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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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5
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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During
the 1991 Gulf War a U.S. Army helicopter is accidentally
brought down by friendly fire. When an American
major (Fast Company's
William Smith) arrives at the crash site to investigate,
he and another soldier are shot and killed — by
one of the chopper's dead crewmen. You see, Sgt.
Sam Harper (David "Shark" Fralick) possesses
a dedication to duty that extends beyond the grave.
Being dead can't stop him from destroying the
enemy... his enemies, not necessarily those
of his country. In life he was a mean bastard,
cloaking his love of violence and control beneath
a veneer of patriotism. So it's with a sense of
relief, and not grief, that his wife and sister
learn that Sam's body has been recovered and brought
to their idyllic small town for burial. While
growing up, sister Sally (Leslie Neale) was sexually
accosted by him; spouse Louise (Anne Tremko) lived
in constant fear of physical abuse. The sordid
reality of Sam's true nature is unknown to his
11-year old nephew Jordy (Christopher Ogden),
an earnest lad who idolizes his Army hero uncle.
Not knowing the real story, he's resentful that
his mom and Aunt Louise don't show more remorse.
Sam's casket is brought to
his sister's house to await burial. (Doesn't this
town have a funeral home?) As various people come
to pay their respects, Jordy notes who among them
is insufficiently mournful or is flippant about
Sam's supposed love for flag and country. Jed
Crowley (Isaac Hayes), a disabled Korean War vet
who regrets filling Sam's head with exaggerated
tales of military glory when he was a kid, tries
to dissuade Jordy from growing up to be like his
dead uncle. That night, July 3rd, Sam awakens
for a personal search-and-destroy mission, killing
some teenage punks vandalizing a graveyard and
burning a flag. Procuring an Uncle Sam costume
worn by his next victim (a peeping tom using stilts
to spy on a naked gal through her second floor
window), the zombie soldier intends to make the
morrow's Independence Day celebration one his
hometown will never forget...
Even
with a lot of things going for it —
slick, surehanded direction, a solid cast, a script
by TV and film veteran Larry Cohen (Bone,
God Told Me To)
— Uncle Sam's
parts are far greater than the whole. Individual
set-pieces, such as the stilt chase and the sack
race, really stand out amid
the general ho-hummery of the story. Part zombie
film, part slasher, neither is emphasized over
the other to the ultimate dilution of both. As
director William Lustig freely admits in one of
the disc's commentaries (see below), the slow
pacing of the first 40 minutes proves detrimental.
It's commendable that a B-grade horror movie would
take the time to firmly establish its characters
but the majority of the audience for this kind
of fare isn't likely to be patient; they want
to get to the slicin' and dicin' in fairly short
order. This Lustig handles with skill and verve
when Sam finally does rise from his flag-draped
coffin to mete out 'patriotic justice'... it just
takes our villain nearly half the film to get
motivated. And speaking of motivation, just exactly
why Sam's corpse is reanimated is never
explained. There's no exposure to some classified
Army chemical weapon, no ancient medallion he
picked up in the Kuwaiti desert — nothin'.
We're just supposed to accept it and move along.
(Perhaps he was just too mean to die.) It's hinted
that Jody's strong emotional bond with Sam is
a factor in his supernatural resurrection, but
it's all purposefully vague and doesn't lend any
credibility.
Even
so, there are a lot worse slasher-type
films out there and Uncle
Sam is very well put together for what
it is. If patient, gorehounds have something to
look forward to in the second half (I found the
severed head sizzling in the barbeque grill the
most icky), while others
may find merit in Cohen's cynical, semi-satirical
skewering of those who wear their patriotism on
their sleeves.
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Since
director William Lustig is also the head honcho
of Blue Underground, Uncle
Sam is treated with a respect not usually
afforded low budget films. Yet this is nothing
really new for BU — regardless
of who directed the picture — as
the company continues to maintain its track record
of consistently fine DVD releases.
There's a bit of grain
here and there in the nighttime scenes but otherwise
this is a near-flawless widescreen transfer, sharp
and colorful. (Naturally it's anamorphically enhanced
for 16x9 screens.) Viewers can choose between
a newly mixed 5.1 Surround audio mix and the film's
original Dolby. 2.0 stereo track. Both are terrific,
with the edge going to the new mix if your sound
system is capable. Among the bonus features offered
are the tongue-in-cheek theatrical trailer, a
substantial image gallery of promotional and behind-the-scenes
photos, and a 10-minute featurette called Fire
Stunts, which showcases the pyrotechnic special
effects used in the explosive, fiery climax. Two
separate audio commentaries are included as well.
One from 1998, ported from the long out-of-print
Elite DVD, features Lustig and Isaac Hayes having
a jolly time discussing the film, while the second
(recorded for the BU release) teams Lustig with
writer Cohen and producer George G. Braunstein.
Understandably, some of the same ground is covered
in these tracks but the newer commentary goes
into even more detail about the film's concept
and production. It's obvious that Lustig &
Co. had a fun time making the movie, and while
they aren't reticent in pointing out its numerous
flaws, their enthusiasm for Uncle
Sam remains undampened.
7/04/04
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