The Walking Dead

Plot synopsis:
In 1972 North Vietnam, short-timer Marines are dispatched by helicopter to conduct their last mission: to evacuate the survivors from a POW camp abandoned by the Viet Cong. The landing zone - which they expect to be cold - is actually hot (under fire) and after a short fight, only four members of the rescue mission survive. SSgt. Barkley and Hoover have a brief fight after Hoover wants to radio for an evacuation and Barkley insists they finish the mission. During their fight a mortar lands nearby, knocking them both into a swamp. Barkley saves Branche from drowning. They are joined shortly by Brooks and Evans. The soldiers defer to the ranking Marine, Sgt. Barkley, who insists that they press on to a nearby cathedral. They reach the building and kill several NVA soldiers. At morning, they are planning their next move when they are ambushed by more NVA soldiers including tree snipers. After a firefight they manage to kill the soldiers with the help of Cpl. Pippins, who appears from the brush and also begins attacking them. After subduing Pippins they look for the rest of his platoon and discover them murdered and their radio missing. They decide to tie Pippins up and bring him along as they march toward the POW camp. The group then recollect about each of their individual reasons for joining the Marines. SSgt Barkley was a preacher at a church until he came home to his bedroom seeing his wife in bed having sex with another man, Barkley shoots and kills the man and catches the train out of town. Hoover works for a meat packing place until he got fired for stealing meat. Cole tries to buy a new house, but he is turned down by the real estate agent,because of his race. Brooks tells his girlfriend that he's joining the Marine Corps to be like his grandfather, Pippins was working for Ray until he is killed by gangsters and chased into the military enlistment line without getting caught. While Cole and Barkley go ahead to survey the area, Hoover and Brooks smoke cannabis and talk about Brooks' girlfriend, who just dumped him via the mail. During their break, Pippins escapes and takes Brooks' pistol. The four men regroup and head out without Pippins. When they reach the camp, they discover a deranged Pippins holding a Vietnamese woman hostage. After killing the woman in front of them, Pippis turns on them with a gun and is killed by Sgt. Barkley. After seeing the camp is empty, the men realize they are expendable decoys. They radio in and are informed that the Marines cleared the POW camp four hours earlier, and that they have 20 minutes to reach their pickup point before the entire area is bombed. As the men go to leave bombs begin dropping on them. They escape the bombardment and head through the jungle to the landing zone, but are ambushed by more NVA soldiers. Brooks is killed, and Cole and Barkley wounded. Hoover goes back and rescues Barkley and the three men are evacuated by helicopter. During an epilogue, we are told that Cole became a career Marine who retired after 20 years of service, Sgt. Barkley took a job counseling troubled teens in Georgia, and Hoover went back home, married his girlfriend and opened up his own business.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
This film has stood the test of time well, and is a nice, taut story of a man wrongly accused of a crime, miraculously brought back to life, and eventually seeking vindication and justice from those that did him wrong.
THE WALKING DEAD (Warner Brothers, 1936), directed by Michael Curtiz, is an interesting little item from the "horror" genre of the 1930s.
Nolan (Ricardo Cortez), Martin's lawyer, sets out to do away with the judge by arranging one of his fellow racketeers, "Trigger" Smith (Joseph Sawyer), to employ John Ellman (Boris Karloff), an out-of-work musician out on parole for two weeks following his ten year prison sentence, to "spy" on Shaw, the judge who also had sent him up, on the grounds that Shaw's wife suspects her husband of being unfaithful, and all Ellman has to do is watch his house and take notes.
The next scene shifts to the courtroom where Ellman pleads his innocence and that there are witnesses who can verify his story, but with the "help" of his attorney Nolan, he gets him convicted of first degree murder and to face execution.
On the night he is to go to the electric chair, Jimmy and Nancy come forth to Doctor Beaumont (Edmund Gwenn), their employer and scientist, who immediately telephones Nolan to contact the governor to stop the execution.
After Ellman is brought back from the dead, he appears in a "zombie" state of mind, remembering nothing, but knowing precisely whom his enemies are, and through a supernatural force, goes after each one of those gangsters to learn why they had him framed, only to witness their destinies through accidental occurrences.Featured in the supporting cast are Warner Brothers stock company of Barton MacLane as Loder; Henry O'Neill as District Attorney Werner; Addison Richards as the Prison Warden; Eddie Acuff as Mitchell; with Paul Harvey as Blackstone and Robert Strange as Merritt.
Karloff's John Ellman is actually a gentle soul who, after being executed for a crime for which he is innocent, retains his gentleness even through his second life, yet, succeeds in bringing fright through his eyes to those who had done him wrong.
The Lord our God is a jealous God."In many ways, THE WALKING DEAD is highly original in its premise and during its short 66 minutes, starts off a bit slowly with some intrusive "comedy relief" provided by Eddie Acuff, whose sure thing in making wagers which turns out to be a bad gamble, but soon builds itself to a fast and memorable conclusion.
Michael Curtiz directed this odd combination of gangster and horror films for Warner Bros.
The execution scene is absolutely excruciating, as the only witnesses to the crime try to get the corrupt governor to call in a pardon while the music-loving Karloff walks to the electric chair, accompanied by a cello..
Excellent little horror film directed by the amazingly talented Michael Curtiz, the same man who would later give up Casablanca amongst many other classic films.The story is a genre mashup of gangster and horror and at only about 1 hour 5 minutes, there isn't much time to lag.
Gangster's led by Nolan (Ricardo Cortez) want to have a local law abiding judge killed, in doing so, they frame an ex-con, John Ellman (Boris Karloff) for the murder.
It's a dead man walking in this film with Boris Karloff brought back to life by a doctor (Edmund Gwenn - Miracle on 34th Street).There was no surprises as I would have expected, as the reanimation was posted all over the newspapers the next day.It's not just a horror film, but a gangster film, as Ellman (Karloff) was executed for a crime he didn't commit.It was really funny when he went after those involved in the conspiracy to frame him.
A bit of Frankenstein here, as a doctor (Edmund Gwenn)resurrects a man (Boris Karloff) wrongfully executed.
He is searching for answers, visiting each of the conspirators, who meet an untimely end.It is all presented as vengeance emanating from the hand of God. Karloff is excellent, and Gwenn was certainly showing the talent that would give him an Oscar later.A fascinating film..
I dare you to type the title of this film in Google, YouTube or even here on IMDb. As a fan of classic horror, I find it very frustrating that you must scroll down endlessly to find it, because the first eight pages or so are dedicated to articles, images and pages for the popular zombie TV-series with the same name!So, now that's off my chest, I can underline what a clever and atmospheric yet unjustly underrated horror/thriller "The Walking Dead" is!
The film is an early mixture of genres, namely gangster film and horror, but thanks to the phenomenal craftsmanship of director Michael Curtiz and lead star Boris Karloff, "The Walking Dead" doesn't feel like a cheap attempt to cash in on both streams at the same time.
The corrupt and ruthless Nolan instead frames Ellman for the murder of an eminent judge and defends him poorly enough to get him sentenced to death in the electric chair.
The corrupted men meet their fates in gruesome ways, like underneath trains or in nasty car accidents, making "The Walking Dead" a fierce film and Ellman an exceptional avenging angel who hardly even makes his hands dirty.
"The Walking Dead" is one of those films that may not be shown too often but when it is, you get your money's worth.Released in 1936, Boris Karloff plays a man who is wrongly convicted of the murder of a local judge.A scientist brings Karloff back to life after conducting various experiments.
Five Time Oscar Nominee Michael Curtiz Directed this Horror/Supernatural/Sci-Fi/Gangster Film.
Offhand, I cannot think of another actor who gave us a more impressive run of films in the horror genre than Boris Karloff did in the 1930s.
The film's plot is one that would be adapted and only slightly reworked for several future Karloff pictures, such as "The Man They Could Not Hang" and "Before I Hang," but one that here seems fresh and winning.In the film, Uncle Boris plays the part of John Ellman, a mild-mannered pianist who, when we first encounter him, has just been released from jail after a 10-year stretch for accidental homicide.
Before long, though, the sound of a piano recalls Ellman to himself, and, by dint of some sort of supernatural agency, he somehow gains knowledge of the men who had framed him...along with an awareness of their exact locations, and an overriding desire to go after them...."The Walking Dead," however, boasts a twist that some of those other reworked films do not.
And he is abetted by some other top-flight talent here, including Ricardo Cortez (the original Sam Spade, in 1931's "The Maltese Falcon") as Nolan, Edmund Gwenn (perhaps best known as Kris Kringle in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street" and Dr. Harold Medford in 1954's "Them!") as Beaumont, and tough-guy Warner Brothers character actors Barton MacLane and Joe Sawyer as two of Ellman's "enemies." The film has been helmed with style to spare by the great Hungarian director Michael Curtiz (this was his only teaming with Karloff), whose use of odd camera angles, unsettling close-ups and striking use of light and shadow help to elevate the film to the level of screen art.
Ex-convict John Ellman (Boris Karloff) is framed by crooked lawyer Nolan (Ricardo Cortez) and executed for a murder he didn't commit.
In this case, "The Walking Dead" is the story of John Ellman - an ex-con who just two weeks after his release from prison is wrongfully convicted of the murder of the judge who originally sentenced him for his earlier crime.
Convinced by two of his associates (who know Ellman is innocent) to try his procedure on Ellman, Beaumont succeeds in raising him from the dead - and becomes fixated on what Ellman experienced while dead (although that really isn't a particularly well developed sidebar to the story.) Ultimately, Ellman takes revenge on those who framed him - although his revenge seems to be somewhat supernatural, and he never actually touches anyone.There's a "Frankenstein-ish" quality to this very short movie - which includes Boris Karloff (famous, of course, as Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 movie and the later "Bride of Frankenstein" in 1935.) In fact, Karloff apparently expressed some concerns that in the original script, Ellman was too much like the monster - especially because of his inability to speak - and the script was rewritten to accommodate Karloff's concerns.
Michael Curtiz directed this beautifully filmed story of poor luckless John Elman(played superbly by Boris Karloff) who was framed by racketeers for the murder of a judge.
Still, a Dr. Beaumont(played by Edmund Gwenn) has developed a way to bring back the recently dead, and resurrects Elman, who resumes his pianist skills to conduct eerie concerts, though also is compelled to confront those responsible for framing him...
The classic film is outstanding and very much worth watching.Karloff plays John Ellman - a man framed for a murder he did not commit, was electrocuted and brought back to life.
Ellman (Karloff) is, throughout, an innocent party who only wants to make good music, an ultimately tragic figure caught up in a strange universe.Now, there may be a cosmic sense of justice in the unseen hand that punishes those responsible for Karloff's execution.
Hollywood great Michael Curtiz directs Boris Karloff in this middling thriller about an ex-con, just out prison, who is framed for a judge's murder by racketeers; after he's convicted and killed in the electric chair, a team of scientists revive him.
It's not without a flaw here or there, but in general it's effectively atmospheric, quite snappy (it only runs an hour and six minutes), and features a mostly wonderful cast, led by the powerfully expressive Boris Karloff, who does a fine job of underplaying his part.He plays John Ellman, a pathetic sap who'd been sent up the river for murder and who makes the ideal patsy for mobsters who conspire to kill a judge.
In "The Walking Dead", I saw the sympathetic reanimated Karloff character (looking much like the 'monster' in the shadows) lumbering around while some really bad 'know it all characters' get their comeuppance, one by one.
Interesting Warner Brothers blend of gangster, horror, and science fiction genres features Boris Karloff in a strong sympathetic performance as an innocent pianist framed for murder by a group of mobsters and their unscrupulous attorney.
Walking Dead, The (1936) *** (out of 4) Michael Curtiz directed film about an innocent man (Boris Karloff) sentenced to death only to be brought back to life by a doctor and set out for revenge against those who framed him.
One of the masters of the genre, Boris Karloff plays John Ellman a small time ex-con that is framed and sentenced to death for murder.
Edmund Gwenn is also effective in one of his earlier roles as the doctor who brings Karloff back to life after he is wrongly executed: obsessed by an urge to learn what goes on after death, he drives Karloff on but the latter's only concern is to get even with the corrupt gang which set him up (including Ricardo Cortez's shady lawyer, Barton MacLane as one of his associates and Joe Sawyer as a hit-man, the real murderer).The film's best moments feature Karloff's zombie rampage which, incongruous as that may seem, have a touch of poetry about them - not least because of the way that every member of the gang dies by his own hand through accident rather than Karloff's!
At first, I was wary of the fact that a barely conscious Karloff could travel and somehow reach the gang's home addresses (of which he could have had no prior knowledge) in order to exact his revenge, but it is later suggested that Karloff became all-knowing in the hereafter - which is, after all, what every religion foresees for its believers.THE WALKING DEAD is a solid little film and I hope that someday Warners releases a Box Set of their lesser-known horror catalogue, to include THE MAD GENIUS (1931), DOCTOR X (1932), THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932), MAD LOVE (1935), MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935), THE DEVIL-DOLL (1936), THE RETURN OF DR.
This neat little Warner Brothers thriller with touches of science fiction and horror is the story of a group of legal eagles who find out that a man that they've sent to the electric chair (Boris Karloff) is innocent and delay their call to the governor to save his life.
Warner Brothers, so adept in prison and gangster films, throws in a bit of Universal style horror to make a better than average "B" film with some good character performances (Barton MacLane is memorably malevolent as one of the criminals) and usual romantic hero Ricardo Cortez as a bad guy.
For the premise of the story to work however, one has to get beyond the point where the murdered Judge Shaw was connected to the car John Ellman (Karloff) was driving.
It's amazing what we are left to figure out on our own without being beaten over the head as in most films of the genre.Boris Karloff, who is brought back from the dead - is a sympathetic character with a unique twist.THE FOLLOWING MIGHT BE A SPOILER (I don't really think so.
A Film starring the great Boris Karloff, directed by "Casablanca" director Michael Curtiz - Is there anything else a Classic Horror lover could desire?
"The Walking Dead" of 1936 is one of a handful of Warner Horror films from the 30s, and indeed a very original one.
As far as I am concerned, Karloff is not only one of the all-time Horror greats, but generally one of the greatest actors in motion picture history, and "The Walking Dead" is yet another proof of this brilliant man's greatness.
Apart from the great Karloff, the film is highly atmospheric and well-shot in dark eerie tones.After a gangster gets sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence, a group of fellow mobsters lead by the lawyer Nolan (Ricardo Cortez) decide to have the Judge killed.
In order to prevent being charged for their crime, they frame the naive musician John Ellman (Boris Karloff) for the murder.
When his innocence is proved minutes after his death, Ellman is resurrected by the ingenious scientist Dr. Beaumont, who has resurrected dead animals before...The scientific resurrection of the dead is generally one of my favorite topics in Horror films.
Boris Karloff plays John Elman, a former convict just out of prison for accidentally killing a man.
Director Michael Curtiz, here making his third horror movie after Dr. X and Mystery Of The Wax Museum, delivers another good addition to these films.
If you expect Karloff in monster mode you'll probably be disappointed, but The Walking Dead is interestingly different to the usual horror fare, and well worth a look..
After seeing Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster in those Universal horror classics, it must have been obvious to Jack Warner and director Michael Curtiz that he was the only player capable of bringing this film off.
Their reasons for originally not coming forward are specious as well, but Karloff's brilliant performance smooths that all over.They work for scientist Edmund Gwenn who uses electricity and a lab that looks a whole lot like Dr. Frankenstein's to shock Karloff's cadaver back to life.
When I read about this film, it sounded just like another zombie movie with Boris Karloff--nothing extraordinary and a very easy to guess plot.
But this wasn't the case at all, as it is more of a gangster film with a strange supernatural element.Karloff is set up to take a murder rap and is sentenced to the electric chair.
Fortunately, a physician named "Dr. Beaumont" (Edmund Gwenn) comes up with a novel idea to bring John Ellman back to life even though he has been dead for several hours.
A recently released ex-con, John Ellman(Boris Karloff)is framed by a gangster crime syndicate, with corrupt ties to the city, for the murder of a judge who sentenced one of their key powerful members to a harsh prison sentence without a possibility of parole.
It's a departure in that the case could be made that this is a horror film.It stars horror king Boris Karloff, as John Ellman, who is framed for the murder of a judge.
Ellman is brought back to life by Dr. Beaumont(Edmund Gwenn), who is a doctor that wants to help Karloff, and explore the possibility of heart transplants.Karloff spends the rest of the picture tracking down and destroying those who framed him.The rest of the supporting cast Ricardo Cortez, Marguerite Churchill, Warren Hull, and Barton MacLane are very good.Curtiz and cinematographer Hal Mohr do a great job of giving the film a haunting, eerie feeling, perfect for Halloween.
**SOME SPOILERS** Unusual movie with Boris Karloff that has him, playing ex-convict John Ellman, not as much as hitting much less killing anyone in it yet being responsible for the deaths of some half dozen men who framed the innocent Ellman for a murder that he didn't commit.With Steven Martin,Kenneth Harlan, having the book thrown at him for fraud and embezzlement Martin's fellow gangsters including his crooked lawyer Noland,Ricardo Cortez, plans to knock off the Judge who put him behind bars;the Honorable Roger Shaw, Joe King.
It's those powers that gives him the ability to not only know what's in the hearts and minds of the men who railroaded him into the chair, Noland Trigger & co, but is also able to make them pay with their lives for doing it.A very sensitive and sympathetic Boris Karloff, who's a former concert pianist in the film, together with a somewhat selfish and scheming Edmund Gwenn, make the movie "The Walking Dead" somewhat of a novelty to watch.
Very moving ending sequence with Karloff, or John Ellman, facing death for the second time in the movie.