Martin's Day

A well-made and imaginative production, refreshingly free from cliché, this somewhat picaresque affair recounts a tale of a close friendship that develops between a man and a boy under less than ideal conditions: the man an escaped convict who has kidnapped the youth for his value as a hostage. Expertly directed by Alan Gibson with a fine sense for balanced narrative movement, the film provides freshness in nearly every scene, as felon Martin Steckert (Richard Harris), believing that his rejection for parole was particularly undeserved, contrives a convoluted but ultimately successful escape plan, following which his spontaneous nature comes to the fore as he flees to the lakeside residence of his childhood. Often bursting into song or dancing a few steps, the capricious Steckert gradually gains the trust and affection of his captive and, as police close in for an inevitable showdown, the tethered pair are seen to be a great deal alike in their responses to forms of rejection, as discerned by a psychiatrist (Lindsay Wagner) assigned to aid a zealous police lieutenant (James Coburn) who is in charge of the manhunt for Steckert and his "prisoner". This is an engrossing story, worth telling, a quickly-paced and novel adventure that profits from a capital performance by Harris, fine turns from Wagner, Coburn, and Karen Black, along with Justin Henry as the snatched lad, with an appropriately whimsical score contributed by Wilfred Josephs, and top-notch cinematography by Frank Watts, with all footage shot in a beautiful autumnal Ontario province.

Another legend of the film is gone, and he will be both missed and, of course, remembered. Perhaps a wonderful change of pace way of thinking of Richard Harris is to watch him in this beautiful film. He is as charming in this film as he must have been in real life, and in a similar way, too. Cunning, clever and conniving, he takes both the 12 year old Martin and the viewer on a roller coaster ride of an adventure.

This movie was one of the last gasps to come from the Canadian tax shelter era of the late '70s to early '80. It has some interest because of its cast; not only are there a number of American stars who had appeared in earlier Canadian tax shelter efforts (Richard Harris, James Coburn, Lindsay Wagner, and Karen Black), but there are also some familiar Canadians who appeared in other such efforts (Saul Rubinek and John Ireland.) As it turns out, the interesting cast is about the only thing of interest about this movie. The generally predictable plot is certainly a problem, but the biggest problem with the movie is with Harris' character. His character commits so many unlikable actions (especially in the first third of the movie) that he's not only a real turn-off, the tender scenes he has with his young co-star Justin Henry are very unconvincing. The only other thing of interest to be found in the movie is seeing how much the Clint Eastwood movie "A Perfect World" stole from this movie eight years later.

I missed this film in 1984 but did see "A Perfect World: when it came out in the 1990's. If "Martin's Day" had followed the Costner movie I would have thought it less believable and compelling. The fact that it predated the Costner film gave it a big boost in my assessment of the film. Richard Harris was his usual excellent self; and all of the other members of the cast were excellent. I did find the ending, however, very weak. In the case of "A Perfect World" this was rectified. Anyone who sees one of these two films would be well advised to see the other.

This movie is great because it is unique and original and Includes all elements that create a balanced and good movie. There is a thrilling aspect because he is a criminal on the run who kidnaps a boy and the cops are chasing him and you wonder if they will shoot him but on the other hand, what the cops don't know is that he is not all that he seems. There is a sentimental element to it and I was not only entertained but curious as to what would happen next. This movie is a very simple movie and that is another reason why I like it. The locations are beautiful (Guess that's why Hollywood always films in Canada) and overall, I wish modern movies had more of a fingerprint like this one.