Into the Fire

"Into the Fire" is what you'd call a schizophrenic movie; - or at least the person in charge of the promotional campaigns was schizophrenic. If you look at the official title, the cover-art here illustrated on IMDb, and the plot-unfolding of the film, this is simply a very basic and banal B-movie thriller/film-noir wannabe. The version I got to watch, however, looks completely different. The VHS available on the Belgian market is by the legendary "Vestron Video" company and has the look & feel of a genuine horror movie. It has the far more unique and mysterious title "The Legend of Wolf Lodge", the cover is sinister (with a woman running for her life, knee-deep in the snow), and the plot synopsis that keeps rambling on about desecrated Indian burial grounds and vengeful spirits.

Well, guess once what the actual plot is about? Nothing to do with burial grounds, spirits, or anything horror whatsoever. "Into the Fire" - what fire? - is a predictable double-cross thriller with all the clichés that exist. Watchable, of course, also thanks to the good looks of Olivia d'Abo and the crooked face of Art Hindle, but forgettable and totally unsurprising.

Overly familiar film noir stuff, so derivative that the cliches seem to be checked off from a list: the naive outsider, the aggressive femme fatale, the brutal husband, the innocent "nice girl", doublecrosses, etc....At least they tried to put a spin on one of those all-too-typical characters, with mild success. But the movie is not very thrilling, and the many love scenes generate little heat because the women aren't particularly attractive. (**)

A young musician (Lee Montgomery) drifts into a Northeastern town in the Winter and takes a job by a guy (Art Hindle) who has issues with his inebriated wife (Susan Anspach). The guitarist & his dog stay at the small rental house adjacent to their huge home, Wolf Lodge, which looks like it was really something back in the day. The wife is intrigued by the rock stud, but he's more interested in a local waitress (Olivia d'Abo).

"The Legend of Wolf Lodge," aka "Into the fire," was actually released to some theaters in 1988. Yet, aside from the tame nudity, it feels like a TV movie, and not a good one, which isn't to say it doesn't have some positive qualities.

Someone criticized it on the grounds that the only likable character is the dog, and this is pretty accurate. Montgomery, in his final film, is always likable, but his character here is so stupid he loses the viewer's sympathy. For instance, the husband proves himself to be a masculinity-on-overdrive man and yet the rocker willingly makes out with his wife when the guy's barely around the corner. It's not just stupid, it's unbelievable. However, Montgomery is such a quality protagonist that you tend to overlook it, sort of. Speaking of unbelievable, the final act spirals out of control on this front.

Olivia d'Abo is in her prime here and there's some tame top nudity of her and Anspach, but the latter's character is so questionable it's difficult to see her as alluring.

What makes this B flick worth maybe catching is the effective Winter ambiance, shot in Kirkfield Ontario in the middle of Winter. The blaring 80s score often detracts, but it has some interesting elements as well.

Although I appreciated these factors, my wife gave me a look when the credits rolled that said: "You made me sit through THAT?"

It short 'n' sweet at 1 hour, 18 minutes, but has too many uninteresting stretches.

GRADE: C-

Nothing goes as planned in this twisty low budget noir. The snowy Canadian locations are a definite plus. The often times grating soundtrack is a definite minus. Seductive Susan Anspach is a definite plus. Olivia D'Abo in a tub scene, obviously wearing underwear is a definite minus. The creepy old mansion loaded with imposing stuffed wild animals is a definite plus. Lee Montgomery supposedly getting blown up with just a dynamite plunger and zero dynamite present is a definite minus. Susan Anspach's nude scenes keep "Into the Fire" from descending below mediocrity, and that is a definite plus. When you add it up however, all you are left with is a familiar plot and several nude scenes. Let the viewer decide. MERK

The back cover of the VHS rental tape of "Into The Fire" (aka "The Legend of Wolf Lodge") babbles on about the woods surrounding Wolf Lodge being a holy place - or better yet: unholy grounds, as they were once an Indian burial ground - now inhabited by an vengeful spirit that likes to punish wrong-doers. Sadly, this info boils down to nothing more than a subplot that's never developed throughout the entire film. Heck, the legend only gets mentioned merely as a side note. Instead, we get another attempt at neo-noir with "Into The Fire": A lonesome musician just happens to park his car at the wrong bar in the wrong town and gets entangled in a triangular relationship between a femme fatal & her violent, drinking husband (who happened to have blown away the entire family's fortune). A young waitress gets thrown in for some more sexual goings-on and in the end it's all about who's going to kill who for a fair amount of money. A few horroresque scenes are throw in the mix - mostly nightmarish sequences - but they don't add up to much, really. Nevertheless, "Into The Fire" is probably a worthwhile time-waster because of some sex scenes and a couple of unforeseen twists near the end of the plot. But somehow, the movie (and the twists) don't have any impact on the viewer. The film's not badly made, has some nice tracking & crane shots, but the title "The Legend of Wolf Lodge" is pretty misleading. There simply isn't much of a legend to talk about. Not much in terms of suspense either. Just a film to have a quick peek at and be done with it.