Fleisch

I saw this for the first time recently n got pleasantly surprised.

It is a good thriller marred by its length.

It has some flaws but since its a low budget made for tv stuff, certain things can b ignored.

The scene where the lead actress runs here n there, boards a train n then stares at the hospital n sits in a corner was uncalled for.

It cud have been a good road trip thriller but the pacing killed it.

Nevertheless, it has a lil bit of suspense n the characters are believable.

The lead actress Jutta Speidel looks like a cross between Sissy Spacek n Aj Applegate.

Her nudity is one of the best part.

Going by the title, you would be forgiven for thinking this film would be some sort of grisly slasher; but actually (and disappointingly) it's a subdued made-for-TV thriller that bears more than just a passing similarity to Michael Crichton's 1978 film, Coma. The film is directed by Rainer Erler and is a German made film; although it takes place in Texas, USA. Being a TV film, you've got to expect it not to be heavy on the gore and special effects; and this is the case. Spare Parts relies on the plot and its characters to remain thrilling...and unfortunately it doesn't really pull it off effectively. The plot focuses on a newlywed couple having their honeymoon in Texas. They stop at a motel and meet the friendly proprietor; shortly before an ambulance swings by and abducts the husband. The girl goes back to the motel for help; but the proprietor insists she's never seen her before. The woman ends up getting a lift with a trucker, who helps her get to the bottom of the mystery.

This plot has been done several times; not only in the aforementioned Coma, but also in later efforts such as Larry Clark's The Ambulance. The film feels very cheap throughout, and never manages to get past its TV movie status. At one hundred and five minutes, it really has to be said that the film is too long also; and it becomes less than interesting before the end. The central character; a young German woman is fairly likable, although despite the long running time; we don't really get to know a great deal about her. The plot certainly could have been very interesting, but not a great deal is made of it. There's very little suspense in the film either and that doesn't exactly help the film when it comes to the excitement stakes. To its credit, however, the plot does at least make sense throughout and the film does feature an ending that wraps everything up nicely. Spare Parts is not an easy film to find and to be honest I wouldn't recommend anyone bothers to track it down - Coma is (slightly) better anyway!

An ambulance abducts the man from a honeymooning couple shortly after they checked into a cheap motel. His wife Monica follows the trace from the ambulance with the help of a friendly trucker named bill.

This production was released shortly after "Coma" (1978) and has a similar approach. This basic concept was picked up again with "The Island" (2005).

Filmed in the U. S. this is a suprisingly well produced TV movie, that could have been run in theaters at his time. Action, speed and pace are a slower than today, but it is still has suspense. A nude scene may be the reason for its rating, blood & violence are harmless.

The title made me cringe thinking this would be a gory mess of a movie with a gory mess of a plot. I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised by it.

The story is about newlyweds, both grad students so they're broke and end up staying at a cheap motel because they can afford it. Not long after that, the husband is abducted in an ambulance, the wife flees in terror and ends up with a truck driver who picks her up. The two try to find answers.

This is a long movie for the genre but it moves pretty good. The story is entirely from the perspective of Monica, the newlywed wife and we are wondering about the other characters, their motives and who to dare trust under the circumstances.

There are some plot holes like why didn't she go to the police immediately the two times just about anyone else would have. After thinking about it I don't feel like those were major plot holes under the circumstances in the story. No one would believe what she was claiming about people being abducted and the motel owner would just lie about seeing them. The movie flat out acknowledges the plot hole of why Bill, the truck driver does as much as he did when she asks him why he was doing this. He had no reply to her question and we don't know why either.

A good movie. I never saw a good print of it but I enjoy it anyway. You will be disappointed if you expect this to be a gory horror flick. It really isn't a horror movie as much as it is a psychological thriller.

For those that wonder, the longer version of this movie adds one detail which is implied anyway in the shorter version. You get to see Monica and Bill go to New York as part of Bill's initial delivery when they first meet. He picked her up while she was fleeing her captors and he continuesd to do his truck driving job but with her along for the ride. The shorter version omits just that one trip so you don't miss much beyond some character development.

I was drawn to watch this movie in part because it was a foreign production filmed and set in America, and that promised that the movie would have a unique angle. The portrayal of America is surprisingly balanced - there is a deep and deadly conspiracy in the story, but the movie does give us plenty of innocent and helpful American characters at the same time. Unfortunately, this interesting balance is about the only good thing I can say about the movie. Certainly I can't blame the filmmakers for the atrocious dubbing, but they are guilty of other things. At 105 minutes, the movie is way too long (and slow) for its own good. Along this tedious journey are some real unbelievable plot elements like the fact the protagonists don't consider contacting the police until very late into the story. The movie is also directed with no sense of style, with no tension or any great feelings coming from the movie at any moment - it always feel flat. It's capped off with one of the worst opening/closing credits songs I have ever heard in a motion picture. There is the occasional hint of a decent (though not original) thriller here, but as a whole it simply does not work.