Customer Reviews

Rage [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me be the first to review this briefly. I remember seeing this film years ago and was quite moved by it all. One man, who's family and life is destroyed by the US government takes his gettin' even with the 'powers that be'. In a futile attempt, the main character seeks to expose and destroy the very thing that is evil. It is a story of a modern day 'Don Quixote' who tries to battle the Federal Government and fall short of his mission. George C. Scott was a great, phenomenal actor; and I remember this film to be great and phenomenal as well....similar to 'Soylent Green'....one lone American striving to end the misery of the modern world.

When this was released in the theater it was mostly appreciated by the anti-war crowd, but not to well by bureaucrats. I thought it was pretty cool watching George C. Scott go ballistic against the military that were trying to cover up what they had done with a deadly gas. Kind of like the biological weapon movies "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman or "Chill Factor" with Skeet Ulrich and Cuba Gooding Jr.. Why hasn't it been remade? Some say it couldn't be done today. Why not? Gee we don't experiament with deadly biological weapons anymore? Umm sure we don't. In a pigs eye we don't. At any rate I will be glad to see some of Scott's works that aren't on DVD yet come out like this one and, "Flim Flam Man", "The List of Adrian Messenger", and "They Might Be Giants". He was truly a consumate actor and it is ashame these aren't on DVD yet. Hello studio he's dead, do you mind putting all his stuff on DVD in sets or individually?

Leonard Maltin says in his review that Scott's transition from peaceful rancher to killer is unconvincing and, in part, I agree. The first violent encounter seems abrupt and jarring. But. The reasons for the transformation are convincing and the set-up is, unlike most modern movies, at least logical. The rage thus engendered is portrayed with convincing implacability. In most of his performances, George C. Scott has more than a touch of rage just under the surface; in this film, he lets it out. The primary flaw, as I see it, is that although the plot line itself is more or less plausible, somehow the supporting actor roles are not convincing, and that I would guess is due more to Scott's directing debut than the actors themselves. Nonetheless, it is a muted but powerful portrayal of a father's searing rage and the look on Scott's face as he scorches down the road on a motorcycle is one that is hard to forget. If this is one of your favorite actors, this is an important film.

Yes, it was the 70s. I saw this as a young father or 4, alone. My wife wouldn't go, she had read a review. Within the structure of the film there was much to breed hate and mistrust. The acting was as precise as a scalpel, thinly drawn and never over the line. I am relating my impressions of seeing this film in its original theatrical run over 35 years ago. Rage struck me right up front, full-faced, and it has never completely left my mind. Richard Basehart and Martin Sheen play off each other, and George C. Scott, with just enough character to give it a bitter taste of reality. The scariest thing is that they appear as people you would actually know in real life.

Viewing this Little movie on the little screen lost some of its impact due, I feel, to the lack of the VHS format to fill out a Hi-Def LCD screen. It appears slightly out of focus and fuzzy. Tape that delivered a format of 320 x 240 doesn't seem to translate into 1080 x 1920. This is the reason that I join the other reviewers in the plea for at least a DVD release, in full Cinemascope widescreen, (and perhaps a Blu-ray version).

[RAGE - 1972 - Widescreen - 100 Min. - Directed by George C. Scott] While one of my favorite actors, this film fails on multiple levels even though it had all the earmarks of its time - mistrust of both the government and military, conspiracy theories, a fear of martial law, hospital cover-ups, concealed enviornmental pollutants, etc., etc.
Even Scott's talents seem to miss the mark here, as he fails to convey the deep sense of loss he's undergone and again falters while attempting to elicit the rage the film is centered upon. I hate to admit it, but even the direction is amiss and lacks the whallop George C. is known for.

There's adequate pacing between the time he and his son are admitted to the hospital and the moment he plans his revenge against those who have lied to him, killed his son and livestock, tainted his land and left him terminally ill, but there's no knock-out punch delivered, no vindication evident, no taste of vengeance savored before Scott himself collapses and fails to complete his final act. The entire effort becomes an act of coitus interruptus, leaving me with a severe case of 'blue balls' the likes of which I've never experienced from a George C. Scott flick.

There was a failure to establish an emotional bond with his son prior to the incident which caused all the dominos to fall, which I believe to be Scott's fault, as he's never been a warm and fuzzy guy to begin with (but in later roles like 'Hardcore' and 'The Changeling' he had expanded his emotional palatte to elicit such emotions), there was only a weak attempt to see him harden enough to plan his retribution, and he then lacked the execution of the film's title - and this AFTER 'Patton'? Where's the 'Rage'? I'm at a loss here to explain these events.

Again, Scott's one of my favorite actors, and I had just seen him in 'The Hospital' and 'They Might Be Giants' around the same time and thought he was brilliant in both, but maybe the directorial duties took him away from his strengths in this flick. Regardless, I only think this film warrants 3 stars. Save your 'Rage' for my remarks here, watch this one closely, and maybe you'll agree.

A little know movie but well worth the viewing. Take the time to watch it and I am sure you will want this to be part of your video library.