The Nasty Rabbit

THE NASTY RABBIT is a "comedy / satire" that's almost as funny as a brain tumor, and far more irritating.

A Russian agent carries the titular mammal, which is carrying a deadly plague. Not surprisingly, the spy seeks to destroy America. Meanwhile, other stereotypical agents from other nations attempt to abscond with the rabbit. Enter super-duper secret agent / rock 'n' roll heartthrob / motorcycle enthusiast, Britt Hunter (Arch Hall Jr.) to save the world.

While the setup might sound somewhat entertaining, it's not. This is pure cinematic agony! Director James Landis proves beyond all doubt that his earlier film THE SADIST was a fluke. Hall Jr., also in THE SADIST, is as interesting as a hairball and as appealing as a flypaper sandwich!

This movie was supposed to be a vehicle for Hall Jr.'s crooning / guitar twanging songs. Well, these ditties will have you smacking your head between two hammers for relief!

Please, heed the warning!...

As an Arch Hall, Jr., aficianado, I couldn't wait to play this film when I found it on DVD. Simply amazing--over-the-top performances, the usual strangely-themed Hall Jr. songs, characters who seemingly have no reason to be where they are (did Richard Kiel just want to get out of town for the day?), a talking white rabbit...the list goes on and on. Note the lack of continuity in the cabin-trashing and following scenes (the place must have excellent maid service)! See John Waters' star Liz Renay use power tools! Wonder how not one but TWO world-class cinematographers have lived down this disaster! And for being top-billed, Hall Jr. doesn't seem to actually appear all that much--even his band performs a song without him (which actually shows how good they are without their frontman, even while forced to sing ridiculous lyrics). And is it just me, or does the German character have an uncomfortable resemblance at times to Kenneth Mars in THE PRODUCERS?

But those people haven't sat through this movie. I thought that "Hillbillies in a Haunted House" was the nadir of low-budget movies, but I'll be damned if Hollywood didn't dig itself a deeper hole with "Nasty Rabbit."

The plot is a bunch of idiocy (especially sad because it's supposed to be funny) involving a Soviet plot to infect the U.S. with a deadly plague via an infected rabbit. Of course, spies from many countries are involved, and every ethnic group (from both hemispheres) is demeaned and insulted. After about five minutes of this, you'll find yourself begging for Arch Hall, Jr., to stop and warble a few tunes.

By the end, if you make it that far, you'll be hoping that the rabbit completes its mission.

This could have been a funny movie, but it wasn't. More capable hands might have made it work. This is not the worst movie I have ever seen. I can think of at least that was worse; if memory serves me correctly, that one also starred Arch Hall, Jr.

The movie was full of demeaning ethnic stereotypes. Why foreign spies would run around wearing their native costumes, I have no idea.

There are a couple of halfway decent performances in this movie, or it may be that they only seem that way because of the atrocious acting they are surrounded by.

One of the few pleasures I received from watching this misbegotten movie was seeing the cars the spies drove. I once owned and have fond memories of a car similar to one of them.

Oh man, this film is a riot! Although not as well-known as other films in the Arch Hall Jr. canon, it's on a par with EEGAH and WILD GUITAR in terms of pure delirium. This wild fiasco concerns all these cartoonish-types who convene at a ranch for some espionage... all over a bunny rabbit which carries a plague that could wipe out the planet!

Director James Landis wisely doesn't take the material seriously. With candy colours, over-acting which would do Phil Tucker proud, undercranked chase scenes, and other gonzo touches, this is a wonderfully absurd delight. And because Arch Hall Jr. is in the cast, how can you not have a lot of great bad rock and roll too? The debonair Arch (cough) is not only a spy (in his trademark white dinner jacket), but he also is the frontman of a rock band that is just the living end for teenage girls everywhere. In fact, once the ranch owner's daughter learns that dreamboat Archie's band is going to show up, she flips... literally! And because it's an Arch Hall Jr. picture, his old man, Hall Sr., cannot help but give himself a showy role- a cameo mind you, but a pivotal one (thanks to Arch Hall Sr. the co-screenwriter).

Perhaps under Landis' direction, Arch Hall Jr. maybe made an effort to be an actor after all (which may explain why his final films, all directed by Landis, are obscure; they aren't BAD enough!). While he's no Olivier certainly, this and DEADWOOD 76 at least show the kid is trying, which is more than you can say about his snarly performances in THE CHOPPERS or EEGAH. Landis is truly an unsung B movie hero; he always made something out of nothing. (Check out his interesting little crime picture, STAKEOUT) But anyhow, if you're an Arch Hall fan (and how can you not be?), THE NASTY RABBIT is a must. It is a wonderful hallucination of bad cinema.

Rhino even released it on video... letterboxed! Now is that class or what?