The Wraith (1986)

Best movie ever!

A Masterpiece!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

"The Wraith" starts out with some promise; a street race on a dark desert highway really sets up some nice '80s atmosphere. And this is a movie with Randy Quaid as a no-nonsense sheriff, Clint Howard in full "Eraserhead" coiffure and an array of gas-guzzling street racers. It's already somewhat bizarre and should have its own energy. Even the soundtrack is pretty good. But it doesn't live up to its potential, in any sense; the characters are thin, the pacing is all off and the stakes are nonexistent. At a certain point, I'd just wanted some more of those rock song car chases, which is exactly what this movie does right. Just not enough of 'em. 4/10

Evidence points towards a teen stranger being the same person responsible for killing local thugs during dangerous drag races in this uncredited remake of 'High Plains Drifter'. On paper, it sounds quite promising, updating the classic western story to modern times with cars instead of horses and the drag races (full of point-of-view shots) are admittedly exciting. The screenplay is rather incoherent though with no explanation for how the protagonist has returned or the origins of his supernatural gadgetry. In fact, a key difference between 'High Plains Drifter' and 'The Wraith' is that the latter film makes it glaringly obvious that something supernatural is up from Scene 1, whereas the 1973 film only slowly reveals its twists. The supernatural element consequently weighs more heavily here and the lack of explanation is more bothersome. There is also the fact that Eastwood's character gradually humiliates and perplexes the townsfolk before taking revenge; here, revenge comes too soon. The baddies are also vile that there is no reason to root for them even without knowing of their checkered past; they are such brainless scum that the film treads no ethical ground when offing them. The film is additionally beset by a blaring song soundtrack, and yet 'The Wraith' is reasonably watchable for such a heavily flawed project. The seemingly driverless, darkly tinted supernatural car is a wonder to behold, the drag races are well filmed and the movie features some great locales and vistas considering that the only place to socialise in town appears to be the local hamburger joint!

This is not a great movie. Nor is it a good one. But for those looking for nothing more than entertainment, this will do. Charlie Sheen stars as Jake, the reincarnation of some guy named Jamie, who rises from the dead and travels through space in a customized Turbo in order to avenge his death. Packard, the antagonist, along with his gang of stupendous engineers are eliminated one by one, and with great ease. The story will surprise no one at any point. Things happen exactly as you'd expect, if you'd turn off your imagination. Photography is contrastingly well done, but gets stunned by poor editing. Just analyze the scene where Sheen and Fenn are peddling through the water: as soon as they have had their 'moment', Sheen turns and they both peddle away. The scene lasts too long and feels like amateur hour. Story wise, nothing makes sense. It is exactly what you'd expect from an 80s B-movie starring Charlie Sheen. Packard kills any guy who so much as looks at his girl, and the whole town knows. Do the police even care? Nope. Too busy throwing around catchphrases like "I don't need a warrant when I have this badge". Charlie Sheen gives such tranquilized performance that it makes me wonder what kind of synthetic drugs were in his system. Man, that speech about bullies and fear... not a single emotion detected! Sherilynn Fenn had trouble retorting after such a dull performance... Luckily, she steals every scene she's in just by being there. In Twin Peaks she was beautiful, here the universe's brightest stars have taken residence in her eyes. Unparallelled hotness! Nick Cassavetes (director of The Notebook!) stars as Packard, a downright evil sociopath. He has evil authority to him, to the point where watching recent interviews with him have a startling effect. And Randy Quaid is Randy Quaid. Always loony, always fun to watch. The inexplicable choice of trying to be taken serious at times whilst being a B-movie, takes the pace out of some scenes. But Randy, when given this dialogue, applies some much needed redneck enthusiasm, making the lines snappy and more digestible. I had fun watching this, but I'm not giving the movie a pass - it being a B-movie in almost every way.

Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn, Clint Howard and Randy Quaid star in this 1986 sci-fi film. This begins one night with an otherworldly figure, a wraith arriving on Earth in Arizona. Meanwhile, a vicious gang led by Packard Walsh (Cassavetes) drag race against a couple and win taking their car from them. Soon, the wraith starts drag racing against Packard's gang members one at a time killing them with his car. Fenn (Just One of the Guys) plays Packard's girl, Keri Johnson who meets Jake (Sheen), a new guy in town and they start falling for each other. Quaid (Vacation) plays police lieutenant, Loomis who investigates why the mysterious driver is targeting Packard and his gang. Keri eventually learns that Packard killed her boyfriend, Jamie Hankins some time prior and is persuaded by Jake to break free from him or she'll become his prisoner. Keri soon discovers the true identity of the wraith after his climatic showdown with Packard. Howard (Evilspeak) plays nerdy mechanic, Rughead who works for Packard. This is an underrated 80's flick that shares the same revenge formula as "High Plains Drifter," "The Crow" and "Mad Max." It features a good cast, neat effects, thrilling race sequences & great score. I recommend this.