Customer Reviews

Search & Destroy

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

 

 

(For the record, this is a review of the region 4 DVD)
I picked this up in a bargain bin around 6 months ago, not quite knowing what to expect. Easily the best value for money DVD I have ever bought. Why? Becuase I've watched this film countless times and never seem to get tired of it. Without going into too much detail re: the plot of the film, it is essentially the story of a failed businessman (Martin Mirkheim, played by Griffin Dunne) who, inspired by the writings of a late-night tv self-help guru, Dr. Waxling (played by Dennis Hopper), decides to try his hand at making movies. This film boasts a very strong cast. Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken and John Turturro are particularly good. Griffin Dunne is generally quite good in this film, but does tend to overact in a number of scenes. There is a lot of very dry humor and sarcasm throughout this movie, which is the main reason I like it so much. Admittedly, the plot is a little disjointed at times, but it all seems to hang together very well in my eyes. Search and Destroy will definitely not be to everyone's liking. However, if you like subtlety in your humour, this is definitely the film for you.

This is a profoundly strange movie that comes to a beautifully futile conclusion. Dennis Hopper plays the strangest self help guru ever portrayed on film with conviction and dead-pan accuracy. No, it isn't the best script ever written - but this is a movie that will make you laugh and shudder. This is angry art, reasonably well executed, with some truly excellent performances.

This is the *other* Search and Destroy. Dennis Hopper plays a self-help guru plus author on late-night TV, in his usual psycho mode. Christopher Walken, plain psycho, also believes in Hopper's inspirational book. "Martin" is so obsessed, he wants to make book a movie. Comedy plus murders and singing. MUST SEE.

One of the funniest lines is where Walken takes Hopper's 'rule for living' "The Past is Pointless" to it's logical extreme. When confronted with the fact that he JUST shot a state trooper, Walken responds "That's in the past." Brutality mixed with irony as in Pulp Fiction and other Hopper/Walken flicks.

Griffin Dunne does an uncanny impression of Glenn Beck in this 1995 movie. Or did Glenn Beck create his persona from this movie? It is a fascinating parable into the mind and motivation of the rise of an ordinary guy. This movie is well worth watching

This film deserves four, maybe even five stars. I love films about "making it" in the entertainment industry, and this is a hilarious comedy about trying to raise money for an indie film. A steller cast, from Dennis Hopper, to Christopher Walker, to Illeana Douglass, to John Turturro, to star Giffin Dunne. And fine cameos by Martin Scorsese, Rosanna Arquette, and Ethan Hawke.

SEARCH AND DESTORY is to film financing what LIVING IN OBLIVION is to film production. I love this indie film and have seen it many times. But why did they release this CRAPPY DVD VERSION?

* It's FULL SCREEN. Indie film fans are especially particular about seeing the whole film, which means wide screen.

* There are NO SPECIAL FEATURES. Not even a trailer. With all these stars, surely there could have been an interview or something. Not only that, there's ...

* NO MENU. Nothing. No chapter sections. Nothing. You pop in the DVD, then go straight to the full screen film, then that's it.

Why release a great film like this in such a crappy DVD package? Perhaps because the studio wants to DOUBLE DIP. You know what I mean. They release a crappy DVD first, then when everyone who "must have" this film has bought one, they release a Special Two Disc Edition. An indie film like this, with so many indie stars, is a natural for this treatment.

So this is yet another example of how studios RIP OFF DVD customers. Other examples include...

* Crappy fall-apart DVDs that scratch easily, thus limiting the number of used DVDs on the market (studios earn nothing on used DVDs).

* DVDs which FORCE YOU you to sit through long FBI Warnings and endless trailers, thus STEALING YOUR TIME.

This SEARCH AND DESTORY DVD isn't guilty of those two offenses; instead it's guilty of dumping a BARE-BONES, FULL SCREEN version, so as to DOUBLE DIP with a decent, wide screen, two-disc version later on.

Great film. Horrid DVD.

This should have been a film I loved. Dennis Hopper, Griffin Dunne, and Christopher Walken are all cast in roles perfect for them, set premise is a nice one--failed dreamer gets caught up in self-help nonsense and gets into deeper and deeper trouble, eventually ending up in serious danger--but the film starts out wobbly focus- and drive-wise and falls apart completely when it should be building steam.

Its roots as a stage play are very evident in almost every scene, but I hope the play was a little more coherent. Otherwise, I can't comprehend why anyone would option, let alone produce it, as a movie.

The sad part is... every actor in the film gives a GREAT performance. As far as that goes, the film is fabulous, so kudos to the director. Unfortnately, the framework within they are giving their performances just isn't enough to support them. Shame on the writer.

The only known copy of this DVD is bootleg. Hence, no special features, no 5.1 surround sound, no widescreen, no anything. I know, I know, TVA films is a Quebecor Media property, but, trust me, I don't think they are legit. Since the film was not released by this company, I doubt this was a studio exec plot to get mad dollars on the Special Edition. I hate to tell you this: THIS IS THE BEST DVD VERSION YOU WILL GET FOR A LONG TIME. It's the same with David Lynch's Lost Highway. It's better than nothing, since I found it for 3 dollars at Harris Tetter after hunting for it for 7 years after seeing it on Bravo on IFC Fridays. This movie is absolutely great, with a great story, a great cast, and that is all that matters when you can't get the real copy of a movie.

This movie reminds me of "Unbreakable". The trainwreck of a script kills everyone aboard, but Christopher Walken emerges without a scratch. Walken has a strange gift for navigating the most horrible scripts and emerging with increased stature, like a soldier who survived Normandy. But this is by no means a script devoid of merit. It is a good idea, and the satire is at times effective. But it is impossible to believe that a succesful businessman (Walken) would act so erraticly, even if he is severely disturbed. But when Walken assumes the spotlight, I forget about that and just watch his spellbinding performance. The other actors are enjoyable, but they can't pull off being quirky just for the sake of quirkiness. With all the talent in this film, a less bipolar script could have done wonders. But only Walken survives, but unlike Bruce Willis in "Unbreakable", no one wonders why.

Arquette, Douglas and Turturro cast together make this movie Overbite Central! Dunne reprises his King of Comedy role, Walken his Deer Stalker, you know, that STARE just before he shoots himself that has made his career. Scorcese plays a good brief part, really the best acting of the film, which is otherwise second rate fare. (4/7)