Mort ou vif

and this is one of my favorites, although he look really big and out of shape he adds some real gravity and feeling to the lead role and his nemesis played by Gene Simmons is very effetive.

Full of sensational one-liners, delievered with an absolute straight face by all involved, it is fast, furious, 80's action.

My personal favorite (used it the other day) "next time give me a kiss before you f*ck me".

In fact I'm off to the video store to rent it right now.

Jimbo

I saw this movie back when it came out in 1987, and it had a tremendous amount of hype about the Steve McQueen connection to the original 1950s TV series. Steve McQueen had died in 1980, and the buzz about the Wanted Dead or Alive movie started around 1984.

Rutger Hauer had big shoes to fill, to capture the spirit of Josh Randall. Steve McQueen's Josh Randall character was very direct and to the point. He was not sentimental at all, and he often had to use his smarts and his sawed off rifle to get out of trouble. Josh Randall also used a lot of snappy dialogue and quick wit. Josh never stayed in one place. He was always on the move, making decisions on impulse. He loved women, but he was never in love.

Rutger Hauer's version of the character is very morose and sentimental. He is in love with a girlfriend. He has a boat that is also his man-cave, and a warehouse that is his main headquarters. Rutger has a motorcycle, but he is very much grounded to his possessions. He is not a traveling bounty hunter in this movie. Hauer is very methodical, his style is closer to Hunter, or Walker Texas Ranger than to the original Josh Randall. The spirit of the TV series Renegade was closer to the original Wanted: Dead or Alive, than this movie.

The action is typical of a Chuck Norris movie, The A-Team TV series, or Hunter TV series. There is a fair amount of shooting, explosions, and killing. Gene Simmons plays a major role in this movie, and that is a plus for KISS fans!

This movie is not bad, but it could have been better. There was a feeling from the tone of the movie's ending that sequels were intended, or a TV series re-boot, but it never happened. This film is an interesting footnote to the legacy of the original Wanted: Dead or Alive TV series.

I recently revisited "Wanted Dead Or Alive" after a period of almost 20 years. The film's really stood the test of time and it's a shame there weren't any sequels produced. Rutger Hauer's time as an action hero was short-lived.

The film's low budget roots can't be missed but there are enough strong performances from the cast to carry the movie. Hauer's bachelor loft is the ultimate guy pad and, in my opinion, worth watching the movie for. To say his crib is cool is the understatement of the year.

Gene Simmons delivers the goods as a thoroughly nasty baddie.

Great '80s "B"-movie fun.

I watched this movie now for the first time, but it made me feel very familiar. It was like all those action movies that I watched from tv in mid-90's when I was very young. This means two things. It's got the classic b-movie cheese, the style before everything was done with computer effects. But also, I get the irritating feeling that it's "not a very good movie". Even when I was a teenager I sometimes felt this same thing when watching action movies. I liked them but at the same time even as a youngster I sometimes felt a bit stupid, like wasting my time with those movies.

Rutger Hauer is a cool actor and for some reason I haven't ever seen many of his films. But now I started to check them out because fans of cheesy action movies often mention Rutger's name as some sort of cult icon. He does have a certain charm and makes this movie enjoyable.

I was maybe expecting a little bit more action. There are big guns but they are being shot only rarely, and most of the film is like a detective thriller drama. But the action scenes are nicely divided throughout the movie so it doesn't get too boring.

So, I'm not going to take a Rutger Hauer tattoo but I'm probably going to watch a couple more of his movies.

The former CIA operative in the Middle East Nick Randall (Rutger Hauer) is presently a bounty hunter in Los Angeles. He chases most wanted guys to get the reward and is saving money for repairing a vessel. He intends to retire and travel around the world with his girlfriend Terry (Mel Harris) and his best friend is Detective Danny Quintz (William Russ). After a terrorist attack in a movie theater, Randall is assigned to catch the evil terrorist, Malak Al Rahim (Gene Simmons), who has killed more than 140 persons in his attempt. However, the real intention of his disaffection from CIA, John Lipton (Jerry Hardin), is to use Randall as a bait to catch Malak. Terry and Danny are murdered by one terrorist and Randall discovers that the Malak's agenda is to blow-up a chemical facility and kill thirty thousand persons. But Randall now seeks revenge against Malak.

"Wanted: Dead or Alive" is a B-movie full of clichés, but supported by good actors. Today I have just seen is again (01 May 2013) and the promising beginning unfortunately becomes a totally predictable story. The conclusion is awful, with Randall chasing Malak in a refinery crowded with policemen, detectives and agents and nobody hears the shooting. Anyway this movie entertains. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Exterminador Implacável (on DVD)" ("Implacable Exterminator") or "Procurado Vivo ou Morto" (on VHS) ("Wanted Dead or Alive")