Espèce en voie de disparition

Robert Urich and Jobeth Williams star in this fairly competant issue. Urich plays a single dad who while on vacation with his daughter starts to investigate a series of cattle mutilations. Good beginning and middle but ending could have been better.

Robert Urich is a retired cop from New York City on vacation with his daughter. While traveling on vacation, a flat tire enables him to get involved investigating a series of mysterious cattle mutilations. JoBeth Williams is the local sheriff having trouble convincing authorities of her ideas about the cause of the killings. Gailard Sartain plays an anxious mayor. Visuals are not so graphic, but the suspense keeps you interested. Providing fine support are: Hoyt Axton, Peter Coyote and Harry Carey, Jr.

A mate of mine and myself combined this film with a viewing of "The Return" and referred to it as our cattle mutilation double-feature, simply because it's a common recurring element in both films and there generally aren't that many Sci-Fi/horror flicks that are dealing with rotting cow carcasses. That's actually kind of surprising because it's such a clichéd trademark in terms of alien invasion movies. "Endangered Species" definitely was the better movie of the two, and also the most ambitious and surprising one, since it featured many more intriguing and unsettling Sci-Fi themes than we initially suspected. Simply put, and without ruining too much of the plot, the film continuously keeps you guessing what or who the protagonists are up against. Through a uniquely enigmatic narrative structure and very atypical character drawings, director & co-writer Alan Rudolph delivers an oddly fascinating hybrid between Sci-Fi and Cold War conspiracy thriller that is far more profound than 'yet another alien invasion' movie. Fatigue and ex- alcoholic New York copper Ruben Castle is driving through a little Colorado town with his rebellious teenage daughter, on their way to a long vacation. The brand new female sheriff of the little town struggles with a huge problem, however, as numerous of heavily mutilated cow carcasses – the area's biggest source of income – have been discovered lying around rotting in the fields. The two law officers reluctantly join forces to investigate and discover that not a whole lot of things are kosher around town. There's more to be said about the plot, but it would really be a shame to spoil anything. "Endangered Species" is a hidden gem of early 80's cult cinema, that's for sure. The film admirably alters sequences of genuine suspense (the helicopter chase!) with moments of gross horror (the stomach-explosion!). The cattle mutilation is also very competently handled. The make-up effects on the carcasses are truly unsettling and the sight of a dead cow cadaver getting dropped from above and into a river is strangely disturbing. There's also a very impressive sequence with a bull that is actually on fire! I reckon that would have been a really difficult scene to shoot. Also, and as mentioned before already, "Endangered Species" distinguishes itself from the majority of early 80's genre films because of its exceptional characters and their overall awkward interactions. The love-hate connection between a rough NY copper and the delicate small town sheriff are plausible. The late Robert Urich and exquisite JoBeth Williams form a supreme on screen couple. The supportive roles are terrific as well, like Castle's obnoxious teenage daughter and Hoyt Axton as the unofficial spokesperson of the entire town.

Ruben Castle (Robert Urich, "The Ice Pirates") is a recovering alcoholic and burnt-out former NYC cop who relocates to a small community in Colorado, with his bratty, rebellious daughter (Marin Kanter, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains") in tow. With the help of the local sheriff (JoBeth Williams, "Poltergeist") and his old pal, newspaperman Joe Hiatt (Paul Dooley, "Breaking Away"), Ruben gets caught up in a bizarre local story: cattle are repeatedly, mysteriously being mutilated by some shadowy force. Could it be the work of human, or alien, perpetrators?

While this is no classic waiting to be re-discovered, or the debacle some people may lead you to believe it is, I found it to be a reasonably engrossing conspiracy thriller, decently directed by cult favorite Alan Rudolph ("Choose Me", "Trouble in Mind"). It is true that it's not all that suspenseful, or surprising, but I did like the story, and the nefarious, ruthless nature of the antagonists. I also liked the fact that our heroes didn't have a definitive plan of action for a while, given that they weren't sure HOW to proceed. The lovely Williams is engaging right from the start, but it takes a long time (until the second half) to warm up to Urichs' Castle character; he's a surly jerk who doesn't try very hard to stay on the wagon.

But the two of them ARE very well supported by a solid cast of familiar faces: Peter Coyote ("Jagged Edge"), Hoyt Axton ("Gremlins"), Gailard Sartain ("Mississippi Burning"), Dan Hedaya ("Blood Simple"), Harry Carey Jr. ("The Searchers"), John Considine (a regular in Rudolphs' films), Patrick Houser ("Hot Dog...The Movie"), etc. Actor turned softcore auteur / executive producer of this film Zalman King ("Wild Orchid") has a cameo at the outset, Urichs' wife Heather Menzies ("Piranha") has the small role of Susan, and Bill Moseley ("The Devils' Rejects") made his film debut here as a cabbie.

With an amusing electronic score by Gary Wright (yeah, the Gary Wright who did the song "Dream Weaver"), this entertains sufficiently, working its way towards a decent, atmospheric finale - albeit one that may not completely satisfy some viewers. Location shooting in Wyoming and Colorado is a definite asset.

Seven out of 10.

It is a slow paced film, bordering on being a drag. Nothing really happens until the last 30 minutes where stuff actually happens the story finally moves forwards and concludes. The first hour of the film is rather wandering and aimless. Some pieces are slowly figured out as to the mystery at hand but ultimately just rather boring all throughout. One of those movies that needs a super cut and be a 45 minute short special in order to up the pace of the film. And not to mention there's nothing really special or memorable here either. It's just sub par on every level. Easily skipped and you won't be missing out. I mean there is an interesting story here but is in desperate need of a remake with a bigger budget and a tighter script.