Hard to believe this one's coming up on thirty years old, holy crap, where does the time go? Oh yeah, watching movies! And this one is a long favorite about three pals growing up in Detroit, their escapades with a car they label "The War Wagon" and in particular, one night where crossing the bridge with a bunch of heroin in your spare tire just might not be a wise decision.
Binder's The Indian Summer, a movie he made before this but around the same era gets a lot more mention and accolades than this one, but this in my opinion is his masterpiece and certainly seems to be the one most associated with who he is as a person.
All three characters in the film have conflicts going on within their own personal lives and families but the War Wagon and their friendship keeps everything normal for them. Look for Richard Edson in one hell of a cameo as the drug dealer.
Pretty sweet early 70's soundtrack as well, the performances are all excellent especially Sedrick and Baldwin. A film I will never tire of recommending. 3.5 stars/5
Amid all the hubble bubble of last year's pandemic, election and protests, it may have been hard to notice we also lost a great actor who was gunned down in Atlanta, shot in the back multiple times by someone almost one-third his age. Very little is known about what happened or the cause of the altercation except that the two had some sort of argument or conflict inside a store hours earlier. The 30 yr old suspect was eventually arrested.
Funny as shit in Red Hook Summer, downright scary in Clockers, Byrd starred in a total of seven Spike Lee movies and was also a Tony-nominated Broadway vet. Tonight we pay tribute to his great work and while he may be gone, thanks to a little something we call cinema, we can pay him a visit in a lot of different ways. Vaya Con Dios, Mr Byrd!
