Wheeler

whew! i just finished this tour-de-force of a picture show! there is most definitely no character in the history of cinema who stands as grand as wheeler. he has more moxie than a fox in a rat trap! nothing can complete with this character who enjoys some kfc at a local tavern while forcing the waitress to put on an alluring strip show. in addition, the soundtrack or "wheeler's theme" is the tops! i didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but i was certainly glued to my davenport! oh, and his pilgrim hat is the benchmark in fashion...i only i could find the store where he got that....! in closing, this moving picture show was fraught with thrills and chills...i nearly wet my trousers!

My review was written in October 1982 after a Times Square screening.

"Psycho from Texas" is a southern-fried action film, shot on a tiny budget in Louisiana in 1974. After going through various title changes including "Wheeler", "The Mama's Boy" and "The Hurting", picture emerges as a modest example of regional filmmaking, with amateurish direction and playing suitable for undiscriminating viewers.

Filmmaker Jim Feazell is apparently too easy-going to give the film the kind of oomph action audiences crave, so he settles for a leisurely tale of a stranger in town named Wheeler (John King III) who with a local partner Slick (Tommy Lamey) kidnaps a wealthy retired oilman Bill Phillips (Herschel Mays).

Picture's current title derives from Wheeler's battered childhood at the hands of his mothe (seen in crudely inserted flashbacks), which have made him a knife-wielding rapist-murderer of unsuspecting women. This subplot is confusingly unfolded parallel to the main kidnap story.

Duo's plans go awry when Phillips escapes from the incompetent Slick, cuing one of the longest (and silliest) foot-chases ever presented, as Slick runs after his prey through the bayous for the last half of the picture (mercifully intercutting to Wheeler's scenes elsewhere). Finale serves up "Southern justice" as the sheriff calmly blows Wheeler away to revenge the psycho's murder of his daughter.

Acting by local types (with thick accents) is generally incompetent, though lead actor John King III (who looks a bit like Chuck McCann) has a pleasant personality and maniacal laugh as the nasty anti-hero. Picture is not racist, but blacks are cast in subsidiary positions (a young boy who goes fishing with Phillips, servant roles), including Juanne Bruno as an old-fashioned maid who is briefly hilariously screaming her heart out and scurrying away on all fours when she finds a femme corpse in the pantry.

While tech credits are acceptable at this level, editing and scene construction are poor.

The quality of this movie can be summed up in two words, "Wanna Root?" This is the phrase that can be heard over and over in the restaurant scene where Slick meets Wheeler. It's in the background noise, which is obviously about 8 seconds worth of noise being looped over and over. Ah, What to say about this film? On every technical level, Psycho From Texas is a total failure. The editing is horrendous, you can see scratches in the film. The acting is equally bad. At some points continuity is non-existent. Despite all of this, I enjoyed Psycho From Texas on a comedic level. It tries really hard to be scary and shocking, but ends up laughable. If you can find a copy of it somewhere, rent it. Rent it just to hear Slick squeal in the chase scene near the end. Rent it to hear Wheeler say, "No! You listen here, old man!" You can probably rent it for a buck, if you can find it at all.

When I was watching this film for the first time, I was in tears of laughter as the opening credits were rolling up the screen, knowing full well what to expect. They say don't judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover for "The Butcher", I just knew there was a gem inside. Never before have I laughed so much. This film has become legendary at my school. John King III is a genius! Just how many times can Slick say: "Now I got your ayyass!"? Why also does Slick go "bing-bong-bing-bong-boinggg" when he drops the sacred "Wheeler's kniyfe"?

Keep up the good work!

Movie feels like its 3 hours long but only runs under an hour and a half. Nothing happens and when it does it takes FOREVER to! I give this movie this, it has the longest foot chase scene in the history of movies!! For Grindhouse and VHS collectors its worth seeing once.