6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising movie, October 21, 2001
This review is from: High Desert Kill [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Well, I'm not english, so I apologize for all the errors you'll find in this review. What can I say about this movie... I saw it several years ago, translated in italian (Il deserto della paura)that's fantastic, what an atmosphere, what a suspance, and the actors are all inspired and well involved in the story. I recommend this to all the hunters of the world, eh eh eh!!! Great Anthony Geary!!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Rats in a cage ... ", July 23, 2011
This review is from: High Desert Kill [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This made-for-cable-TV movie didn't have a multigazillion dollar budget, but in this writer's opinion, the producers made effective use of what resources they had. *High Desert Kill* looks superficially like a Western, but isn't. From the opening scene (amidst old Pueblo ruins in the Badlands area of New Mexico), both the setting and the eerie soundtrack establish an unsettling mood that lasts the entire movie.
Three deer hunters (Jim, played by Anthony Geary; Brad, played by Marc Singer; and Ray, played by Micah Grant) venture into the wilderness on a presumably annual hunt. They meet a mountain man (Stan, played to the hilt by Chuck Connors) who tells them something has spooked all the game out of the region. Very soon, they are hearing voices and seeing things that aren't there. They are experiencing unpredictable mood swings. It gradually dawns on them--and two "hippie girls" (Stan's phrase) whom they encounter--that some outside force is manipulating them. They try to get out of Dodge, so to speak, but find themselves--shall we say?--at the edge of the cage.
Throughout this film effective use is made of several different sound effects including moments of dead quiet that only last a few seconds but seem longer, and extensive shots of the mountainous terrain itself: frequently at the same time. Okay, the acting is a bit over the top at times--especially during the infamous "campfire scene" with its ludicrous dancing and arm-wrestling sequences which led many critics to dismiss this movie out of hand when it first came out--but (1) this is Marc Singer and Chuck Connors we are talking about; don't we expect such things from at least the first? and (2) given that the characters' moods and behavior are being manipulated, is the acting really so over the top after all? I'm surprised no one noticed top flight performances by the two unknown actresses who played the "hippie girls" (Lori Birdsong as Terry and Deborah Anne Mansy as Kathleen).
Overall, *High Desert Kill* strikes me as one of the better movies of its type, certainly deserving more attention that it's received:
--for its visuals and sound effects (well done throughout);
--for a few good lines sandwiched amidst rather average dialogue ("Men bond; women network" ~Jim; "When I want to listen to old women nag each other I go visit my great aunt--in the nursing home!" ~Jim; "Blood rings the dinner bell" ~Stan; "Open you up like a sack of manure!" ~Stan; "Big fish eat the little fish" ~Stan, to which Jim replies, "I know it's the way of the world, but is it the way of all worlds?")
--for the images of caged animals in Jim's lab at the beginning and then again at the end: get it?
--for an ending guaranteed to make you swallow with discomfort.
Though not as famous as a lot of other films depicting encounters with something so advanced that it sees us as akin to rats in a cage--*Predator* being the obvious example--I have no trouble recommending fans of the genre give this one another look.
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