The Farmer

I saw The Farmer (Aka "Blazing Revenge") at a theater in Tokyo, Japan with my Japanese girlfriend back then. I was stationed at NAF Atsugi. The movie was great. I remember the beginning of the movie with the returning WWII hero (Kiel Martin) on a train. There was a black soldier who was being given a hard time over a drink because of his race. Kiel Marin stepped in, big fight, etc....from that point you knew he was an honorable, courageous and no nonsense kind of guy. After they take his land, burn his house, attack his girlfriend, killed his friend...it is time to go kick some ass. And he does big time. I have searched high and low for this movie the better part of 30 years. Still searching. I imagine if I got to see it today...it would possibly appear corny by today's standards for revenge flicks. Not sure, but maybe I am better off with the memories. Lastly, the star, Mr. Gary Conway is still going strong at 80 plus and owns a winery in CA. Why this movie is locked away is beyond me.

I was fortunate enough to see this film, and it is one of the best 70's style revenge film, but also wisely uses screen time to build up the plight of the lead character, and also has some great "revenge" sequences.You can see why Columbia pictured decided to release this. The film starts with the lead, Kiel Martin (Gary Conway) in a train, and how he gets beat up and kicked off a train for helping a black soldier buy a drink (it was no-no back then) as this shows what a decent character he is, but how he can't seem to escape violence since earning a silver star in the War.

Through a chain of events (some of them rather rushed, so I assume it was either explained in the original script or that scene was cut out for time) he is hired by a gangster (Michael Dante) to go after the gangsters who blinded him, and in return, give him the cash needed to save the farm! And thru a pulsating music score by Hugo Montenegro, he dispatches them one by one! It is more similar to ROLLING THUNDER in the nihilistic feel revenge genre, and only weak point of the film is Gary Conway, who is rather bland, and too "city" to be really convincing as the title character. Still it is a classic for it's era,and not to be missed by any fans of this genre. Just dont expect it to be in vain with todays action films ,as the unavailability of this title for 26 years has caused this film to be in so many peoples must see list,that their expectation level must be really high, so I am afraid they might be rather disappointed with what to expect of it.

Just enjoy the more "character driven, and that character reaches to the point of revenge" films of yesteryears, then you will agree, THE FARMER is right near the best of them, like ROLLING THUNDER, FIGHTING MAD and BREAKING POINT. In fact, I think Fred Williamson might have been influenced by this film, as his film MEAN JOHNNY BARROWS is very very similar in the storyline department with THE FARMER. He also hired Dante in THE BIG SCORE so he must have really liked THE FARMER.

In the immediate wake of WW2, a decorated soldier returns to his small rural farm, now in a state of disrepair and facing imminent foreclosure. After saving the life of a smalltime racketeer in a road accident, and latterly taking up with his pert young lady-friend, a string of increasingly brutal intimidations perpetrated by local gangsters pushes him to his breaking point. Throwing his humble virtuosity over his shoulder, he proceeds to wage bloody war against the town's iniquitous mob kingpin and his degenerate scumbag lackeys.

Following its limited and somewhat controversial 1977 release, THE FARMER remained virtually unseen and largely forgotten for decades. With the advent of social media, occasional mention of the film led to increased interest, and THE FARMER became widely noted as a lost, or at least uncommonly unattainable picture. After a few ensuing screenings and an unauthorized Youtube upload of poor quality, the film finally received a proper Blu-ray release, and it was well worth the wait.

As one of many vigilante justice/vengeance pictures made after the unexpected runaway success of DEATH WISH(1974), THE FARMER is certainly among the cheapest and most graphic of the lot. GARY CONWAY, possibly most noted as a beefcake actor in 60s B films, provides an appropriately staid performance as the archetypal decent man, driven by villains to decidedly not-so-decent, but ultimately condign acts of violence. Lovely ANGEL TOMPKINS is equally suitable as his brassy but principled love interest, and their support players perform accordingly. The late-40s period styling(cars, apparel, interior furnishings, etcetera), is surprisingly well appointed for a low budget film, the exception being a brief scene shot during an actual street parade, wisely presented as a consecution of rapid jump-cuts to minimize the observable 1977 fashions of the crowd.

The first few expository minutes are a bit patchy, and an iterant folk ballad is overused, but THE FARMER is a film easily forgiven of its various shortcomings. It's a tense, excessively violent, and occasionally poignant film imbued with a cynical postwar noir mien, variably redolent of pulp paperbacks by writers such as Jim Thompson and David Goodis. Now that it's readily available, I suspect the film will medialize an enthusiastic viewership, and hopefully receive some long-withheld acknowledgements.

7/10...better late than never.

Shortly before returning overseas as a Marine, I saw this film at the base theater.I can count on my fingers the films which stand out as being the most memorable over the years to me.The Farmer was not only action packed but also embodied all of the noble traits and causes an honorable warrior could possess and champion.This was a great vicarious fantasy and it is a shame that there seems to be no way to get this film re-released.The film was also strong in that it addressed a number of social and moral issues.Without a doubt, The Farmer still evokes a visceral reaction when remembered. This was a very well thought out plot and at the same time very easy to follow. Of course when revenge is a prime motivating force...we can all identify with this silver star winner and his resolve.Semper-Fi and lets try to get this great film re-released.

Ever since I started with a must-see tracking list, which must have been in 2005 already, "The Farmer" is on spot #1 there. Other titles came and went, based on how easily they were available, but this one always remained. I searched endlessly and around the world for a half-decent copy on VHS, because it didn't seem as if it was ever getting released on DVD or BluRay, but even those quests were fruitless. I must have watched the trailer a hundred times via YouTube, and suddenly now - and quite unexpectedly - the film that over time became my ultimate Holy Grail of exploitation cinema is available in near-perfect picture and sound quality. What a fabulous momentum!

Now, my enthusiasm and ginormous expectations shouldn't influence my review and rating, right? Well, duh... of course it does! In my heart, I already gave this film a flawless 10/10 rating before I even pressed the play-button, so you probably shouldn't look for an objective review here. And yet, in all sincerity, "The Farmer" truly and genuinely is a fantastic drama/thriller. I would say it's one of the best in its kind, but the film is very different to categorize. Most logical would be to label "The Farmer" as a typically raw and gritty '70s revengeploitation/Vietsploitation thriller, kind of like "Rolling Thunder" or "The Zebra Force", except this one takes place after World World II.

Veteran Kyle Martin returns home from the war with a Silver Medal for bravery, but he doesn't have any reason to be joyful. While he was away, his father fell ill and died, and the family farm is in so much debt that the bank puts it up for sale. Kyle saves the life of a sly gambler, but the reward isn't enough to pay the debt. The gambler then offers him a change to earn $50,000 by wiping out a local crime organization. He initially refuses, but when the gangsters rape Kyle's new girlfriend and set fire to his barn, it becomes personal.

Admittedly the first hour of "The Farmer" is a bit slow-paced, but nonetheless very atmospheric and oozing with foreboding suspense. The film steadily builds up towards an extremely violent and harsh last half hour, as well as a totally unexpected but brilliant end-twist. Honestly, the climax is so awesome and something you really don't expect in a type of story like this. The performances are great, notably by Gary Conway and Angel Tompkins, there's a great crooner soundtrack, and a few shockingly bloody moments. Fantastic film, now that I've seen it I can die a happy man (although preferably just in fifty years, or so...)