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Released by: Kino Lorber
Released on: November 24th, 2015.
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Lee Marvin, Gary Grimes, Ron Howard, Charlie Martin Smith
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
Directed by the late, great Richard Fleischer in 1974, definitely the twilight years of the American western film, The Spikes Gang begins when three boys - Will (Gary Grimes), Les (Ron Howard) and Tod (Charles Martin Smith) - find an injured cowboy named Harry Spikes (Lee Marvin). They haul him back to a barn and help him to recover from his injuries and then, when the local sheriff comes snooping around, they cover for him. While he's with the, Harry tells the boys stories of his various misadventures as an outlaw, they are seemingly entranced by him. When he's well enough to do so, Harry splits and goes back about his business.
Sometime later, the boys decide they've had enough of the farm life and, unhappy with the way that they've been treated by their parents, they decide to run away from home. Full of bravado and the confidence of youth, they decide to try to rob a bank but, not surprisingly, that plan doesn't work out so well for them and making matters worse, a Senator is killed in the ensuing fracas. This lands the law on their collective tail, which sees the boys head south to Mexico where, through no small miracle of fate, they come across none other than Harry Spikes, who seems only too happy to teach the boys the tricks of his outlaw trade. When their education is complete, the head back across the border and once again plan for a bank robbery, but there are lessons to be learned here for all involved.
An interesting story (adapted from Giles Tippette's novel The Bank Robber) that tackles the generation gap in the sense that clearly Spikes is much older than the three boys, The Spikes Gang is a well written mix of character development, drama, occasional humor and solid western action. Shot in Spain doubling for Texas/Mexico, the movie also looks great. The cinematography does an excellent job of capturing the scenery and giving the movie enough of an epic feel that it's easy to get caught up in the visuals. It also allows for great use of color and some impressive compositions courtesy of cinematographer Brian West. The score from Fred Karlin is also pretty good, doing a good job of heightening the adventure but also adding some nice accents to the more dramatic moments, particularly towards the end of the film.
Performances are also very strong. Gary Grimes, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith are very believable here, giving each of the three boys enough of their own personality to make them easy to differentiate. It'll come as a surprise to no one, however, that Lee Marvin steals the show here. This is the type of role he was perfect for - a tough guy (but not without his charm), worn out by the world but still full of piss and vinegar. No spring chicken when he made this picture Marvin carries himself in that big way that he was known to do and his screen presence adds a lot to both the character he plays and the film in general.
Video/Audio/Extras:
If this 1.85.1 widescreen transfer, presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition, isn't perfect, it's definitely very good. Some of the darker scenes look just a little bit noisy and there are a couple of spots where you might wish a bit more cleanup work had been done. The good news? Detail is typically very strong, not just in close up shots but medium and long distance shots as well. Those sweeping shots that take place outside are a good example, you can really notice the detail here. Colors also typically look great and black levels are generally nice and strong here too. This transfer feels true to source, in that the grain inherent in the image has been left intact and there is no evidence of any filtering or noise reduction issues. Reference quality? No, but still very good and generally speaking a pretty strong presentation.
The English language DTS-HD 2.0 Mono track on the disc is decent enough. Though it is obviously and understandably limited in range there are no problems with the clarity of the track. Dialogue is crisp, clean and clear and there are no problems with any hiss or distortion. Optional English subtitles are provided.
Extras include a trailer for the feature, trailers for Mr. Majestyk and Prime Cut, static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
The Spikes Gang should be a better known film than it is, and not just because Lee Marvin is at the top of his game here but because the rest of the cast do great work too. The cinematography is top notch and the story itself hits the right balance between character drama and western action. The Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber is light on extras but it does look and sound quite good. Western movie aficionados and Lee Marvin fans alike can consider this one recommended.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
