Best Revenge (1982)

Best Revenge (1982)-* *

Directed by: John Trent

Starring: John Heard, Levon Helm, John Rhys-Davies and Stephen McHattie













Charlie Granger (Heard) is a good-natured pot dealer who wants do nothing more than play his harmonica, play some b-ball with his buddy Brett Monroe (McHattie of One Man Out fame) and wear his cool Indiana Jones-style hat. When evil gangster Leo Ellis (Moses Znaimer) forces Charlie to go to Spain and Morocco to take part in a 4 million dollar drug deal, Charlie has no choice but to reluctantly accept the danger. Charlie teams up with Bo (Helm) and attempts to get the stash back to the U.S. Will he succeed?

John Heard puts in his usual solid performance. McHattie as the mustachioed photographer friend of Charlie's is totally different from his role in One Man Out. In Best Revenge, he looks less like Peter Weller than he does in 'Out.

One of the better aspects of 'Revenge is its attention to detail. It shows what a huge ordeal it would be to get drugs from overseas into the U.S. Normally those people aren't the good guys, but Heard is likable. Additionally, there is some noteworthy location shooting and the cinematography shows the Morocco and Spain exteriors in a picturesque manner.

The music is by Keith Emerson and in true 80s fashion, it has its own title song, sung by Amanda Hayley.

One of the main problems of  'Revenge is its title. It is not "Revenge-y" enough. There is actually very little revenge being taken. It sets the viewer up for something that doesn't come. Simply a different title would have solved this problem.

Fans of John Heard will appreciate Best Revenge. Maybe the reason why this movie is so under the radar is that fact that it is decent but not entirely satisfying.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett & Ty

The Deal (2005)

The Deal (2005) -* * *

Directed By: Harvey Kahn

Starring: Christian Slater, Selma Blair, Robert Loggia, Colm Feore, Francoise Yip, Angie Harmon, and John Heard











The Deal is an entertaining, but flawed political thriller.

Christian Slater plays Tom, a man about to close a huge oil deal. But everything doesn't go as scheduled, because blackmail and murder go hand in hand on Wall Street. Christian Slater is very convincing in his role. Selma Blair looks bored. John Heard does nothing to advance the plot. Angie Harmon plays a Russian spy. Her accent is off the mark.

The movie tries to be different because the climax involves not gunfire, (well there's some) but talking. It doesn't really work. But overall, it's worth seeing for Slater's performance.




Comeuppance Review by: Ty

Edison Force (2005)

Edison Force (2005)- * * *

Directed by: David J. Burke

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cary Elwes, Peter Greene, John Heard, Justin Timberlake, and Dylan McDermott






Edison Force is the biggest direct-to-video release of 2006.

Edison Force is about Joshua (Timberlake) who is a journalist. He uncovers corruption in the police force. One of the most evil cops is Lazerov (McDermott). He tells his boss Moses (Freeman) and they team up with Wallace (Spacey) and Reigert, the D.A. (Elwes) to blow the whistle. But Lazerov doesn't want the secret to come out and he tries to kill Joshua.


What saves this movie is the acting. Timberlake is okay. Some of his line readings are terrible though. Freeman and Spacey put in their usual professional performances. Dylan McDermott is the standout. You wish he had more screen time. John Heard drops by and gives a boring role as the chief of police some energy. The action scenes are fun and exciting also. I almost forgot that LL Cool J was in it. He's so wooden and aloof, you forget he's in the movie.

If you don't take it seriously, you'll have a good time with it.





Comeuppance Review by: Ty