Electra Glide in Blue (1973) Director: James William Guercio PG, 114 minutes
Robert Blake (who went on to become Baretta in the long-running TV series) plays a pint-size Arizona motorcycle cop who sees his dreams come true with a promotion to the homicide division in the surrealistic thriller Electra Glide in Blue. Directed by James William Guercio, the 1973 drama, a counterpoint to Easy Rider (with hints of Dirty Harry and Vanishing Point), is a study in what happens to an honest detective whose career is thwarted by his inability to accept bribes, abuse alleged criminals and set up innocent members of the peace-and-love generation for personal gain. With Mitchell Ryan, Elisha Cook Jr., Royal Dano and Jeannine Riley.
The DVD includes the original theatrical trailer along with an introduction and audio commentary by Guercio, who was a producer for the band Chicago. This was his only film.
“Like other underrated gems from the same era such as Law and Disorder and The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Electra Glide in Blue is the kind of honest character study with scenes of gritty action that has, sadly, all but disappeared from movie screens,” says critic Chuck O’Leary on the website fulvuedrive-in.com. “It stands as a fine example that epitomizes a glorious but all too brief time of film making after the limitations of the studio system and the restrictions of the Hays Codes collapsed and before political correctness and the blockbuster mentality overtook modern-day Hollywood, and being real was all a filmmaker had to worry about.”
Daniel Craig 007 Collection - Casino Royale (PG-13, 144 minutes), Quantum of Solace (PG-13, 106 minutes), Skyfall (PG-13, 143 minutes). This three-disc Blu-ray release includes Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012). The last (my favorite), directed by Sam Mendes, tests a grim faced, grumpy and very physical Bond’s loyalty to equally ill-tempered M (Judi Dench) when her past comes back to haunt her. Nobody much liked Quantum of Solace, directed by Marc Forster, in which Bond tries to stop a secretive organization from eliminating a country’s most valuable resource while seeking revenge over the death of his love Vesper Lynd (see Casino Royale, directed by Martin Campbell and featuring Bond’s first mission - a place at the table of a high stakes poker game - and Eva Green as Vesper).
“Two of Craig’s [Bond films] - Casino Royale and Skyfall - are easily among the best of the [Bond] series, and even the famously disappointing Quantum of Solace is actually perfectly watchable due in no small part to the steely, brutal, uncompromising charisma of Craig,” says Boyd Hilton, TV and reviews editor of Heat magazine.
Escape to Planet Earth (PG, 89 minutes) This Canadian animated adventure comedy concerns astronaut Scorch Supernova (voice of Brendan Fraser) of the planet Baab, who becomes caught in a trap when he responds to an emergency signal from a notoriously dangerous alien planet known as Earth. With the voices of Rob Corddrey, Ricky Gervais, William Shatner, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jessica Alba; directed by Cal Brunker. “A lightweight, warp-speed, brightly colored trifle that should delight small children and sporadically amuse their parents,” says critic Joe Leydon in Variety.
Shoot First, Die Later (not rated, 95 minutes)
Fernando Di Leo’s 1974 Italian crime noir Shoot First, Die Later, restored by Raro Video, precedes the ultra-violent stories about lowdown characters featured in films by Quentin Tarantino and John Woo.
“I am a huge fan of gangster movies,” Tarantino has been quoted as saying. “I’ve seen them all and Fernando Di Leo is without a doubt the master of this genre.”
The film stars Luc Merenda as a highly regarded police detective who is taking syndicate money in exchange for departmental favors. His father, who works for the department at a lower level, is proud of him, not knowing he’s a crooked cop. Eventually Dad figures out his son is on the take. Complications ensue.
In English and Italian. Extras include original trailers, a 20-page booklet on the genesis of the film and two documentaries.
MovieStyle, Pages 33 on 06/07/2013