Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Woodyanders A group of people suffering from amnesia find themselves as slaves in a savage Old West town that's really a virtual reality program designed to test how ruthless they all are. To get ahead in Blood City, one has to kill others. However, willful and sarcastic new arrival Lewis (a fine and likable performance by Kier Dullea) refuses to adhere to the rules. Director Peter Sasdy, working from an offbeat and intriguing script by Michael Winder and Stephen Schneck, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, presents a chilling portrait of a harsh world where random violence and brutality reigns supreme, and stages the shoot-outs with real flair. The sound acting by the able cast keeps the picture buzzing: Jack Palance has a villainous ball as fearsome local lawman Freedlander, Samanthan Eggar likewise does well as sultry and manipulative scientist Katherine, plus there are sturdy contributions from Hollis McLaren as the sweet and fetching Martine, Barry Morse as the stern project supervisor, Chris Wiggins as the vile Gellor, Henry Ramer as amiable bodyguard Chumley, Allan Royal as the pragmatic Peter, and John Evans as nerdy technician Lyle. Moreover, the nifty premise predates "The Matrix" with its concept of a computer-generated alternate reality, there's a genuine weirdness to the film that makes it engrossing throughout, and the filmmakers leave a good deal of the plot for the viewers to figure out on their own (for example, we never find out who exactly is behind the virtual reality program). Roy Budd's strong dramatic score rates as another major asset. Worth a watch.

classicsoncall The opening of the story is a little disorienting, you have a city traffic scene and for a while, I was getting upset that the movie I was watching wasn't the one featured on the DVD sleeve. But then the opening credits offered the title I was expecting, so it was with an 'OK', this could be interesting, that the rest of the picture unfolded. Though nominally a Western, what you have here is an early sci-fi experiment in the concept of virtual reality with an 1880's back drop. The premise of 'Blood City' itself, the Project as it were, was to choose a leader for an elite corps of killers in the real world. By weeding out the losers, project designers attempted to identify someone who could lead a military unit to victory based on their ability to make rational decisions in stressful situations, as well as survive the ordeal. What surprises me is that the concept was tackled in film way back in 1977, thirty years ago, yet the timing only a couple short years after the end of the Vietnam War suggests that the search for ways of insuring victory in future conflicts was well under way.So much for theorizing. Except for the poor production values of the picture itself, I found the whole premise fairly fascinating. As the story progressed, the cut aways to the lab began to make more and more sense, particularly when Samantha Eggar's character began interjecting her own values into the game to affect the outcome. It would have been interesting to learn what became of the people who were 'killed' in Blood City, the story didn't take it that far. As for Lewis's (Keir Dullea) decision to return after being terminated, the film allows for a quandary. Apparently, subjects chosen at random for the experiment didn't have recourse for a return to their former life, even if they could remember it. Of course, we don't get to see what happens when the machines are turned off.One thing I was left wondering about was why the identity cards with the murder scores on the new arrivals was introduced in the first place. That idea didn't seem to have any bearing on the story that followed, even if it helped set up the plot. Was it the point to establish the remaining kills needed to achieve 'immortality'? If so, that idea was negated by the fact that new arrivals could attain immediate citizenship with their first kill. Anyone? I guess the reason I enjoyed the film as much as I did was because of it's way of asking more questions than it answers. Whenever I try to wrap my brain around the concept of virtual reality, a la "The Matrix" for example, it starts to make my head hurt. I don't even want to think about living there like Lewis.Hey, check this out - watch the scene where the camera cuts away from the dead Maxine for the last time - if you look real close, you'll see she opens her eye!

ivanproton The untouchable Jack Palance leads a pack of virtual reality cowboys in this shameless high-concept ripoff of Yul Brynner's WESTWORLD. Several amnesiacs awaken in a dusty old west town, where they are immediately forced into slavery. Their only hope of social advancement is to murder other denizens of Blood City, gaining all-important street cred and working their way up to a face-off with the schizophrenic sheriff, valiantly played to the straight-faced hilt by Palance. The prematurely revealed would-be `twist' is that all the amnesiacs are actually in suspended animation, merely passing a computerized aptitude test in the technologically manufactured west, uh.world. And if you've rented BLOOD CITY in search of blood, there's not a drop to be seen. This constantly deflating film co-stars sci-fi veterans Keir (2001) Dullea and Barry (SPACE:1999) Morse, and was also released as WELCOME TO BLOOD CITY.

gridoon A film with aspirations higher than its abilities. The vaguely interesting central idea is played out in a muddled script, and the whole production looks schlocky and amateurish. Dullea is a bland hero, Palance his usual eccentric self, Eggar gives a good performance....but what are these actors doing in such a cut-rate film anyway??? By the way, the videocassette version is very poorly framed, and the Panavision cinematography suffers BADLY. (*1/2)