CathodeRayTerrors

And perhaps plagiarism is too strong of a word to use. It is quite common for foreign films to take elements from successful American films and incorporate them into their own films in an attempt to better sell them. We saw this heavily throughout the 80s, especially with all the Mad Max knockoffs, Jaws knock offs and others.

There are several scenes that are lifted directly from the original Friday the 13th, that cannot be denied. Srigala is also set on a lake, but that is where the similarities end.

What this film does offer is a unique enough crazy homicidal maniac going around protecting what is his. Keeping these pesky outsiders away. Beyond that I would have to give away spoilers and I definitely don't want to.

The acting is pretty solid. And this film has a bit of everything. I'll say that. You have a few surprising scenes of heavy action. There is a boat chase that is unlike anything you have ever seen and any Friday the 13th and you also have a martial arts scene between the two female characters That is pretty cool and also humorous. Actually, there was quite a bit more humor than I had thought there would be. Some of it is intentional and some of it is not but all of it works pretty well.

I did see some other reviewers point out that the quality of the film is lacking. They must've not seen the Terror Vision version for what I saw is very cleaned up with vibrant colors and quality sound. So hats off to them because they did an exceptional job with this release. I do wish it would've had better special features than just a few interviews but being an obscure Indonesian film from 1981 there probably wasn't much there that they could find so definitely do not hold it against them in the slightest.

The music is quite interesting. It seems like they used music cues from other films and kind of splice them all together. The way John Woo did with his early films The Killer and Hardboiled. The crazy part is that while some of the cues are completely different sounding and even use different types of instrumentation, it all seems to work in an odd way.

Also do not base your judgment of this film by whoever initially rated everything 'severe' on IMDb. There is zero nudity, a couple of really mild words of profanity, a little smoking of cigarettes, and some gore, which is pretty tame by even the 80s standards. Which also ties back to my original comment that some reviewers made it seem like Srigala completely ripped off Friday the 13th and then from that you can assume that it's about someone punishing teens for screwing each other. That is so far from the truth here. The closest you get to that is two actors trying to hook up, but they get as far as a little kiss and it is broken up. These scenes serve more for comic relief than anything else.

That being said, if you like homicidal maniac slasher films and you don't mind reading subtitles I think you will like this little 80's gem.

-OGA.

When you think about a perfect film what comes to mind as far as what ingredients go into a perfect film? For me. Its atmosphere, pacing, and storytelling flow all set in an immersive environment.

Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now has all those ingredients and then some. The premise is a streamlined and refined version of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, set during the Vietnam War instead of the Congo but all the key nuances and elements make it over with radiance.

Depending on which cut you watch you're looking at running times pushing and exceeding 3 hours but no matter which version you watch, none of them feel long. Pacing and flow is brilliant and should be what every aspiring filmmaker and editor studies. Acting is spot on with every character and their motivations credible and believable. From Martin Sheen to Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando...every actor gives it their best. Martin Sheen even had a heart attack during production. The score is minimalist but solid. I do really enjoy the unused David Shire score and hope that someday Coppola releases a cut with Shire's Moog-enriched score in place. Hell, someday I will insert it in myself.

But what really works with Apocalypse Now is how it captures the war, the inhumanity of man and wraps it together with a big bow of irony. Is it all about one man's decent into insanity and, if so, who is really losing it? All of this is beautifully laid out in breathtaking cinematography unlike no other.

Yes, regardless of which version you watch, Apocalypse Now is a perfect film. Personally I watch the Final Cut the most. But I watch them all.

Enjoy the poetic madness.

Not sure why it has taken me so long to write this review. I scored it years ago and I've been a huge fan of this piece of indie celluloid history since watching it on VHS so long ago. I still have the Synapse release as well as the superior Arrow Blu Ray release. I have never seen it in the theater and would definitely love to someday.

So why does this indie film from Ohio work so well?

It's really not one aspect of it but a sum of all parts. The energy that's carried from scene to scene, the intensity and rawness of its visuals which assaults the viewer, punching you right in the face. The grit is real, as are the stunts and even some of the blood. The experience doesn't get more authentic than this. And that is where this isn't only a great film, but a historically important one. I know they're different kinds of movies, but film scholars lose their minds over Citizen Kane and Deadbeat, to me, is more important of a film and more worth examining and preserving.

One thing that is a bit upsetting is that decades later we don't have a sequel. Fingers crossed VanBebber gets to revisit his Goose role someday.

If you haven't checked it out, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. But don't bother with the Synapse dvd release. Watch the Arrow or Dark Sky one. Or request it at your local movie revival cinema house.