Les marais de la mort

This movie should be banned on the basis of just stupidity alone. I feel sorry for anyone who watches this mess. Reinhold, you have disappointed me. I didn't even know you had made this movie, and now wish that I had never come across it, as your image has deteriorated drastically.

The last comment was right on. Weapons and vehicles from another era, a plane with no bomb chute dropping invisible "bombs", a horrible acting job from ALL actors, and enough holes in the logic and plot to sink an aircraft carrier. I recommend gargling with razor blades rather than watch this b-rate crap. Awful. Just Awful.

This implausible tale follows the road adventure, chase, damsel in distress formula. It's one saving grace is pre stardom Ken Wahl. The film takes place in 1960 and uses the Bay of Pigs as a plot device. I enjoyed the film for its chemistry between the main protagonists. Other than that, don't expect much other than mindless entertainment.

This was a good action packed movie without a lot of foul language. I watched this on HBO and can no longer find it anywhere to watch again. I fell in love with Judge Reinhold after watching this movie. Would love to own a copy of it. I am not sure why this movie was over looked and why I cannot find it when I search for it by title. I get annoyed when the only search comes up with the movie by Gregory Hines. Don,t get me wrong, that was a good movie but I would really like to find a copy of this one to own. I am wondering if this movie was so overlooked because it was released on HBO without any advertising as a couple of other movies have done. Like this movie Judge Reinhold has also been overlooked as a good actor. He is famous for his part in Fast Times at Ridgemont High but Running Scared really showed his talent as an actor.

I'll be as brief as I can be. This is a well done early Judge Reinhold /Ken Wahl picture. Before both actors went on to bigger things, Wahl to TV's Wiseguy and Reinhold to Fast Times at Ridgemont, Stripes & the Beverly Hills Cops movies. RS is filmed on location for the most part in the Everglades. It starts with the boys in 1961 Panama and they are coming back to their hometowns in the Everglades after a 3 year stint in the Army. Knuckle head Leroy(Reinhold) has stolen a foot locker full of 'goodies' from his base. A rifle, some grenades and a camera that is infra red and can take night time pictures. The guys hop a DC-3 Cargo plane back to the states and on the way back the plane lands at some airfield presumably in the Caribbean somewhere. Leroy snaps a picture with the infrared camera and leaves the tearoff on the plane. The DC-3 eventually lands in Florida bringing the boys' home. Later some soldiers cleaning the plane find the tear off part of Leroy's picture and take it to a strange individual(played by Bradford Dillman) whose planning a Cuban invasion. Chaz's(Wahl)image appears in a positive print of the tearoff negative when the photo is developed by the would be invaders. Mistaking Leroy & Chaz to be privy of the Cuban invasion, the men involved in the planned invasion now set out all over the Everglades looking to hunt down Leroy & Chaz. The boys separate for a while then get back together and meet up with a wealthy but sassy rich blond named Sallie Mae. One series of adventures leads to another with the trio escaping always in the knick of time from their Cuban pursuers. Mind the Cuban leader is played by John Saxon.

The movie boasts some great filming such as the boys' first encounter with two girls at a jukebox joint and subsequent makeout in the girls' station wagon, and the airboat getaway from Leroy's parents house. Or the scary night the boys' and Sallie Mae spent in the swamp. As time goes on a romance blossoms between Chaz & Sallie Mae. Leroy however is finally caught and secretly interrogated by Dillman & his gang. In short they beat his face! Chaz & Sallie Mae go back to her dad's sprawling estate(Dad's in Europe...how convenient) and clean up. The Cubans track them to the house and abduct Sallie Mae by boat. Chaz jumps in another boat and pursues them to the Cuban hideout. Leroy has now managed to escape his captors. He has managed to find some dynamite and is now wiring the compound to be blown to Kingdom Come. Chaz rescues Sallie Mae and they rescue Leroy and finally foil the villains. As the credits roll Dillman has been tied up on a boat by the trio and is set adrift in this boat with it's engine running and steering set for CUBA.

This is a sadly forgotten movie. It used to appear on cable all the time in the 80s. A low point is that this is supposed to take place in 1961 Florida. Early in the film when the armed guerillas first set out to pursue the boys' Saxon and his men use a big yellow Ryder van minus the word Ryder. No problem but the van is a late 70s model Chevrolet and is out of place in 1961 Florida Everglades. Other than this flaw and the fact that leroy manages to carry his heavy 'goodies' footlocker while being on the run, the production is top notch and had some solid acting from the cast. Also I should mention the great Pat Hingle has a minor role here as Chaz's father. Enjoy this.

Borrowing its title from a famous Roy Orbison song,this film is much fun ,humor and entertainment.Its political background might elude the young generations but it inspires its vital madness:all the secret agents paranoia hot on the heels of two poor guys -soon to be joined by a girl -make a funny spoof on the spy thrillers.Even the ending recalls that of "Thunderball".The characters are all caricatures ,from the boy's fathers to the paranoiac villains (John Saxon )whose one and only fear is the commies.

Judge Reinhold is much fun to watch :Here,he looks like the missing link between Jerry Lewis and Jim Carrey.He is not far from a cartoon character (Goofy).His best moment happens when he is aping Del Shannon singing "runaway" while his enemies shows themselves.