Joe Don Justice

(imdb)

FINAL JUSTICE-1985-2 Italian mobster brothers kill a sheriff and his deputy Geronimo (Joe Don Baker) chases them to the Mexican border. He kills one of them and captures Palermo (Ven-antino Venantini; CANNIBAL FEROX (1981)) who vows revenge. For some reason, Geronimo is assigned by Chief Wilson (Bill McKinney), to take Palermo back to Sicily to stand trial but through sabotage and violence Palermo escapes when the plane makes an emergency landing in Malta. Geronimo is ordered back to the US but instead he goes out on his own, shooting and disregarding orders. He's assisted by local Gina (Patrizia Pelligrino). Palermo's boss (Rosanno Brazzi) gives Palermo 24 hrs. to get rid of the American. 

Stupid low budget crime drama filmed entirely in Malta by producer/writer/director Greydon Clark (who plays the doomed sheriff). A US-Italy co-production. Baker (who died in May of 2025) starred in director Clark's JOYSTICKS in 1983. Rossano Brazzi (who directed and starred in THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T in 1966) was in Abel Ferrara's FEAR CITY the year before this.

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Late Karloff

 

 

 (imdb)

TARGETS-1968-Famous horror star Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff) decides to retire. He feels he's too old to be working. His director Sammy (Peter Bogdanovich) tries to talk him out of it. His personal assistant Jenny (Nancy Hsueh) isn't happy either. Meanwhile, local boy Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) stockpiles guns and ammo. He seems to have something terrible in mind. 

Though it appears he has a nice family life with his parents and wife, his domineering father and guns seem to occupy his life. There's obviously something wrong but no one seems to realize it. While Orlok agrees to do a live drive-In appearance, Bobby goes on a killing spree. After shooting and killing from a tower overlooking a highway, Bobby hides out behind the screen of a drive-in movie where Orlok will make a personal appearance. After more killing, the two have a confrontation. (The real Karloff film THE TERROR is used on the screen). 

This is a great modern horror film made only because Karloff still owed producer Roger Corman a couple of days work and features one of Boris' best performances (his reciting of “The Appointment in Sumara” is awesome!) and it's only been in recent years that the film has been getting it's due. It was also release around the time of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy which caused AIP to withdraw the film then re-release it with a prologue about gun control. 

This is Karloff's last great performance. He made THE CRIMSON CULT a little later and two TV appearances. His last movies unfortunately were the four productions for Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara but all of Karloff's scenes were shot in LA by Jack Hill. 

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Quick Audie

THE QUICK GUN-1964-A gun slinger named Clint Cooper (Audie Murphy) returns to his home town to warn the sheriff (James Best) that bank robbery Jud Spangler (Ted De Corsia in a good evil role) and his gang are targeting his town's bank. He has a inane bar fight with the father (Walter Sande)) and nephew (Rex Holman) of two brothers he killed. Nobody likes him because they think he has an ulterior motive even though he warned them and stays on to help fight the gang but when he kills the father and nephew in self defense the sheriff arrests him and locks him in jail leaving the town to fend off the hombres themselves! 
Later a cowardly preacher deputizes Cooper and he takes on the whole gang.

Frank Ferguson is the philosophical deputy and Merry Anders is his former girlfriend, now the sheriff's fiancé. It also features Frank Gerstle, Mort Mills, Raymond Hatton and William Fawcett and is based 
on a story "The Fastest Gun" which  '50's horror vet Robert Kent adapted. Director Sidney Salkow was coming to the end of his long career in TV and movies. Also in '64 he directed some scenes for the Italian lensed LAST MAN ON EARTH.

Audie Murphy was the most decorated hero of WW2. He came to Hollywood (on advice from James Cagney) and starred in a biography of his exploits TO HELL AND BACK. He made 44 movies in his career including John Huston's RED BADGE OF COURAGE but in the last 12 years of his life he made only westerns. He died at age 45 in a plane crash in 1971.

Co-star James Best starred in THE KILLER SHREWS in 1959 and went on to a successful career in TV (as actor and director). At the time of this writing there is a KILLER SHREWS sequel in the works!
T
hanks for reading and have a Happy Groundhogs Day tomorrow!

Carradine and Chaney together..... in a Western?

FRONTIER MARSHALL-1939-Randolph Scott stars as Wyatt Earp who brings law and order to the lawless town of Tombstone.

Caesar Romero is Doc Halliday who despite his reputation becomes friends with Earp. John Carradine is a saloon owner who is also responsible for some stagecoach robberies. His gang includes Joe Sawyer and Lon Chaney Jr. (the same year he was in OF MICE AND MEN). There's a lot of plot involving Doc and his wife (Nancy Kelly) and a chorus girl (Binnie Barnes) but in the end history is rewritten with Earp going solo to see justice prevail at the OK corral.

Although there are several plot holes and clichéd dialogue this is a very entertaining western made 7 years before John Ford's more famous MY DARLING CLEMENTINE.

Frontier Marshall was director by Allan Dwan who's career dates back to 1911. He made two other movies in 1939. THE 3 MUSKETEERS and THE GORILLA, both featuring The Ritz Bros.

Thanks to my friend Tony for giving me this!

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They Definately Live Up To Their Name!

THE EXPENDABLES-2010-Director and star Sylvester Stallone is Barney Ross who leads a mercenary group which includes Jet Li, Jason Stratham, Randy Couture and Terry Crews. Dolph Lundgren is also part of the team but gets kicked out. Ross wants Tool (Mickey Rourke) to take his place.

Despite the odd ball cast promotion most of the film is Stallone and Stratham trying to save the daughter (Giselle Itie’) of a dictator (David Zayas) who’s teamed with an ex-CIA agent (Eric Roberts, the only real actor in the group and he wasn't even featured in the ads!) who’s bodyguard is played by pro wrestler Steve Austin. Li gets to do some martial arts toward the end and the climax is an all out violent gun and hand to hand battle. The best fight occurs during this sequence. But Stallone isn’t a great director and there’s too much CGI effects. This was a real hyped up movie that fails to deliver anything that hasn’t been done already in countless direct to video movies!

As of this writing a sequel is planned to include Jean Claude Van Damme...

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