1973 | Color | 90 Min. | 2.35.1 | R | Action | Mono | Cannon Film Distributors
Source: Action Classics 50 Movie Pack
Director: Daniel Vance
Writers:
Daniel Vance
Mike Nolin
Stars:
Stars:
Steve Sandor
Rockne Tarkington
Richard X. Slattery
Was looking for something different to watch and remembered this Action Classic's 50 Movie Pack that I picked up used for less than a buck. After flipping through it, I settled on Trained to Kill. I'm all about going into a movie with a clear mind not knowing anything about it. Seem's more of a challenge that way.
I was not expecting much out of the DVD being on a big box set like this. But what I was not expecting was a bad VHS port. I seemed to have forgotten how it was to watch a movie a few years back. But after the movie gets rolling you seem to forget about the poorly cropped flick in front of you. The movie opens with a carney's outsmarting the cops to set the story in motion. The aka Thugs are very well rounded and easy to believe these guys are here for trouble.
As the family struggles with their son returning from war the father was less than supportive and was played out very well. I really liked his tough guy image that he put out. Basically do not screw with this old man. His son was a decorated military beast but did not want to face the world like most men that came home from Vietnam. There is no doubt you could feel the struggle that they were all facing. Even his war buddies could not break him from his foul mood.
Scenery wise there is not much to look at it. The movie takes place in an old dusty farm town. But the music for this movie was right on cue. From violins to old crooners belting out cowboy style ballads. Once the leader of the pack comes up with a plan to bring in his biker gang buddies the movie finally turns into the kung-fu action flick that was advertised. In fact, Film director Quentin Tarantino programmed The No Mercy Man as part of a March 2011 revenge film triple feature at the New Beverly Cinema, which Tarantino took over in March 2007.
Originally filmed and released publicly in 1973 under the title "The No Mercy Man". It was later distributed as "Trained to Kill" in 1975 to mostly drive-in movie theaters as a 2nd run feature. Forgotten about, It eventually surfaced on video in the mid-1980's as "Trained to Kill USA" during the video craze. This movie in both formats is highly sought after in the collectors market.
And if cleaned up would look really good on Blu-Ray.
In the end, it was not a bad little action flick all thou I do not understand why Tarantino has this in his collection.
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| 2 Bloody Brains out of 5 |
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