Vance Davis Movies
- 1990
The TV-movie thriller Face of Fear is a real cliffhanger--or rather, skyscraper-hanger. Lee Horsely plays a psychic mountaineer who's been afraid of heights ever since stumbling off Mt. Everest. Pam Dawber costars as Horsely's patient fiancee. Less patient is neo-Nazi leader Kevin Conroy, who for reasons dictated by the plot chases Horsely and Dawber around and up a 40-story building. The climax finds hero and heroine dangling by their fingertips, and Conroy all prepared to do a little prying loose. The only people watching Face of Fear upon its September 30, 1990 airing were those who'd had their fill of David Lynch's Twin Peaks--which was resolving a cliffhanger of its own for its second-season opener on a rival network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Horsley
- 1979
In the latest in a long line of outlandish get-rich-quick schemes, Angel (Stuart Margolin) poses as a hit man named "Mr. Jones" and accepts a $10,000 contract. Of course, Angel has no intention of killing anyone, and every intention of absconding with the money. But things quickly go sour when Angel's would-be victim is apparently murdered by someone else. Once again forced to extricate Angel from the mess he's gotten himself into, Jim (James Garner) discovers that both the US Navy and the Russian KGB have taken a special interest in the murder--and while he's trying to figure out why, Jim must also solve the mystery of his dad's stolen blue jeans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
- Add Walking Tall: The Final Chapter to QueueAdd Walking Tall: The Final Chapter to top of Queue
Rated R for violence, this is another of the promises broken to us by the movie industry. When they promise that we won't have to see something again, why can't they make it happen? Although this, like the Jason movies (Friday the 13th ad nauseam), is followed by a made for TV movie and a series, they really have to be prequels to this "final chapter," as dictated by the fiery conclusion of the movie. The story of a sheriff who just isn't going to take it anymore, it is based on a true story but, as with all Hollywood fare, made larger than life. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bo Svenson, Maggie Blye, (more)
John Wayne plays a lawman who has to deal with the problems of fatherhood in a big way in Cahill: United States Marshall. Wayne is J.D. Cahill, whose singular desire to track down law breakers strains his relationship with his two teenage sons --17-year-old Danny (Gary Grimes) and 12-year-old Billy Joe (Clay O'Brien). The film begins as Cahill is hot on the trail of a gang of outlaws. After the big showdown, he returns to town to discover that the local bank has been robbed. The sheriff and the deputy have been killed, and four bank robbers are imprisoned in the jail. He is stunned when he finds out that one of the robbers in jail is Cahill's son Danny. It seems that during Cahill's absence from home, his two sons have been enticed into a criminal life by nefarious outlaw Abe Fraser (George Kennedy). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Gary Grimes, (more)
- 1971
- R
John Herbert's stage play Fortune and Men's Eyes first enjoyed a sensational run on Broadway with Sal Minneo in the lead and was originally a fairly tame drama which used prison homosexual activity as a framework around which to base a plea for prison reform. In this screen adaptation, Mineo's role as Smitty, the unfortunate naif sent to prison on a drug charge who becomes a brutal prison leader, is played by Wendell Burton. Basically, this is an earnest prison drama with some small amusement provided by its treatment of prison homosexuality. Michael Greer offers a noteworthy performance as the extremely flamboyant and effeminate "Queenie." While this film has strong language and some nudity, sexual situations are handled discreetly enough for the film to have merited an "R" rating at the time of its release. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
