Sunday, August 14, 2016

Movie review - "Ravagers" (1979) *1/2

Richard Harris in action mode again - after being one of a bunch of guys on a mission, dealing with terrorists, and running arms in Rhodesia, here he's in post apocalyptic mode. It's in the near future when most of the human race have been wiped out by something or other and ravagers are roaming deserted buildings tormenting the nicer survivors.

Harris is shacked up with wife Alana Stewart (formerly Alana Hamilton) who is soon killed by some baddies and Harris is sad for about five minutes until he comes across a refuge with nicer humans where he hooks up with an even prettier woman, Anne Turkel.

They find their way to a boat where there are survivors run by Ernest Borgnine and Woody Strode. Harris is optimistic about the future but he's the one who brings the savages on the head of Borgnine and his people.

The Walking Dead does this sort of stuff every week, and a lot better too. Actually so did other post apocalyptic films around this time - Damnation Alley, Omega Man, A Boy and His Dog, even Deathsport.

It's simply not that exciting. It looks good, the cast is strong - okay you can laugh at Turkey and Stewart being these Studio 54 glamazons, but they have presence. Harris does his tormented man thing, Borgnine and Strode are fine, as is Art Carney as an old codger who survives. But it's really a clunky chase - actually "chase" makes it sound more exciting than it is, it's a plod from one locale to another. Philosophical and political points are made haphazardly. These sort of movies always tend to promote fascism while pretending to decry it anyway.

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