B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - THE DEATH OF RITCHIE (TV 1977)

Looks like a lot of fun to me, I don't know. Seriously and for those that don't know, The Death Of Ritchie is one of the most iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade. I was roughly 15 when it aired and i can tell you that both Robby Benson and teens taking drugs were very hot topics at the time. The film is based on a true story where a father who couldn't control his teen's behavior from drug abuse was forced to take the law into his own hands. The father here is good ole Ben Gazzara and he is at his Gazzara best with a ferocious intensity, his scenes with Benson as father and son a perfect chemistry. At the time more emphasis was on Benson as a model but his performance here is really amazing. Streams free on Tubi, Freevee, Roku and Plex, if this was being rated on the standard scale I would give it five stars, 'nuff said. 2.75 stars/2.75

Monday, July 29, 2024

IT'S CO-PILOT JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT AGAINST THE TERRORISTS IN FLIGHT AS HE CALLS IN A "7500" (2019)

 
Amazon Studios? Seriously? Ok, don't get me started on that stuff, let's talk about this "Amazon Original" (oh, boy!) starring the ever-versatile Joseph Gordon Levitt as a co-pilot who shortly after take-off has his cockpit stormed by hijackers. His pilot is comatose but he's also got one of theirs, man down! 

This starts a nice cat-n-mouse game as the other hijackers still in the cabin try to get Levitt to open the security door by threatening to kill passengers, etc. It's actually very predictable at every turn but the good news is they stick to the action and suspense. It's very engaging and well-produced. 

Levitt, not surprising, is excellent, he's better than this role. However, as an airliner thriller and we do love those, it's pretty darn good. Not as good as last year's Plane but close. Levitt makes the difference as best as he can. 

Now this is what I love about the whole Amazon Studios crap. I first checked this out in 2019 when it was only available with Prime. Now it's on Tubi, Pluto or Freevee, take your pick. Thumbs up!

3.0 stars/5

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