Last Witness (1988)

Last Witness (1988)-* *

Directed by: E. Bruce Weiss

Starring: Jeff Henderson, Vicki Long, Jeanne Finnerty, Mike Shuster, and Basia Lubicz











Henry Thurman (Henderson) has escaped from some sort of institution - either a mental hospital or a jail. He strangled a guard to death and is now on the lam. He steals a car with two women from a local rock band already in it - Bonnie (Finnerty) and Jane (Long). This liaison doesn’t last long and soon he’s taken in by a kindly man, Carl (Shuster). His wife Sara (Lubicz) doesn’t approve, because she’s seen on the news about the manhunt, but Carl convinces her to stow away the sullen weirdo. Thurman claims he’s just a victim of the government somehow, but that could be just his paranoia and supposed schizophrenia talking. It all comes to a head in the woods as a savage mercenary is out for Thurman’s blood. Will he get it?

Talk about your rarities. This basically-unknown film came out on the ultra-obscure Boomerang label in the U.S. The man responsible for this rare film is one E. Bruce Weiss, who directed, edited and shot the film. It’s not a bad effort, especially as it’s filled with many non-actors and was shot on a rock-bottom budget. But the movie’s pace is beyond leisurely - it’s downright SLOW. Nothing much happens and Thurman is not likable. Sure, Carl’s a heck of a dancer, but it’s not enough to save the glacial pace.

Luckily, the film is 83 minutes, not 100 as is stated on the box. It’s still overlong, however. But then again, the unknown mercenary is put front and center in the artwork along with the tagline “Everyone he meets becomes a target. Everybody”, leading you to believe this is more action oriented. Also the plot description on the back says it is fast-moving, so there are many lies.

You’d have to be a pretty hard-core VHS collector to have this one, or just stumble across it, as we did. Completists may want to seek it out for it’s oddness and rarity. Or fans of regional low-budget cinema may also be interested.

It seems the film was shot in the Cincinnati area and in rural Ohio. If anyone has any information about this film, please write in today.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

The Stabilizer (1986)

The Stabilizer (1986)-* * * *

Directed by: Arizal

Starring: Peter O'Brian, Craig Gavin, Kaharudin Syah, Gillie Beanz, Dana Christina, Harry Capri, and Mark Sungkar









It’s always a joy when we come across movies like this. A true gem, finds like this are what make this site worth doing.

The Stabilizer is one Peter Goldson (O’Brian), a man who “stabilizes” the line between good and evil. He travels to Indonesia to bring to justice a truly sinister baddie: Greg Rainmaker (Gavin) is a gangster, rapist, murderer and drug dealer, and he and his second-in-command Victor (Sungkar) operate in the Golden Triangle. They kidnap a scientist, Professor Provost (Syah), because one of his inventions is a narcotics detector that would seriously impede the bad guys’ plans for world domination. After Rainmaker assaults Goldson’s wife, now things are personal. Goldson teams up with Johnny (Capri), Sylvia (Beanz), and Provost’s daughter Christina (Christina), among other helpers, to take down Rainmaker’s evil empire. Will this team of heroes be successful?

Man is this movie great. The opening theme song, sung by “AJ”, the Indonesian scenery and culture, the clothes, the dubbing, the wildly entertaining stunts, action and blow-ups, the music, the plot, the abandoned warehouse fights, EVERYTHING about The Stabilizer is just so fun, funny and enjoyable, you’ll be smiling the whole time. This is truly what purely entertaining cinema is all about.

Both Peter O’Brian (now a personal hero) and the Indonesian Mr. T guy can be seen in the Cynthia Rothrock vehicle Angel of Fury (1991). Now they, along with their great outfits, are back. Speaking of Rothrock, Gillie Beanz could have been the next one. Whatever happened to her? Gavin as Rainmaker has an evil beard, evil white suits, and evil spiked cleats that he uses to torture and kill people, when he’s not pouring little bits of beer on soapy women that just got out of the bath. His minions even have golden triangle earrings to show they’re with him. Never before has such an evil man met his match with such an utterly ridiculous hero. It truly is a great showdown.

For all the talk of “DIY Filmmaking”, the film-school snobs never mention the true, resourceful masters that that term implies, such as the great director Arizal. He deserves much more acclaim and recognition. His movies deliver the goods on many levels. Not afraid of seeming silly, he goes for broke with the action, stunts and exploitation elements. God bless him.

While we don’t normally support Troma, we have to give them props for releasing this, to date the only Arizal film on DVD in the U.S. We hope they release more of his work. This DVD will provide hours of enjoyment for you and your friends.  We couldn’t possibly list all the standout moments. You just have to see it for yourself.

If you don’t already own this, just go on Amazon and buy it right now. You’ll be glad you did.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty