The Mckenzie Break
by Lamont Johnson
from MGM (Video & DVD)
McKenzie is a remote, understaffed POW camp in Scotland, where an assortment of German fliers, U-boat men, and soldiers are being held prisoner. The restive POWs stage a well-orchestrated uprising in which they essentially take over the camp. When word of the prisoners' siege gets back to British military higher-ups, they assign rogue Irish officer Captain Connor (Brian Keith) to get to the bottom of things. The Germans have been receiving orders directly from Berlin that call for 28 of the submariners to escape and return to the Deutschland's U-boat fleet. The Germans are led by Schlütter (Helmut Griem), an intelligent, articulate graduate of the Hitler Youth; they have devised an elaborate tunnel and a plot to take them to the Scottish coast, where they will rendezvous with a U-boat to take them back to Germany. The hard-drinking Connor learns of the plan, and stakes his career on letting the Germans escape and tracking them down. Keith is excellent as Connor (though his Irish brogue comes and goes), locked into a three-way battle of wills with the determined Schlütter and the stuffy, by-the-book CO of the camp. The movie's pace and suspense swell as Connor's gambit plays out and the Germans make good their escape plans, all set against the breathtaking scenery of rural Scotland. With intelligent, believable characters and tough direction, this is a sorely neglected World War II POW drama that compares well with better-known films such as Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. --Jerry Renshaw
Brian Keith leads an acclaimed international cast in this poignant and powerful WW II drama fraughtwith action, suspense and the haunting reality of war. Keith stars as Captain Jack Connor,a fast-talking, hard-drinking, tough-as-nails Irishman assigned to investigate an impending escape by a group of German POWs led by the charismatic Kapitan Schleutter (Helmut Griem). The camp commander (Ian Hendry) has been unable to contain the prisoners, but Connor's brash and unusual approach solves the problem...for a while. In a race against timeand with growing animosity from the commanderConnor surpasses even his own previous unorthodox methods when he devises a scheme so daring that it will either make him a hero or prove to be the most fatal mistake of his career.
The Last American Hero (AKA Hard Driver)
by Lamont Johnson
from 20th Century Fox
- Officially Licensed
- Highest Quality Recording
Based on Tom Wolfe's magazine article, this film follows the unlikely career of race car driver Junior Johnson. Jeff Bridges stars.
Lipstick
by Lamont Johnson
from Paramount
In LIPSTICK, Chris McCormick (Margaux Hemingway), a high fashion and cosmetics model is brutally raped by her younger sister's music teacher, Gordon Stuart (Sarandon). After pleading not guilty to the crime and being found innocent by a jury, Stuart finds a new victim in Chris's younger sister and his own student, Kathy (Mariel Hemingway). Now even more enraged by the recent turn of events, Chris takes matters into her own hands as she seeks revenge for the crimes committed against both herself and her sister.
The Rifleman (Vol. 1)
by James Neilson
from Mpi Home Video
A widower rancher and single father ain't your typical TV Western hero. But put a Winchester in his hands and he becomes the Rifleman. Chuck Connors may have struck out as a major-league baseball player, but he was a hit as Lucas McCain in this classic 1958-1963 series that was reportedly Leonid Brezhnev's favorite American TV show. When the former Russian leader visited the U.S. in the early 1970s, he requested to meet Connors. This DVD contains the series' first four episodes, in which McCain and his idolizing son Mark make a fresh start in the "new and mighty fine country" of North Folk, New Mexico. The Wild Bunch director Sam Peckinpah wrote the first two episodes. In "Sharpshooter," McCain takes on the corrupt businessman who has rigged a turkey shoot (that's Dennis Hopper as McCain's competition). In "Home Ranch," henchmen of cattleman Oat Jackford drag McCain from a horse and burn his ranch to run him off his property. Peckinpah is at the reins of the episode "The Marshall," which introduced series regular Paul Fixx as redeemed sheriff Micah Torrance. The Peckinpah touch: one character is blown away with wind-tunnel force, and McCain himself is gunned down. "End of a Young Gun" guest-stars a pre-Bonanza Michael Landon as a bank robber who re-evaluates his life while recuperating from an injury at McCain's ranch. A bonus episode features veteran character actor Jack Elam as a local bully who is taught a lesson by a visiting Italian count. These episodes are surprisingly gritty and brutal. When McCain gets fired up, he goes ballistic. "I'll kill your stock and burn your barns," he threatens Jackford in "Home Ranch." But when things really get tough, he still takes time to teach Mark the story of Job. --Donald Liebenson
Grab your boots and saddle and get ready to ride. Lucas McCain (Chuck Conner) is a widower who guides his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) through the hardships of maintaining a ranch in New Mexico in the late 1880's. Courage, justice, fairness and a modified rifle are McCain's weapons. The Rifleman ranked as the #1 half hour program during its time slot on ABC for the duration of its run form 1958 - 1963.
Volume 1:
Sharpshooter - Starring Dennis Hopper, Leif Erickson and Sidney Blackmer
Home Ranch - Starring Harold J. Stone and Lee Farr
End of a Young Gun - Starring Michael Landon
The Marshall - Starring Paul Fix, Warren Oates and Robert Wilke Bonus Episode: Duel of Honor - Starring Cesare Danova and Jack Elam
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