Fight for Your Life

Fight for Your Life (1977)

*** (out of 4)

Downright insane exploitation film has three convicts (a white, Asian and a Hispanic) breaking free from a van carrying them to prison where they're about to serve life sentences. They end up at the house of a black preacher and his family who they take hostage and abuse.

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is the type of exploitation film that certainly wouldn't be made today and when you really think about it it's actually hard to believe that anyone would have produced this even in 1977. This film has a rather notorious reputation and this is one rare case where the film actually lives up to the hype. Many people have called this another cash-in on Wes Craven's THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and while there are a few minor connections there's no question that this thing takes on a life of its own.

This is without question one of the most racist movies that you're ever going to see. The white leader Kane (William Sanderson) is quite evil from start to finish but he gets a sadistic kick out of picking on the black family and making them feel less than human. There are countless racist names being thrown at the family but some of the harshest things to watch in the film isn't the violence but instead it's the father (Robert Judd) being humiliated in front of his family. Being forced to dance and call Kane "master" are just a few of the racist scenes that play out in front of your eyes. In all honesty, I'm really surprised that they were able to find actors willing to put up with this.

The performance are pretty much split down the line but none of them are horrible enough to take you out of the picture. Sanderson easily steals the picture as the racist nut who is constantly shouting and humiliating people at every move. There's not a single second where you feel like you're not watching a real wacko and this certainly helps sell the movie. Judd is also good in the movie and manages to present a very stern performance. Lela Small has some unintentional hilarious moments as the grandma in the wheelchair who is constantly getting fed up with the comments.

Is FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE a good movie? I guess that will depend on your definition of what a good movie is. It's certainly not an Oscar-caliber picture but it wasn't meant to be. If you're looking for something trashy, downright dirty and sleazy then the film certainly succeeds at that. FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is one bizarre exploitation film that manages to entertain and shock.

It's easy to see why "Fight For Your Life" would provoke certain viewers into a fury. The chief bad guy of the movie is an extreme racist, and over and over he subjects the black family that he holds hostage to various kinds of humiliation and degradation.

However, while the movie does have some shocking moments, I wasn't as offended as I thought I would be. There is a touch of an absurd (and comic) tone in the background of the movie throughout. This has the movie frequently going over the top, and thus it's often hard to take things completely seriously. Also, the performance of William Sanderson is one that's of the right note. Although you'll hate his character's guts, he is so energetic and playful that at the same time you'll find him entertaining.

But this movie is DEFINITELY not for everyone. If you haven't been offended by other notorious extreme exploitation movies like "Last House On The Left" and "I Spit On Your Grave", then it's probably safe to give this movie a look. If you are very politically correct and/or easily offended, stay away.

The promotional gallery of posters, lobby cards, and stills on Blue Underground's DVD release of "Fight for Your Life" give one the impression that it's merely the umpteenth addition to the pile of exploitative revengers inspired by Wes Craven's landmark "Last House on the Left"; even the trailers (a 'white' and 'black' version) depict the money shots in what promises to be another parade of cruelty for cruelty's sake, accompanied by '70s soul music.

Yet when I got around to watching the movie itself, I was more than a little impressed by the frequency with which it ran contrary to my low expectations, to the point where I really did feel like applauding and cheering on the heroes. "Fight for Your Life" is more politically ambitious than the LHotL imitators it is commonly lumped in with, transposing the race roles of slave times (the 'master' is a moneyed man who cracks a mean whip; the 'slaves' are quietly obedient out of fear of abuse) into the late-1970s, after the Civil Rights movement, where blacks are only starting to find their place in an overwhelmingly white society. Robert Judd plays a pacifist minister whose family is taken hostage by a trio of thugs (led by the fantastically scummy Willaim Sanderson, whose dialog is a catalog of racial epithets) who get a perverse entertainment out of the torture, rape, and humiliation of their hostages. Of course the tables are turned in the third reel, but the film goes about it in a cleverly justified way. By making the criminals so unredeemable (and thankfully avoiding the clichéd comic relief some films gravitate toward), we are on the edge of our seats, waiting for their comeuppance; but "Fight for Your Life" also engenders multi-layered characters grappling with their own moral conflicts that makes the resulting graphic violence resonate on a deeper level.

The film contains some genuinely moving, even heartbreaking moments that would not carry such an impact if we didn't relate so strongly to the victims: the quiet aftermath of a rape (the details of which are not explicitly rendered); humiliation that unexpectedly turns to uplift (when Judd's character is forced to sing on a pedestal at gunpoint); the by-the-book police lieutenant who eavesdrops on the family's revenge, only to allow it to continue out of sympathy.

Though my review thus far might turn off those seeking a hard-edged revenge thriller, let it be known that "Fight for Your Life" is not a sentimental piece--quite the contrary, it is just as lurid and seedy as the best (worst) of the genre; the violence is vivid and unsettling, made all the more so by the reality of the characters and their situation. Though low-budget productions tend to be hampered by exaggerated acting and unconvincing effects by default, the whole cast is convincing in selling the premise, and reminding us that even genre pics can reach for high concepts and succeed.

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is a mediocre and mean-spirited rape/revenge film that's full of more colorful derogatory epithets than a KKK vs. Black Panthers street fight. I personally don't get offended by this type of dialogue...but FIGHT relies so heavily on the racist aspect of the characters that it's hard to see the actually semi-decent performances that are going on...

FIGHT is about three inmates, a white guy (the "leader" of the group who is also the guy that played "Larry" on the NEWHART TV show (!?!)), a Hispanic guy, and an Asian guy (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, huh???), who break out of jail during a botched prison transfer. The three go on a short robbery and murder spree before kidnapping a black woman at a liquor store, and deciding to hole-up at her home until dark. At the home are also the woman's little brother, mother, father, and grandmother. "Larry" is a racist piece of white-trash sh!t and does nothing but hurl racial insults and make the family members say and do degrading things for his own entertainment (although I gotta admit, the "dance" scene IS kinda funny...). This goes on for about 80% of the films run-time, until the three convicts decide to rape the daughter. After that, the balance of power is shifted back and forth between the family and the convicts in a few uneven scenes where the lone gun that was initially handled by "Larry" changes hands a few times during some goofy fight scenes. The conclusion comes between "Larry" and the father of the family, in a "tense" stand-off in front of the cops.

First off...FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is a very mediocre rape/revenge film to begin with. I like this genre as a whole - but this one doesn't bring anything new to the genre, other than an uninteresting racist angle that wears itself thin after the first few amusing insults are hurled. The performances are pretty believable and the "action" is tense at moments - but my other big problem with FIGHT is that the revenge pay-off is way too quick and unfulfilling. Half of the reason to watch these films is to see the victims exact brutal and bloody revenge on their assailants - and this one doesn't deliver. Worth a look to the hardcore exploit fan - others will find FIGHT boring and/or offensive. 6/10

It's easy to pass Fight for Your Life off as 'Last House on the Left' inspired racist garbage, but this film approaches it's subject matter in an assured and straight-up manner, and while it often gets uncomfortable to watch; it's hard to deny that the film provokes a reaction in the viewer - and that is the most important thing about a film like this. The film definitely takes influence from Wes Craven's pioneering shocker, as well as the rest of the 'rape and revenge' genre, but by adding racist themes into the mix, director Robert A. Endelson instantly gives his film more scope and more potency, as rather than have the violence directed against one, or a group of people; it's directed against a whole race of people. The plot follows three inmates that escape from prison. While on the run from the cops, they decide to hole up in a house in the woods, inhabited by a family of black people. These convicts aren't very nice anyway, but their leader also happens to be an astute racist; and so decides to take out his frustrations on the captive family in the most brutal and humiliating ways possible.

Fight for Your Life benefits from some surprisingly good production values, and a host of well worked and convincing performances. Most of the characters are a little over the top, but it's easy to believe them and the situation that the film presents. There isn't quite as much brutality in this film as there has been in many similar films made before or after this one, but the way that the director puts the focus on the things that the characters say increases the tension ten-fold, especially in this day and age, as it's difficult to comprehend how someone could be so uncompromisingly racist. The scenes that see the lead convict take his frustrations out on the well-mannered family are uncomfortable and shocking, and this is where the film's power lies. It's hard to sit there and simply watch what is going on, and while I can't deny that I thoroughly enjoyed this film; it doesn't always make for easy viewing. It all boils down to a satisfying conclusion that both gives the audience what they want and brings credence to the lead characters. Overall, this won't be everyone's cup of tea; but I found it to be an excellent slice of exploitation and comes recommended to all the right people.