Thou Shalt Not Kill...Except (1985)
Studio: Synapse
Theatrical Release: October 13, 1985
Blu Ray Release: April 10, 2012
Director: Josh Becker
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Long out of print, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except has been a film I have been waiting anxiously to be re-released on DVD and/or blu ray. The great folks at Synapse do even better by releasing a DVD/blu ray package, chock full of extra features. I am thrilled to finally see this low budget, gory action film after all these years and while parts of the film seem much more hokey and silly than what I remembered, the movie still holds up and is a ton of fun to watch.
Shot in super 16, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except was the brain child of Josh Becker, Scott Spiegel and Bruce Campbell who came up with the idea of Marines vs. the Manson Family while they were wrapping up on The Evil Dead. After directing several shorts (most of which starred Campbell, Spiegel, and Sam & Ted Raimi) Becker decided to take on his Vietnam movie idea and turn it into a short film starring Campbell. The film was Stryker’s War which was an ambitious short that was used to get funding for an actual feature length film which eventually was turned into Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except.
Thou is all about Sgt. Stryker, a tough Marine in Vietnam whose platoon is ambushed one day by the Cong. Shot in the leg, he is rescued by the surviving members of his platoon and brought to safety. When Stryker returns home to his smallMichigan town, he has become a drunk who now must walk with a cane due to his injury. During this time, a group of crazed hippies (lead by Sam Raimi in a hilarious and over the top performance) have been breaking into homes and killing residents, writing bizarre statements on walls in blood. When Stryker is visited by some of his platoon buddies and they decide to go out, they find out that in the woods nearby Stryker's home, a bunch of people are being held hostage by this group of hippies. And for the rest of the movie, its just Marines vs. hippies in an action-packed blood bath.
While the film is poorly acted and extremely cheap looking (it’s obvious that the setting is in someone’s backyard) the fact that the film tries to be different with not just in its killings and but also in its direction and tone. While silly, the film does take itself seriously and doesn’t try to ham it up for the viewers. What I liked is the fact that Becker and company try their hardest to make a decent action film filled with plenty of death scenes that one normally wouldn’t see in other action films. Villains are hung up on trees, slashed apart by swords, eyeballs popped out by scissors, crushed by bear hugs, and blown apart by shotguns. While the violence is cartoonish, it isn’t played for laughs and that is what makes Thou Shalt Not Kill...Except so much more entertaining. Its heart is in the right place and tries hard to be a decent film, despite its limitations.
Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except is never going to look great in HD no matter what you do to it. Because of it being shot on 16 mm, the film will always have a fair amount of grain and even some soft spots. However, this blu ray is miles better than the old DVD so the upgrade is definitely appreciated. The sound is fine and dialog can be heard without any issues. Synapse does go out of its way to bring the fans of the film a ton of special features. There is a brand new making of featurette which is very interesting, starting with its concept to the release of the film. There is the original opening of the film which was called Stryker’s War (I actually like the more exploitative title of Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except) a quick interview with Bruce Campbell and what I feel is the best special feature; the original short film Stryker’s War. I was really impressed by this 42 minute short and how well it was made. For young film makers just starting out, this little special feature is worth taking a look at. It shows how one can make a short version of the film that the director wants turned into a feature film. In fact, Stryker’s War almost plays better as a short film because it doesn’t need to drag out a lot of the characterization and plot points that are in the feature. The short does seem to move faster (well, the opening does seem to drag on a bit too long) and is edited a bit tighter. Well worth a look.
If one can get past the cheap sets and bad acting, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except is a ton of fun and I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Theatrical Release: October 13, 1985
Blu Ray Release: April 10, 2012
Director: Josh Becker
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Long out of print, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except has been a film I have been waiting anxiously to be re-released on DVD and/or blu ray. The great folks at Synapse do even better by releasing a DVD/blu ray package, chock full of extra features. I am thrilled to finally see this low budget, gory action film after all these years and while parts of the film seem much more hokey and silly than what I remembered, the movie still holds up and is a ton of fun to watch.
Shot in super 16, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except was the brain child of Josh Becker, Scott Spiegel and Bruce Campbell who came up with the idea of Marines vs. the Manson Family while they were wrapping up on The Evil Dead. After directing several shorts (most of which starred Campbell, Spiegel, and Sam & Ted Raimi) Becker decided to take on his Vietnam movie idea and turn it into a short film starring Campbell. The film was Stryker’s War which was an ambitious short that was used to get funding for an actual feature length film which eventually was turned into Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except.
Thou is all about Sgt. Stryker, a tough Marine in Vietnam whose platoon is ambushed one day by the Cong. Shot in the leg, he is rescued by the surviving members of his platoon and brought to safety. When Stryker returns home to his smallMichigan town, he has become a drunk who now must walk with a cane due to his injury. During this time, a group of crazed hippies (lead by Sam Raimi in a hilarious and over the top performance) have been breaking into homes and killing residents, writing bizarre statements on walls in blood. When Stryker is visited by some of his platoon buddies and they decide to go out, they find out that in the woods nearby Stryker's home, a bunch of people are being held hostage by this group of hippies. And for the rest of the movie, its just Marines vs. hippies in an action-packed blood bath.
While the film is poorly acted and extremely cheap looking (it’s obvious that the setting is in someone’s backyard) the fact that the film tries to be different with not just in its killings and but also in its direction and tone. While silly, the film does take itself seriously and doesn’t try to ham it up for the viewers. What I liked is the fact that Becker and company try their hardest to make a decent action film filled with plenty of death scenes that one normally wouldn’t see in other action films. Villains are hung up on trees, slashed apart by swords, eyeballs popped out by scissors, crushed by bear hugs, and blown apart by shotguns. While the violence is cartoonish, it isn’t played for laughs and that is what makes Thou Shalt Not Kill...Except so much more entertaining. Its heart is in the right place and tries hard to be a decent film, despite its limitations.
Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except is never going to look great in HD no matter what you do to it. Because of it being shot on 16 mm, the film will always have a fair amount of grain and even some soft spots. However, this blu ray is miles better than the old DVD so the upgrade is definitely appreciated. The sound is fine and dialog can be heard without any issues. Synapse does go out of its way to bring the fans of the film a ton of special features. There is a brand new making of featurette which is very interesting, starting with its concept to the release of the film. There is the original opening of the film which was called Stryker’s War (I actually like the more exploitative title of Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except) a quick interview with Bruce Campbell and what I feel is the best special feature; the original short film Stryker’s War. I was really impressed by this 42 minute short and how well it was made. For young film makers just starting out, this little special feature is worth taking a look at. It shows how one can make a short version of the film that the director wants turned into a feature film. In fact, Stryker’s War almost plays better as a short film because it doesn’t need to drag out a lot of the characterization and plot points that are in the feature. The short does seem to move faster (well, the opening does seem to drag on a bit too long) and is edited a bit tighter. Well worth a look.
If one can get past the cheap sets and bad acting, Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except is a ton of fun and I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.
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