Miguel Ferrer

  • The Night Flier (1997)

    The Night Flier (1997)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, March 2021) I recall just enough of the original Stephen King short story to report that adaptation The Night Flier feels reasonably faithful. The plot is expanded slightly, but the concept remains the same: A tabloid journalist investigating a series of gruesome murders realizes that the common link is a mysterious personal aircraft going from one small airport to another. His believe-nothing credo is sorely tested when he discovers a plane filled with dirt and blood, revealing the murderer to be a vampire. It all builds up to a nice confrontation in a tiny rural airport, and there’s a strong atmosphere at play, as the film plays with the notion of a free-flying vampire and deserted spots to gather victims. The other half of the film has to do with a cynical journalist (the always-interesting Miguel Ferrer) getting far more than what he bargained for in tracking down a lead to a bizarre story. The third act is on predictable rails, but The Night Flier itself represents a modest surprise. It’s more watchable than you’d expect (especially given the glut of mediocre King adaptations in the 1990s), and even its grand-guignol conclusion has its charm.

  • DeepStar Six (1989)

    DeepStar Six (1989)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, June 2020) There were at least three high-profile underwater action/SF films released in 1989, and while DeepStar Six is certainly not the worst of them, it has to settle for a distant second place after The Abyss, beating out Leviathan. Taking its cues from Alien, this film takes us to an underwater research station with eleven cannon fodder candidates, as they free a monstrous sea creature that seems to have a persona vendetta against all of them. Considering its medium budget, DeepStar Six does better than you’d expect in evoking an atmosphere of blue-collar workers stuck in a hostile environment: the sets are reasonably credible, and the film does feature plenty of underwater sequences. The monster is also decently handled by director-producer Sean S. Cunningham (of Friday the 13th fame) and some of the more horrific sequences are handled with a veteran director’s competence. It does sport an interesting cast if you’re into character actors and/or attractive actresses, with Nancy Everhard, Nia Peeples and the distinctive Miguel Ferrer as part of the ensemble cast. DeepStar Six would be far better remembered today if The Abyss hadn’t existed because the comparison only highlights just how limply DeepStar Six handles promising elements. This is, after all, a film with a prehistoric undersea monster, traitorous humans, hard-shell diving suits, underwater fights and nuclear weapons—it should be much, much better than it is. But it’s not—it’s merely watchable, perhaps even entertaining if you’re hankering for what it has to offer. But it will always be the also-ran.

  • The Caine Mutiny (1954)

    The Caine Mutiny (1954)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, October 2018) The history of mutinies in the US Navy is a very short one, making The Caine Mutiny an even more interesting depiction of sailors rebelling against their captain. Adapted from the Herman Wouk novel, this film steadily cranks up the pressure as crewmembers of the Cain grow increasingly concerned with the mental stability of their commanding officer. (He’s played by none other than Humphrey Bogart, in a somewhat atypical role as a weak and cowering character.) It culminates in mutiny … but the film has quite a bit longer to go before being over, and it’s that third act that proves perhaps the most interesting portion of the film. Because after the mutiny comes the reckoning, as our rebellious protagonists face martial court for their actions. That’s when a lawyer (ably played by Miguel Ferrer) takes care of the mutineers, long enough to get them a fair or suspended sentence but also to deliver a terrific post-judgment speech explaining in detail how much he loathes them for what they’ve done. The Caine Mutiny also manages a terrific overturning of familiar expectations by making a semi-villain (or at least a weakling) out of its novelist character. Fictional writers being written by real writers usually means that most writers in any kind of novel/movie are usually semi-virtuous canny observers. Not here, as Wouk avatar Fred MacMurray turns out to be a coward and pointed out as such. Such overturning of expectations makes the film as good as it is, pointing out that mutinies aren’t necessarily admirable or glorious even when there’s a reasonable doubt of their necessity. The Caine Mutiny is not a short film, but it does put us on the bridge during a very tense situation, and then plays out the consequences.

  • Robocop (1987)

    Robocop (1987)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (Second viewing, On DVD, March 2017) Contrarily to most of the movies I’m revisiting recently, I didn’t have very fond memories of Robocop. For the past twenty years or so, I’ve been remembering as an overly violent, implausible, mean-spirited piece of exploitation. Having grown older and given it another chance, however, I’m forced to be more positive upon second viewing. Oh, I still think it’s overly violent, implausible and mean-spirited (the last of which makes the first two characteristic feel even worse) but I can now appreciate that it has quite a bit more on its mind than the average action SF movie. Its preoccupation with industrial decay, man/machine relationships and corporate corruption still ring as relevant today (even more so than its recent remake), adding considerable depth to the film. It’s also, thanks to director Paul Verhoeven, a finely crafted piece of entertainment—fast, darkly funny, cleverly presented and relentless in achieving its vision. Some of the special effects are dodgy today (especially ED-209), although much of the practical stuff remains well done. Peter Weller is fine in the lead role, but special posthumous mention has to be made of Miguel Ferrer as an actor who aged exceptionally well—his character here is young and brash and detestable, but by the end of his career Ferrer had grown in his unusual features and could play a fearsome leader. It all adds up to a notionally respectable result, even though the cynicism of the film is still a bit too dark for my taste. With this second viewing, I update my appreciation of Robocop upwards and note that at a time when I’m happy when a revisited film holds up to my good memories, it’s rare that I like it even more twenty years later.