"The Octagon"
(1980)
Director: Eric Karson
DOP: Michel Hugo
Terrible acting. Terrible dialogue. Serviceable cinematography. Loved every minute of it. Love Lee Van Cleef. I was extremely entertained. What is it about 35mm that makes a sub par film a higher quality than even most digitally shot films? Watching this film brought back a flood of memories from early childhood. This must be one of the earliest films I saw - maybe around 4 years old - likely on tv or VHS after renting a VCR, which we never owned until the early 90s. I remembered the echoed internal monologue spoken by Chuck Norris. I remember the trap door. I remember the unique actor's faces - a staple of cinema from the 70s-90s before every actor became a well-coifed model. I remember the ninjas. It was that era where ninjas were all the rage (Enter the Ninja anyone?). Ninjas were scary and cool at the same time. I think this is one of the first films that made an impression on me that the world is more formidable and dangerous than my young mind could comprehend. It brought along the first pings that I would have to become an adult one day and deal with heavy stuff. And possibly ninjas. Thanks Chuck.
