Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
#1
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Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Just got out of a Peckinpah double feature. Convoy was one of the more random movies I've seen in a long time. Killer Elite was also quite weird, with ninjas and covert operatives.
#2
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The Killer Elite is great, it really fits that era and Peckinpah's stamp is on it; he never really makes a straight genre film, it's always a few tied into one with abrupt shifts between them.
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The Killer Elite is a complete mess. It's been pretty well documented that Peckinpah was checked-out during that production. James Caan supposedly introduced him to cocaine and he overdosed and had another heart attack during filming. He also continued to drink heavily and would spend long stretches locked in his trailer. Various assistant directors took turns directing about half the film in his absence. James Caan was also pretty deep into his addiction as well.
#4
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Killer Elite is saved by two things, Uschi Digard and Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits"---All in the same scene!
#5
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The Killer Elite is a complete mess. It's been pretty well documented that Peckinpah was checked-out during that production. James Caan supposedly introduced him to cocaine and he overdosed and had another heart attack during filming. He also continued to drink heavily and would spend long stretches locked in his trailer. Various assistant directors took turns directing about half the film in his absence. James Caan was also pretty deep into his addiction as well.
#6
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Poor Ali MacGraw... so beautiful in The Getaway (one my favorite Peckinpah) to whatever that look was in Convoy.
#7
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
As messy as it is I like The Killer Elite because of James Caan & Robert Duvall. I do not like Convoy. IMO those films are what I would consider bottom tier Peckinpah.
They don't come close to his masterpieces Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Wild Bunch & Straw Dogs.
They don't come close to his masterpieces Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Wild Bunch & Straw Dogs.
#8
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
As messy as it is I like The Killer Elite because of James Caan & Robert Duvall. I do not like Convoy. IMO those films are what I would consider bottom tier Peckinpah.
They don't come close to his masterpieces Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Wild Bunch & Straw Dogs.
They don't come close to his masterpieces Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Wild Bunch & Straw Dogs.
#9
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The "Ghost Fleet" in Killer Elite is still out there to this very day.
http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothb...t-ghost-ships/
http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothb...t-ghost-ships/
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The Film Sack podcast did an episode on Convoy. They were pretty positive about it, mainly because they treated it as a schlocky movie and not part of the oeuvre of a great auteur.
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
i love Convoy. sure it isn't a great film, but i always had a soft spot for it ever since i saw it in the theater, i believe. good schlocky fun...
#12
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Damn I missed out on Major Dundee, Alfredo Garcia and Straw Dogs (due to laziness). Cross of Iron is next week though.
#13
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Not too crazy about Major Dundee but Alfredo Garcia and Straw Dogs are must sees. Cross of Iron is good, WWII from the German point of view as they fight the USSR.
#14
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#16
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
They don't get a lot of talk, but I think Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is a masterpiece, especially the 2005 Special Edition. (which I'm sure puts me in an even smaller category) But also Junior Bonner is a damn fine film. Probably Steve McQueen's most underrated film, it also boasts a great performance by the legendary Ida Lupino, in one of her final screen performances.
The only Peckinpah film that I really dislike is The Osterman Weekend. But I can't completly fault Peckinpah for that as he was very much a broken down man at that point in his life. I'm sure liquor was always a part of his directorial career, but I think at that point the liquor was calling the shots.
The only Peckinpah film that I really dislike is The Osterman Weekend. But I can't completly fault Peckinpah for that as he was very much a broken down man at that point in his life. I'm sure liquor was always a part of his directorial career, but I think at that point the liquor was calling the shots.
#17
Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Warren Oates ranks as one of my 5 favorite actors of alltime. The man is an American Treasure as far as I'm concerned.
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The version of Pat Garret in my head is a perfect movie, but it's not a version that exists in any of the existing cuts. I love Junior Bonner too, but I think Peckinpah's most underrated movie is Ride the High Country.
#22
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Forgot to mention The Wild Bunch was in 70 mm (and was the theater's first 70 mm presentation ever) and looked great. Big step up from DVD. I also saw Ride the High Country, which was pretty damn good. Bought it for my Grandfather and saw it again a few days later.
Cross of Iron is up next, looking forward to it. The projectionist comes out and gives like a 5-10 min talk before each movie going over Peckinpah's life at the time, behind the scenes stuff and info sbout the film prints themselves.
#23
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Just got back from Cross of Iron. That was interesting. Nice job by James Coburb. Cool to see David Warner in an earlier role and James Mason in a later one, sharing screen time.
Last edited by bluetoast; 08-26-15 at 09:35 PM.
#24
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
The Killer Elite is a complete mess. It's been pretty well documented that Peckinpah was checked-out during that production. James Caan supposedly introduced him to cocaine and he overdosed and had another heart attack during filming. He also continued to drink heavily and would spend long stretches locked in his trailer. Various assistant directors took turns directing about half the film in his absence. James Caan was also pretty deep into his addiction as well.
#25
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Re: Anybody seen The Killer Elite or Convoy?
Something I recommend doing after seeing a Sam Peckinpah movie is seek out Pauline Kael's review of that movie.
Kael was one of the most literate film critics ever and I enjoyed reading her reviews even though I disagreed with them about 90% of the time. And one of Kael's main weak points was her complete worship of everything Peckinpah turned out, no matter how good or bad it actually was. Simply reading her rave review of Peckinpah's Convoy in the snooty magazine "The New Yorker" is truly a bizarre experience. It can simultaneously make you appreciate the movie a little more while at the same time make you scratch your head wondering why Kael was ever considered one of the top film critics at the time.
Kael was one of the most literate film critics ever and I enjoyed reading her reviews even though I disagreed with them about 90% of the time. And one of Kael's main weak points was her complete worship of everything Peckinpah turned out, no matter how good or bad it actually was. Simply reading her rave review of Peckinpah's Convoy in the snooty magazine "The New Yorker" is truly a bizarre experience. It can simultaneously make you appreciate the movie a little more while at the same time make you scratch your head wondering why Kael was ever considered one of the top film critics at the time.