Hey_Sweden

Producer Dino De Laurentiis returns to "Death Wish" territory with this similarly effective vigilante flick. Tom Skerritt plays John D'Angelo, an Italian-American deli owner in South Philly who rallies his neighbors in a move to combat the criminals & creeps infesting the neighborhood. Key to his decision is the fact that his pregnant wife (Patti LuPone) and mother (Gina DeAngeles) are both victimized by the degenerate punks making life miserable for regular citizens.

As we will see, this movement will have its own share of problems; just for one obvious plot development, John starts neglecting his family & business. He IS a rather hot-headed individual who tends to act without thinking. Yet the viewer can't deny his passion.

A key criticism aimed at "Death Wish" could also easily be leveled at "Fighting Back"; watch how John is tested by activist Ivanhoe Washington (Skerritts' "Alien" co-star Yaphet Kotto) when the latter has collared the man who mutilated Johns' mother. It reveals a less savory aspect of his personality.

Some viewers may feel that this was already done right the first time with "Death Wish", but the material still has punch: the film is fast-paced, lively, and it indeed punches viewer buttons with a real fervor. It's pretty gritty itself, with moments of nasty, hard-hitting violence.

Location shooting is a real asset, as well as a solid supporting cast including such familiar faces as Michael Sarrazin, David Rasche, Pat Cooper, Frank Sivero, Lewis Van Bergen, Peter Brocco, Earle Hyman, and Josh Mostel. Skerritt is superb in the lead as the man determined to take back the streets.

This is an unfortunately overlooked item on the resume of highly capable filmmaker Lewis Teague ("Alligator", "Cujo", "The Jewel of the Nile", "Navy SEALS", etc.). It's not perfect, but it's compelling and compulsively watchable.

Seven out of 10.

Janice Rule ("Bell Book and Candle") effectively plays Helen Foley, a schoolteacher confronted by a strange child (Terry Burnham, "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!") in her apartment. This is much more than any ordinary child, as "Markie" (the only name the child will give) encourages Helen to look into her past and dredge up some long-buried memories.

Although rather predictable in terms of story, this film is really not so much about trying to unravel a mystery but the ways that we deal with traumatic events on a psychological level. As a psychiatrist says at the end, "The human imagination can be weird." And yet, it *can* help us sometimes as a coping mechanism.

Ms. Rule is excellent, although it is child actress Burnham who is truly remarkable, achieving that level of solemnity required for the character. Shepperd Strudwick ("A Place in the Sun") co-stars, and that's a *very* young Morgan Brittany ('Dallas') as the little girl with the doll at the episodes' conclusion.

It says a lot about the power of this legendary series that you can have an episode with a predictable story that still carries a fair amount of weight.

Seven out of 10.

Here was a modern mainstream comedy I actually really enjoyed. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play a couple who regularly host a game night with their friends. Then, one night, his supposedly big shot brother (Kyle Chandler) involves them in some real high-stakes shenanigans with potentially deadly consequences.

The whole thing is patently ridiculous, of course (the story would probably fall apart if one actually started scrutinizing it), but it sure is a lot of fun: lively, well-performed (the whole cast is great), well-paced, and with a surprisingly high quotient of successful jokes & gags. It definitely plays around a lot with that whole "It's not real / Yes, it is real / It's not real" theme, and takes a jab at conventions of this sort of story.

Bateman & the lovely McAdams have great chemistry, but for me the scene-stealer was Jesse Plemons as the weird neighbor Gary, who happens to be a cop, and who also owns that adorable dog featured on the poster.

This was written by Mark Perez, and directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein; the directors also appear on screen.

Seven out of 10.