Turbo Interceptor

Well, this movie is one of those half-forgotten gems of this cool decade. As a child I use to rent this movie over and over again but then I forgot it's name when I grew older. Recently, when I started to look for old cult 80s, I stumbled upon this little nice saga. The story is ridiculous but quite entertaining (I love revenge ;)) and there are many strange plot-holes through the whole movie. So why bother renting or buying this old s*** you may ask? Well if you are a child of the 80s and saw it back then, it can bring back some nice memories. If you are from that time but have not seen it, you MUST see it. Everyone else, just see it and enjoy a movie with one of the greatest cars ever on screen. For those who have seen it I just must make some statements of some of the major flaws in the film. How come that the police just let the thugs steal all the nerds cars in a small town like this? (very strange) And why don't the stupid morons see that they're next to die on the list when their buddies fall off one buy one. No fear at all...=) Well... all and all a funny flash-back. You know from like ten minutes into the movie how the end will be, but you'll KEEP on looking...

My brothers and I used to watch this movie all the time, probably when it was on HBO back in the day. It was a nice piece of nostalgia. Since I had viewed it so much as a kid, it was like going back and watching a movie you almost know by heart but at the same time weren't really sure what was going to happen next.

The soundtrack was great, with the likes of Ozzy, Billy Idol, Robert Palmer and others. Looking at all that 80's "fashion" was fun too. The DVD box didn't say the year but I had determined it to be about '86 or '87.

I couldn't help but draw a comparison to this storyline and that of "The Crow". "The Crow" is definitely a darker piece of fun but the same "guy done wrong takes revenge and finds his girl" wasn't hard to miss.

All in all, if you're looking for something fun, with a great soundtrack, cool cars and fast car races, check it out!

If you care to travel back to 1986, you'll see a young and not-yet popular Charlie Sheen star as a ghost with a vengeance. This, of course, means that you'll have to endure a few eighties quirks, which gave the decade its unique character.

"The Wraith" is a creative story about a bunch of drag-racing town bullies who are into taking what they wish, mostly by force. The town police (although shown as macho) appear feckless in apprehending the thugs. The town's populus remain largely actionless due to their fear. The kingpin of these hooligans is Packard Walsh (Nick Cassavetes - son of famous actor John Cassavetes). Charlie Sheen plays Jake, the reincarnation of a slain victim (Jamie) of the town thugs. He appears out of nowhere and soon begins conversations with Packard Walsh's girlfriend, an action considered lethal. Soon a mysterious driver with an exotic, futuristic-looking car (the real-life Dodge-Chrysler Interceptor M4S) appears on the scene and begins drag-racing Packard's gang into the grave.

This film gives us some great eighties in it's soundtrack which includes Robert Palmer and Billy Idol. It also gives a look at the popular "punk" look of the eighties in the character of Skank. I recently discovered that the Wraith's car was a real-life automobile. And only one original model was actually loaned from Chrysler. The other shots were of "shell" models, without engines, etc. During the filming of the good drag-race shots on the mountainsides outside of Tuscon, one of the crew members was killed and another critically wounded.

I had some dislike for the film in the completely idiotic and helpless nature of Packard's thugs. In fact, I had a bit of trouble in believing the entire town's pacifisim towards Packard. There is one strange scene involving a sexual encounter between Packard and some local girl, where she thanks the sheriff for showing up. This just didn't add any credibility. But then again the whole movie is a bit incredible, especially the Wraith's car and its ability to keep that Windex shine after blowing up. And I never did figure out what the deal was with that one part that glowed at the end of every crash. More 80's sfx...? I chuckled for an instant though when I saw the Wraith enter Packard's warehouse in that "spacesuit" with what appeared to be a "space shotgun". What was the deal with that? I was beginning to think Jake's body was beamed aboard an alien ship before he died and now he was returning with their technology.

A good story for the eighties, but not one to take too seriously. Be sure to admire Sherilyn Fenn's teeny character, Keri. Oh, I also read you can buy an M4S Interceptor replica for about $70,000. Ouch! 6/10

The Wraith, in it's basic storyline, is good and, at times, exciting but there are many flaws.

I feel this film could have been a lot better had the director created a faster moving storyline and less frustrating. Charlie Sheen is here as eye candy for the ladies and shows no real acting talent. The closest thing to talent seen is that of nick cassavetes, whos portrayal of the evil villain is menacing.

There are many scenes which drag on and the film is intermingled with confusing flashbacks. These flashbacks are meant to open the audience up to the past events but end up making you wonder what it was trying to tell you.

The film does have some good points however, mainly the soundtrack. The music throughout the film is true eighties. This soundtrack gives the film a very positive setting. It was also good to see Randy Quaid making the most a role that, unfortunately, held no hope or realism.

Overall, the film is based on a very good idea but is let down by it's confusing plot and direction.

No, I'm not necessarily crazy about cars and car chases, and I'm no big fan of horror either, and yes, it's clear from the first scene that this is a 'B' movie,... but this really must be one of the greatest 'B' movies ever made, maybe one of the greatest films of all time!! (and believe me, I've seen a lot of films).

There is just something about the way this film starts and moves like an unstoppable force towards its conclusion. It's almost like all the characters around the Wraith instinctively know who he really is, and what is going to happen to them ultimately (you can see it in their eyes), and yet somehow, they seem to be irresistibly drawn into his web, lost in their own pride, entangled in their own rules of engagement, and misguided by their own sheer foolhardiness. and so the film goes from one inevitability to the next, with each person remaining true to himself/herself.

There are also some really memorable-crazy characters in the film, who add some light relief to what I think is a very serious film about human destiny; how we each help to create our own reality and then have to deal with it. To anyone who hasn't seen this film, give it a try (if you can find it) and keep an open mind. This not a high-tech blockbuster movie, but it's definitely a high-intelligence movie.