The Visitors

Plot synopsis:
Bill Schmidt and his long-term girlfriend Martha Wayne and their young son Hal live in a small Connecticut farmhouse owned by Martha's overbearing father. One snowy winter Sunday, two of Bill's ex-army buddies, Mike and Tony, arrive. A few years ago, they had all served together in Vietnam in the same platoon but later ended up on opposite sides of a court-martial. Bill has never told his girlfriend what happened in Vietnam nor at the court-martial. The story slowly unfolds. Under orders in Vietnam not to take any prisoners, and faced with potentially hostile civilians who might attack them if left behind, Mike kills a civilian. Bill testifies against him and Mike is sent to the stockade (military prison) for two years. He is angry. There is sexual tension between Mike and Martha. The tension builds and culminates in a fight and a rape.

Tags: revenge, murder, violence

Review:
If you look at this in terms of Kazan's career and the way he puts his own experience in every film (even though I'm sure he'd rather not, but he just can't help himself), this is a masterpiece.
A haunting Vietnam aftermath game by Elia Kazan.
CoW was based on a real story, this fictional 1972 film shows what happened afterward.
First of all it's James Wood's debut, second it's allegedly the first fictional film to deal with Vietnam in a serious manner, and third because of how intense the film manages to get.
These are the men Wood's turned in for raping and killing a Vietnamese girl.The atmosphere screams of dread and you sit back horrified wondering when it's all going to explode.
Slow and creepy, The Visitors is a very low budget story about two Army buddies, newly released from the stockade after serving their terms for rape, who drop in on the comrade responsible for their conviction.
It is a basic retelling of many story's we've seen before, (old army buddies come back after the war to seek redemption on the friend that did them wrong) but it was a bit of a stand out in the it has a very unexpected, shocking ending.
It explores the violence and the tension of the situation well, moving slowly and methodically, which works for a while but then falls short, as you have to say "enough all ready" and get on with it.Decent performance by a young James Woods and also by Steve Railsback in his first film (who later goes on to star if the cult classic "Life Force".
If you liked Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" (though I particularly didn't) I would recommend this film..
This curio is a low budget drama directed by Elia Kazan from a script by his son.
He plays Bill, a young man, just back from the Vietnam War and living in a rural menage with his girl, her older husband, and his child.
At their door appear a couple of Bill's old army buddies, and one of them has a grudge to work out, since Bill ratted him out something back in the war zone.
Untypical material for Kazan: this curiously amateurish amalgam of ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948) and THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955), updated for the Vietnam era, is unworthy of the director's unquestionable talent (despite being written by his own son!) and emerges as a pointless talking marathon - in which the dialogue is muffled most of the time anyway, because of poor sound recording!
Patricia Joyce comes off best from the hand-picked cast, which includes James Woods' debut role as the wimpish hero(!) and Steve Railsback as one of his two revenge-seeking war buddies; these actors must have thought that they had it made when they were chosen by Award-winning director Kazan (who had, after all, virtually discovered Marlon Brando, James Dean and Warren Beatty) to feature in his next movie but, unfortunately for them, THE VISITORS sank without trace despite being an official entry in that year's Cannes Film Festival!
While the film could easily have turned into a nasty shocker in the vein of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) - which might even have been preferable in the long run - the story just meanders on towards a lame and inconclusive ending.
A couple  spend a quiet day at home, until the husband's 2 Vietnam "pals" come to visit.
First of all, I feel Kazan was a great director and ,secondly, i adore James Woods.This is a very moody film that paints the world very bleak and creepy.
The Visitors (1972) ** (out of 4)Bill (James Woods) and his wife Martha (Patricia Joyce) are spending time with their son when two of Bill's former Vietnam buddies (Steve Railsback, Chico Martinez) show up.
The wife isn't sure what the two are doing there but the secret is that both of them just got done doing time for rape, which Bill turned them in on.
THE VISITORS isn't really the type of film you'd expect from someone like Elia Kazan but after viewing the film and seeing that he was going for a psychological type thriller, I can see why he was hired but in the end I don't think the film works.
I don't think there's any doubt that Kazan, working with a screenplay written by his son, wanted the viewer to sit in the dark fearing what these two dangerous men were going to do to the man who turned them in.
Kazan directs the film in an extremely slow way as all of the scenes just drag on and it really does seem that the thing runs much longer than its 88-minutes.
The majority of the film is just slow, drawn out dialogue sequences but the problem is that they're boring.
Not once did I get caught up in anything going on and in fact the highlight of the movie is a sequence where the wife's father (Patrick McVey) has a neighbors dog killed.
The film is trying to say something about Vietnam, friendship, loyalty and several other things but everything just gets so muddled that you can't help but start yawning.
The performances from the five people are all good and it's this that keeps the film working.
THE VISITORS isn't quite as graphic as its reputation would have you believe but it does have the feel of something like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.
In fact, the visual look of this film compares highly to the Wes Craven shocker that was released the previous year..
Elia Kazan's last great work comes from an original script by his son Chris (his only screenplay), which is inspired by a 1969 article from The New Yorker Magazine.
The article's real story was filmed by Brian De Palma's underrated work "Casualties of War"; Kazan's film is an 'what if...' kind of situation where viewers could see it as a real sequel to De Palma's film.
Here, war seems a distant fog that somehow always finds its way to get deeper in the memories of all the five major characters from the film.
Martha and Bill (Patricia Joyce and James Woods) are a nice couple, they have a baby, and they're quietly living in this small farm estate owned by her father (Patrick McVey), a war veteran from another era who now writes novels.
A simple day in their lives, Bill goes out for something and when he returns, his wife tells him that two of his army buddies were there for a visit.
By this part of this story, if you're not into reading plots you can only imagine that something was really wrong between those friends during their time in Vietnam, the tension cuts the air like a sharp sword and those two caustic visitors aren't there for a friendly visit.
Before that, we have the opportunity to see Sgt. Nickerson and Rodrigues trying to establish contacts with the couple; later on going to lady's father house - and the man adores them practically since they can exchange war experiences; then we gradually understand that Woods character is deeply concerned about their visit.
Most I can tell, so you can enjoy the film, is exactly the view Martha gets from Bill about what happened in Vietnam and revolved around a court martial - but if you're familiar with "Casualties of War" you know the real deal.With a pulsating twisting nerve, "The Visitors" is an intense film that deepens the wounds a nation weren't yet ready to get exposed, except in news media, when it comes to not only the already exhausted Vietnam conflict but also the reality of the veterans coming back home to not find much prospect of a new life.
It's not like both Kazan's movie is a highly political film but the themes are there.
With the exception of McVey, all the four main actors are making their film debut in this picture and they were all great.My problems with the film is some settings that look implausible or fail to convince much; the guitar song that seems to announce the most awaited third act, it just doesn't work.
This was a serious candidate in becoming a perfect classic of the 1970's, an era with many realistic inputs and conventions, almost similar to the Dogma movement of the 1990's with some films making use of music from original sources in the background, no new composition - in fact, it's classic songs that Kazan used as a background without no indication of let's say music playing on a stereo - which also happens later on with great pieces and to a spectacular tense effect.
But when he introduces the guitar theme it just puts you off from the effect of seeing a more realistic piece of filmmaking, almost like an exciting play - and I wonder how come there's no play version of this?
But Kazan succeeds in making a more intimate film, very independently, modest and somber.And through everything presented, we wonder what the future will bring to those characters?.
***SPOILERS*** Very personal movie directed by the late great Elia Kazan with the screenplay written by his #1 Son Chris involving naming names or testifying against fellow GI's and the consequences that result from it to the person who felt obligated to do so.The movie "The Visitors" takes place in early January 1969, judging the New York Jet Baltimore Colt Superbowl Game shown on TV, in snowy Newton Connecticut.
It's there where young Vietnam vet Bill Schmidt is living a quite and peaceful existence with his live in girlfriend Martha Wayne and the couples out of wedlock two year old boy Hal. Bill trying the make ends meet with his job at a local helicopter plant is in luck in both him & Martha being allowed to live in Martha's dad's, Harry Wayne, home rent free.Wayne is anything but impressed with Bill's very in your face pacifism even though he served as a combat infantryman in Vietnam with honors.
It's on one cold & snowy morning that Bill's fellow Vietnam vets Mike Nickerson & Tony Rodrigues show up unexpectedly at the Wayne home that the past suddenly catches up with him.
It was some three years ago that Bill testified against both Mike and Tony in a brutal rape and murder that they committed in Vietnam which he was an eye witness to.Like a spider spinning a web for its intended victim both Mike & Tony begin to set Bill up for the kill with his girlfriend-Martha-having at first no idea of what their planning to do!
Bill ashamed and feeling like a turncoat in, by testifying against them, having sent Mike & Tony away for two years at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary kept what he did from Martha, as well as Harry, all this time!
But now all that was about to come out in the wash with Martha, besides Bill, being the one to end up paying for it.James Woods in his movie debut is both touching and tragic as the troubled Vietnam vet Bill Schmidt a man with a conscience that never goes away.
Troubled in what he was involved with, in doing nothing to stop it, in the Vietnam War Bill turned evidence against Mike and Tony at their court-martial trial that has now come back-like a boomerang- to haunt him.
Although the production values are those of 1960s and 70s films which make The Incredibly Strange Film Festival, that is to say not good, this one is still worth watching if you happen to like film noir and see it on your cable TV schedule.
A ex-Vietnam veteran lives with his girlfriend Martha and their baby, and nearby her father, a world war II veteran.
They get on well with dad but when it is revealed they were part of a gang rape of a 16 year old girl in Vietnam, needless to say Martha isn't very comfortable.
Both film feature a sexually confused woman and a battle between a soft man and super masculine men.The idea for the film supposedly came from the same story that Brian De Palma's Casualties of War was based on.
This is a fictional version of what could have happened after everything in the story Casualties of War is based on.
Two of the men who raped the girl in Vietnam come home to the person (Bill Schmidt) who reported them to have their revenge.I loved the character battle in this film.
He however falls in love with the guys who come for a visit to take revenge, the Vietnam war criminals!
Sounds like Funny Games to me :)I have no idea why this film is so underrated.
Veteran actors James Woods and Steve Railsback made their film debuts in this not uninteresting, obviously low budget drama, made in a very stark and simple way by director Elia Kazan.
Cited as an early effort to tell a serious Vietnam War related story, it's a fictional follow-up to the tale filmed 17 years later as "Casualties of War" (the latter was based on a true story).
Characters' resentments towards each other emerge, but things never get completely ugly until the final act.Basically, a former soldier in Vietnam, Bill Schmidt (Woods) lives in a remote location with Martha (Patricia Joyce), the mother of his child, and Harry (Patrick McVey), Marthas' father who toils away as an author.
Mike and Tony endear themselves to Harry, a gruff & macho WWII veteran who feels nothing but contempt for Bill, whom he sees as a weakling.It may be that "The Visitors" is one of those films that engenders personal reactions: viewers may either appreciate what Kazan tries to do, or be appalled at the darkness on display.
Certainly Kazan doesn't promise his audience a conclusive resolution (you wonder what will come next for the characters after the credits end) or a happy one.
The performances are solid across the board, with the young Railsback already showing that incredible intensity that became his trademark and served him well a few years later in the 'Helter Skelter' miniseries.Film buffs might want to give this a chance if just for curiosity's sake.Six out of 10..
"The Visitors" is such an example of a peculiarly obscure film in spite of the great names involved.
It was directed by Elia Kazan, who won 2 Oscars and even an Honorary Award, and it was the first major film role for both James Woods and Steve Railsbeck.
These names alone should have provided the film with a tremendous classic status and cult reputation, but instead it's a totally unknown effort that never ever gets mentioned when people are discussing the highlights of either Kazan or Woods.
More likely "The Visitors" probably ranks in the top 5 slowest-paced films I've ever seen and the story keeps building up towards a devastating climax that actually never comes.
If it weren't the names that convinced me to watch "The Visitors" already, then the brief plot description certainly would have: Vietnam veteran Bill Schmidt lives a quite life in the countryside, along with his wife and their baby.
This isn't friendly visit, however, as Tony and Mike were just recently released from prison where they served a sentence for raping and murdering an innocent girl during their Tour of Duty.
The film could have been a forerunner of the popular trend of home-invasion movies (like "Last House on the Left" or "House at the Edge of the Park") or it could have been a raw and powerful post-Vietnam revenge thriller (like "The Exterminator", "The Farmer" or "Rolling Thunder").
The filming locations and snowy landscapes are astounding and the soundtrack features a couple of nice classical music moments, but that's hardly worth a recommendation..
The husband (James Woods--in his first film) doesn't seem happy to see them.
Later, you SLOWLY find out why--he testified against them in a trial during the Vietnam War, as the two had participated in a rape and murder of an innocent woman.
Normally, you'd think that he'd throw them out or call the police...but he doesn't.If I didn't see on IMDb and in the film's credits, I would have no idea that this movie was directed by the great Elia Kazan (of "On the Waterfront" fame).
That's because the film looks so amateurish in many ways--with blurry and sloppy cinematography.
How far had the career of Kazan fallen that he ended up doing a film like this?!
And, in my summary I mentioned eracehead's review--and I think they summed it up nicely when they mentioned the amateurish look and the fact that it took so darned long for the film to get moving.
All in all, most of the emotional impact was lost by the time the big rape scene (which was VERY telegraphed--such as showing the woman topless while dressing early in the film and the fact that the men had been involved in the prior rape) occurred.
I mention the rape scene, as I know many viewers DON'T want to see this sort of thing (too many memories for many victims, for example).
If you have read the basic premise for "The Visitors", you probably think you have a good idea as to how the movie will play out if you have seen your share of hostage dramas and revenge thrillers.
This film is basically a bastardization of Daniel Lang's story "Casualties of War" which was adapted into a film by Brian De Palma in 1989.
In Elia Kazan's 1972 version two Viet Nam vets who were sentenced to two years in Leavenworth Prison for their role in the gang rape and murder of a 15-year-old Vietnamese girl during a patrol somewhere in Viet Nam pay a visit to the fellow soldier who turned them in, presumably for the purpose of letting him know that they harbor no hard feelings but the visit ends when they beat the guy unconscious and rape his wife.