Terror no Deserto

From the description of "Fleshburn" - a crazed person dumping several people in the desert, and the victims have to struggle to survive not only from the elements but the person who put them there - you might think that this is yet another rehash of "The Most Dangerous Game". Actually, only parts of the movie suggest that earlier movie. Most of the movie has the victims struggle to survive under the heat of the desert while arguing with each other. As you can probably guess, all that stuff is not a lot of fun. It gets tiresome quickly. Former porn star Sonny Landham does show some creepiness, but he doesn't get enough scenes to make him a prominent menace. If you are still wanting to watch this movie, a word of warning - the DVD uses a television print, meaning the movie's "R" rated elements like language are censored. Also, there are several video glitches. If the DVD company didn't care enough to give this movie a good presentation, that should give you a clue of its general quality.

Sonny Landham portrays a confrontational Vietnam veteran who is wrongfully sent to an institution. He eventually escapes, Hell bent on revenge against those responsible for having him locked away. These folks are rounded up like cattle, bound and gagged, and left in the middle of the desert with no shoes or provisions. In the face of their quandary, they quarrel ceaselessly with one another, growing ever weaker in the elements as the crazed madman watches from the distance.

Nothing to sing high praises about, but it manages to remain variably suspenseful and resourcefully appointed on an obviously skimpy per-diem. For such a picayune effort, it's not a complete toss-out, but it definitely could have benefited from a stronger denouement.

Despite being a somewhat neutered thriller, FLESHBURN is still one of the more professional offerings from the bozos at Crown International Pictures...which, of course, isn't saying much. 4/10

Here's a great premise for a film, that sadly wastes a bunch of bloody good actors in what is one hell of a disappointing and short changed result. I had seen this movie on the video shelves in the 80's and pictured a different story and made Kanaly as the star lead, another disappointment, as I really wanted to see this good actor strut more of his stuff. On the flipside, in what must be his first and only lead, is the underrated Indian actor, Sonny Landham, and I was quite taken aback by this cast placement. Who's, Sonny Landham, may you ask? You'll know if you watched a lot of Walter Hill, or Arnie movies, etc, in the 80's. He really turns in a good, if fine performance, but also he's a character we kind of sympathize with, someone unfairly institutionalized kind of his religious beliefs, marking him as a looney. Taking revenge, he escapes, the first scene, heralding a much exciting show to follow. But like the arid, hot bitch of a desert, he dumps these four psychiatrists off, responsible, for his incarceration, the movie becomes an arid watch and adventure, a game of wits to overthrow their nemesis, who seems to be one step ahead, and not far out of reach, the suspense factor takes an actual dump, like other things. There is a beautiful panoramic, if quite mesmerizing, bewitching, five second shot, just as the four are dropped and the camera does one of those now, childish slow zooms in. The story does work to a very realistic, 'What you would do scenario?", but the movie is just one long arid bore, with little violence,and a little of anything else in it. The ending sucks, and you'll see why, relieved, nut unfulfilled. Film's only worth is in it's honest and good performances. Karen Carlson is good in anything too. Your might feel your flesh burn in this movie, but your anger and anger and patience may boil. The writer of this film. deserves to be dropped off in the hot stinking desert.

Cheapo film that manages some suspense. However, it's too uneven to fulfill the premise. Three men and a woman are left to die in the searing Arizona desert. Their crime is having institutionalized a crazed Navajo Vietnam vet. Now he wants revenge, and just as importantly, show that his "medicine" is stronger than the white man's.

Though the acting is better than expected, the survival element comes and goes. The early part, where Sam shows how to get food, water, and keep cool by digging holes, amounts to an interesting survival manual. The trouble is many other logical precautions are implausibly lacking, like covering bare skin in the sun or seeking shade while talking. Then too, Sam seems to get stronger as the movie progresses, which makes little sense given the draining heat. That, plus a meandering narrative, doesn't help. Frankly, events appear to have been made up on the fly, maybe as the budget or conditions permitted. As a result, a finely adapted musical score is also largely wasted.

Too bad, because at times the film shows genuine promise. But a basic lack of coherent narrative and thematic development undercuts that promise. For a more riveting tale of desert survival, catch Robert Ryan in Inferno (1953).

Fleshburn is a violent revenge story starring minor action hero Sonny Landham. The story really doesn't really break any new ground in terms of its structure, but it does incorporate a strange, spiritual element in its central conflict, and uses a Native American villain in a non-typical, not-so-stereotyped way.

The action in the film is intense, as it emphasises the psychological trauma of those involved in the peril of being stranded out in the desert by the Landham character, as opposed to a lot of gunplay or explosions. Fleshburn is something a bit off the beaten track, for those who want a look at a different action-type film.