Some Kind of Hero (1982)

A Disappointing Continuation

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Richard Pryor gets to really show off some talent here as an actor in this adaptation of the James Kirkwood novel. It has good moments, but never really satisfies; it works fairly well when it gets serious but its comedy is never that funny. Pryor really is better than the material, which doesn't achieve an effective balance between its drama and comedy. It's not bad as yet another look at the problems of Vietnam vets readjusting to civilian life, in any event.Pryor plays Eddie Keller, who's taken as a prisoner of war during his tour in Vietnam. When he's brought back to the States, he finds having to put up with Army red tape to be intolerable. In addition to being in desperate need of money, he learns from his wife Lisa (Lynne Moody) that she's in a relationship with another man and that his mother Jesse (Olivia Cole) is in a nursing home - an expensive one, to boot, which is about to kick her out if they don't get paid.Eddie makes friends with a well meaning prostitute named Toni (Margot Kidder) and eventually sees a way to deal with the money problem - larceny.This wouldn't be nearly as watchable if it weren't for Pryor, who's touching as well as funny. You feel so bad for him, in fact, that scenes in which Eddie bungles hold-up jobs to be much more pathetic than humorous - which may have been the point. Pryors' scenes with fellow P.o.W. Vinnie (Ray Sharkey) are deeply affecting; the late Sharkey makes the most of his brief screen time. Ronny Cox lends strong support as the colonel who tries to help Eddie upon his return to America. Kidder is appealing and a couple of familiar character players - such as Paul Benjamin, Matt Clark, Anne Haney, Peter Jason, Caren Kaye, Sandy Ward, and the much too briefly utilized Tim Thomerson - can be seen in small roles.Ultimately, while one does want happiness and success for the Eddie character, the feel-good ending is not all that believable. The movie is decent, but it's not memorable in any way.Six out of 10.

After five years as a POW in Hanoi, Army Corporal Richard Pryor is rescued and returns to the States a hero (he makes the evening news after a journalist suggests he bend and kiss the ground). Still, heroes don't linger long in a busy world, and soon Pryor is fighting for his self-worth after the government turns their back on him and his wife admits she's moved on with her life. Serio-comic adaptation of James Kirkwood Jr.'s novel by Kirkwood and Robert Boris makes an uneasy vehicle for the star, who is encouraged to go deeper as an actor yet still retain his naughty persona and signature foul mouth. The character's imprisonment under the Vietcong takes up thirty minutes of screen-time (far too long), while the limply dramatic stuff with the unfaithful Mrs. chews up another ten. Pryor has some strong scenes here and there, but he's relying on externals to get him through. He allows himself to be vulnerable and loving, and this works up to a point, yet the feel-good ending is a cheat (larceny cures all!) and a romance with Beverly Hills hooker Margot Kidder (who appears to have no other clients) is rather unlikely. ** from ****

This is strictly for Pryor fans. Just because he was a great, funny guy doesn't mean this is more than a B-Movie. The script is awful, it just meanders around constantly ridiculing crime and prisoners of war. It balances between comedy and melodrama and keeps falling on its face doing justice to neither. First there are 30 minutes of rather unrealistic, uninspired Vietnam prisoner of war time – the guy is playing basketball at one point... How more can you pander to your audience?... That prison time is boring, unconvincing and already can easily put one to sleep. Back in the U.S. the guy for no real reason at all is considered a "war hero". Yet he is of course quickly forgotten by the public and seems to be stumbling into all kinds of wacky mishaps. Or are they really? We will soon find out. Yawn. There are annoying clichés: his sick mother, his little daughter he never meets, a high end whore falling in love with the hero etc. It is very odd how this movie constantly switches from tragedy to slapstick in one instant. Doesn't work at all. Overall this in fact is just a bad comedy and does a disservice to prisoners of war. Just because this guy was a great stand-up comedian, played in a few good movies and died of MS is no reason not to be annoyed by this silly, unconvincing, unfunny comedy. But if you like Richard Pryor you will probably be thrilled by him reading 3 hours of Dadaist poetry.

Richard Pryor is the reason to see this movie. He takes a somewhat ordinary story, of a soldier who returns home from a Vietnam POW camp, to a less than welcome home, and makes it a better movie. His trying to look tough and menacing, and acting it out in front of a mirror, is really good ("Freeze, sucka! Get DOWN!!"), and then having all his efforts totally evaporate at the bank! A welcome movie to see, I recommend it. 7/10