Plot: What’s it about?
In the Vietnam conflict, Sergeant. Jack Stryker (Brian Schulz) and his platoon were close friends and soldiers, making sure they watched each other’s backs at all times. Stryker was shot twice in the leg in one episode of battle, but he was carried to safety by his men even though he demanded they leave him behind. But these men wanted to make it out alive as a team, which meant their leader had to make it out as well. As the soldiers marched through the landscape, they left a wake of death and destruction behind them. Now Stryker is back in his old life though, seeking to rekindle and old flame and live a normal, peaceful life. He hooks back up with his old girlfriend Sally (Cheryl Hansen) and the two seem to hit it off again, until a bad turn of luck strikes. An insane cult leader who thinks he is Jesus Christ (Sam Raimi) is on a rampage, with Sally and her grandfather the latest victims. But Stryker has no plans to let this episode go unpunished, so he reteams with his old platoon and the team goes on another mission, to shut down this cult once and for all.
This movie has it all, guns, babes, insane cult leaders, blood, lawn darts, blood sacrifices, and even a guy named Love Machine. The covers claims is film is “Charles Manson meets Rambo,” which isn’t much of a stretch in the end. The main difference is that movie never, even for a second takes itself seriously and the whole point seems to be having fun and making an original & memorable motion picture. This wasn’t a blockbuster hit of course, but if you’ve it then I doubt you will ever forget this one. The normal standards for acting & writing are out the window due to the nature of this movie, but I was never disappointed on either front. The film has a rather silly and madcap tone to it, so any flaws can be brushed aside as part of the grand, low budget scheme of things. It is a little slow in the middle, but there is enough gags and funny lines to keep interest intact overall. With hilarious characters, dripping blood, and wacky sound effects galore, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except gets a high recommendation from this reviewer.
This movie sports numerous memorable performances, but in the end I think Sam Raimi steals this show. Raimi goes beyond the limits of “over the top” acting and creates a whole new style, which some might consider bad, but I think suits the character to perfection. The hilarious wig adds a lot to this persona, as does the pair of choppers Raimi dons to enhance the character visually. He doesn’t have that many lines, more or less making faces and gestures for the most part, but Raimi is awesome here and hits this role dead on. But then again, maybe it wasn’t that hard…it is still awesome though. Raimi is best known, however as a director and has helmed such films as Army Of Darkness, For Love Of The Game, Darkman, The Evil Dead, A Simple Plan, and Evil Dead II. This film’s cast also includes Robert Rickman, John Manfredi (Hefty’s), Cheryl Hansen, Perry Mallette (Crimewave), Timothy Patrick Quill (From Dusk ‘Til Dawn 2, Army Of Darkness), and Brian Schulz. The director of Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except was Josh Becker, who also helped write this story along with Bruce “I need to find another decent role if I don’t want people to call me Ash anymore” Campbell and Sheldon Lettich.
Video: How does it look?
Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This transfer proves to be an improvement over previous editions, but first time viewers might find the image to be decent at best. This film will never look pristine, so this image is more than adequate although I am unsure why a new anamorphic print wasn’t struck. There is a lot of grain present, but most of it was intentional and a result of the film stock used in production. Given the nature of this film, the colors look solid and contrast is well balanced, which is all that matters to me. This one’s a little rough, but then again I knew it would be.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie has a lot of gun fire and other action audio elements, but since it uses such strange sound effects for them, the mono track included turns out just fine. An example of the unusual audio can be found early in the film when gunshots in Vietnam sound like laser guns, or the punches & kicks throughout that sound like Tv’s Batman effects. It all sounds good here though and that is what counts. The incredible musical score is terrific here also, with no hints of distortion or clarity flaws. The dialogue sounds good too and if you notice some synch problems, don’t fret as they are intentional.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has a nice selection of supplements, including an essay from director Josh Becker that can be found on the insert booklet. On the disc itself you’ll find a cool deleted scene, alternate title sequence, theatrical trailer, and an audio commentary from Becker and Bruce Campbell. This track is filled to the brim with behind the scenes information on the production, which proves to be a lot fun to listen to.
