Murph-15

This is a great "small" film. I say "small" because it doesn't have a hundred guns firing or a dozen explosions, as in a John Woo film. Great performances by Roy Scheider and the three "bad guys". John Frankenheimer seems to have more luck with small productions these days. The film is very easy to watch, the story is more of a yarn than a washing machine--instead of everything going around and around, it seems as though things just get worse as the plot thickens. Wonderful ending, very positive. I never read the Elmore Leonard book, but it can't be much different from the film because it FEELS like I'm watching an Elmore Leonard movie.

O.K. This movie fits everything that people fear of sequels. The director is not the same, there is little connection to the story of "Mark of the Devil", and Reggie Nalder is the only link, however, Reggie's character is not the same (similar, but not the same). It's O.K. if you get into torture movies, but the torture scenes are nowhere near as harsh or as "fun" as in "Mark of the Devil". In comparison, this film is rather boring and just downright mean towards women. The first, original film is, at least by my standards, a b-movie classic, but this chapter is just another sequel that is less violent. Only fans will like this. SPOILER TORTURE SCENES: Do not read further if you want to be surprised! A man is dunked via a pulley system into freezing waters in an iced over lake. A naked woman is strung up spread-eagled and lowered onto a giant thick spear in a very vulgar fashion. A priest gets his foot put into a sizzling hot iron boot. A nun gets a 10 inch needle shoved up through her fore-arm. Also, lots of Spanish boot scenes, floggings, and a nasty rape scene.

SCHRAMM is Buttgereit's approach to the serial killer craze hitting the big screens recently. Of course it is extremely disturbing, but it is as fun as a carnival ride. It seems as though Buttgereit puts disturbing imagery and ideas into his films without being outright disgusting, a very hard thing to do with his subject matter. SCHRAMM is 62 minutes long, proving that a movie doesn't necessarily need to be at least 90 minutes to be good. The film is edited in a way that defies a logical time line, very much like SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE. SCHRAMM gets it's title from the main character, Lothar Schramm, who is a taxi driver and the notorious "Lipstick Killer" in Germany. Not exactly a "happy" story, but it's definitely a lot more fun than HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. The violence and gore is disturbing, but rather comical in its unrealistic low budget effects. A WORD OF ADVICE--as with all of Buttgereit's films, the viewer should have an open mind and should have developed a certain level of desensitization to gore films. The gore is extremely disturbing, especially to those who "aren't quite ready for that type of thing". Funny, sad, and very entertaining, especially if you have an interest in film editing.

The first film to feature George Nader as Jerry Cotton. Jerry Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. In comparison, what the Jerry Cotton films lack in production excel in story. The plot for OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is very interesting, much more complex than simply a spy going after a super-criminal. The acting may be a tad stiff at times, and this version is dubbed, so the dialogue may be a bit goofy due to translation problems. OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is the first Jerry Cotton F.B.I. thriller, the best of the series, and, unfortunately, the only one available in America. Peter Thomas wrote the music for all of the "COTTON" films. This music is the best spy music I have ever heard. I understand that the two original vinyl releases on the Polydor label, "Jerry Cotton-F.B.I." and the soundtrack to "OPERATION HURRICANE" are very rare and much sought after. This film fits very well into the current retro trend, especially for the 60's spy film fans out there. Very interesting and cool movie.

The first film to feature George Nader as Jerry Cotton. Jerry Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. In comparison, what the Jerry Cotton films lack in production excel in story. The plot for OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is very interesting, much more complex than simply a spy going after a super-criminal. The acting may be a tad stiff at times, and this version is dubbed, so the dialogue may be a bit goofy due to translation problems. OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is the first Jerry Cotton F.B.I. thriller, the best of the series, and, unfortunately, the only one available in America. Peter Thomas wrote the music for all of the "COTTON" films. This music is the best spy music I have ever heard. I understand that the two original vinyl releases on the Polydor label, "Jerry Cotton-F.B.I." and the soundtrack to "OPERATION HURRICANE" are very rare and much sought after. This film fits very well into the current retro trend, especially for the 60's spy film fans out there. Very interesting and cool movie.