Riding with Death

Like most folks, I suspect, I saw Riding with Death on MST3K. There's no question that it's a totally hackneyed, badly acted, horribly edited movie. But there's something about their attempt to splice together two separate episodes into a movie that moves me. They're incredibly clumsy in their attempt; mainly it consists of totally obvious voiceovers while the camera shows a shot of a truck or a landscape. Gene Roddenberry, whatever his flaws, was able to do this brilliantly in "The Menagerie." But watching the attempt in Riding with Death can be fun, and all the 70's stuff (e.g., fadeaway jerk handshake) is a blast. So I give it a 2, perhaps my first-ever non-1 for a Msted movie.

If you enjoy watching a discombobulated, incoherent dumpster fire of a movie, then Riding With Death is for you. Please, for the love of God, do not watch this without the MST3K commentary. I tried once without it and it was brutal. You have been warned!

Way back in the evil, post-hallucinogenic '70s, the TV execs were trying to figure out a way to make the kids tune in and turn on to NBC, and came up with the series "Gemini Man", a series about a secret agent who can turn invisible with the help of his special watch. The kids didn't find it groovy, man, so it went to Nowhere-Ville.

What does that have to do with "Riding with Death"? Everything, man!

As a gasp of air before going under, the producers decided to not only take a couple of the show episodes and sew them together to make a movie, but did so with different characters in main parts, a five year gap between plots and Jim Stafford. Remember Jim - "I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes"... or cheesy TV movies.

And Ben Murphy... WHY stick with television after "Alias Smith and Jones"? Surely there are other movie projects to be made.... Wait, he starred in "Time Walker". Never mind, Ben.

As far as the '70s go, not every movie of that decade ages well, and fewer TV shows do, either. Therefore, a TV show that they try to make episodes into a movie with is double trouble. So, instead of "Riding with Death", watch "Then Came Bronson" instead. Michael Parks - Ben Murphy, what's the difference, anyway?

Two stars - in fond memory of the '70s, not of this flick.

well let's just say that one line from "Riding with Death" completely summarizes the type of movie it is and that is a big, fat turkey.

This one was deliciously roasted on MST by Mike and the oh so funny robots, with many references to how dopey the hero, Ben Murphy really is.

The flimsy plot jumps from an explosive being transported in a truck to another explosive substance being used in a race car to kill off some people for no apparent reason. The reason for the jumping of the plot most likely stems from the fact that the movie is no more than 2 episodes of a short lived 70's T.V. series, slammed together and released in theatres. Oh well flimsy plot aside, the rest of the movie is just plain horrific, most of the bad stuff is in the form of awful acting, which raises the question as to how this got made into a T.V. show to begin with.

Well, the MST version was a lot of fun, though this is still an incredibly bad movie. 9 for the MST version, none for the actual film.

Someone at Universal thought it would be a good idea to make a show about a guy who can turn himself invisible. But, they made him a government agent, and made him mellow. Dr. Heywood Floyd, transported from the year 2001, assigns the ever cool and mellow Sam Casey to transport Murray from the MTM Show, from point A to point B. Oh there's also something about an unstable liquid. Anyway, Captain Stubing intends to doublecross our mellow hero and take off with ten million dollars. Then there's some scenes with Jim Stafford singing and driving a truck, Sam turning invisible and then finally a truck blowing up. Then we go into the fast paced world of raceing! There's the elusive Robert Denby and why he's elusive, we never find out. Dr. Floyd is harassed by his dentist and a woman named Cupcake plots and schemes. Sam and Buffalo Bill, as Stafford is known in this mishmash, throw some punches, drive some cars and thwart the machinations of the ever elusvie Robert Denby. Oh, and Abby is quite a gal. She's such a gal that she can view things in her lab and project her thoughts over space and time. Based on a story by H.G. Wells, and I think he's suing.