The Day of the Wolves

While budgetary constraints may be evident, the plot is what probably attracted a quality actor like Richard Egan. Definitely a must see for Tarantino fans, as it seems he watched it more than a few times. The film itself was ahead of its time in terms of plot, and if it were more available, would be a favorite among heist fans. Despite the budget/filming conditions, Egan gives a great performance, giving the writing a bit more than it deserves. All in all, a good watch.

This movie is about a theme you rarely see nowadays. A group of bad guys isolate a town and take it over. This gives rise to many questions about the possibility, but then each question takes valuable time to answer, making it more possible than you might think. The bad guys are robbers in this case, as opposed to a movie that would be made nowadays, in which every writer tries to outdo each other with cold blooded sadists. These characters could be the man shopping next to you at the grocery. That gives this movie an appeal lost in today's market. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and yet gives a serious enough account to be entertaining. The high hat characters were typical of the time, and actually more realistic than people give credit for, with their "City Hall" mentality. The other characters are well drawn. Good acting helps, too, and so does the atmosphere, in which each scene is well defined. A movie such as this will either sacrifice entertainment value for realism, or vice versa. This is fairly well balanced, but thankfully it leans more to entertainment value. The end twist comes a bit too fast for the modern writing style, but it is good natured and likable. Looks to be done on a small budget, and it comes through as a champion of the small budget movies.

Just re-saw this "B" heist film. The plot was interesting, the acting was decent, and there are a host of washed-up former stars throughout. For fans of such films as Ocean's Eleven (both versions), The Anderson Tapes, The Killing, Assault on the Queenm,Heat, and Dayton's Devils, this is an enjoyable little film. Made on a shoe string budget; the texture of the film is fair, and the camera work makes it look like a high school production, but the over all look and feel of the movie is entertaining.

There is even a surprise ending which is comical. Richard Egan does a professional job, as does Jan Murray. However, Martha Hyer has aged badly and has lost her sexy looks from her role in the Carpetbaggers.

So, if you're a fan of caper and heist films, this is the movie for you.

Low-budget doesn't begin to describe the cheesy production values of this independent heist movie. The piped-in music, limited camera angles, and production glitches remind me of a porno movie. But, the plot is ingenious -- as gripping as I've seen in a crime movie in 30 years. And, although some of the dialogue is ridiculous in the scenes between townspeople in the first third of the film, all of the dialogue, amongst the criminals and among the law officers once the crime is on, is gritty and realistic. A few story twists help the proceedings along to a most satisfactory conclusion.

This movie was filmed back in 1971 in Lake Havasu City, Az. I really liked the movie, but unfortunately I knew a lot of the local people that they used in the film, & the layout of the town. So the "towns people" laughed at how it was made and their family or friends that were in it. They didn't stop to think of how possible it was for this to really happen. I've been waiting for someone like yourselves to give their thoughts on it. Now I can show the people who were here at that time, that it truly was a good movie. Thanks