KILLER FISH (1979) ** Ok, you're Lee Majors (handsome and true, and so American), you're married to the consensus most beautiful woman on the planet, you're at the peak of your career….what do you do? Take her money, throw it in with yours, and make a movie where you're kind of a criminal in Brazil battling piranhas , with a bunch of Italian techies backing up an Italian horror director? Um… It's far from a terrible film, and truth is that it landed him back in his more natural habitat of television ("The Fall Guy"). It's not a bad cast at all-which is the saving grace, the story-line could have been written by a third grader (though many are quick to point to the influence of Peter Benchley and Steven Spielberg, both unaccredited, obviously, for Jaws ): Lee, though never getting to act as tough as he can; all-time great horror flick actress Karen Black (wasted as supposed to be glamorous, though she does get to scream), and Margaux Hemingway, whose innate elegance is played, but never to quite its full extent as they instead play to her sleazier side (not to say that she's a slouch in that department, either). The best performance, though, is James Franciscus, who is totally believable as the calculating rich guy. NFL fans of a certain age will also note the presence of Houston Oiler great Dan Pastorini, a buddy of Lee's, I'd guess. It's too bad that Farrah Fawcett-Majors isn't in it: it would hardly have hurt her career or stood out as her worst film, and her presence would have both dwarfed and distracted from the proceedings, which would have done everyone a favor, not least her then-husband.
back to Brilliant Observations on 2525 Films page, or Index
go back home, or send me email
Reviews won't do it any more! I need sustained brilliance! I want to buy your exciting new terrorist novel!
I've already read both of your novels. Thank you, they're amazing. Now I want to check out your weekly blog on everything