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 As you might guess from the video box, "Uncle Sam" is about an undead person killing anyone who is un-American. This is a good premise, but unfortunately a number of plot holes and some humdrum directing conspire against this movie. They never explain how the title character has come back from the dead, nor do they explain how fireworks can cripple a child and endow him with extrasensory perception. Maybe someone shot him in the head and legs with a Roman Candle? Whatever the cause, a flashback with a freaky firework accident would have been a nice touch. Also, the acting leaves much to be desired, and the kid who plays a gung-ho, red-blooded American (and budding psychopath) is an irritating choice for a protagonist. It undoubtedly would have been much funnier and gorier if Cohen directed it himself (he has directed some decent horror movies such as "Q" and "It's Alive!"). Even so, "Uncle Sam" has a few good points. Some of the subversive wit from Larry Cohen's screenplay is pretty good, and there are a few inventive murders such as Uncle Sam hanging an obnoxious teenager on a flagpole and later blowing up Robert Forster with fireworks! In addition to Forster, the cast also includes Issac Hayes (not a great actor but charismatic nonetheless) and P.J. Soles (she also appears in "Carrie" and "Halloween"). Although these actors are all misused, it's still interesting to see them all in a horror movie again. The bottom line: Not a great movie, but may be worth viewing if you're a Larry Cohen fan and don't mind B-movie cheesiness. |
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QUARTER BY QUARTER ANALYSIS OF MOVIE
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OVERALL RATING
** NOTE: The more dots, the better the movie. A dozen dots is as good as they get, while one or no dots accounts for what can euphemistically be labeled "bottom-of-the-barrel entertainment." ** |
    
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The Worm-Hole Reviews are written by Matt Barnes.