CAPTAIN AMERICA-(1979)-Ok, yeah, there were two TV movies made based on the Marvel Comic Book character Captain America. All around movie dud Reb Brown played the super soldier in both. I couldn't care less about either of them really. In the '80's Albert Pyun made a very bad big screen version for Cannon. In fact, I don't think it ever even played in the theaters. As I remember it I think Cannon went bankrupt and eventually it went straight to video. The weirdest part for me about that version is that Cap is played by Matt Salinger, the son of "Catcher In The Rye" author J.D. Salinger!
But anyway, what was I saying?
Oh yeah, CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 made for TV in 1979 is pretty forgettable except for the fact the bad guy is played by none other than Christopher Lee himself! Lee is an international terrorist named Miguel holding a scientist (Christopher Cary from TV's GARRISON'S GUERILLAS) hostage in a US penitentary. He wants the formula for an aging compund so he can blackmail America! Brown is pretty boring as the cowled patriotic super dude but he does have a boomerang shield, rocket powered cycle and wings on his head. Actually the whole freakin' story is boring! Much of it concerns Cap's relationship with a widow and her son in a small town Miguel is going to use as a test run......
TV stalwarts like Connie Sellecca, Len Birman and Ken Swofford help out. Well, they try to help out Cap, not the movie itself....I think Natalie Wood's sister Lana is also in this. I can't remember...(can you blame me?)
The first adaptation of Cap on film however occured in 1944 when Dick Purcell played the shield swinging super dude in a serial produced by Republic. Oh and CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 was directed by Ivan Nagy who made lots of other TV movies and the horror flick SKINNER.
Marvel Comics film studio has promised a new version in 2010!
Read an old Captain America comic by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby instead unless you are a Chris Lee completist.
And '79 was a busy year for him! He was in the Spielberg bomb 1941, CIRCLE OF IRON with David Carradine, THE PASSAGE with Anthony Quinn & Malcolm McDowell and ARABIAN ADVENTURE. He's slowed down a little in recent years.....
JAKARTA-2000-Clever bank heist movie from Korea that starts off with a rather unlikely plot that three groups of thieves rob the same bank on the same day. Strange things happen, people are killed and everything’s a bit confusing. But that’s only the first half. The second half is a flashback that explains what led up to the triple robbery and all is not as it seems. Very well done with some dark humor and good performances.
Thanks for reading!
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