen's production seemed hopelessly out of place here looking more like it was shot in the 70s then a picture at the dawn of the 80s. With his enormous Bee movie, THE SWARM, Allen had become Mr. B.I.G. with a bigger budget at his disposal, but getting the same results. No doubt this would make a great double bill with Allen's equally terrible BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1979). If you really want to see Irwin Allen at the "bottom" of his career, then you must seek out THE SWARM (1978), a magnitude 9.8 on the seismocraptagraph and an epically jaw dropping experience that only comes along every so often.
This review is representative of the Warner Brothers DVD
THE HUNTING PARTY 1971
Oliver Reed (Frank Calder), Gene Hackman (Brandt Ruger), Candice Bergen (Melissa Ruger), Mitchell Ryan (Doc Harrison), L.Q. Jones (Hog Warren)
Directed by Don Medford
The Short Version: One of the most unsettling, misogynistic westerns and least subtle action films ever made. While it tries to out WILD the BUNCH, it's also fairly tedious when blood isn't splattering across the screen or the twitching of corpses aren't in view. This depressing savagery lensed in Spain comes from the director of some of the best original TWILIGHT ZONE episodes. The plot is little more than a reworking of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, but with uninteresting or deplorable characters whose sole purpose is to kill, maim, rape, or be killed. Gorehounds will love it and while it's not technically a bad movie, it's far from a good one. Medford, or the scriptwriter were apparently smitten with Peckinpah as his trendsetting western is a glaring inspiration. However, STRAW DOGS (1971) controversial rape scene may have been inspired by a similar one seen here.
Desiring the need to read, outlaw Frank Calder kidnaps the wife of Brandt Ruger, a wealthy ranch owner and sexual sadist. The demented Brandt gets his rich friends together for a special type of hunt using a state of the art rifle with telescopic sight that can kill a man at 800 yards. This well to do, but inexperienced posse proceed to hunt down the stronger, tougher outlaws picking them off from a distance till Brandt and Calder meet in a final, dead end showdown.
One of a few hardcore/splatter westerns that came in the wake of THE WILD BUNCH (1969), this 'Out West Expoitation' has nothing of substance outside of gore, suffering and pain. Along with SOLDIER BLUE (1970), Don Medford's seedy and demented tale of vengeance are the most well known while others like CRY BLOOD APACHE (1970), FIVE SAVAGE MEN (1970) and to an extent, HANNIE CAULDER (1971) are negligible at best. Michael Winner's 'DEATH WISH among the cacti', CHATO'S LAND (1972) also falls into the wild gory west sub-genre, but only the R rated cut and not the PG version of the US DVD release. If it weren't for some Peckinpah-ian photographic flourishes, an oppressively merciless atmosphere and frequently over the top gore, THE HUNTING PARTY would scarcely be worth watching. The cast doesn't hurt, either, but then the script gives them very little to chew on amidst a crippled plot that's left to bake in the desert sun.
That Calder kidnaps Melissa (believing her to be a teacher) in the hopes of teaching him to read is fine and all, but we never find out why he wants to learn to read. There's a vague mention of the citizens of Macon County hiring Frank for something to do with money, but this is never elaborated on, nor discussed again. We also never learn Brandt's motivation for saving Calder for last when he has ample chances to take him out. Also, Brandt's penchant for sexual torture is never explained. The movie is full of gaping wounds and the only thing keeping it alive are all the myriad scenes of gruesome gun battles and twitching corpses. For this movie, the makers go the extra mile in presenting a dying man. On a few occasions, the camera lingers on the squirming death throes before a victim expires. One scene we see Brandt and his rich cronies observing one of Calder's men dying while they make the comparison to a wounded animal.
Virtually none of the cast are likable and Bergen's character, Melissa, is given next to nothing to do but be raped and beaten up at regular intervals. In the films first scene she's nearly raped by her impotent sadist of a husband (Hackman) who likes things rough to the extreme. Not long after, she's kidnapped by Frank's gang and threatened with rape once more. After being tormented further in what amounts to exposition here, Frank, himself, rapes Melissa--but she seems to like it and ends up falling in love with him post coital(!) after he explains he took her the way an Indian would have(!!) His is a gentler rape, you see (curiously, this rape scene may have been inspirational to Peckinpah for a similar one in his controversial STRAW DOGS released later in the year). Amazingly, Melissa is threatened with rape yet again in addition to being punched and kicked by one of Frank's men towards the end. The treatment she receives after this is a further travesty of justice, but then this was the 1970s and movies during this decade barely had time for anything other than somber and depressing moods, which isn't a detriment at all. Bergen was busy being abused in the early 70s after co-starring in the much better SOLDIER BLUE (1970).
The two big guns here, Gene Hackman and Oliver Reed do an incredible job of being unpleasant and disgusting working with material that only allows their actions to propel their characterizations. Hackman looks thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed from start to finish. His portrayal of Brandt is suitably sadistic, but judging by Hackman's body language, he looks like he'd rather be anywhere but in this movie. Over the course of the film, he tortures a naked Asian prostitute aboard a whore train, hunts down and systematically kills a group of men like they were deer and saves the most disturbing brand of Brandt's justice at the end. At the very start of the movie, Brandt rapes his wife while scenes of a cow (one of Ruger's cattle, actually) being stabbed in the throat and gutted by Frank and his gang are intercut. The movie clues you in on just what you're in for before it ever even gets started.
Reed, on the other hand, devours his role as the leader of the gang of cutthroats--and he's supposed to be the good guy of the picture! Even though his character is mere cardboard like the rest of the cast, he manages to turn a grit into gold with what he's got to work with. The scene with the peaches is the closest the movie comes to sympathizing with Calder and a scene where he's forced to shoot one of his friends borders on shakespearean levels of tragedy. Oliver Reed later appeared in a comedy western as an oversexed Indian in THE GREAT SCOUT & CATHOUSE THURSDAY opposite Lee Marvin and Kay Lenz.
While this is little more than an exploitation movie, there is an interesting, if likely unintentional left wing political parallel here with the wealthy ranchers and their high tech weaponry going after the uneducated and uncouth dirty outlaws. The script also explores dissension among the ranks of both Frank's gang and Brandt's hunting party. The level of misogynism is alarming to say the least and if this is the way women were REALLY treated back in the Old West, then it was a radically unsafe time and place to be a female. There's also one brief sequence that wounds the gloomy atmosphere in one of the absolute worst usages of blue screen you're likely to see in a Hollywood picture. You can even hear the hollowness in the actors voices recognizing the enclosed studio set they are actually in. You would expect this sort of thing in a 50s and early to mid 60s movie/television show, but here, it's sloppily rendered and gets a giggle when one wasn't intended. Still, this scene has one of the best dialog moments that further drives home just how despicable Brandt really is.
However, the opening credits sequence is really quite good as Frank and his gang ride through Ruger's town after specifically being told not to by the sheriff. They purposely ride past Ruger Bank which is flanked by the sheriff and a number of armed men. Italian western fans will have a field day spotting various locales and Riz Ortolani's score is magnificently melancholic capturing the atmosphere wonderfully. The slow motion shots of the massive blood squibs are spectacular and the sound effects of the awesome .54 caliber Sharps Borchardt telescopic rifles sound like explosions going off.
As said above, there's some things to like in THE HUNTING PARTY, but there's more that hinders this from being anything resembling a classic western. If the filmmakers intended to create a world of hopelessness, death and unpleasant, deranged people, than they surpassed their expectations but forgot to balance this with a compelling story and characters with a little more meat on their bones. The most memorable aspect is the spectacular gore, which the film revels in more than anything else. The weapons Brandt and his band use are a novel touch and add an air of suspense to the action scenes, but that's all this film has to offer--hate, an overabundance of misogyny, extreme gore and three stars who probably wished they'd skipped this PARTY.
This review is representative of the MGM DVD
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