SEARCH & DESTROY 1979
Perry King (Kip Moore), Don Stroud (Buddy Grant), Tisa Farrow (Kate Barchel), George Kennedy (Anthony Fusqua), Jong Soo Park (Assassin)
Directed by William Fruet
The Short Version: Modest revenge actioner has a great cast of genre stars and a halfway decent, if tired plot. It works most of the time, but seriously needs a stronger villain. 70's film buffs will no doubt want to see this. Paired on DVD with another movie, neither film can carry themselves alone, but work rather well as an old style double feature.
...That's just the way it was there. Nobody was thinking about right or wrong. Everybody was crazy, it was all confused! Take care of your team, that was the only rule, there weren't any other rules! They just put us down in the jungle and they set us free. We could do anything we wanted to do...anything we wanted and that's what we did! Nobody cared! Nobody asked questions...it wasn't search and destroy, it was much more the other way around...and you know what? I loved it!
Ten years after the war ended, a group of Vietnam vets are killed one by one by a revenge seeking former member left behind for betraying his group.
Exploitation ace, William Fruet keeps things moving along in this modest action movie possessing a flimsy plot, but a nicely written script. Having seen many of Fruet's movies, so many of them strive for greatness, but never attain it. The closest he came was with DEATH WEEKEND (1976). Still, his movies offer up a lot of entertainment value and he was lucky to nab good casts. And that's what keeps SEARCH & DESTROY interesting is its cast.
Perry King, a fine actor who never seemed to attain the kind of notoriety he deserved, does fine with the material, although there isn't much here to begin with for anyone to work from. In its defense, the script by Don Enright (SPASMS 1983;for Fruet again) touches on the after effects of being in Vietnam, but this is briefly touched upon while the action and search for the killer takes center stage. King gets a good moment to shine when he relates to his girlfriend about what it was like to have "lived" through the war in Vietnam.
Don Stroud threatens to take the movie away from King, but he isn't really in the movie long enough to do so, unfortunately. Jong Soo Park is the villain of the piece, but in my view, Stroud would have been much better as the heavy. Stroud made a career out of playing really nasty bad guys and he could have done wonders in this picture had he been cast as such. Still, he gives his brief role as the Karate chopping and kicking Buddy Grant an energetic verve that Jong Soo Park barely registers. Both Perry King and George Kennedy as the cop on the case hype up Jong's villain to high heaven as this major killing force, yet he's given little to convince the audience to be anything more than a disgruntled and unhinged man with a major chip on his shoulder.
Still, SEARCH & DESTROY is an action film and it does its job well in this low budget Canadian feature. Again, the cast is the big sell here. The movie is capped off nicely with a hunter and hunted style showdown that covers a lot of ground from the concrete jungle of a city street to the familiar grounds of a jungle like locale. There's also some flashback Vietnam action amidst the medium level violence on hand.
SEARCH & DESTROY is paired on DVD with the similarly plotted THE GLOVE also from 1979. Dark Sky Films did an amazing job in presenting both these minor league action opuses as a bonafide drive in double feature. This instantly became one of my favorite DVD's simply by virtue of its presentation. There's no option to select either movie, you simply hit play, sit back and enjoy great old theater and refreshment stand ads, trailers, then the first feature, more ads and trailers then topping it off with the co-feature.
While it's not a great movie, it's an average one that's definitely worth seeing. Those familiar with the directors other movies will have an idea what to expect here. If made today, it's the kind of movie that passes for direct to video fare. Picky viewers and those used to bigger action productions may want to pass this one over as there will be little to sustain their interest. Still, for exploitation junkies, SEARCH is worth seeking out. This Dark Sky DVD is highly recommended to nostalgia buffs who will no doubt appreciate this disc more than the casual viewer.
This review is representative of the Dark Sky double feature DVD paired with THE GLOVE (1979)
I decided to remove all the Shaw Brothers paraphernalia from the 'Assorted Bits & Pieces' column and put them in a column all their own. This new section is called SHAW BROTHERS CINEMA: RARE FILMS, UNFINISHED PRODUCTIONS & BEHIND THE SCENES. For this edition, there's a lot of cool stuff for fans of the famed studio. All pictures are from various Southern Screen magazines throughout the year of 1979.
***CLICK A PIC FOR A LARGER IMAGE***
First up are some photos behind the scenes as well as during the filming of respected director, Sun Chung's exciting Wuxia/kung fu film, TO KILL A MASTERMIND (1979).
The film was heavily promoted in Shaw Brothers movie periodicals throughout the year leading up to its release in November of 1979. Sun Chung, by this point, was a director of some repute having helmed such classy motion pictures as JUDGEMENT OF AN ASSASSIN (1977) and the award winning dramatic Wuxia thriller, AVENGING EAGLE (1978).
Cast photo when the film was known as SEVEN UNTOUCHABLES
A closer look at the cast photo
Sun Chung was taking a major gamble with this picture by casting predominantly unknown performers. Most of the main cast previously had minor roles as thugs and were now getting their time in the spotlight. Sadly, it would be very brief as TO KILL A MASTERMIND was a theatrical failure. A shame, really, as the film contains bristling action sequences and the stars have more than enough charisma to have made it as headliners. Shaw villain fave, Wang Lung Wei plays a major role in the movie.
A playfully sexy photo of fan favorite, Shi Szu (LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES).
1979 saw the premiere of several new talents. Hui Ying Hung had already done some film work for Chang Cheh and other directors, but her tenure with Liu Chia Liang allowed her to show off her kung fu skill in movies like MY YOUNG AUNTIE, THE MARTIAL CLUB (both 1980) and THE LADY IS THE BOSS (1983).
Also pictured are Hsiao Hou and Yang Tsing Tsing. Hsiao was a student of Liu Chia Liang and got a major push in the lead for the production of MAD MONKEY KUNG FU (1979). He never really caught on with audiences, but later found favor with Sammo Hung at Golden Harvest when Shaw's closed their movie making doors. Yang Tsing Tsing was a real martial artist and got to show off her flexibility and skills in such movies as THE TREASURE HUNTERS (1981) and HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD (1983).Now for some behind the scenes shots...
Mou Tun Fei (LOST SOULS, MEN BEHIND THE SUN) gives direction to Pai Piao and Shi Szu while shooting A DEADLY SECRET (1980), then known as THE PRECIOUS JADE.
Chen Kuan Tai and Wong Yu taking a break from filming CRIPPLED AVENGERS and DIRTY HO respectively.
Gordon Liu (left), Lo Lieh (middle) and Liu Chia Liang (right) were working together on CLAN OF THE WHITE LOTUS (1979). Lo Lieh was trying his hand at directing while master Liu (right) handled the choreography.
Alexander Fu Sheng was having some rough times with the month of September. On September 17th, 1978, he nearly killed himself in an accident on the set of THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD (1979). The following year also in September on the 19th, he broke his leg while filming HEROES SHED NO TEARS (1980). He's seen here in the hospital with his wife, singing sensation, Jenny Tseng by his side.And now for some unfinished business....
This was an unfinished production from director Johnny Lo Mar (MONKEY KUNG FU, FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS, BRUCE LEE & I) entitled THE MAGNIFICENT SPEARMAN. Reportedly, the lead star, Austin Wai was involved in a near career killing accident that successfully darkened his rising star. He did return to movies some time later and got another shot at a lead role in the film, GANGMASTER in 1982.
Above and below are some shots from an incomplete movie called SIGN OF THE EAGLE starring good friends, Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng. I would say it's safe to assume that Fu's injuries were a crippling factor in this film being shelved.
Both actors showcased a lot of onscreen charisma in both AVENGING EAGLE (1978) and THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD (1979), two classic Wuxia movies.
More cast photos....
Here's a shot of the actors that came to be known as the 'venoms'. Four of them are pictured at the bottom of this picture shown above, but the photo at top features them all. This was a publicity shot for the upcoming production of SHAOLIN RESCUERS (1979). From the picture, it appears this was taken either during, or at the end of shooting for CRIPPLED AVENGERS (1978). From left to right-- (top row) Pai Piao, Lo Mang, Chang Cheh, Sun Chien, Lu Feng. (Second row) Liu Kwong Shi and Chiang Sheng.
Sun Chien never quite got the respect he deserved in the films he did with his fellow venom cohorts. He did get to shine in CHINATOWN KID (1977) prior to being featured in Chang's seminal FIVE VENOMS (1978) and a number of other movies. He also had some supporting roles in films for other directors when his contract with Chang Cheh expired. He can be seen in other films such as CLAN FEUDS (1981), THE LADY IS THE BOSS (1983) and SECRET SERVICE OF THE IMPERIAL COURT (1984).
Above is a look at the theatrical poster for the fan favorite, THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1978). It was one of a few films to feature all six actors that appeared in FIVE VENOMS together.
UNTIL NEXT TIME....
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Exploitation ace, William Fruet keeps things moving along in this modest action movie possessing a flimsy plot, but a nicely written script. Having seen many of Fruet's movies, so many of them strive for greatness, but never attain it. The closest he came was with DEATH WEEKEND (1976). Still, his movies offer up a lot of entertainment value and he was lucky to nab good casts. And that's what keeps SEARCH & DESTROY interesting is its cast.
Don Stroud threatens to take the movie away from King, but he isn't really in the movie long enough to do so, unfortunately. Jong Soo Park is the villain of the piece, but in my view, Stroud would have been much better as the heavy. Stroud made a career out of playing really nasty bad guys and he could have done wonders in this picture had he been cast as such. Still, he gives his brief role as the Karate chopping and kicking Buddy Grant an energetic verve that Jong Soo Park barely registers. Both Perry King and George Kennedy as the cop on the case hype up Jong's villain to high heaven as this major killing force, yet he's given little to convince the audience to be anything more than a disgruntled and unhinged man with a major chip on his shoulder.
SEARCH & DESTROY is paired on DVD with the similarly plotted THE GLOVE also from 1979. Dark Sky Films did an amazing job in presenting both these minor league action opuses as a bonafide drive in double feature. This instantly became one of my favorite DVD's simply by virtue of its presentation. There's no option to select either movie, you simply hit play, sit back and enjoy great old theater and refreshment stand ads, trailers, then the first feature, more ads and trailers then topping it off with the co-feature.
While it's not a great movie, it's an average one that's definitely worth seeing. Those familiar with the directors other movies will have an idea what to expect here. If made today, it's the kind of movie that passes for direct to video fare. Picky viewers and those used to bigger action productions may want to pass this one over as there will be little to sustain their interest. Still, for exploitation junkies, SEARCH is worth seeking out. This Dark Sky DVD is highly recommended to nostalgia buffs who will no doubt appreciate this disc more than the casual viewer.
