TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING (1977)

[Update 08/29/2021: I just added some newspaper clippings and after reading the review...I really want to go back and watch this film again! Maybe update some screenshots also.]

As a child growing up in the early 1980's, I loved (and still love) those overly dramatic Cold War thrillers where America and the USSR nearly go to war or where Russia invades America.  I had hopes that TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING was going to be such a film, but I quickly discovered that instead of those evil Ruskies being the bad guys it's actually Burt Lancaster as the bad guy!!!  It seems Burt was once a highly regarded soldier, but when he wouldn't shut up about the injustice of the Vietnam War, the military "railroaded" him and threw him into prison on some bullshit charges.  Now he's escaped (before the beginning of the film...how lazy of the filmmakers) and quickly takes over a nuclear missile compound that houses nine missiles that are all aimed at Russia.

This set up could lead to all kinds of interest, edge-of-your-seat thrills like the Russians finding out about it and threatening to strike first or maybe some super exciting attempts at breaking into the control room.  But no, instead the Russians are barely even mentioned and the portrayal of the soldiers trying to get into the control looks like something out of an Apple Dumpling Gang movie!  Just to give you an idea of how bad it is: they have John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin from Cheers) as one of the elite military soldiers.  Yeah.

So that leaves us with the negotiations.  They're not too bad.  The heated confrontations between Lancaster and Richard Widmark are the highlight of the movie.  I also enjoyed listening to Joseph Cotten.  The others were passable.  And as far as Charles Durning as the United States President goes, he was good, but he's nowhere as impressive as Rock Hudson in the superior WORLD WAR III.

Overall, TLG is an interesting historical timepiece, but it's kinda surprising this film was actually released in the theaters!  I have no idea how wide the release was (according to Wikipedia it lost money), but it honestly looks like a made-for-TV movie.  There are many "goofs" throughout the movie and the 2 1/2 hour running time is totally uncalled for with the material showed onscreen.

I am curious (Yellow) if Richard Widmark wore the exact same uniform a year later in THE SWARM?

SOYLENT GREEN (1973)

In the year 2022, the world is all kinds of fucked up.  Industrialization, overpopulation (New York City itself is over 40 million people!) and global warming has destroyed the environment and now food is extremely expensive...too bad most people don't even have a job.

One evening, homicide detective Charlton Heston is called in to investigate the murder of wealthy businessman Joseph Cotten who has been beaten to death in his apartment.  Heston thinks that everything is too convenient to be a botched robbery: the security system was down, the bodyguard and the concubine were both out shopping, plus there was nothing stolen despite the fact there was tons of food and other luxury items all over the place.  The bosses tell Heston to lay off, but he keeps investigating on his own and the further he digs the more sinister things appear.

I enjoyed SOYLENT GREEN.  Younger audiences will probably find it overly simple (and it is), but I still enjoyed it.  The set designs and special effects were that special brand of early 70's, big studio efforts that look like crap nowadays, but yet I really like them.  It's strange.

Charlton Heston is always a treat to watch and Edward G. Robinson (who died just twelve days after filming...he knew his cancer was terminal, but finished out the film all the same) is great!  I couldn't help thinking the entire movie about how much I appreciated him and his contributions to Cinema.

Anyway, the biggest shocker to me was how unshocking the ending was.  There was this big buildup and then...nothing.  I'm not going to give away the ending here, just in case you don't know, but if somebody watching this movie hasn't figured out the ending within the first 20 minutes then you have to be a moron.  It's actually comical how flat the ending is.  That said, the scenes depicting overcrowding and people not even knowing what deer or trees were are haunting.

Worth a watch.  I would love to see a hard-hitting, super depressing remake. Maybe even a limited series on HBO.