Night Game

I wondered if anyone could come along in the '80s and be more verbally blasphemous than Brian Dennehy. He seemed to be the "Babe Ruth" of using the Lord's name in vain. However, in this movie, Richard Bradford stepped up to the plate and becomes Barry Bonds! Bradford must have set the record for the most usages of the Lord's name in vain by a policeman in a Hollywood film, as well as being in the Top Ten for any role at any time. He was so ridiculous that I watched this with a TV Guardian the second time and four of his profane tirades skipped by the machine in less than seven minutes. Most of what he said, sentence after sentence, had to be edited. What a classy guy!

Too bad, because I enjoy films with sports angles, particularly baseball. It wasn't just Bradford's mouth, however, that turned me off. This entire film had Class B dialog throughout it, along with sub-par directing.

One reviewer here might have said it better than anyone with the comment, "If you liked I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Candyman, go ahead and rent this from your local video store."

Well, that's some testimony. I didn't like those pieces of crap, either, and so this aptly belongs with them.

Who needs rain?? This "night game" should have been called in bottom of the first inning on the count of incompetence.

Someone is going around killing blondes along a beachfront in Texas possibly with a hook. Former baseball player now detective Roy Scheider is on the case.

Heavily criticised on its release, it's not hard to see why. The story is rather lumpen, drawing us into various cliched storylines eg big political / jurisdiction issues, Scheider's forthcoming nuptials to a blonde, numerous blonde girls walking alone into isolated places when there's a killer on the loose and the killer and their rationale for the killings when it finally emerges are bonkers.

That all aside, I watched this because of my fondness for Scheider who is a real class act. Certainly after Jaws and All That Jazz, he settled into a busy career of making generally below par films like this one. He is though a star and a good actor who keeps you watching and his scenes with the Richard 'Man in a Suitcase' Bradford are fun, well written and acted. So yes it's a disappointment, an unremarkable serial killer 'thriller', but it does have its charms.

Surfing Tubi in the middle of the night, I originally turned it on mainly for Roy Schneider and Astros baseball. But when the opening credits started, I instantly recognized shots of the causeway, Flagship hotel, east beach and then a house in the east end historical district. I gave up thoughts of going back to sleep and settled in for a watch. Roy Schneider was very good with what he had to work with. Terrible accents, lame script and poor editing. But seeing an intact Balinese Room is worth missed sleep any day. Many locations are gone or don't exist in the same form. My family was in the bar business in the late 30s and war years and my bedtime stories were different, to say the least. Schneider"s character talks about his Dad also being part of this world. My extended family includes descendants of the island famous Johnny Jack Nounes. Anyone from the Gulf Coast or even other parts of Texas should enjoy it just for the scenery.

The Popular Success, from Fans and Critics of the "Serial-Killer" Genre in the History of Cinema is a Clear Representation of the Filmography that has More "Hits" than "Strike-Outs".

This One is Definite Entry in the Strike-Out Category,

where Nothing Seems to Work and Coalesce into a Watchable "Thriller" or Cinematic Study of the Modern Mayhem and its Murderous Perpetrators.

The "Tone" Set-Forth in this Dull Display, well, there is No Tone.

This Law v Killer is a Misguided Affair, with Distracting, Hardly Relevant Side-Stories (Mother-In-Law) that are Embarrassing.

A Usually Reliable "Lead", Roy Scheider Plays the Act OK, but is Dealt a Numbing and Dumbing-Down Script with Little to Shine and Much to Cause a Cringe.

The Genre has had some Mediocre and Unremarkable Films, ranging from Fair to Great, Depending.

But this One Takes the "Wedding Cake"...

Concluding in the "Astro-Dome" with Scheider and His New Bride (Karen Young), and She Is...about 20 Years Too Young, still Wearing Her Gown from the Wedding, by the way... the Writer that Wrote this Thing Thought it Interesting, or Provocative, or Something, that Scheider Actually Dated Her Mom in High-School...

Wow...Talk about Cringe-Inducing.

The Starting Pitcher, that the Story Revolves Around, Leaves the Mound Goes to the Stands to Congratulate the Detective (by the way a former Minor-Leaguer) for Solving the Case...

He Tells Him to..."Enjoy the Game"...then the Ump Yells...Play Ball.

Few will "Enjoy" this Awful Movie.

Good old fashion serial killer movie! Pleasant not with vulgar language!