SunnyHello Nice effects though.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Wuchak Released in 1974 and directed by Terence Young, "The Klansman" is a melodrama with thrills starring Lee Marvin as a sheriff in a small town in northern Alabama trying to keep the lid on racial tensions after a black man rapes a white woman (Linda Evans). Richard Burton co-stars as Breck, an alcoholic who sympathizes with the black community while opposing the local Klan, which is made up of whites in prominent positions, like the unprofessional deputy (Cameron Mitchell) and the rotund mayor (David Huddleston). Lola Falana plays Breck's black spiritual daughter while OJ Simpson (in his first role) plays a vengeful man turning to radical measures to fight the racism. Italian beauty Luciana Paluzzi (from 1965's "Thunderball") is on hand as the Sheriff's assistant at the station, although her lines are dubbed by Joanna Moore.With such a noteworthy cast and a tried-and-true director (who impressively shot the first three Bond films) "The Klansman" should be superlative, but it's not. The plot is great (based on William Bradford Huie's novel), but the screenplay is horribly melodramatic, sometimes to the point of being laughable, like the dreadful (and thoroughly unbelievable) church sequence. The movie comes across as a late-night TV soap opera with edge. I'm assuming that most of the $5 million budget went toward cast & crew wages because the script needed a LOT of kinks worked out, which isn't helped by amateur editing that's often abrupt and awkward. Take, for instance, the fight at the bus station; it has to be seen to be believed. "The Klansman" is an obvious exploitation piece, as these type of films were the ones getting revenue during this low point in Hollywood after bloated-budget films sank a lot of the major studios.Lee Marvin is solid as the protagonist, easily carrying the movie, and Burton still has his charisma, but both were plagued by personal troubles at the time and allegedly drinking heavily. Richard was constantly fighting with Elizabeth Taylor during the shooting, reportedly over Burton's flirtations or affair with a young waitress or an older married woman. There were shouting matches and items flew through the air at their rented house, leading to the destruction of the interior. The crew stayed in a local motel where one full room was filled with cases of alcohol from floor to ceiling. While Marvin and Burton were professionals and always showed up on time the latter clearly slurred lines at times and had to be filmed in a reclining or sitting position to pull off his scenes. Burton was 48 during filming but easily looked a dozen years older.Despite all these negatives, "The Klansman" IS entertaining as a what-were-they-thinking period piece. Speaking of which, look for Evans' camel toe sequence at the bus station (I don't mean to be crude, but – like I said – what were they thinking). If you choose to watch this movie, whatever you do, DON'T expect "Mississippi Burning." The film runs 112 minutes (104 minutes cut) and was shot in Oroville, California, 75 miles north of Sacramento.GRADE: Borderline C-/D+ (3.5/10 Stars)

Leofwine_draca I sat down ready to enjoy THE KLANSMAN from looking at the cast list alone. Here was a racial drama featuring acting fave Lee Marvin as a hard-as-nails sheriff combating prejudice in a small Southern town; Richard Burton was on hand playing a crippled loner with Italian beauty Luciana Paluzzi on his arm; Cameron Mitchell was to pop up as a boo-nasty redneck and even clean-cut (at least in those days) O. J. Simpson was putting in an appearance as a vengeful killer. When you combine that cast with ex-Bond director Terence Young, what could go wrong?It was the script that did this film in. It's boring and predictable. The characters are all stereotypes and the film has absolutely nothing to say about the racial situation in America, other than playing out some predictable showdowns and encounters. The middle section is exceptionally slow, consisting of nothing more than characters chatting while the plot just dawdles along. There seems to be little skill or effort behind this low budget production, and it's fair to say that nobody is on top form, especially the drunken leading stars. There are, however, a few so-bad-it's-good moments, including the hilarious fist fight between Burton and Mitchell. One thing I did like was the epic shoot-out at the climax; although it's predictable, it's handled with some finesse, and it looks like this was where the money went. The print I saw was lousy, full frame and heavily censored. I might find and watch a proper version one day – that is, if I can be bothered

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** Things really start to heat up in Attoka County Alabama when a group of civil rights activists lead by former native Chicago's Loretta Sykes,Lola Falana,in attempting to get the blacks in town to register to vote in the upcoming election. The already explosive situation couldn't get any worse when local woman Nancy Poteet, Linda Evens, is attacked and raped in her car by an unknown and what looked like, in the dark, black masked assailant. With the local population up in arms and thirsting for blood it's up to the town sheriff former Klansman and now middle of the road, in getting the black vote, Track Bascomb, Lee Marvin, to keep the peace and prevent any more bloodshed. As things turn out local angry black man Garth, O.J Simpson,has other ideas and starts a one man war against the Klan polarizing the white and black population in town even farther.In all this violence there's Attoka's royal blooded, his family goes back eight generations, and only white liberal Breck Stancill, Richard Burton, who's really pushing the envelope in allowing local backs to live on his property rent free who's live in girlfriend just happens to be the just assaulted Nancy Poteet. With the voter march about to start Garth takes out, with a sniper rifle, one of the local Klansman that has the rest of the Klan in retaliation kidnap and rape Loretta making it look like a black, not Klansman, did it! Sheriff Bascomb in trying to keep the lid on all this violence and prevent it from blowing a major fuse is forced to confront the entire Klan, that he was once a member of, from burning the hated Stancill, in being against his liberal views, house down together with him and all the black homeless persons living there!****SPOILERS**** Flaming final with Sheriff Bascomb together with Stancill holding off scores of Klansman who are attacking Stancill's home or better yet bunker who's bulky Klan outfits and hoods covering their eyes make them easy targets. Despite doing everything possible to prevent it there's nothing that Sheriff Bascomb could do to keep the Klan on a leash or in line that by the end of the movie had almost the entire Attoka County up in flames with him as well as Stancill and dozens of residences, black and white, never living to see the light of the next day.P.S It was reported that both Lee Marvin and Richard Burton were so drunk during the filming of the movie that years later when they ran into each other at a party they couldn't remember being in it! In fact Richard Burton got so drunk while making the movie "The Klansman" that he was hospitalized for over a month so he can dry out and continue acting in it. Marvin seemed to be able to hold his booze or liquor far better then Burton who reportedly guzzled down as much as three bottles of vodka a day during filming. Burton was so smashed that in many scenes in the film like in the fight with Klansman Butt Cut Cates, Cameron Mitchell, was having great difficulty or even unable to stand on his feet and had to be filmed most of the time either laying in bed of sitting on a couch!

bkoganbing There is a lot of opinion out there that The Klansman belongs on the list of fifty worst films of all time. It's pretty bad, but I've seen far worse.Putting it in its proper context, The Klansman is set in the years right after the Voting Rights Act has been in force for a while. It's not lost on any of the people of this unnamed Alabama county that there is a black majority out there who if they start voting now, a lot of the power structure will be radically changed. It's the underpinning of the reason the Ku Klux Klan exists. That David Huddleston is also mayor of the town and Grand Exalted Cyclops of the local KKK chapter is a very typical Alabama story for generations.Lee Marvin is the local sheriff and as he conceives his duty it's also to protect the good name of the town and keep the peace. Bringing criminals to justice is second place in his thinking as you'll see by his actions. Richard Burton is a local landowner whose family has long been opposed to the ways of the area, his great grandfather in fact was a judge who was hung for opposing secession before the Civil War. He has a bunch of elderly blacks he keeps on as rent free tenants which has a certain element of the town worked up.Anyway both their efforts come to naught as there is one bloody showdown in the end.The Klansman falls back on a lot of stereotypes, racial and otherwise, in the film. It also has a very muddled message in the end, you'll wind up scratching your head as to what all of it really means.It also in my knowledge has the only rape scene in the history of film that you might wind up laughing at. Cameron Mitchell is Marvin's deputy and a loyal Klansman. At one point under cover of his badge he arrests Lola Falana and takes her to a warehouse where he rapes her with the rest of the white sheet boys standing around gawking. It's staged so stupidly you might actually wind up laughing. That and the fact that who could take Mitchell's character so seriously with a name like Butt Cutt Bates.Life did imitate art however. O.J. Simpson is in this and he's a black avenger after Klansmen capture and kill a friend of his. He goes around executing the hooded swine. But we well know what happened with O.J. in real life.Samuel Fuller pulled out of directing after changes in his script were made and Lee Marvin wanted to pull out, but couldn't because he'd signed a contract. Richard Burton was doing just about anything at this point, he just sort of saunters through the film with a very cheesy southern accent.Pass this one by folks, pass it by.