Search - Action Classics, Vol. 1 on DVD

Action speaks louder than dialogue

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 10/07/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"PLATINUM DISC's ACTION CLASSICS VOL 1 is a quad-pack bundle of budget price (and quality) DVD 4-fers. The eclectic mix includes a 1930's John Wayne serial, a blaxploitation film, and a 'B' grade sci-fier. This set has no extras.

HIGHLIGHTS:

BLOODY BROOD-- Two beatniks peddle dope and get mixed up in violence. Notable for Peter Falk's second screen appearance and first major film role.

CHAIN REACTION-- Earthquake causes a leak at an Australian nuclear waste facility.

DARK MOUNTAIN-- Woman's park ranger ex-boyfriend hides her from a murderous husband and a crime she didn't commit.

EMBASSY-- Solid cast in this spy tale of a Soviet agent who infiltrates the American embassy in Beirut to try and kill a defector.

FAST AND FURIOUS-- Car race story directed and starring John Ireland was scripted by Roger Corman, who also appears as a roadblock State Trooper.

MUTINY IN BIG HOUSE-- A young check forger gets 14 years. His cellmate hopes to use him to aid an escape.

SLIPSTREAM-- So-so British-made sci-fier is notable for its cast of minor players.

TRAIN KILLER-- Hungarian film based on true story of a 1930s terrorist who murdered by derailing trains.


ST. CLAIR's MOB MOVIES contains nine crime dramas featuring Telly Savalas, Lee Van Cleef, Walter Matthau, Jake LaMotta and more!


PROGRAM:
(Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.)

DISC ONE--
(4.5) The Bloody Brood (Canada/USA-1959) - Jack Betts/Barbara Lord/Peter Falk/Robert Christie
(5.3) The Fast and the Furious (1955) - John Ireland/Dorothy Malone/Bruce Carlisle/Bruno VeSota/'Snub' Pollard (uncredited: Roger Corman/Jonathan Haze)
(6.0) Mutiny in the Big House (1939) - Charles Bickford/Barton MacLane/Pat Moriarity/Dennis Moore (uncredited: I. Stanford Jolley/Dave O'Brien)
(2.3) Swamp Women (1955) - Marie Windsor/Carole Mathews/Beverly Garland/Mike Connors/Jonathan Haze/Ed Nelson

DISC TWO--
(3.9) Boys' Reformatory (1939) - Frankie Darro/Grant Withers/Lillian Elliott/Ben Welden/David Durand
(5.7) Dark Mountain (1944) - Robert Lowery/Ellen Drew/Regis Toomey/Eddie Quillan/Elisha Cook Jr.
(5.7) The Hurricane Express (1932) - Tully Marshall/Conway Tearle/John Wayne/Shirley Grey/Glenn Strange (uncredited: Yakima Canutt)
(3.4) Fire Alarm ("Flames") (1932) - Johnny Mack Brown/George Cooper/Noel Francis/Marjorie Beebe

DISC THREE--
(3.3) The Black Godfather (1974) - Rod Perry/Damu King/Don Chastain/Diane Sommerfield/Jimmy Witherspoon
(3.4) Dirty Games (1989) - Valentina Vargas/Jan Michael Vincent
(4.7) Slipstream (UK-1989) - Bob Peck/Mark Hamill/Bill Paxton/Robbie Coltrane/Ben Kingsley/F. Murray Abraham
(6.2) The Train Killer (Hungary-1983) - Michael Sarrazin

DISC FOUR--
(5.1) The Chain Reaction (Australia-1980) - Steve Bisley/Arna-Maria Winchester
(4.5) The Death Merchants (West Germany/Israel-1973) - Hardy Krüger/Jason Robards
(5.1) Embassy (UK-1972) - Richard Roundtree/Chuck Connors/Ray Milland/Broderick Crawford/Max von Sydow
(4.0) Deadly Impact (Italy-1984) Bo Svenson/Fred Williamson"