Skinheads

Greydon Clark will never learn. The man has written and directed a slew of thoroughly awful films, gaining some slight notoriety in the late seventies for Satan's Cheerleaders and The Return. Rest assured this particular piece of horse hockey is no better than the films he made at the "pinnacle" of his career.

Skinheads (I'm sure you can guess the plot, theme, and overbearing moralization from the title alone) is notable solely as a turning point-- well, okay, maybe an S-curve-- in two careers. It's one of the last films of Rifleman star Chuck Connors, as the grizzled hermit who takes a stand against the Evil Skinheads(TM), and it was the first big-screen role for Brian Brophy, who's since gone on to be a solid character actor in "serious" films (The Shawshank Redemption, White Man's Burden, et al.). Comparisons with American History X are inevitable, and will be uniformly unfavorable; where Tony Kaye gave us a band of halfway intelligent skinheads with a truly dangerous and thoughtful leader, Clark's bunch of halfwits are incapable of anything but the kind of moral posturing one might expect from a band of chimps exposed to nothing but reruns of That Girl for years on end.

The one bright spot in this film, ironically, is the late Dennis Ott as Brains, the slow-on-the-uptake skinhead who provides the group's muscle and the overwhelming majority of the film's levity. Sadly, Ott, who passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1994, never got another role this big. It's worth a free rental to watch him here. **

Please forgive my summary note, as to be honest, ever since my teenage years, my time has been spent watching movies not necessarily of this genre, but in the way they were made. The director Greydon Clarke, whose catalogue of films have never been blockbusters, have always contained ideas far beyond the box office buck.

Movies that come to mind "Joysticks" (A Comedy) "The Warning" (A horror) Clarke was never one to shy away from the topics favoured by the audience of today or even yesterday, as Clarke learned his craft from the grand Master Himself "Al Adamson" (If you Haven't seen it, check out "Cinderella 2000")

Anyway, sidetracking aside, does Skinheads have anything to offer, to the undemanding film fan, there in lies the hook. Yes this film arrived here first long before "Romper Stomper" or even "Pariah" The Acting isn't isn't bad, the likes of Brian Brophy, Gene Mitchell and Frank Noon are no shots in the dark, however as is the case with film's of this nature, and please take into account, that no film with such subject matter would ever see the break of dawn if it were not for the participation of (Apologies) has been stars, or more politely put stars of yesterday, Chuck Connors or Barbara Bain.

Film Directors like Al Adamson or even Fred Olen Ray have always used this ploy to sell their movies, the storyline might be weak but as long as you have a headliner, or someone whom the budget could afford why not sell that movie for all it's worth.

Storyline wise, does a storyline exist, yes of course it does, but a film with a limited budget, cannot really propel true depth into character or story if the money is not there, yes i know this not an epic retelling of the Greatest Story Ever Told, but like i've always said, admiration must always go towards the man or woman who ever gets the chance to make that movie, no matter if that movie less depth than a bucket of S.H.I.T!

However lets be honest, admirers of bad movies everywhere should rejoice, as bad as it is, sit back with a six pack and enjoy, as i have when i tried to write this review. As a footnote may i recommend the movie "Flipping" directed by Gene Mitchell, whom i'm sure gleaned some inspiration for his movie making debut.

4 out of 10

While it may be a stretch to call Skinheads: The Second Coming of Hate the greatest American film of all time, it's much of one. This film tackles the troubling questions that Neonazism posed to our culture in the late 1980s in an unblinking fashion that throws fear completely aside. Unlike later films that dealt had skinhead-related subject matters such as American History X, Skinheads: The Second Coming of Hate does not try to preach to its audience. It simply portrays Skinheads as the ruthless Hitler-loving killers they are. Skinheads: The Second Coming of Hate also features what is probably Chuck Connors' finest performance. Connors was an American treasure and without a doubt the greatest film actor this nation has ever produced. To say that this film contains his finest performance is to say that this film contains what may very well be the greatest acting tour de force ever caught upon film. It is a modern tragedy that Skinheads: The Second Coming of Hate is rarely, if ever, mentioned as one of the great films of the 1980s let alone one of the great American films of all times.

In the first couple of minutes of this trash, I was in shocked marvel. How the hell can they let, such appalling and laughable acting go to film. Skinheads is so bad, it makes Pariah look like a good quality film. I was truly disbelief at how bad this was. Again we have our tribe of brainwashed skins causing mischief, mayhem, and of course, senseless murder by a gang, with no sense, who feel they make sense in their Neo Nazi world. They even pick on a little back kid, in the film's innings, punching him in the stomach, or more correctly implying it, the guy's moron/bad actor's punching fist never hitting skin, which I've seen in other amateur theatrics. The head honcho, of the gang is fun to watch and listen to spout his own proses, belief's, stays with me. One of his gang, is the dumbest skinhead ever captured on film, in a movie, so dumb, it defies belief, and it really doesn't get better, even when it progresses, with a guy and girl, the only survivors is a shootout and shocking display of violence, perpetrated by the skins, who don't really take to blacks, and begins a dumb cat and mouse, with the skins and their pray in the big American wilderness. Our duo hardly act upset, or show their loss, almost as if they never saw their friends slayed, and everythings normal, The only saving grace, acting wise too, is legendary tough guy, Connors, and it's Chuckie to their rescue, a stubborn, war veteran, in a role tailor made for him, as like other roles, made for him. I rolled my eyes, shook my head, and my mouth drop many times during this schlock. I've seen some of Greydon Clark's other stuff and really liked it, and that's why I can't believe he would make something like this. Like many characters, he should of been taken out too, or better yet skinned. 1.5/10

If the so-called Master Race are this stupid, we would be all better off as cavemen.

Take all the Nazi stereotypes you can think of, and you'll find them here... including some you didn't. What they tell didn't tell in history class though, is that these guys were as thick as pig s**t, and as ugly as sin. Rather than being menacing though, these idiots are most likely to cause the Jews and Blacks they rail against to die of laughter than cause them any physical harm. Particularly the big guy, ironically called Brains... who wipes his bum on poison ivy instead of leaves. Hardy ha ha. Seriously, if Hitler wanted to clean the Whites of all impurities, he would have started with executing these jokers.

This makes it easy to cheer for the college kid and his spunky girlfriend, as they're pursued through the woods by this band of miscreants. They garner support from a grizzled old hunter (there always seems to be one about) when they find his hut, and what follows is a series of shootouts, threats and general idiocy. What's strange though, is how the bad guys never run out of bullets. They find a hand gun right at the start (with no extra ammunition) and yet they seemingly discharge it on more than 100 occasions throughout. We never see them reload it, or check for empties. It must be MAGIC.

Apart from having the worse editing ever, and the dreadful acting from all concerned, what is most noteworthy here is just what a bad mouthpiece it is for the far right. None of the arguments preached by the leader of these fanatics are coherent at all, which makes you wonder... how did he convince 6 other people to join his worthless cause? You'd think the writers would have him some kind of gravitas, but nope... the bloke is a walking parody, and impossible to take seriously. This may work as a sop to minority groups who hate the Nazis, but it renders the enemy so pathetic it's impossible to feel any tension as they stalk their prey.

So, I'm sure you've gathered by now it ain't no award winner. It won't you jump off a pier, though. Especially if you find a certain charm in low budget movie-making. Damn it... they try their best... can't we give them at least SOME credit?

Perhaps a little.

We're talking microscopic proportions here.

Do you see it?

Thought not. 4/10