CommentsXp
Best movie ever!
Aiden Melton
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Lachlan Coulson
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW)
Mountain justice is usually the way to keep what belongs to you. A father and son go home to be at a farm in the mountains of Oklahoma to help out family there. But along the way, he would encounter greedy land developers who to deprive the people there of their homes. They would kill his brother and his wife when a celebrate the homecoming. The development crew with their machines cruelly destroy homes, blast rocks, and send the kind hard-working people out from their native land. Kind of like the Native Americans removed from their land out west in the 1800's.
Peter Fonda's character doesn't play around when they attacked his family. This movie is like "Deliverance" meets "Gator Bait" meets "Death Wish". This movie has got a lot of action. It's not a let down.
4 out of 5 stars.
edwagreen
Just like the westerns of the olden days, we see unscrupulous land developers desperately trying to squeeze out the owners of land in Arkansas so that they can develop.There is a tendency for a lot of violence to develop in these films, especially when the action takes place down south. This film falls right into line.It would have been better to see the court proceedings instead of statements just being read out loud. By the picture's end, the bodies are really starting to pile up in an area that seems to thrive on violence, especially when the people are pushed. That's not to say that the developers weren't exactly lovers of peace either.Peter Fonda does an adequate job of the son who returns home with his young son and soon is caught up in this mayhem.
Jonathon Dabell
It would be easy to dismiss Fighting Mad as exploitation fodder, but there's something just a little too slick about the direction for such a dismissive description to be apt. Jonathan Demme is the man behind the camera, and although he is not a director to shy away from violence (he did, after all, go on to make The Silence Of The Lambs) he does not favour exploitative excesses. So, even though the plot resembles various other vigilante movies - Straw Dogs, Death Wish and Billy Jack especially - Fighting Mad at least makes some attempt to rationalise its on-screen mayhem. There is a reasonably well-made revenge melodrama lurking here, with character who make sense and a narrative that follows an earnest, if simple, story to its logical conclusion.Tom Hunter (Peter Fonda) returns, with his son from an unsuccessful marriage in tow, to the rural Arkansas farmland where most of his family still live. He soon discovers that things are not well at the old home - his father Jeff (John Doucette) and many of the neighbouring farmers are under threat from a mining corporation that wants to acquire their land. Having refused to accept the financial offer made by unscrupulous business bigwig Pierce Crabtree (Philip Carey), Jeff and his family find themselves at the mercy of hired goons who have instructions to intimidate them into submission. Tom is not a man of violence, so he tries to get the local police to deal with the problem through the proper channels. But the sheriff, Len Skerritt (Harry Northup), proves so ineffectual that Tom quickly realises that a tougher approach is needed. Following the death of his brother, sister-in-law and father, Tom finally snaps. Armed with a bow and arrow he single-handedly takes on the bad guys. Like the tagline says: when you push too far, even a peaceful man gets fighting mad!Fonda spent much of the 70s churning out exploitation movies (Dirty Marry Crazy Larry, Open Season, Race With The Devil to name a few) and this is probably the best example of his output at that time. That's not to say this is a particularly good movie; just that it rises above the usual standard of pictures of this ilk. Demme's script builds believable relationships among the characters, especially Tom and his father, and manipulates us into despising the bad guys so that it feels right to cheer the hero on as he strikes back against his enemies in the film's violent climax. It is a lean and fast-paced story, not burdened with any needless extras. The actors give OK performances by genre standards - Fonda registers well as the bespectacled hero; Lynn Lowry is believable as his girlfriend; John Doucette has good moments as the fatally proud father; there's even a brief role for Scott Glenn as Tom's brother (years before he would find genuine stardom). Add to that the evocative score by Bruce Langhorne, and it's plain that Fighting Mad has enough positives to be worth a look. The real audience for these sort of movies is the Friday night beer-and-pizza brigade - on its simple blood-and-thunder level this film gives its target audience exactly what they're looking for.
Woodyanders
An evil corporation tries to pressure a bunch of Arkansas farmers and ranchers to sell their land so they can strip-mine it for coal. The fiercely proud and stubborn Hunter family refuse to give in. This leads to a bitter conflict that results in several casualties. Eventually the take-charge no-nonsense Tom Hunter (superbly played by Peter Fonda) exacts a harsh revenge on the villains with the help of his bow and arrow. Capably directed by Jonathan Demme (who also wrote the smart, compact script), with sharp, picturesque cinematography by Michael W. Watkins, a strong and deliciously vivid evocation of the rural south, a wealth of pleasingly quirky incidental details, a flavorsome country score by Bruce Langhorne, likable well-drawn characters, a constant quick pace, and plenty of exciting action, this bang-up little picture really hits the spot. The stellar cast helps matters a whole lot: the ever-lovely Lynn Lowry as Tom's concerned girlfriend Lorene, John Doucette as Tom's feisty, amiable dad Jeff, Philip Carey as slimy mining company tycoon Pierce Crabtree, Scott Glenn as Tom's rugged brother Charlie, Harry Northup as the ineffectual Sheriff Len Skerritt, and Noble Willingham as the crooked Senator Hingle. The lean and lanky Fonda makes for a totally credible and engaging action lead. The climax with Fonda singlehandedly taking on the bad guys is extremely tense and thrilling. A really solid and satisfying unsung sleeper.
