Back in the 80s and 90s, when the mom and pop video stores were thriving and the internet was basically science-fiction, the Faces of Death films were these taboo films that teenagers and gore-hounds would seek out as a way to gross out and shock friends. These films were in a category on their own, and not for the faint of heart. It was considered a part of “Mondo Cinema”, a style of film that came out of Italy in the 60s that were pseudo-documentaries or “shockumentaries” that were a collection of bizarre and often violent acts pieced together to look like an educational video. The 1978 film and the films that followed had everything from animal cruelty to executions, and for the longest time there was a debate about whether the films were real or fake or somewhere in between. When I first saw these films, I viewed them as a bit of a challenge. I loved horror and gore, and thought I could handle it at the ripe old age of fifteen. Let’s just say I’ve seen the films and the knock-offs, and my pupils have been scarred ever since. There are images from those films that still haunt me.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too."

Blake Edwards has had a long career of quirky comedies. A lot like Mel Brooks, Edwards had a style that would be character-centered, and he made a lot of money off of the human condition. He was most famous for the series of Pink Panther films that starred Peter Sellers as an awkward French detective who mostly bumbled himself to the correct solution to the murders. He focused on the performance, and it was box office gold. One of the more "charming" actors during the 1980's was Dudley Moore. He had smash hits with 10 and Arthur. He was one of the most bankable stars of the time. Blake Edwards was also the director of 10. So we have an unbeatable collaboration here that put together another quirky comedy about a "charming" bigamist, and how could it miss? Micki & Maude turned out to be one of the lesser-known films for both Edwards and Moore. But it's a part of that 80's scene, so Mill Creek has decided to give everyone another look at the film with their Retro-VHS series on Blu-ray in high definition.

"Dear Sir, we regret to inform you that following a complete review of your testing and background history, your application to Academy Training is denied. It is also my professional opinion and recommendation that you seek psychological counseling through a private psychologist or organization as soon as possible."

In the movies there are a lot of triggers that drive serial killers into their chosen field. Relentless wasn't the first or last film to use being rejected to a police academy as such a trigger. In fact, Relentless was director Willaim Lustig's second film to use the plot. Just a year earlier he directed Maniac Cop, and a year later he would direct Maniac Cop 2 as well as sign on as producer for the 2012 remake, Maniac. So it's a well he's been to a few times. Relentless was less a blood-and-gore show than the others, and it was actually thanks to Sam Raimi that he was able to use the name. Rami had directed a comedy a couple of years earlier with the name. Now titles can't be protected by a copyright. I'm sure you've noticed many songs and books with the same name.

“Careful with vengeance. You never know where the blood will land.”

Well, this was a revenge story if I’ve ever seen one, and a top-tier cast to sell it. Based on an award-winning play from playwright Aleshea Harris, who also penned and directed this adaptation. Apparently, Harris only initially intended to write the script, but through the encouragement of the film’s producers she decided to direct it as well. I like that. After all, who would be better equipped to direct the silver-screen adaptation than the playwright responsible for the play that received three Obie awards (Off-Broadway Theater Awards)? I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that the creator should be involved in any adaptation of their work when possible. And while I can’t speak to any deviation between the film and the play (because I’ve never seen the play), I’m confident that those changes were minimal. Additionally, just as it is important to have the right storyteller, it is equally important to have the right people to bring that story to life.

“Not to me. Just … unheard. Unseen. A respectable person, disrespected in a place where murder is easy.”

I would say that this was a pretty faithful adaptation of the popular Agatha Christie novel, albeit with a few instances of poetic license being taken. And I do mean that this novel is popular. This addition marks the sixth adaptation of this novel, with the previous incarnations being for film, theater, radio, and television, with the previous TV version being adapted for a Miss Marple episode which famously featured Benedict Cumberbatch. This two-episode version features David Jonsson of Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk fame, Morfydd Clark of Rings of Power fame, and Dame Penelope Wilton. And while the series does exercise that poetic license, these changes actually add a degree of depth to the overall adaptation in my opinion. Such as the reinvention of Jonsson’s Fitzwilliam as a Nigerian attaché arriving in 1954 Britain. When done right, these deviations from the source material can act as a fresh commentary on a beloved piece of fiction.

"Julian Sklar here. Your mother would like me to tell you not to quit art school. Seriously, do. Those clowns at Camberwell will poison you with their Sainsbury's aisles and ideas, processed, packed in plastic. The stalest up front so that you buy into those first. Grow your own, I say. Go organic! Although I hear that's all rubbish, too. Do you know how much plastic we eat in a week? A credit card's worth. It's in the water now. It's hopeless. So, happy birthday, stay in school, blah, blah, blah."

Ian McKellen stars as elder artist Julian Sklar.  He's old and not expected to be alive for long. That's at least how his two children feel about it. Sallie (Gunning) and Barnaby (Corden) hire an art restoration artist that Sallie once went to school with. Lori Butler is played by Michaela Coel. What they want from her isn't a simple restoration. She has a bit of a grudge against Sklar, and they try to use it to their advantage.

"I was walking under the overpass as primly dressed secretaries and weary window washers march onwards and upwards to start their days. The cold winter wind whipped in my face, and a card caught my eye. I flipped it over to find joker. Joker, joker, joker. All things in life are rarely here to stay. The good and the bad. So worry not, me. I smile at the cards I'm dealt. Just like the snow, it shall melt. What are you hearing, Indianapolis? It is Tuesday, February 8th. The time is 8:45 and 55 seconds. I'm DJ Fred Temple. And this is Deodato."

That's an important date and time both for our movie and in history. It was on that date that a frustrated man named Tony Kiritsis took a man  and both kidnapped and held him hostage for days with a shotgun wired to his head, the titular dead man's wire. The story has been told both in a memoir written by the man held hostage and a 2018 documentary. But this is a story we've seen before in cinema, from Denzel Washington's desperate father in John Q. to the mad-as-hell-and-he's-not-going-to-take-it-anymore frustrated news anchor in Network. But Gus Van Sant's Dead Man's Wire offers more of a callback to Dog Day Afternoon than anything like those other films.