Having read the message board posts for this program, a lot of people seem to dislike both the new "Marple" adaptations in general, and this episode in particular. However, I am not one of theme. I have never been one to hold up live-action adaptations to their source novels (I haven't even read this Agatha Christie book), and I think thought this episode was very good when viewed independently of the book! Although not the best-ever episode of "Marple" (that honor falls to "A Murder Is Announced", from the first season), "Nemesis" is a very solid, engaging entry in the series.

The basic premise is that a friend of Miss Marple's, Jason Rafiel, dies and leaves her a letter asking her to solve an unspecified crime that has happened, or will happen soon. To this end, he has also left her 2 tickets for a bus tour of the English countryside. So, Miss Marple sets off with her nephew Raymond, but it seems as if all the other bus passengers are connected to one another through a mysterious girl named Verity. It falls to Miss Marple to honor Jason Rafiel's last request, and untangle the secrets that bind everyone together.

Like all other "Marple" episodes, one of the highlights was the performances - "Marple" episodes always feature great British character actors, and this one was no exception. Geraldine McEwan is always excellent; she is by far my favorite Miss Marple (I know many will disagree, but I always found Joan Hickson to be far too cold and unfriendly in the role). Other standouts in this episode were Ruth Wilson, fresh from the recent "Jane Eyre" TV adaptation, as the tour group leader, and Ronni Ancona as the glamorous socialite Amanda Dalrymple. The settings and costumes were also impeccable.

The story itself was also very intriguing, with many secrets from the past being brought to the surface (a very common theme in Agatha Christie's novels). The story did move quite briskly, though, and it was occasionally difficult to keep up with the plot developments. I was watching the episode on tape, though, so it wasn't a big issue for me. I also found the solution to the mystery to be very gratifying, and it completely surprised me! Although I have not read the book, I have heard that this adaptation has taken significant liberties with the plot, so you may wish to 'prepare yourself' if the book is one of your favorites. However, I enjoyed this adaptation a great deal, and I definitely recommend it.


I loved this movie. It's too bad that Pamela Smart does not take any responsibility for any of her crimes and actions. She is as guilty as anyone can be. I'm glad she ran out of appeals and legal options and that her pardon was denied. She took them to the Federal level. She says she deserves leniency because she's been good in prison. I don't know about you but I think people are supposed to be good in prison. Chad Allen was great in this movie.

Reasons Pamela smart is guilty: 1. She had an affair with a teenage boy.

2. She is a sociopatic liar.

3. She is cold hearted.

4. She did not show any emotion when her husband was murdered.

5. Denial.

6. Knew everything about the crime.

7. Jury and evidence found her guilty.


I enjoyed this movie and even bought it for my collection. Remember Billy was only fifteen years old and was experiencing his first sexual encounter. He was, understandably, easily manipulated by an "older" woman.

While I liked Helen Hunt's portrayal of Pam Smart, I still do not understand what was her reason for getting rid of her husband. According to the movie, Greg wasn't cruel or abusive to her, he seemed to love her very much, they lived in a lovely condo, and was supportive of her career decisions. His parents also seemed to love Pam like a daughter. Pam was crazy about Greg when he was a Van Halen look-alike but when he cut his hair and started to dress corporate (to work for an insurance company)did her feelings for him start to change then? She was very into heavy-metal but was she afraid that her "rocker" husband was transforming into Mr. Yuppie America?

I went ahead and bought a paperback about this case and hope to find out what has driven Pam to this extreme.


Largely disappointing film which does a terrible job of accounting the shocking and brutal murder of a young newly married New Hampshire man at the hands of his wife's school boy lover and his teenage friends.

Neither Joyce Chopra nor her screen writing team have made any attempt to emotionally involve their audience, and any attention to the details of this tragic case is completely non-existent, thus leaving the viewers frustrated and starved of information.

The entire cast are all very ordinary and uninspiring which results in a potentially fascinating and aggravating true story (although claimed to be fictitious in the end credits) becoming an uninteresting drag. Watch an old "Colombo" re-run instead!

Thursday, August 4, 1994 - T.V.


she does quite well in this made for TV film. She certainly provides the audience with the personality of a hate-worthy narcissist, who, once she cannot get her way, and rise to stardom on TV news, decides the way to solve her career problem is to have her husband executed.

Pamela Smart apparently was able to manipulate a student, Billy (well portrayed by a young Chad Allen). She worked as media director at a high school, but that was not good enough for her lofty aspirations, so she manipulated Billy and his friend to murder Greg Smart, promising them insurance money as pay-off. (There was no money). There is actually an amusing scene after her husband has been murdered, and Pamela Smart is worried about how she will look on the 6PM news.

Hank Stratton as Gregory Smart is a bit too innocent, but we do feel sorry for his fate. Seems an odd question, but did Pam Smart ever hear of divorce?.

Howard Hesseman is not in the film long enough, but offers a good performance, and the courtroom scenes are thankfully left to a minimum. Michael Learned and Ken as Greg's well-meaning parents.

Overall a decent docudrama which has probably been elevated to cult status by now, as Pamela Smart in real life is now petitioning for yet another appeal. 7/10.


Although I really do appreciate Helen Hunt as an actress in other films, I feel that she was a wrong choice for playing the part of Pamela Smart in this picture. Hunt is too soft for this role which one can see by watching Pamela Smart on the television show 'American Justice'. Also, the movie didn't go by all the facts, even though these things were small in nature - for example, Billy Flynn was not a blond guy, he has brown hair and certain things in the film were altered from the true facts that were reported on national television when Pamela Smart was on trial for the murder of her husband, Greg Smart. I think a lot of trouble with the picture had to do with the script - there just wasn't enough passion (not in the love sense, necessarily) in any of the scenes like when Smart (Hunt) is talking to Flynn (Chad Allen) about killing her husband, etc. They might as well have been talking about going and getting a cup of coffee or planning on going on a picnic together. I was thoroughly disappointed in this film and therefore rated it a 1 out of 10 because it didn't have any suspense about it at all and the acting was terrible as well.


The movie was a typical TV movie of the week. The actors did well with the script they had to work with but they really didn't have much to work with. I wouldn't rate the movie as high as I do if Chad Allen didn't look so cute in it. All in all I'd say it was a pretty average to slightly above average made for TV movie.


This movie about what at the time was considered one of the most horrific murders ever because of the circumstances, was a waste of time. Helen Hunt was game in the role of Pam Smart, but everything else in this movie was so terrible. Chad Allen as her teen lover was an embarrassment, I couldn't see any reason why they would go head over heels for each other in real life by the way these two actors went pedestrianly about their way. A very big waste of time for anyone who watches this after reading this review.


It is very easy to hate on anything that Uwe Boll does, and it is clear that most people here are taking this path of least resistance and jumping that same wagon. However, it takes a greater person to admit when they were wrong and give credit when it is due, and it most certainly due. If one really wanted to, they could pick apart the historical accuracy of the film, or the tactics, or the costuming, or the geography; I am sure that such people could easily find some justification for condemning this film.

On the other hand, what would follow would be a trite listing of errors and complaints, tarted up with clever comments and sealed with some witty remark. Is that what proper film critique is about? It doesn't take much in the way of intelligence to attack and destroy what you see before you. That is why people do it so easily and without thought. In a way, this film touches on that very human failing. So many film goers and critics (professional and armchair) are going to dismiss this film as if it is some plague carrier, and only because of the name that goes with it. I feel sorry for those people because they will miss out on a great many interesting and even inspiring film experiences in their life time.

Tunnel Rats is one such experience. It is a small production and done very succinctly and without much extraneous posturing. From the first scene, the film gets right down to business and doesn't really let up until the gripping and downright mortifying ending. Perhaps it is the small size of the production that has kept Boll honest somewhat. I can imagine that when contracted to make Hollywood films, there is a lot of pressure to appeal to the attention deficit audiences out there, often the very ones that hate him, and therefore he aims too far above his mark.

In this film he hits the mark very confidently and professionally. It is worth seeing this film, and doing so without preconception or judgment. Boll is just the director and a film is a sum of its parts, even though Boll directed this film, there were dozens of earnest and hardworking actors and crew members putting in their all to make this film. It is the hight of arrogance to laugh at their efforts and belittle what they made when truly there is nothing really wrong with it.

I hope that enough people are see this film so that Boll can keep doing what he enjoys and sharing it with people. Every film, when made earnestly, has something worthwhile to show us. Stay free of the popularist hate for Uwe Boll and see films for what they are.


Another unfortunate film meeting "we hate the director because the internet told us to" preconceptions, 1968 Tunnel Rats is a complete success in what it sets out to do - create an overwhelming sense of fear and claustrophobia.

There are war movies, and there are horror movies. This is both. Yet, there is no Predator creature jumping around, no crazy virus, no hallucinations, no. The war is scary enough itself.

There's no patriotic propaganda here, neither is there any political anti-war message, the movie just shows us how scary life as a soldier could be. This is the kind of fear which is felt by real people, every day.

A highly recommended film if you like tension and suspense. More accessible than SEED, more mature than Alone in the Dark.


First of all,i NEVER appreciated any of the work of German movie-maker Uwe Boll,although I cant say I seen all his work. But I have seen his "skills" in "house of the dead","alone in the dark" and the one with the vampire slayer chick.

Now,after watching "Tunnel Rats",I cant help myself wondering if this guy really improved his skills significantly,or he got lucky?...maybe he wasn't even directing,but hired someone else??...

Yeah,I sound silly,but its all because this film was a good little solid war story and it had no feel of a low-budget production. There are plenty of moments that made me get found of some characters,even Vietnamese,the action scenes are never over the top,almost all of it feels raw and real (if you know what I mean),and last,but not least,It made me think of the value of a mans life. And all this is saying much,if not TOO MUCH,for a Uwe Boll-written/directed film.

If he would seriously think of stopping to do all of those video game based tasteless adaptations and focus on action/drama, maybe his future works will gain more audience.


"1968 Tunnel Rats" makes a brutal statement about the horrors of war and pulls no punches. Unlike many Hollywood epics which purport to teach their lessons through clever manipulations of the heart, this is no coming-of-age film or family drama couched in a setting of battle. Writer/director Uwe Boll has created a film which is very simply about the futility of war, in this case, set in the jungles of Vietnam.

North Vietnamese fighters dug tunnels, sometimes hundreds of miles long, in which they hid, lived, and carried out surprise missions against the Americans. After an ambush of several members of his squad, Sergeant Vic Hollowborn (Michael Pare) returns to the area with a ragtag group of Army soldiers to avenge their deaths. These young men, some barely out of high school, walk blindly into a world they've never known.

The ensemble cast does what they need to do -- this is not as much of a character-driven piece as other films of this genre, and the improvised dialogue isn't Hollywood war movie fluff. I've never been in battle but I hope the soldiers in the film are realistically depicted. They certainly aren't romanticized a la "Apocalypse Now." Pare's Sergeant Hollowborn is an effective leader, a man who makes his own rules and expects his men to follow them. Other standouts include Nate Parker as Private Jim Lidford, who thinks his urban roots make him tough enough to breeze through this assignment, and Rocky Marquette as Private Terence Verano, the sweet baby-faced kid who exemplifies what made this particular war so intolerable for American mothers -- he clearly doesn't belong here (not that anybody does). Lidford ought to be back on the basketball court on the corner and Verano ought to be back on the beaches of Lake Michigan. Among the North Vietnamese "enemies," watch for Jane Le as young mother Vo Mai. Her heartwrenching performance will stay with you long after the credits roll.

The look is stark and the action unrelenting. The lighting is subdued -- dark and dirty, much like the jungle landscape and tunnels themselves. Opening credits are accompanied by the Zager & Evans' classic "In the Year 2525," which had me deceptively smiling from the start. Jessica de Rooij's score turns ominous after that and was one of the highlights of the movie. But what stood out the most for me was the camera-work of Mathias Neumann. From the copious use of crane shots, as if we are hiding up in the trees ready to pounce, to the hand-held closeups in the tunnel sequences, there is no relief. Visual effects are topnotch and breathtaking. But with few exceptions, "1968 Tunnel Rats" does not rely on sweeping vistas and long shots of masses of soldiers readying for battle. And it doesn't need to. This is about hand-to-hand combat, literally, and the claustrophobic setting is palpable.

Shot on location in South Africa, Boll put all the actors through a boot camp with actual mercenaries prior to filming. This wasn't a "Hollywood" boot camp, referring to the usual type of training actors go through before a war movie. No, they were trained by men who literally had been out killing just a few days beforehand. Filmmakers, cast, and crew all took this project seriously and it shows.

This film may be difficult to watch but it's too compelling to turn away. There isn't a lot to laugh at, although the characters are well-developed enough that we get to know their hopes and fears. It's also definitely a war movie in the true sense of the genre, with heavy political undertones. But It doesn't try to be all things to all people. "1968 Tunnel Rats" is dark and dirty and about as serious as a film can get. If writer/director Uwe Boll is trying send a message, it comes through loud and clear.


Firstly I should admit that I do like the war genre but also realize that like anything else there are good ones and bad ones.

This for me was a good one, a really good one. Like others have mentioned the dark lighting, claustrophobic tunnel sets, realistic looking location and uneasy score. I found myself not wanting to relax back in the chair as I felt the tension and body count build.

A problem with many Hollywood war flicks like Pearl Harbour or Saving Private Ryan, is that they are just some all American good guy runs around, shoots heaps of enemy with 1 gun while tens of enemy guns have no effect, saves the day and the US and Allied forces are glorified and the enemy are demonised. At least in Rats everyone dies, and it is shown that there are all types of soldiers on both sides rather than just good Americans and bad Vietcong.

As far as the technical side of things go people have to realize that when 98% of people will find the costumes and props fine, the studio isn't going spend a bunch of extra money to satisfy the extra 2%. My take is that you just have to give films a break if you have expertise in their area.

If sickening Hollywood endings make you want to spew then this is for you.


I've been writing for Ain't It Cool News for 11 years and I found out there's a rift between Harry Knowles and Uwe Boll that's why Harry won't publish it. Regardless, its the best movies Boll has ever written and directed; except for the ending. WARNING! SPOILERS!

Uncapie here!

Let's spend a "Holiday In Cambodia" where the people dress in black.

Okay, now before everyone gets on my ass, this is the best film Uwe Boll has written and directed.

Yes, I'm serious.

"Tunnel Rats" is a powerful, well-written story about the little known group of American soldiers in Vietnam of the same name based loosely on elements from the "Tunnels of Cu Chi" and real-life events that took place there.

The pre-credits sequence is intense. A Tunnel Rat armed only with handgun and a flashlight searches for Viet Cong, in a tight, claustrophobic environment. Stops and listens. Nothing. We see the VC doing the same thing. They're heading towards each other. When the confrontation happens, the audience never sees the twist coming.

Boll captures the intensity these men went through in the crawl spaces. You actually feel like your trapped in these tiny confines with the soldiers. The dirt, the dust filling your lungs as you attentively search for the enemy, crawling on your belly, not being able to stand up for long periods of time, no light except for that of your flashlight and the fear of what unknown factor might lie ahead; whether it be an enemy soldier or a deadly booby-trap.

You look for a way out of a 75 mile interconnected maze that is 2-3 levels deep.

Its intense.

One thing I like about Boll what he did with this film is that he showed both sides of the combatants. Each side had their reason for doing what they had to do and what they believed in. Both sides had gray areas in their duties, but basically, both groups just wanted to get this war over with and go home.

Michael Pare portrays the burned out, "Lieutenant Vic Hollowborn." A real hard case, who at one time was probably a captain or major, but was busted down to lieutenant because he's too stern with his men challenging them to boxing matches if they step out of line. A good tactician, they gave him a dirty job instead of a one-way ticket to the LBJ(Long Bihn Jail; a military prison.).

Hollowborn is in charge of a group of young soldiers who risk their lives everyday where one slip is fatal even being warned not to smoke the night before they go into the tunnels the next day because the VC can smell the smoke on them. They can even tell the brand.

None of these guys want to be in the 'Nam. They all hate it. They stay away from the FNG's(F-ing New Guy's) because all they do is talk about home and that's a place the Short Timer's want to be. They also feel that the FNG's aren't worth a salt unless they've proved themselves in combat, but that's hard to do sometimes as that they'll probably be killed in the first week, so why bother getting to know them.

The next day, the squad goes on a simple "Search and Destroy" mission, but all hell breaks loose and each man must fight for his own life in order to survive.

Boll's co-writer and producer, Dan Clarke, particularly pays close attention to detail in the script to give the story the realism it richly displays. The booby trap sequences invented by the Viet Cong based on real events are creatively deadly.

Great photography by Mathias Neumann. From beautiful jungle vistas to the dark tunnels. Quite an impressive contrast. The sound is crisp and clear. The most impressive part is, is that the entire movie was shot in South Africa doubling for Vietnam and you cannot tell the difference.

This is Boll's best film...up until the last ten minutes.

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT

You get to know the characters. You like most of them, but everybody dies. EVERYBODY. Who's left to left to tell the story? No one. At least in "Go Tell the Spartans" and "Apocalypse Now" somebody lived to tell the story. Here, you walk out of the theater, and yes ,there are some intense, memorable scenes that you can't get out of your mind that lingers on days after, but there is no one left alive! You're depressed as hell!

Boll creates the best work ever and blows it the last ten minutes. Like the film, "I Bury the Living;" one of the best horror movies ever made until the cop-out ending the studio wanted. It could have been a classic, if not for that.

Boll should re-shoot the ending and have someone live to tell it. Its the only thing that hurts the movie is that ending, otherwise this is the best film he's ever done.

SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER END

This film is realistic and well made. My only complaint with it is the ending. Other than that, Boll did a remarkable job with this movie that deals with a little known chapter in the history of the Vietnam war about a group of remarkably brave soldiers that had to do a rough job.

Uncapie


What am I supposed to say about a war film made by Uwe Boll? I know the man by reputation alone and this is my first venture into his film-making domain. It seems he's brought about quite an aura for horrifically bad films, and yet there I was watching Tunnel Rats and genuinely thinking it was a good effort. Am I supposed to sit here and say it's a horrid, pointless mess of fast edits and nonsensical action running on a paper thin script complete with horrid acting? Should that sort of summary be synonymous with a Uwe Boll war film? Well surprise, surprise Tunnel Rats is actually a damn fine effort and it proves people are willing to jump on certain critical bandwagons just as easily as people are willing to jump on positive bandwagons.

The film succeeds in the sense it captures the madness of war as well as delivering scenes of strong, bloody violence that repulses more than it does excite as these various action set-pieces and scenarios play out. Hey, this is more than what the recent Rambo film offered when all we got was a plethora of gore and disembowelment as 'justified' warfare was played out between those poor, poor Christians and those evil, evil Burmese soldiers. The primary content and the 'tunnel rats' of the title refers to soldiers whom engage in activity you feel you'd have to be mad to partake in; an activity that is not about capturing or defending terrain; or searching out an individual alá Apocalypse Now or Saving Private Ryan, but about clearing Vietcong tunnels located beneath the battlefields.

The Tunnel Rats of the title are three jeep loads of soldiers assigned to the Củ Chi tunnel complex, Vietnam, in 1968. Their task is to clear out the tunnels surrounding their base camp  traps, enemies and all. The platoon are made up of all sorts; these are not just faceless characters called in to spawn some bloody violence/action as they 'blow some stuff up real good' for the benefit of a passive audience. Some are white, some are black; some are younger than others; some are innocent, naive and soft-bodied whereas some others feel the need to stamp authority within the group. Some even share certain religious beliefs that others do not subscribe to.

There are some points in which you want the characters whom are down in those tunnels out and 'safe' as soon as possible, then there are others during which you want them down there and 'safe' as potential danger approaches on the surface. Other times, soldiers survive the ordeal of the tunnels only to emerge and face new horrors. Boll toys with the audience in this regard, using each respective 'space' as both a safe haven and a potential death trap at various times to really good effect.

The team assigned to deal with this tunnel network share some thoughts and memories from childhood the night before they ship out to begin work. We know the tunnels are a dingy and claustrophobic space on top of a dangerous locale thanks to the opening scene. Further talk of the tunnels being death traps plays out with some characters speculating the dangers through past stories and rumour as well as how the Vietcong can 'smell' you. This makes the scenes later on when a character lights up a cigarette down there even more harrowing. The talk of the tunnels further prolongs anxiety, as the brief but memorable opening scene floats in and around our memory. The tunnels, however, remain off screen and we know what awaits the group, giving us a position of power  a position of power that is further emphasised when we witness entire scenes dedicated to the Vietcong, the American's enemy, one occurrence of which sees the camera crane directly below a Tunnel Rat to reveal a makeshift Vietcong war room.

Initially, the first tunnel is a bit of a disaster. It is a dead end and while eliminating two of the enemy, they loose three guys. The sense of failure and frustration at such a cost for so little is clearly evident, very briefly creating a helpless and desperate atmosphere in the film and in our own minds about the situation. Boll captures the horror and the cramped conditions of the tunnels perfectly. Shooting in low light and keeping his camera rock steady as his subject scurries and struggles about erratically, we feel frightened when people venture into the unknown and horrified when altercation with the enemy arises.

Boll even finds room to develop scenarios within the already established conventions by including the character of Vo Mai (Jane Le) as this frightened Vietnamese woman who lives within the tunnels with her two young children. The award winning Jane Le does a great job in portraying the fear and madness of it all. The final thirty minutes or so are pure, gripping, impressive war genre cinema. I didn't notice it beforehand, but there is a certain electronic pulsating sound effect/musical number that plays on a loop during this time, which really captures the horror and the suspense you're witnessing as people scrap for their lives  it's fascinating to watch.

Whereas Michael Bay can just fetishise action and gunfire with copious amounts of explosions and slow motion towards the end of Transformers as that becomes even more empty headed; vacuous and nonsensical than it already was, and Stallone can offer nothing bar mere break-neck action as the baddies get their comeuppance toward the conclusion of Rambo IV, Boll shows us that war is, in fact, Hell and war-zones are places you really don't ever want to be. The two respective films have high IMDb ratings close to '7'; Tunnel Rats has something bordering on '4'  looks like that Boll-hate bandwagon is in full runaway mode, whereas the Stallone/Bay-love bandwagon is on an equally slick streak. How sad.


Wow, this movie can not be described easily.

While it is sometimes way too pathetic (american soldiers die too easily), at the very heart, this movie is breathtaking and really painful (due to it's statement) to watch. Between the scenes of war, dying and gore it works well with claustrophobia and the inevitable (you see your fate coming)... And while it gets down to a very personal level, it says so many things about humans, the desire to live, anger, desperation, motivation and war in general .....

*Tech* One things that really blew my mind: the tunnel-scenes could have been done by anyone at (almost) no costs!! (Students around? Learn from that, no major explosions needed!) But yet, those scenes where among the most intense, the most unpleasant, painful, desperate and bloody scenes I have ever seen.

*War and technology* Besides that, the tunnels and the jungle give a fairly well impression why no technology (so far) was a major help in such a fight - when it came down to man vs. man.....

Resume: not your average good-night-movie! + In a movie-theater it soon becomes quite claustrophobic!!


People thought he could never do.. but he did and this is the best film he has made so far.

Uwe Boll the German director who has be come known for the creation of some of the worst films in history. And most of them were video game adaptations.

But maybe Postal was the beginning of a transformation. it wasn't a very good film but at least it had some very good bits. Far cry was better but still not great.

Tunnel Rats is good. though its not that great and still some visible cracks but at least its the cracks are not so wide. the dialogue is still full of problems but the plot is rather good. the action is intense and meaningful.

the film was even very moving at times. I wanted to find problems with the movie but found more good points rather than bad points. which is rare in a Uwe Boll film. many of the characters were still 2 Dimensional but the music,action,plot made up for many of the mistakes.

Some war films about Vietnam show the power of the American army, but this film at least shows the Americans being kicked about which I have only seen in Platoon.

Uwe Boll has made a film and it is not a bad film.


When controversial German director Uwe Boll (HOUSE OF THE DEAD) first announced that he wanted to shoot an absolutely uncompromising, blunt and brutal movie about the cruelties of the Vietnam War, not just a few critics shook their heads in disbelief and predicted a major failure on all levels as they just couldn't imagine that infamous filmmaker, who once knocked out four internet bashers in a boxing challenge, to tackle such a serious subject with the needed amount of tactfulness and sincerity. And I gotta admit that even though I'm quite a huge fan of Uwe Boll's work, I personally wasn't 100% sure either what to expect from a project like this...

But now that I finally got my hands on a DVD of said film and ultimately got to see TUNNEL RATS (I missed the flick's short theatrical run here in Germany), I can say with a clear conscience that all those badmouths were once again a bit too fast with their criticism and concerns, cause apparently TUNNEL RATS turned out to be a pretty neat and well-done war movie, whose intensity and brutality will not leave you cold.

The film, which is set in the jungle of Cu Chi in 1968, tells the tragic story of a group of young American soldiers lead by the hard-boiled Sgt. Hollowborn (Michael Pare) who get orders to explore and secure a complex tunnel system which the Vietcong use to move through the jungle without being heard or seen. As soon the GIs step down into the dark and narrow corridors, however, they gotta learn the hard way that their enemy is way more accustomed to the unusual surroundings and skilled in the antics of guerrilla warfare than they are and hence it doesn't take long until one GI after the other has to face a merciless death and the defeat of the whole platoon seems almost inevitable In an early interview, Uwe Boll once said that one of his main intents for TUNNEL RATS was to show the absurdity and senselessness of war.

Those guys who fight for their country with guns in their hands are all young, vital and full of hopes, dreams and ambitions. They got their whole lives ahead of them, but earlier than they've bargained for, they have to realize that in a game like this there's only losers but no winners. And when they're left to die all on their own a thousand miles away from home, they don't feel like heroes at all and pride and glory are about the last things that they think of

The whole pointlessness of war is a constant and reoccurring theme in TUNNEL RATS and just like war itself ain't exactly fun and enjoyment, this film is also far from being your typical good time bubblegum blockbuster TUNNEL RATS is very slow-paced, very raw, very dirty, very brutal, very pessimistic and very honest. It surely lacks the epic proportions of "big" war movies such as PLATOON, APOCALYPSE NOW and FULL METAL JACKET, but it makes up for this with sheer intensity and a great dose of suspense; the latter being mainly the product of Uwe Boll making really good use of the perilous environment throughout the whole course of the movie. No matter whether the GIs are marching through the thick green hell of the jungle or crawling through the claustrophobic constriction of the tunnels, you can't help but feel a constant uneasiness and uncomfortableness, which ultimately finds its climax in a devastating and truly shattering finale that you won't soon forget.

Being more of light-hearted kind of guy, I have to say that I personally didn't enjoy TUNNEL RATS as much as I enjoyed Uwe Boll's action-packed, over-the-top no-brainers such as HOUSE OF THE DEAD, BLOODRAYNE and IN THE NAME OF THE KING, but this doesn't change the fact at all that TUNNEL RATS is still one of Uwe's most atmospheric and coherent films so far and definitely worth watching for all fans of unsparing war movies such as JOHN RAMBO and Co.


I will not spoil anything and just say the truth : This is an outstanding Vietnam war movies, and that for the following reasons : - Great acting, very "real", makes you feel you are right there in Vietnam with the soldiers - Great directing, especially in the tunnels, which feel very claustrophobic.

In conclusion, a great war movie. Very personal as opposed to enormous with thousands of soldiers.

I think BOLL just had really bad scripts and did what he could with them. With tunnel rats it was his own ideas that really came out and he did a great job.

Please watch and then rate. Don't just think "Oh a stupid German director" and miss a great movie.


Story of a bunch of US tunnel rats in Viet Nam over the course of a couple of days is a really good, really solid action film. The plot has a bunch of replacement guys arriving at their new station in the jungle. The film follows them as they interact with the men already there and it then follows them as they go out on a mission, which unfortunately coincides with an enemy attack. Tight dark and claustrophobic this is a film that really knows how to ratchet up the suspense. You watch the film because, like the men in the tunnel you don't know what is coming next. People die horribly in traps and fierce fighting. You wonder if anyone will get out of the situations they are put in alive.

I really liked this film a great deal and can not understand how the director, the infamous Uwe Boll, can't make more like it. Whether Boll had directed it or not this is a very good film. I almost wish that Boll had used a different name when he made it since I doubt the film will ever get the attention it deserves because of who he is. One of the genuine surprise of the year film wise, this is a wonderful little film thats light years better than many other recent low budget war films. If you like war films I highly recommend it.


I have an odd way of picking up movies. Usually by the cover and or summary on the box. For the most part I do well with this method. Well, today was not one of them days. The movie had nice action sequences but the acting was by far some of the worst I have ever seen. It was absolutely horrible. It is sad because the story was really decent and had possible potential. I wouldn't rate this movie a one out of ten just because the tunnel scenes were good and kept me in the movie. If you believe in Vietnam movies should show Americans winning every battle then this movie is definitely not for you. Although, I wont be re-watching this one in the near future. If war movies are your thing. I would recommend a movie called Tae-gu-ki. It is a great Korean war movie.


Tunnel Rats, one the best Vietnam films ever made. While people are always willing to back Full Metal Jacket, Platoon, Apocalypse Now and others, this film really hits the mark. This film does not leave you feeling the need to throw out one liners with your friends over a couple of pints, it does not leave you believing they had some fun over in Vietnam like in Hamburger Hill when they go to the local massage parlour and get laid and drink beer (although Hamburger Hill does hit home), this film shows exactly what fighting that war was all about. Fighting an enemy you could not find and could certainly never beat. People have been shocked by how the film was made, but how better to get a real picture of what actually happened out there. Squeezing into a tunnel big enough for very small people and not being able to take proper defences with you, not being able to breath or move properly. This film is very much a political message and what a shame these films were not made earlier when the actual war was taking place. Maybe the anti-war protesters would have been more willing to give the war vets the credit they deserve for being drafted and made to do what it is they did. This film commands respect and no matter how awful the portrayal of killing is, or how awful the darkness of the film is, this is a complete truth of what was happening. Americans bombing their own at the end of the movie, reminiscent of Hamburger Hill and that film was acclaimed. My heart goes out to the people who fought in that war, the survivors and the dead. They fought because governments can't simply learn to live with their differences, or they can't just sit down and decide to have a poker game instead. No, they gamble with other people's lives and this leads to creative minded people like Uwe, who see a tort and do something about it, make films that show true depictions of what really happened no matter how bloody. In a couple of years there will be more films like this about the war on terror because G W wanted to line the pockets of his suit at the expense of young men and women because he can't tolerate other countries disagreeing with him. Well done Uwe, this film opens the mind and shows how ugly war truly is. Throw on some boxing gloves government leaders, or go fight the war yourselves.


If you're looking for an intricate plot, look elsewhere. If you're looking for feel-good, shoot-em-up action, look elsewhere. If you're looking for the latest sugar-pill rom-com with Sandra Bullock, why are you even reading this? In Uwe Boll's stunning "Tunnel Rats," the increasingly interesting (but still no less maligned) German director has made what essentially amounts to a chronicle of the madness of war told in a confined, claustrophobic, and frighteningly intimate way. The concept and plot (a platoon of American soldiers uncovering underground tunnels built by the Viet Cong to stage ambushes) are one and the same; and the metaphors paralleling confined spaces to the erosion of sanity are strong--hysteria is very viscerally believable here. While the character introductions and subsequent dialogs may strike notes of familiarity to the seasoned connoisseur of cinematic warfare, it's the unfamiliarity of the cast (with Boll regular Michael Pare being the only 'name' actor present) that makes it all stick; the lack of name actors only heightens the suspense, especially after they've earned our sympathy. To see these young men trapped in confined, booby-trapped spaces (with nothing but a revolver and a flashlight) is the stuff of nightmares, even more so than "The Descent" a few years back. The film maintains a bleak, free-form nihilism throughout, its plot (much like the war it's invoking) a jagged sequence of events rather than a simple matter of connect-the-dots conflict resolution. Tough, hypnotic, and refreshingly free of contrived stylistic symbolism, "Tunnel Rats" could very well be Uwe Boll's masterpiece.

7.5 out of 10


Despite having an air of doubt over this film after reading that the director Uwe Boll was given a Razzie award for worst director I decided to watch it. I am glad I did. This film portrays the problems the US army faced with the Kamikaze Vietnamese soldiers.

The Army's job is to flush out the tunnels and render them useless, but little do they know that the tunnels they are in are actually above where they need to be. The Vietnamese suicide squad does its best to stop all this from happening.

This film has blood, action, fighting, explosions and a hint of gore. The screen play is top notch and I think the director does not deserve the Razzie, he did a fantastic job. The actors are little known but still I recommend watching.

My rating 8/10


Saw The Hurt Locker 7 days prior to watching Tunnel Rats. Tunnel Rats wins in a big way!! There was no main character in Tunnel Rats, and these guys were all regular Army. I was on the edge of my seat AND emotionally attached to these characters. There were at least 10 characters (3 or 4 of them enemy) that had some sort of character development and that takes place in the first 45 minutes of the film. It was slow at first, but once the first person enters the tunnel you'll feel like you're right there in Nam INSIDE THAT TUNNEL!!! I felt like I was crawling in there alongside these guys fighting my way through just trying to survive and find my way out. The tunnel confrontations were incredibly tense and gripping! I liked how the "Gooks" were portrayed as well, especially the female. The production values were well above B-movie grade. The cinematography was well done with some very thoughtfully choreographed shots with the Huey and the scenery. The soundtrack was quite appropriate as well. The DVD release takes out the really gory kill scenes, but you will have seen enough to imagine what just happened. When the really gory deaths occur there is a freeze frame and sometimes a brief drop to black. If you want to see all the gory deaths later on you can choose to do so in the Deleted Scenes section. The gory deaths are so horrifying that I think it's a good idea that they were cut out so that you don't just zone out and miss the next 20 seconds of intense action and suspense! If you enjoy war movies or are a student of Vietnam War history, this is a must see!


Writer/director Uwe Boll's war drama takes place in the Cu Chi jungles of Viet Nam circa 1968. There is no rule book, no play book for war...especially this one. Armed with handguns, flashlights and knives, Sergeant Vic Hollowborn(MIchael Pare) leads a combat unit into underground warfare with the goal to eradicate the Viet Cong resistance forces burrowed effectively in their narrow and dusty domain. Hand to hand battle not for pride...but survival. Interesting, but nothing real special. Pare is a believable bigoted leader. Others in the cast: Nate Parker, Wilson Bethel, Brandon Fobbs, Brad Schmidt, Jane Le and Scott Ly.


As a Nam vet and former combat infantry squad leader I can tell you this movie was 80% BS. As commented on by others we don't build permanent camps in the middle of the jungle. Camps are built in areas where clear fields of fire can be created so that daylight surprise attacks like the one depicted in the movie cannot happen. There also were no jeeps riding down two tracks in the jungle, for the same obvious reason. There are so many factual errors in this flick like uni's, incorrect armaments, a unit insignia that I've never seen before, etc, etc, etc. The director obviously had no knowledge of what went on in Vietnam and he didn't bother to find out by bringing in a knowledgeable technical consultant. This movie is without question the worst Vietnam era movie ever made and one of the worst war movies of all time. The shame of it is that there is a truly gripping story to be told about guys who volunteered to be tunnel rats in the Nam and this flick failed miserably to tell that story. What's worse is from what I see on this website, far too many of you think this was some kind of representative and half way decent movie. Nothing could be further from the truth. And FYI, there were no 6 foot and 6 foot plus tunnel rats as depicted in the movie. Tunnel rats by necessity were the shortest guys who more approximated the size of the people who built and used the tunnels.


Uwe Bolls Tunnel Rats has just been released on R2UK, and of course I had to run down to the store and get a copy as fast as possible. When Seed came a lot of people was impressed - except the usual Bollbashers - but who cares about them nowadays? Seed was way more cynical than what we've seen from Uwe before, but still had some silliness because the absurd comic book-style killer.

But with Tunnel Rats Uwe has abandon every kinda comedy, satire and tongue-in-cheek. Tunnel Rats is dead serious and works very well that way. It's a story about soldiers in the Vietnam-war that are going to clean up the underground tunnels that Viet Cong uses. Of course everything breaks into pure hell...

Boll spends some time with the characters first. Let us know them - and let the actors do some impressive and naturalistic performances. It's not a pro-American movie... and not a pro-Vietnamese movie either. It's quite natural and shows the brutality at both forces. For once he injects some personality and motivation to the Viet Congs to, and as good performances as the American actors.

It goes into horror-territory (almost) when the tunnels are introduced, but still keeps it realistic. The tunnels are small, because the Vietnamese is small, so it get's extra claustrophobic for the bigger built Americans. Above the ground there's some great action to, well worth a look for those - like me - who loves jungle action. Blood, squibs, limbs blown of, explosions and a nasty feeling of realism. There's no super-soldiers here. People just die.

The Bollbashers would celebrate this movie if there was another name as a director, if Boll used an alias. They just hate it because it's Boll directing.

I love his popcorn-flicks, but I love even more when he comes in to more darker territories and shows us what the world is about.

The ending is dark and cynical, but probably more real than any other Vietnam-movie. Yeah, it's darker than in Seed. And it shows even more the total meaningless of war.


Apart from being a terrible film with a bad script, bad acting and a bad storyline, this film had far too many errors.

In the credits at the end of the movie it lists a Maarten Coatzee as the films Technical Adviser. Now the big question is, what exactly did he advise? The film had so many technical errors i felt like i was watching another amateur made Youtube movie!

Now I've seen my share of bad Vietnam films, but this takes the cake!! M16-a2 and m655 carbine rifles being used by U.S soldiers, Woodland Cameo helmet covers, WW2 era uniforms, post Vietnam web gear, VC using Norinco Type 84S rifles instead of Ak-47s, VC soldiers with hairstyles like they just walked off the set of Tokyo drift, and to top it off, a military outpost built deep into the jungle with no perimeter wire, no field of fire, or guard tower to be seen. Its no wonder why they where over-run so easily.

If you want to see a good story of Tunnel warfare in Nam, Watch the second episode of Tour of Duty titled "Notes from the Underground". For a TV show made 21 years ago, it sure does put this rubbish to shame.

It really is sad that the Tunnel Rats of Cu Chi didn't get a better film. They sure deserve it.


I totally disagree with Oarch's comments about this film. This is so called foreign non-understanding of Balcan humor. If you ever watched other Balcan(Ex Yugoslavian) movie, you'll notice a lot very good actors, who make this movie even better with their brilliant act. Maybe the story isn't so tuned and exciting, but you'll have a lot to laugh about in hour and half. Special credit for funny part in this movie goes to Lazar Ristovski and Bogdan Diklic as two cops, who's luck is not on their side. Also Branko Djuric takes credits for his part, but best elements of this movie are dialogs, which represents tradition and a way of living in Balcan countries.

If you like Balkan humor, then you should not miss this one.


I don't remember Serbian film that I utterly enjoyed like this one in years. If I remember correctly last I liked like this one was Kusturica's Underground. Film is dealing with serious things, but in light and funny fashion.

And I know lot of people from Belgrade who really act like these characters in film. For example I know few doctors that using cocaine. Policemen are really behaving like those in movie. Belgrade is thorn apart by war and neglected and lot of people still isn't recovered from Milosevic's regime.

Apart from political aspects, film is really great. It seems to me that author tried to underline that accidents are just tools of fate. It is something that comes from eastern religions or philosophies (Orthodox Christianity, Islam etc).


I rented this movie by mistake cause, i was actually searching another one with a similar name, but boy was i blown away. I remember that I was watching with friends, and we laughed so much, it was probably the funniest film I've seen in years. It's a new-age comedy, but with a twist of the old Serbians classics. The storyline is amazing, thus the characters are chosen so well, and the actors are the best Yugoslavian actors there are today in the acting business.The whole storyline is carefully planned, although it might seems a bit confusing at first, you get used to it, and after that it's just a Joy ride from than on. HIGHLY Recommended !!!


it's unexplicable where the serbian cinematography is going. we make or stupid black-humor comedies or bad social movies. mali svet is one that belongs to the first category. the movie hasn't no background, no construction that could hold him, the characters are tied by destiny which is very suspicious, there are many unlogical actions...it's just sad


Definitely a great lighthearted, family film. Makes you feel warm and cozy. Perfect film for the holidays. It is right up there with all the classics, IMO!

I won't describe the plot since others did such a good job. I will say that Mimi does a wonderful job playing the pushover who hasn't come into her own yet. I think Mimi made the movie, I honestly can't think of anyone else in this role.

A must see!


Since this movie came out in 1997, it has aired at least once a year, and I have yet to miss it. It's just that good! This is one of my favorite movies... Christmas or otherwise. Mimi Rogers gives an incredible performance. This is a feel-good movie. The writers of "The Christmas List" are incredibly creative. This movie just fits together wonderfully. I absolutely recommend this movie.


Having seen this film, I have to say, I look for it on TV... EVERY holiday season. It is an excellent story, about a woman, who has a life that is going nowhere fast, and has little prospect of so. She reminds me of myself a bit, and another family member. She lives for romance, yet picks the man who won't give it to her.

However, while there are fairy godmothers, she gets a series of "Christmas Elves" to help out... so to speak. Many magical things happen to her, that improve her life, these all come from a list she HERSELF has written. and One by one, she realizes they are happening, and being "Checked Off". Each time one is fulfilled, she sees the fulfiller as a "christmas elf".

It is child like enough to satisfy your child, AND the inner-child in grown ups.

She stands up to her Anal boyfriend... who tries to run her life... thinking he knows best, and she does it in a way that lets him know straight out she is fed up.

I would say, I will have to remember this for my anal boyfriends...LOL All in all... this one is a keeper...

There is a comment below from a "Karen" about the music... and she is right! I wish I could find the soundtrack, or at least the title song (and don't think I haven't looked!) Stella Stevens, is STELLA-R as the mother... and brings a homey, but quirky feel to the movie that WORKS! The son Danny (portrayed by Bill Switzer) is cool, and not "childlike". He is indicative of many "old souled" children we have known in our lives.

See this one... it is a classic watch every year in my house!


...as well as a holiday tradition! Kudos to Merv Griffin Enterprises...

Who can not love Melody Parris, the main character? Yet, the main point of the story is how everything came together for her when she decided not to 'wait' for anything anymore. It was only when Melody stopped wishing and actually did something that all the pieces fell into place: like going to that swanky restaurant even though she had no escort, and joining in the fun with the other diners.

Favorite moment: Melody's honest, heartfelt plea to the cops who were about to tow her car away - 'if you take away that car, you will ruin whatever luck I have', or words to that effect. And you know...it worked! Second most favorite moment: Melody dumping dinner in George's lap.

I'll never get tired of watching this one. And, for the record, I still watch 'It's A Wonderful Life', though many have gotten sick of it, sad to say.


I liked Mimi playing a woman somewhat down on her luck. She wants very much to better herself, but things don't go her way....until she writes her Christmas list. Even then she still has problems: an overbearing boss, a fruitcake mother, a totally anal boyfriend, and a bitchy co-worker. Then she falls in love. One of the better holiday films.


I absolutely love this movie. I watch it several times a year during the Christmas season. It is such fun. If it were on DVD I would buy it in a heartbeat. It has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it on ABC Family Channel when it first come out. I would love to have it on DVD. I have it on tape from the airing on TV but it is getting so worn that its not very clear anymore. I would love to have it without the cuts for commercials. I would recommend this movie for anyone who is sentimental about Christmas and loves a good comedy and a little romance also. Of course it has a happy ending too! Mimi Rodgers and Rob Stewart have a charisma in the movie and Marla Maples plays just villain enough to keep you hoping that she gets the boot. Danny is really the perfect offset to all the adult issues going on and His friendship with Melanie is really a touching part to the movie. I also enjoy the ambitious manipulating that April does to get Melanies promotion and how that her boss sees the outward appearance and not the talent underneath.


What a fun and delightful movie... Just wish it was available on DVD. Family Fun... Already a Christmas Classic. Mimi is once again at her best. There is great emotional displays from Happy, sad, love, concern, twists and turns. It is creative and a joy to watch over and over. The characters are normal, wacky and arrogant.... a wide variance.

The plot is smooth and fine for any age in my opinion.

Humor, drama and a love story. This Movie seems to have increased in showing frequency since it first aired. I continue to check DVD sources to see if it is released. Will buy when it is as I can't say enough about the film.


This is the story of a perfume counter saleswoman who puts a Christmas List in Santa's mailbox at the store she works in. Her wishes begin to come true, but they all have a slight twist to them when they do. This is a movie that manages to intertwine Christmas, fantasy, romance, and realism. Mimi Rogers does a superb job in the role she plays. This movie even throws in the "guy gets the girl and they live happily ever after" at the end for us hopeless romantics. Wish it was out on video or DVD, I would love to have a copy of it to keep with all the other Christmas Classics.


I love this movie. It is so cute and heartwarming. Mimi Rodgers's character is sort your everyday average person, as they always are in movies like these. She is also a little aged and has sort-of given up on ever having the life she always wanted or dreamed of. That's what makes it so Christmasy. You get happy and excited for her when her life finally starts unfolding. Of course this movie is cheesy but you can pretty much watch it no matter what mood you're in . When I first recorded it off of ABC or Fox family, something like that; I watched it at least 2 times in a row.I'd love to own it on DVD but they don't even have it @ Best Buy and they have EVERYTHING there!


"The Christmas List" with Mimi Rogers is a wonderful Christmas movie for adults and even school age children. This is a hopeful, funny, moralistic and rather off beat movie. It should be available with other favorite Christmas Classics. It has a good cast, and does not drag like some Christmas movies that tried to capitalize on big star power. Actions that seem like pure fantasy are explained with possible reality and give us a glimmer of hope for a fairy tale adventure in real life. Many viewers are able to relate to Mimi Rogers, young Bill Switzer or Rob Stewart; I do not understand why this movie has not been released on DVD. Every year I check, with no avail, to see if The Christmas List has been released.


This is one of my favorite (non-animated) Christmas movies. It is just so sweet, pure sugar. It will make you happy and put you in the Christmas spirit. This is such a departure from some of Mimi Rogers other work and Marla Maples gives this movie lots of camp. It always makes me want to get a seasonal job at a department store when I watch this movie. The little boy whose mother died reminds me of a young Joey Lawrence. I try to catch it each year but I always have trouble finding it. I wish it was played more often. I do not believe it is available on DVD/tape. If you get the rare opportunity to catch this movie, make sure you do.


I truly feel bad for the cast/crew that was involved in making this picture. What could have been a wonderfully told legitimate story of Jesus's life turned out to be just a story of a black man. Due to poor writing/directing, the main focus of the movie was that the Romans were after a black Jew. The story of Jesus is just an afterthought. With things like Mary being turned away from the Inn because she was black, and lines by the centurion "you're not black enough" its not hard not to see how poorly this was put together. The acting wasn't too bad, but many of the accents were poor. It sounded like some of them were French and Scottish, lol. The outdoor sets looked like leftovers from a Xena shoot, but were believable. Some of the indoor sets looked like someone's house with sheets draped on the walls. Not professional at all. I can't recommend this to anyone.

Oh, and whats with the "black Jew" having what looked like an acid trip while praying in the garden. His eyes went all wild, he saw 3 moons in the sky, and started thrashing around throwing grass on himself. Bizarre.


It is extremely obvious that the director and writers did not do their homework as this terrible movie is utterly crammed with inaccuracies.

Now the original inhabitants of Palestine / modern Israel may have been Hamitic (black-skinned), but the Isrealites who left Egypt pretty well wiped out much of the aboriginal population of that first area (Refer to the Book of Joshua in the Old Testment). By the way, God is not human, and so is neither black nor white. But Mary did come from the line of David (Semetic, not black). Therefore it is hard to imagine that a sub-Saharan African could play the role of Jesus with credibility. But it is the plot of the movie that plays games with the actual events. There is time to point out only a few errors.

The Bible is the source of Christ's passion, and the movie hardly had one legitimate Bible quote. Example: Peter (also a black man in the movie) identified himself as Jesus (to protect him from the soldiers). But the movie has the Roman saying to Peter, "You are not black enough, Jew!" (!) Who researched that? And who researched the so-called love affair between Judas and Mary Magdalene? Note that Jesus never once spoke anything bad against the Romans, and there was no Roman vendetta. Think about this for a moment: Jesus rode triumphantly on a donkey into Jerusalem just a few days before his death. The Romans did not stop him. So What was this Roman manhunt that Jesus ducked to avoid detection? Actually the Bible treats the pagan Romans well. Jesus did not come for them, but for the Jews. If Jesus needed soldiers, He could have summoned legions of angels (as He said). Furthermore, who researched the so-called tension between white and black Jews!? Where is that fable written? Another ridiculous scene: The movie had Peter holding a knife to Matthew's throat (!) because the latter had implied that Peter was the traitor. Then the movie, contrary to the Bible, had the Romans arrest Jesus. Jesus was in fact arrested by the Temple Guards (Jewish, not Roman). Just read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for the correct information. In fact, just read the Bible. If you like religious movies, see Jesus of Nazareth for a superior portrayal.

I hope that folks realize that there is a judgment day, and that the spreading of false information about God and the Son may not go well with those who are thus judged.


It seems the producers of this film thought they needed to alter the Bible in order to make a story that is anti-racist, and promotes racial harmony. Just a pity they couldn't have chosen a story that was actually true and in the Bible (ie., God's judgment of leprosy on Aaron and Miriam for racism towards Moses' black wife).

So was Jesus black, white, or something in between? Who knows, and who cares! - the Bible never tells us, and no early historical records describe him. Furthermore no painting were ever done of Jesus until about 400 years after his death and resurrection - so we may never know what Jesus looked like. All we know is that he was a Jew, who would have looked like Jews of the Middle-East (ie. Yemenite Jews).

The movie alters the reason for Jesus' death by crucifixion, not unlike a joke I have heard about Jesus ("he must have been black because he was lynched by a mob of white Romans"!).

The movie is just lies and propaganda from people who fantasize about Jesus being the race they want him to be.


Jean-Claude La Marre writes, directs and stars in a version of the last days of Jesus that posits that Jesus was killed in large part because he was dark skinned. The notion is of course more than likely going to anger many audiences simply because Jesus is black, which is a shame since the poorly made film is bad enough on its own to deserve brickbats being tossed at it.

There is a reasonable possibility that Jesus was dark skinned since those native to the region tend to be of a darker skin than the light skinned Europeans who had invaded the country, so from a historical stand point one can't really argue with a dark skinned Jesus. One can argue with pretty much argue with most of the rest of the film historically and scripturally since it contains a great number of errors. From Roman bad behavior, to the ethnic mix of the country (important in a film that hinges on a question of race) this film fumbles with its facts too much to be believable.

I would like to say that the film works on terms other than historical, but I can't. The simple addition of racial questions wobble the film to the point of non functioning (and it could be argued that the casting of the Jewish elders as very white European "Jews" smacks of racism). It also doesn't help that La Marre doesn't tell the story in a straight forward manner, events are left out or glossed over and a great deal of time is spent with the Jewish religious leaders which helps make his racial plot feasible, but takes away from the story of Jesus.

Technically the film is little more than a low rent TV movie. the sets all seem cheap and the costumes often have the feel of costumes. I have to question several choices La Marre makes, in particular why he keeps switching into Aramaic for some of the final scenes. Its a self indulgent touch that has no place. What further complicates everything in the film is that its never really explained, or explained well enough to be accepted as plausible, what a black Jesus is doing among mostly the whiter than white Jewish community. The casting of La Marre as Jesus comes off as a shock tactic rather than something natural. Clearly the choice was made to upset people enough to see the film instead of to just tell the story.

I would love to say that the film is a complete write off, but I can't. There are several times when the film has a poetic beauty, the opening shot of Jesus on the Cross, and a few shots with in the crucifixion are quite stunning. La Marre also manages to create several nice emotional moments (The Roman asking Caiaphas how it feels to turn over a Jew) and he also manages to create a human Jesus, that laughs and feels, its a portrait that would be wonderful in a better film with a less distracted director.

Nice touches aside the film is a mess. and not worth wasting the time to see it.


This film is neither preachy nor pedantic, and was a welcome surprise for me. As a non-Christian who nevertheless respects the historical figure of Jesus Christ and the beauty of his philosophy and teachings, I found this to be a powerful portrayal of much that I think is worthwhile about the Christ story. I know the film has been maligned for anti-semitic content (perhaps because Jews make mistakes in the film and are seen as persecutors instead of victims? - it could have been anybody!), and for various other problems - but let's face it - any movie portraying this subject was bound to face strong reactions. And kudos to Jean-Claude La Marre for not shying away from the subject by creating a sterile, gutless, Disney story out of what really was a good example of the everyday horror of life on the fringes of the Roman empire. la Marre invents a new genre with Color of the Cross - that of historical horror.

The performances in this film are inspired. I felt that the film brought out the cowardice of the apostles very forcefully, and the courage and love of the two Maries in Jesus' life was palpable to the very end. The effect of Aramaic and Latin, with the moody soundtrack, was spellbinding. Again kudos to La Marre for his courage and artistic integrity on the decisions involved in these elements of the film.

Final word - this is not a film for the whole family nor is it a feel-good film. Don't see it if you're not willing to confront the worst aspects of human nature up close. And don't go in looking for your own version of the story - it's not your film! This is what La Marre believes, and it's his own revelation, not necessarily to be shared by all.


The movie was great, but should not have used any pacifiers strictly bloodline facts, the Middle East and Africa before Rome was Black, Brown, Light Skined and Proud. The introduction of the non colored Jews came well after the slaughter of the original Jews decedents of the tribe of Judah. this statement shouldn't be a shock popular history is almost always re written by the ones in power to reflect themselves and blow up or burn the truth lick the Sphinx and other artifacts throughout history. Contrary to popular believes black is back the meek shall inherit the earth but with less cruelty, seek and you shall find the truth choose not and and continue with blindness. God Bless all.


As a Christian I do not really care if Jesus was black, red, brown, white, or any other color. But to suggest that he was persecuted because he was black is not only unfounded (it is not in the Bible), but it is ludicrous. He was persecuted because He was the Son of God: God in the flesh; and to suggest that the motivation was anything else, including His race, is to undermine and dilute the entire message of the Gospel. It is a slap in the face to anyone who believes in Christ. The only aspect of His ethnicity that is pertinent is the fact that He was Jewish: because, according to prophecy the Messiah was be of Israel and to be king David's heir. Jesus came for all mankind and to save all ethnicities and races. He was persecuted and killed for who He was, and not for the color of His skin.


I believe this movie is created at the time in our history to bring all families and churches together. We are all one therefore each have a right to see Jesus as He looked and acts to them. So I say thumbs up to Mr. LaMarre for showing everyone how Jesus fulfill the role as a man of color. Well I have to say this movie I would personally recommend to all Churches to take their congregation and let everyone have a review of how they feel about Jesus being portrayed as a man of Color. I have seen the movie and would go again to see the movie. I especially like the fact that it showed Jesus as a family man with sisters and brothers. Also, it showed how Joseph didn't leave his wife because of her divine revelation of carrying the Messiah. So I say again, go see the movie and discuss it with your church family and I believe you will find out just how people are thinking. This as I have said could truly bring Unity to the body of Christ. Because I believe that the most races day of the week is on Sunday in the Church.


"Rage of Dawn" is one of a series of excellent westerns made by Randolph Scott in the 1950s. This one has Scott posing as a train robber in order to infiltrate the Reno Brothers gang in 1866.

 The brothers Frank (Forrest Tucker), Sim (J. Carroll Naish) and John (Myron Healey) among others are ambushed during a holdup attempt in which their youngest brother is killed. They suspect an informer. It turns out to be Peterson Detective Agency man Murphy (Arthur Space) who is quickly eliminated. Back at the Peterson office, Mr. Peterson (William Forrest) assigns Monk Paxton (Kenneth Tobey) to the case along with ex-southern spy James Barlow (Scott). They stage a phony train robbery in order to gain the gang's confidence. They then take refuge at Barlow's "uncle's" (Ralph Moody) ranch and await contact from the gang.

 Meanwhile, Barlow has become acquainted with the Reno's sister Laura (Mala Powers) and sparks fly. Good Reno brother Clint (Denver Pyle) pleads with Barlow to take his sister "away from all of this". Barlow gets in with the gang and learns that the local Judge (Edgar Buchanan), prosecutor (Howard Petrie) and sheriff (Ray Teal) are involved with the gang.

 Barlow sets them up in a train robbery and the Reno Brothers are arrested. Concerned citizens Fisher (Trevor Bardette) and Dedrick (James Lydon) form a lynch mob and go to the jail, overpower the local sheriff (George Wallace) and.......

 This has got to be one of the greatest casts of veteran western performers ever to appear in one film. Western lovers will know what I'm talking about. In addition to those mentioned above you'll spot Mike Ragan (aka Holly Bane), Dennis Moore, Chubby Johnson and William Phipps in other roles.

 One of Scott's better westerns of the period.


This is a well-cast, well-directed, tightly-scripted film (only 87 minutes). The cast is amazing for what had to be a fairly low budget RKO picture from the mid-1950's; Randolph Scott was an established star while Forrest Tucker, J. Carrol Naish, and Denver Pyle were all established, talented Western performers and Edgar Buchanan was one of the best Western character actors of all time. What hurts the movie severely and is its major flaw is the setting. Nothing about one single shot of the film looks anything like Southern Indiana or anywhere else in the Midwest, and exactly like California, where it was actually shot. This lack of authenticity is distracting, in some scenes more than others, but never completely destroys the fine performances. Like some of the others, I would like to know more about the historical Reno Brothers and how closely this film represents their true story; I'm sure that it's somewhat closer than Elvis' ''Love Me Tender'', which is about the same topic and came out the next year.


First a bit of trivia: In the opening segment as the Reno Boys are riding into the Indiana Territory township for the robbery you can see an American Flag (with 48 stars I imagine) in the background with a California state flag underneath it, with it's bear in the center. The movie was shot in part in California's Columbian Historic Park in 1955..................... Anyway, I thought the movie was excellent and realistic, well told, the writing was excellent and well acted by everyone involved. What a superlative cast: Tucker was excellent, as evil as I ever saw him in any movie, Buchanan, a wonderful actor, was his sly self to perfection, as usual, Mala Powers as beautiful as usual in what I consider an unnecessary part (I wonder if this was a true part of the story), in 1955 you had to have a love interest to sell movie tickets or they supposed it to be. You also had Jimmy Lydon (Henry Aldrich), Arthur Space, Myron Healey, Kenneth Tobey, Denver Pyle, all familiar faces even today, doing what they did best; act, under the fine direction of Tim Whelan, creating what I would think 1866 was like. Also with great music by Paul Sawtell and photographed beautifully by Ray Rennahan. A Fine film that held my interest.


This is a very-much copied western which belongs technically to the category of Randolph Scott westerns; this large and interesting body of work itself should be divided I suggest into the 1940s B/W series, and the 1950s color series; this is one of the earlier color efforts, an expensive-looking production but with somewhat inconsistent color. In several of his better efforts, Scott's role was that of a law officer or detective infiltrating some group of schemers. The story-line here is a fictionalized biography by veteran Frank Gruber, with screenplay by Horace McCoy, detailing the events of the Reno Brothers' gang and their train robberies performed in rural Indiana c. 1866. Scott's character is Barlow, a veteran Southern spy with impressive credentials. When their agent operating with the gang is murdered (after the gang is set up for capture), the Peterson Detective Agemcy sends for Scott to work with agents Kenneth Tobey and Ralph Moody to infiltrate the gang himself. Their device is a staged train robbery faked by the team, and the promise of a $100,000 payoff in the future. The ruse works; Scott is accepted by the gang, including Frank Reno, its leader, played strongly by Forrest Tucker. But immediately Scott finds he has problems. One of the Reno family, Denver Pyle, has nothing to do with the crimes and Scott falls in love with Mala Powers, his sister, who is bitter and unhappy; of course when he turns out to be just another bank robber, she turns against him, despite their obvious attraction and his courtly manners. From this point on, Scott helps the others pull an unremunerative robbery and becomes Tucker's rival to be the head of the gang. Between runs to town to report to his partners, he also is introduced to the three inside men in the town from which the gang operates--played by fine actor Howard Petrie, Edgar Buchanan and "Bonanza's" TV sheriff talented Ray Teal. Despite setbacks, the entrapment of the gang works. In a long and well-done shootout, several of the gang are killed, along with Scott's partner. He is then free to reveal his the role he has been playing all along. Powers tries to shoot him at night, but she comes nowhere close and ends up in his arms. Then Pyle comes to warn the detectives that a mob has been formed, led by smooth-talking Trevow Bardette and Jimmy Lydon. Scott tries has to ride off to try to save the gang from being lynched. The film's ending is downbeat but historically accurate, bringing to the end a memorable adventure tale that might have been made differently but is very lively and well-made exactly as it is. The other members of the gang are Myron Healey and powerful J. Carroll Naish, plus others, with George Wallace as the sheriff of Seymour and William Phipps, Chubby Johnson and Holly Bane in smaller roles. Director Tim Whelna did a solid if unspectacular job of directing a very difficult film, with day, night, action, dialogue, interior, exterior and battle scenes. The cinematography by Ray Rennahan and the music by Paul Sawtell are very fine, and Walter E. Keller's art direction is above average also. I enjoy this Scott western as a transitional work and for its attempts to make a true-to-life historical fictionalized biography, for the mostly-implied-level idea on which characters interact in this swift-moving adventure, and for the authentic look and feel of the work. A very entertaining film by anyone's standards.


This is the true story of the Reno brothers....Clint, a respected farmer, and Frank, Simeon, John, and Bill...who were the first train robbers in American history. Looting, burning and killing, this infamous clan rode through the middle border states setting the pattern for the great outlaw bands which were to follow: the James boys, the Daltons and the Youngers.

The Year 1866, the place is Southern Indiana.

Well not quite Indiana exactly as the film was shot on location at Columbia State Historic Park, and apparently some Western purists see this as a blip on the films Western worth!. I don't conspire to that at all, what i want from a Western is a lush Western feel, and i feel that director Tim Whelan and his cinematographer, Ray Rennahan, delivered a fine looking genre picture. Rage At Dawn does have a sense of seen it all before about it, but that's not in detriment to it because it's possibly a picture that has been copied more than it has copied from itself!. It's nice to have a real solid Western using a proper and reliable story to work from. Using top professional actors like Forrest Tucker and J. Carrol Naish as bad guys, obviously helps the piece, as does having the genre legend that is Randolph Scott as your ebullient good guy, tho Scott fans who haven't seen the picture should be advised he isn't introduced into proceedings till the second quarter. With some nicely staged set pieces (the train scenes are well worth our time) and a fabulously dark turn of events in the finale that go against the grain, make this a genre film worth taking a peek at. 7/10


Western about one of the most famous outlaws bandits of them all. The year 1866 ,the location is southern Indiana, this is the true story Reno brothers¨: Frank,Simeon,John,Bill exception by Clint, a respected farmer(Denver Pyle),it's a retelling of the wild adventures that made the Reno brothers clan legendary among outlaws passing into American folklore.They were the first train robbers in American history and killing and looting.This famous gang rode through the middle border states,setting the model for the future noted bandits bunch as :Doolin, James,Younger,Dalton.. Forrest Tucker and J.Carroll Naish are the leaders of the Southwestern outlaws gangs pursued by lawmen.Reno brothers join forces with town authorities,judge and sheriff(Edgar Buchanan and Ray Teal).Fim starts with a fateful raid but they have been betrayed and kill burning to agent Peterson for revenge.Then ,a special agent(Randolph Scott) along with a supporter(Kenneth Tobey) are assigned in order to get the bad guys simulating the train robbery,besides the protagonist falls in love with gang's sister(Mala Powers).

Good Western in which the Reno gangs raid bank ,treasure offices ,train,robberies in post-civil war Indiana.Stylish,fast paced,solid ,meticulous and a violent look with numerous shootouts.Randolph Scott leaving times ago the secondaries roles as when he was still playing supporting roles in top films as ¨Jesse James¨(Henry King), ¨Virginia city¨(Michael Curtiz) and ¨the spoilers'(Ray Enright).Scott also played an famed outlaw in ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨(Gordon Douglas).The support cast make equally notable performances. The film is shot in California State parks as is reflected on the coloristic cinematography by the cameraman Ray Rennahan.Storyline is by Horace McCoy and Frank Gruber,two usual and important Western screenwriters.The motion picture is splendidly directed by Tim Whelan(co-author ¨Thief of Bagdag¨) .The flick will like to Western lovers and Randolph Scott fans


I saw this movie on TBN, when they were playing it in honor of Nora Lam, of whom this movie is about. I totally agree with the message of this movie, because it gives hope to Christians who feel pressured by society, and it also shows Christians in America, that they should be thankful for the religious freedoms our government allows.


This movie made me question my own sincerity of faith.

One can only pray that the Lord will provide special graces to anyone who ever faces that level of persecution. In, and of myself, I would never be able to withstand such mistreatment.

I look at how coddled and spoiled I am socially as a professing Christian in the USA, and have to really wonder how much I would truly be able to withstand under such harsh situations.

I have heard Nora Lam's testimony, and I can hardly imagine what it would be like to have to stand firm under any "real" persecution.

Just to think that such things even still go on today around the world, is a painful reality.


Having spent most of a decade living in The People's Republic of China, I feel that this movie gives an accurate portrayal of that period. I was in China as an English teacher and worked in four different universities while there. I was able to talk to a lot of people and heard many horror stories about what took place in China after the Revolution in the 50's. The mass persecution of Christians still goes on, and many are continuing to lose their lives and their freedom, simply because they are Christians. Most people my age did not have any photos of themselves or their families taken while they were growing up. During the Cultural Revolution photos (and most anything else like musical instruments, art, foreign clothing, books, or even nicer furniture) were not allowed and were destroyed or buried, as you could be severely punished for having them, since they were considered "foreign" I even heard of a lady putting her family photos in soup ( when her house was being searched by Red Guards) to get rid of them lest she be caught. There were Mao statutes everywhere, and I was told that if you did take a photo with one of them in the background and cut of his head in the picture, that you could be punished or even killed. Teachers were taken out of the classroom in front of their students and paraded through town wearing dunce caps. It was a terrible, terrible, time especially if you were an educated person or desired to think for yourself.


Predictably, you will see two different types of ratings. The movie gets generally high marks from believers, despite the valid criticisms from those who are not quite as enthusiastic. Why is that? One reason is the history of Christian film making is different from that of other types of studios. We in the church are used to seeing movies with actors and extras who are (probably unpaid) church members or Bible college students. We do not expect to be knocked out of our seats by a great star or astounding special effects. Not only that, but the thrust is different. Movies are made primarily to get a message out, not to make money. Believers are more interested in the purity of the message than its package.

The purity of the message of "China Cry" makes it a great movie and well worth the time of anyone.


Tremendous Faith shown by a woman who was not sure of how she felt about Jesus until the communist tried to beat it out of her. She had God's divine protection when a firing squad was ordered to shoot her. True story of God's Love in Action Everyone who is not sure that God is real needs to read the book or watch the movie. You will be moved to tears to see that God is still Alive and well and watching over His own. Inspirational, courageous, suspenseful. A great film I give it a 10+


I think it was a movie well done. It is an inspiring story of faith, and hope. It was the act of taking a stand for something you believe in. And not really giving up on it no matter what. The end really got me, something that seemed so impossible,(to me)was actually accomplished. Somethings that did happen in the film were frightening.However, there was a lot of courage,and strength. Which showed the goodness and the awesomeness of God.God always seems to work things out. AWESOME! The leading actress was wonderful,the acting of all of the actors were great. All in all, it was a great movie. Highly recommend. Two thumbs way way up! 10 out of 10 definitely.


I have seen the movie more than 10 years ago and I haven't forgotten it due to the strong impact it left me. The "superhuman" traits of the main female character has struck me to the very core of my being, not being able to fully comprehend how she has survived all the odds she has faced. It has inspired me personally on my quest to find my true happiness and I am very happy to say that I have. I really am thankful and blessed to have seen the movie.

I recommend it as a movie that will change one's life for the better forever.It will also help you get to know yourself well as you will question one's humanity and understanding of enduring suffering for the sake of love and one's dignity.

From the movie, these words of wisdom have never been so true: If there's a will, there's a way and no pain, no gain, among others.


The plot development is a tad manipulative. Why do we have to have our heart strings tugged in order to feel outrage over the abuses of the Cultural Revolution?

The focus on Christianity is not made clear by the advertising. This requires a little tunnel vision: Mao persecuted everybody with any sort of religious faith, not just Christians. "China Cry" therefore seems more like a Sunday school propaganda film, rather than a serious examination of how the Cultural Revolution destroyed many, many lives. Historic tragedy is reduced to melodrama.

The melodrama is interrupted only by sickeningly brutal scenes, including a woman in third trimester being kicked in the abdomen. Other films have approached survival-during-government-sponsored-terror much more compellingly. Try "The Killing Fields," or "Europa, Europa," also based on true stories.


I was prepared for this movie to be sub-par. However, I did not think that this movie would sink this low whatsoever. To say this movie brings out the best in Christianity, TBN, and Chinese culture would be greatly misleading. In fact its an insult to people who study Asia or Christianity at any length.

The beginning of the movie begins in "1941" in "Shanghai". I use quotations because I don't believe either to be true. Somehow Japanese troops take their house and bomb the pond. And when the Japanese troops spoke Japanese, the subtitle was "Asian Talking".

But that confusion is not all. Somehow, we are transported to the 1950s in a post-Civil War China. Yet, little damage is seen to Shanghai. I highly doubt the city was fully rebuilt in only a few years, especially after years of conflict.

Somehow, through writing, she becomes Christian again because she could hear God in the wind and chalkboard. Yet, everybody is speaking English. But when Mandarin Chinese (I assume its Mandarin) is spoken, its also couched as "Asian Talking". But not only that, its usually only spoken in a 'evil' tone.

In dealing with the CCP authorities, she doesn't say the right things and it lead to more hardship. Her arrogant tone in trying to have a hate/hate relationship with the authorities has nothing to do with being Christian. In fact, her character was mostly counter-productive.

She marries, has kids, but lives in a camp for a while. Why? Because she is moronic and didn't flee to Hong Kong earlier. Neither did her father, who could have fled there long ago and avoided this stupidity.

Overall, the acting was phony. The story was ridiculous, especially if she claims she said all those things. I thought the effects were miserable. Why did they use American jeeps in the film? Why did her Chinese classroom have Filipinos, Indians, and a Japanese teacher trying to be "Chinese" students? This is a reason why TBN should NEVER make films if its focus is to win converts. Instead, it makes Christianity look bad. Only worth watching again for pain and laughter. "F"


I have no disrespect to any believers, but I was moved into watching this movie as it appeared to be historically relevant, however, as the movie progressed history turned into religion, and the message was more about god than the actual Chinese historical plot. It was a real let-down in this sense; showing deception through disbelieving and the mischief it could cause in ones life.

There is some relevance to the events that took place, although I can also say there is a bias to towards an anti-communist ideal. If you're looking for an informative movie about the revolutionary dealings that took place in China, this surely is not what you're looking for. It is true that brutal things took place, and baring in mind the fact that I am not writing here as a socialist, it carried typical anti-communist western values.

The caption of the movie claims "courage" to be the main element, where as I would change that to "faith".

In my opinion, I'd say this film is over-rated.


"Scrapple" is a very well done and beautifully shot indie about a small time pot dealer who finds himself in over his head while trying to finance a humble house in a small Colorado hippie town to provide a better life for himself and his brother, a Vietnam vet who lives in a veterans hospital. Set in 1978, the film provides a look into the lives of a group of transient friends who have found a home sharing each others company in the town of Ajax, population 620. Well developed characters and a steadily moving plot-line keep the story going forward. And an outstanding soundtrack that features the considerable talent of Taj Mahal, Bob Weir and Jorma Kaukonen, to name a few, adds strongly to the beautiful, melancholy vibe of the film. I dug this film. Kudos to the Hanson brothers and I hope to see more from them.


of all the times that i've watched scrapple (some 100) in all kinds of venues (at 3 in the morning on a couch with other bar stragglers, at new york film festivals), nothing compared to seeing it in its hometown at mountain film festival, with a hometown crowd as they whooped and yelped at all the local references, ski town tributes and cameo performances (all of which still has appeal to broader less tuned-in audiences). it was like a screening of rocky horror picture show with the same level of participation and more; singing, line-readings, cat calls, wolf whistles, salutes (to Charlie Fowler and Bill Fandel). ten years down the road -- and still going strong -- scrapple has endured as a classic, and judging from last week's screening, it continues to mark a time, not only in skitown history, but as a way of life still worth celebrating.


Absolutely unlike ANY film I've ever seen before! The music, scenery, story and characters leave you wishing you could return to this simpler, care-free time. If only places like "Ajax" (Telluride) still existed today with it's good friends, good tunes, and good times. I've watched this video over and over and still find myself singing along, reciting my favorite lines, and discovering more of it's charm each time. All I can say, is if you lived through the 60's and/or 70's, (regardless of how much you actually REMEMBER...) you've got to give this film a look. It's appeal is so unusual it's hard to quantify. The search for one's self, trust and love, a renegade but loveable pig, "temple balls", Taj Mahal's music, outstanding film backdrops, good friends, all combine for a very charming and creative film. Give it a try if you can track it down...it'll be more than worth the effort!


I saw Scrapple at the 1998 Breckenridge Film Fest. The description of the film read, "Pigs, drugs, and ski bums." I was intrigued, to say the least, by what would be my favorite film of the festival.

The opening credit scenes had me believing I was watching a movie that was filmed in the mid '70s. By the second scene I knew I was in for a great film. Having lived in ski towns for the past 10 years, I can safely say that Scapple does an outstanding job of relaying the universal, timeless truisms of ski town life.

Entertaining, funny, and cinematically beautiful, the film sends a small message that hits close to home. During the story we fall in love with Al Dean, the king of blind luck, in his efforts to make things right.

This is a film that was put together remarkably well, especially for a first time, independent project. After seeing a movie like Scrapple, one wonders how this film isn't being distributed on a national level, when so many undeserving movies are. I suppose blame lies in the unenlightened viewing public and not in the quality of the film, as Scrapple is the most underrated film I have yet to see.

Kudos to the Hanson brothers for their grassroots efforts to get this movie seen by appreciative moviegoers.


Scrapple is a wonderful hippie comedy. Set in 1978,the town of Ajax, Colorado is poised on the edge of turning from a fun-loving hippie community to a yuppie ski resort. While a small time drug dealer is out for the ultimate score, the outcome could mean the end to a way of life, particularly for Scrapple the Pig. The groovy music is by Taj Mahal. Beautifully photographed by Robert Smith and sublimely acted by an ensemble cast, Scrapple sweeps you away to a more innocent time. Viewers have commented: "It makes you want to quit your day job."


I was very impressed with The Best Man. As an avid moviegoer, this was the very first Black movie made in recent decades that was done right. As a first major endeavor for Malcolm Lee, my hat is off to him for portraying young, successful, upper-middle class African-Americans in a solid storyline that was at once heart-warming, funny, serious at times, but light at others. Overall... simply very well done. The character's development was executed eloquently and, at times so subtly, I nearly missed some things. The cinematography, costumes and sets were all as they should be: done with class.

This young, successful, upper-middle class African-American says thanks for finally doing it right.


The Best Man was a very exciting, fun, and enjoyable movie-going experience for me. As a 30 year old African American male, I thought the movie did an excellent job of exploiting the young, college-grad, working class African American. This movie has the potential to appeal to a very diverse audience of males. Conservative females probably will not like this movie that much because of the strong sexual content. However, the truths of the issues addressed were so accurately portrayed, that it shouldn't be a total lost for the conservative female. Also, the entire cast did a great job.

Nevertheless, I most pay special homage to Terrence Dashon Howard (as Quentin). He gave a top-notched, award-deserving performance. If anybody in that movie deserves and award or any kind of special mention, it is by a long shot, Terrence. He made this movie-going experience for me that much more enjoyable. I can't wait to see what he does next. I've never been before, but I am definitely now a Terrence Dashon Howard fan. Furthermore, the entire cast was beautiful; particularly the women. I don't ever before remember seeing so many fine women on screen before at one time. Once out on video, this movie will definitely go in my video library collection.


Verrrry nice. I think this is the first good black movie I have seen that didn't need to be but simply was. Well-known, medium-powered Black actors and actresses in a movie that didn't focus on the Black experience. The BEST part... the whole movie was done with thought-out class. The story wasn't about brothers from the 'hood trying to make it in the White Man's world or some racially-charged Spike Lee joint. Think of a great episode of the Cosby Show re-written for an adult audience, bearing a PG-13 rating and you know how you'll feel when you leave the theater. It's about time.


The Best Man is a very entertaining romantic comedy. The ensemble cast clicks and clashes with one another at just the right moments. Taye Diggs's character, Harper, is charming and charismatic, but WHY would he write a book that causes pain to those close to him? Is it to enlighten his friends or to reveal his own frailties? Perhaps, a little of both.

There is a good mix of very funny and also intense emotional moments and the audience is captured; cheering some of the cast and hissing others. It's quite uncanny that transformation occurs for certain characters especially when it's needed. Terrence Howard's character, Quentin, is a prime example. At the beginning of the film Quentin is basically a guy who lacks direction and propriety in his behavior. Over the course of the film, he becomes the voice of wisdom and the glue that holds it together for those closest to him.

Malcolm Lee's directorial debut is quite admirable in this well paced, universally appealing film. Don't miss it.


****MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**** This movie was great. I never get tired of seeing it. I really like Quentin's character. He stole every scene he was in. I kind of wish they had made a spin off with his character because he was really interesting. I would have liked to have seen the relationship he had with his father because from the way him and Harper talked it seemed his father was always on him about choosing a career and the last thing he needed was for Harper to be doing that to him. Like he didn't need another father figure who didn't approve of his lifestyle. With the way the movie ended I think it would have been good to develop a story between him and Shelby. See where that would go. Also show him in his playing ways and also show him playing the guitar a lot more like he was working on putting together a record, the way he played was tight. But if they were to make a movie on just his character only Terrence Howard could play him and only Malcolm Lee would be able to pull off a great job directing it.