The Farmer

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...)

So it was not until later that I realized what an testosterone packed, ultra-violent film it was, (I just assumed "all" American movies had taken the lead from Sam Peckinpah, since I'd been overseas...Wrong!:0) yet "The Farmer" was well done and you cared about his mission and survival. I'd shave all the hair off my left one to have this movie on DVD!!! It is an overlooked gem of it's genre' and "rules" on the viceral level (i.e., you want to see the Farmer take out the bad guys, similar to the buzz engendered in the original Bronson's "Death Wish", but much less repellent). It even has some historical accuracy in reference to the treatment of returning war veterans (I remember respecting that touch at the time). Not to be missed by action fans...

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.

A passion project for producer / star Gary Conway ("I Was a Teenage Frankenstein", 'Burkes' Law'), "The Farmer" casts him as the title character, otherwise known as Kyle Martin. Kyle is a WWII hero, just returned home, who intends to run the family farm, which is not seen as profitable by the local bank. They would rather foreclose. Then one night, a gambler named Johnny O'Neal (Michael Dante, "Winterhawk") has a car accident on the road, and Kyle saves his life. Johnny sends his gal pal Betty (gorgeous Angel Tompkins, "The Teacher") to gift Kyle with $1,500 for the good deed, but of course it's not enough for the bank. Johnny subsequently gets blinded by vindictive mobsters, and he gives Kyle a proposal: rub out the mobsters, and he can walk away with a cool $50 thousand. Kyle initially refuses, but inevitably changes his mind.

A "lost" film for many years, this only debuted on home video this year. So, was the wait to see this flick worth it? Well, this viewer wouldn't really consider it a *classic* of its genre, but it serves as good, straightforward entertainment - albeit with a nasty edge to it. One thing is for sure: the bad guys / intended victims in this saga do have it coming to them. Although the main mobster is a guy named Passini (George Memmoli ("Phantom of the Paradise"), looking relatively svelte), the worst of the bunch is a dude appropriately named Weasel. Played by the late, great Timothy Scott ("The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez"), Weasel is as despicable as they come.

Conway is just okay as a rather stoic, unemotional character, although the opening sequence sets him up well as a man of honor, who doesn't want to see a black fellow serviceman get disrespected. Still, he makes for a memorable image here, with his hat, shades, and stogie almost constantly clamped between his teeth. Tompkins and Dante are good in support; Memmoli makes the most of his one big scene. Sonny Shroyer ('The Dukes of Hazzard'), Johnny Popwell ('Deliverance'), and Eric Weston (the future director of the horror film "Evilspeak") co-star.

Granted, some of the dialogue is pretty lame, even if four credited people worked on this script, including story author George Fargo. And the music score was inconsistent - sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. At least the songs are pretty nice. And the script *does* work in an amusing surprise near the end, so it wasn't *entirely* predictable.

If you love exploitation cinema of the 70s, or a decent, no-nonsense revenge feature, you'll likely have a good time with this one.

Seven out of 10.

I recently watched The Farmer after it was, very briefly, posted on YouTube. I had been wanting to see the film since I read a negative review for it twenty some years ago. The print was rather poor, but beggars can't be choosy.

I have seen all six Death Wish movies, both Exterminator films, both Get Carter movies, plus about a dozen other revenge films. My favorites are Rolling Thunder and the original Get Carter, the ending of which The Farmer borrows (with admittedly a slightly different outcome). I like revenge movies, but The Farmer was just so-so.

The plot has Kyle Martin (Gary Conway), a Silver Star winning WWII veteran, returning from the war to find his family farm about to be auctioned. He needs money fast. The farmer's life changes after he rescues a gambler (Michael Dante) from a car wreck. The two men take a shine to each other. Later, when the gambler is blinded by the local (Atlanta?) criminal machine, the gambler offers the farmer a deal. He will give Martin enough money to save his farm if the farmer kills the goons.

The shootouts and revenge scenes were grim, bloody, and exciting, but those were almost all in the last half-hour. What wore me down was the first half of the movie with its arty montages of farm life as Gene Clark plays in the background. Plus, in spite of having four writers, the film did not do that good of job at setting things up. All the bonding time the farmer and the gambler apparently had to justify the latter calling on the former to become a hitman is not in the film. Also missing is all of the set-up for the romance between the farmer and the gangster's moll (the lovely Angel Thompkins), who seems all too happy to give up her fast life to chase chickens around a farmyard.

The filmmakers seem unsure of what kind of movie they are making. The Gene Clark songs and much of the opening suggests a period rural drama. It is also a gangster film and, at the end, a revenge film. Its odd structure reminds me a little of another film, Framed with Joe Don Baker, which begins as a movie about gamblers, becomes a prison flick, and also ends a revenge movie. However, the structure of Framed seems deliberate while The Farmer feels a bit confused about what it wants to be.

Is The Farmer worth watching? Yes, providing one has reasonable expectations. However, had the film been released on VHS tape by Columbia in the early 1980's, I don't think its cult would have been as strong. Had I saw The Farmer as a young man, around the same time I saw Young Warriors (a revenge film I champion), I might have more nostalgia for it, but I think I still would have preferred Young Warriors. Regardless, The Farmer has come a little late in my film viewing life for it to stand out.