Arrow Video Double Review: Buckaroo Banzai and Cemetery Without Crosses

Arrow Video Double Review

The lovely people at Arrow Films sent me two of their latest Blu-ray releases (both are released on 20th July) to review. So, I decided to put together a double feature of sorts in order to showcase their great work. Here are my reviews of two underrated cult classics. One of them involves a heroic guitarist/neoursurgeon; the other, an ultraviolent Western, doesn't...

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai 

One of the defining cult films of the 1980s, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (that's actually the title) has inspired filmmakers such as Kevin Smith and Wes Anderson, along with its small but evangelical group of followers. Peter Weller plays the eponymous character, a half-Chinese renaissance man, top neurosurgeon, particle physicist, race car driver, rock star and saviour of the world. With his bandmates, The Hong Kong Cavaliers, he must fight against an evil alien race known as the Lectroids, lead by Christopher Lloyd's John Bigbooté (whether or not you find that funny should tell you if this movie's for you) and mad scientist Emilio Lizzardo, sporting a hysterically unconvincing Italian accent by John Lithgow. As Kevin Smith explains in a recent Q&A featured on this set, the appeal of Buckaroo Banzai lies in its creators' unwillingness to commit to anything remotely conventional. The story is nonsensical, the tone erratic and the special effects charmingly hokey, and its clear director W D Richter and writer Earl Mac Ruach couldn't care less. It's a misfit of a movie, and couldn't be prouder of it. This is a film that wears its simple intentions like a badge, whilst meeting those aspirations admirably. The cast are all game for the gleeful silliness, a young Jeff Goldblum lights up the screen as New Jersey, newbie Cavalier and talented neurosurgeon gifted some of the film's best lines. "Why is there a watermelon there", "I'll tell you later" is my personal favourite exchange (we never actually find out, much to the chagrin of the movie's devoted fans, of which I now count myself). Buckaroo Banzai was made for a highly specific audience, one with a deep affinity for sci-fi, samurai and only-half-knowing cheesiness. I happen to meet that criteria, and if you do too, say hello to your new favourite movie...

Five-Word Verdict: 100 minutes of pure joy

Score: 4/5

Extras: Besides Arrow's customary collector's booklet and exclusive artwork, this excellent set includes a commentary with Richter and Rauch, brand new interviews with Weller and Lithgow, a "making of" featurette, a Q&A, a visual essay by critic Matt Zoller Seitz, an alternate opening featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as Banzai's mother, deleted scenes, trailers and a still gallery

Cemetery Without Crosses

Directed, co-written by (with Dario Argento and Claude DeSailly) and starring French-Italian Robert Hossein, this 1969 spaghetti Western is dedicated to Sergio Leone and has the master's fingerprints all over it. Staggering wide shots, a stunning femme fatale and copious amounts of bloodshed; all it's missing is Leone's directorial verve. Not that Hossein is a poor filmmaker, but it was probably unwise to draw comparisons with one of film's greatest talents. Cemetery Without Crosses concerns the mysterious Manuel, who voes to avenge the death of his friend, employing the help of the widow (Michèle Mercier) in order to bring down the tyrannical Rogers family. It's a basic set-up, yet allows some truly effective emotional beats and an escalating sense of dread which barely relaxes for the bracing 90-minute running time. Hossein handles the obligatory shootouts with clarity and vision, executing a Leone-esque editing style, ensuring white-knuckle tension throughout. His lead performance, although a tad stilted, is underplayed in order to allow the more outlandish Rogers family to grip the audience in uncharacteristically layered villain roles. Although hardly engaging on an emotional level, Hossein's competent handling of the material and the stellar performances make this a remarkable addition to a saturated genre.

Five-Word Verdict: Good, Not Bad or Ugly

Score: 3.5/5

Extras: The typical Arrow treatment, along with a new interview with Hossein, a French news report on the making of the film, an archive Hossein interview and a trailer.