Customer Reviews

A Breed Apart [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
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Rutger Hauer plays a Vietnam veteran living in isolation on a private island where he dedicates himself to preserving the local flora and fauna of his fiefdom .Enter Powers Boothe who plays a famous mountaineer ,hired by the bad guy ,Donald Pleasance ,to steal the eggs of an exceptionally rare breed of eagle that lives in the clifs on the island ,Pleasance being a collector of such things.An additional source of conflict between Hauer and Boothe is the presence of a woman in whom they are both interested -which given that it is the attractive Kathleen Turner - is no great suprise .

The potential conflicts are thus pretty predictable but still manage to be gripping given the strong performances and some well staged action scenes .What gives this movie its edge , apart from the intriguing central premise ,is a script that eschews easy division of characters into good and evil ,black and white .Hauer plays a man whose heart is in the right place ecologically speaking but who is not especially likeable and at times is borderline psychotic ,and while we hope Booth's mission fails he is presented as, at bottom, a nice ,decent and dependable guy .This creates a moral complexity unusual in thrillers of the period and prevents us anticipating a pat ,easy resolution .It is in short a humane thriller ,capably acted and with some good action sequences
Recommenced to those who like something a little way away from the main travelled thriller roads

Yes, I'm definitely a Rutger Hauer fan, but I have to say that I don't like some of the stuff he's made (mostly the very old movies). I LOVE this movie - it's very entertaining and that's why I watch movies. Rutger's character is fascinating and the plot kept me interested. In fact, I really wish they'd put this one on DVD. I'd definitely buy a couple of copies for my collection.