Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, Raymond St. Jacques
Have I Seen it Before: I had to have, right? The images are so indelible that I know them as much as anyone. But it’s possible, and I’m just going to put it at “slightly possible” that I’ve never actually sat down and watched the film from beginning to end. I’m going to say yes, as that is the only way I think I can look at myself in the mirror anymore, but the doubt exists.
Did I Like It: Up until this point—and really, after it as well—I would never dream of describing Carpenter as a political filmmaker. Sure, Escape from New York (1981) has an institutional nihilism at its core, but that is a statement about politics and the establishment, not a specific statement at the expense of the politics of a particular age or the figures which dominated it.
Rejecting the excesses of the Reagan years and ensuring that it was out and available for people the week George H.W. Bush won the election to give everybody four more years of Reaganomics (you know, as a treat) is a ballsy move, and in doing so managed to find a new frontier in unpredictability in his work… that was sadly rapidly snuffed out by uncaring studios.
The film is not without its flaws. There’s a reason that Roddy Piper didn’t rise to the level of movie stardom enjoyed by a Rock or even a Hulk Hogan. He was probably a fine wrestler in his day, but that involves exhibiting an attitude, which he does here in spades. Unfortunately, he doesn’t embody a vibe, which movie stars both great and not-so-great manage to do. It might have been too much of a good thing, but Kurt Russell could have played the hell out of Nada, and reuniting him with David would have been icing on the cake.
Also, it’s a small moment, but I’ve got to wonder what Siskel thought about specifically being called out as a Ghoul. It was far subtler than the hits they took in <Godzilla (1998)>, but unfortunately the extensive archive of their reviews available on Youtube came up short in this regard. Even Ebert’s website would seem to indicate that he (and possibly Siskel) never reviewed the film at all.