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;sKJ. t'IAssault on Paradise”: (PG), with Oliver Reed,Stuart Whitman and Deborah Raffin, directed by Rich-i| ard Compton, at seven Valley theaters and drive-ins.***' ' ’■1 ■ - • -’I* '/■i By MIKE PETRYNI• *• Assault on Paradise” is a shade better than the: bsiial low budget ear-and-spar movie. But then that's• like being the oily skim on the surface of a swamp.Oh, it’s calculated to make money, like most exploi-■ tation movies these days, because executive producerPatrick Ferrell, a Paradise Vfclfey resident, has kept its budget low at $1.5 million while still presenting fairly notable stars in Oliver Heed, Stuart Whitman, Deborah Raffin and Jim Mitehum, having a young competent director in Richard Compton (who also made “Macon County Line”) and in displaying some excellent location photography, all filmed here in the Valley, by Charles Cornell.The story even has cute gimmickry to it. It’s about a former swimmer (Paul Koslo) who misses the Olympic trials and goes berserk by dressing as an Indian and attacking the rich people of a southwestern resort community with a crossbow. When his “assault” gets to Stuart Whitman, the town’s richest man, Oliver Reed, as a sort of hired gun, comes onto the scene and the whole thing Jurns into motorcycle, car and helicopter chases.All that would be fine as summer insipidity goes if it were not for the fact that the drivel of a script by James. Broderick and Ron Silkosky totally lacks suspense, presents no engaging characterizations and little enough sense to shake a stick at. As it is, it herks and jerks its way from one chase to another with no sense of danger'while its stiek-figure characters sort of amble their way to resolution. When Reed decides to twist the plot against Whitman it is in such a contrived, predictable manner it’s laughable when it .should be surprising.■ The only pleasing eharacter-Jim Mitchum’s as a“ has a role so Seated he’s been he movie before anyone can figure out Jgrtiy he's there at albSi'ThMrouble with the makers of these low-budget ^.jmovie^ as they avidly eaieulate their moneymaking, they don’t notice the obvious; they should be ^Jgdang a good look at something like “Rocky,” which ^despite its-low $956,000 budget took the care to affectinstead of dwelling-on “Gone in -60
Newspaper Details
Phoenix Arizona Republic
Phoenix, Arizona, US
Thu, May 05, 1977
Page 94
Full Page
Clipped by
Rotten T.
USA 23 Sep 2020
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