eat my brains header graphic
RSS  l  Facebook  l  Twitter  l  About Us  l  Contact Us  l  Link to Us    
    Home    News    Reviews    Features    Top Ten    Zombie Club    Competitions    Links        
latest reviews Back | Next   

The Human Factor

Director
Edward Dmytryk

Cast
George Kennedy
John Mills
Raf Vallone
Barry Sullivan
Rita Tushingham
Shane Rimmer
Thomas Hunter
Frank Avianca
Haydée Politoff
Arthur Franz
Fiamma Verges
Danny Houston
Richard Harrison
Hillary Lief
Michael Mandeville

Rating



Runtime
95mins

Genre
Revenge Drama

Available From

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Click on the icons above to purchase this title and support Eat My Brains!


The Human Factor (1975)

14th Nov 06





Plot
Terrorists kill Nato man Kennedy's family in Naples. Nato man Kennedy goes out for blood in Naples. Terrorists die. In Naples.

Review
Remember that line in Get Carter, ”You’re a big man but you’re in bad shape…”? The same can be said for screen legend George Kennedy in Edward Dmytryk’s clunky 1975 revenge drama, The Human Factor, a film which places gravitas on the emotional effects of losing loved ones. Kennedy is a big man. Very big. And from what we can see here, he looks like he’s in need of medical attention when pursuing the terrorists who slaughtered his family in cold blood.

A NATO computer expert living in Naples, Kennedy’s John Kinsdale is a peaceful man who minds his own business, loves his family, but perhaps doesn’t go to the gym as much as he ought to. His life is thrown into turmoil when a terrorist group pick out his family at random (their being American is enough to warrant targeting), break into their home under false pretences, massacring each and every one of them. Kinsdale, a broken man, throws himself back into work against the advice of his colleagues, especially his friend Mike (John Mills), but it’s not the job that keeps him there, more the information that he gleans from some kind of fantasically dated 70’s style super computer. With Mike’s help, he manages to locate and ritualistically hunt down the killers while thwarting another attack on an unsuspecting American family (though they don’t seem to appreciate his help). Various bloody incidents ensue and local police attempt to persuade Kinsdale to help them in their enquiries, but he wants to settle this his own way, and in doing so dispenses his own brand of justice in a final battle with his family’s killers when they attempt to take hostages in an American supermarket.

This is a pretty straightforward revenge story. Perhaps that’s why I liked it so much when I was a kid: bad guys kill Kennedy’s family, Kennedy tracks them down while saving other families from butchery, Kennedy kills the lot of them. There is some material that Dmytryk might’ve been wise to omit, such as the confusing computer sequences with tiny, unreadable green characters on the monitor (you have to take these guys at their word that they understand what this all means), but this is mostly a well-handled affair, ripe for a very welcome DVD release after all these years. I’ve had to make do with a big-box video I won on eBay for a while, but thanks to the guys at Dark Sky Films, we can now see it as intended and with the added bonus of a great George Kennedy interview called (get this) The Kennedy Factor. I’ll bet you that came at a price. Of course, he’s getting on a bit by the time of this interview but he remains loveably large, lucid and insightful. Hey, was George Kennedy ever young? This man is a legend; quality always shines and when you’re chunky George Kennedy, that’s just part of the deal – from playing ladies’ man and general aeronautic expert Joe Patroni in Jennings Lang’s Airport series, to Mr Doctor Graves in the so-silly-it’s-gotta-be-good Wacko (”Just mowing the lawn, dear!”), George simply doesn’t know how to turn in a bad performance. Here, he’s fuelled by hell bent, single minded, purposeful revenge – it’s all consuming, eating him up inside, and we see this written all over his face as he brutally bashes one of the killers to death with a huge chain.

Although the movie seems fairly well handled from a directorial point of view, it doesn’t feel like it’s being driven by someone with Edward (The Caine Mutiny) Dmytryk’s reputation. This makes some kind of sense given that it was one of the last movies he completed during a very difficult stage in his life as a result of testifying against Hollywood leftists for the House Un-American Activities Committee (he, himself a Communist, had previously been imprisoned for refusing to co-operate with the HUAC, only to change his mind later).

History lessons aside, The Human Factor is interesting in that once justice has been dealt, you get the impression that no-one will be better off; there’s no real solution to the world’s problems but in Kindsdale’s mind there is a job to be done, and he’ll see it through even if it does mean getting a little out of breath. He certainly doesn’t appear to be a complex character – he’s quite two-dimensional – but this simplicity works in an acceptable format of a gritty 70’s revenge movie, complete with a strong score by the legendary genius Ennio Morricone. What more do you need?

Posted by
Zomblee



Return to Reviews Index

comments powered by Disqus
Predators

13th Aug 10
Plural, as in 'more than one', and no aliens in sight.
Predators
Anchor Bay's Phantasm Box Set
30th Oct 05
The ball and the tall man finally make it to DVD, and we've got the full scoop.
Anchor Bay's <b>Phantasm Box Set</b>
Night of the Demon

12th Oct 04
How many movies do you know that have a scene where a motorcyclist gets his penis ripped off while taking a piss, by a yeti…
Night of the Demon
latest news
Review - You're Next
17th Feb 14

Review - World War Z
27th Sep 13

Review - Remains
26th Sep 13

Review - From Beyond
1st Sep 13

Feature - Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
16th Jul 13

Review - Knightriders
6th Jun 13
More...
latest Zombie Clubs
You're Next

17th Feb 14
I'm next? Shit, I'm outta here.

World War Z

27th Sep 13
The most expensive zombie movie ever isn't actually that bad.

Remains

26th Sep 13
Zombies attack a casino in Reno. Whatever next?

From Beyond

1st Sep 13
So there you are mucking about stimulating the pineal gland and the next thing you know your dead colleague returns from beyond.

Knightriders
6th Jun 13
Megan is Missing
29th May 13
latest top tens
Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
16th Jul 13
Prometheus, then. That was a bit confusing, wasn’t it? Worry not – we can explain everything. Kinda.

FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day Two
4th Mar 13
Dumb movies are a lot easier to have fun with when they drop the rape.

FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day One
3rd Mar 13
Another sunny, snowy February in Glasgow and another rollercoaster of a line-up from Frightfest team

Interview with The Revenant's David Anders
22nd Jun 12
We talk to David Anders about this absolute gem of a cult classic in the making

Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day Two
11th Mar 12
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day One
3rd Mar 12
More Features...
    Home    News    Reviews    Features    Top Ten    Zombie Club    Competitions    Links        

Reviews

You're Next
World War Z
Remains
From Beyond
Knightriders
Megan is Missing
Friday the 13th Part 2
Bait 3D
Motel Hell
Delirium Photos of Goia
Friday the 13th
Lisa and the Devil
Piranha 3DD
Black Sunday (Blu Ray)
Zombie Apocalypse
Django, Prepare a Coffin
Zombie Flesh Eaters (Blu-Ray Steelbook)
Phenomena
The Return of the Living Dead
The Devil Rides Out


Features

Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day Two
FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day One
Interview with The Revenant's David Anders
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day Two
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day One
Going off on one about Gremlins with Anthony OD
Glasgow FrightFest - February 2011
I SPIT ON YOUR COUNCIL: THE ROUGH GUIDE TO FRIGHTFEST 2010
Talking of Torment : In Conversation With Andrew Cull


Top Ten

Top Ten Films of 2011
Top Ten Essential Takashi Miike Works
Top Ten Great Moments from Overlooked 2010 Movies
Faking Fear: Top Ten Mockumentaries
Top Ten Alternatives to The Exorcist
Top Ten Nightmarish Moments on Elm Street
Top Ten 2009 Genre Movies You Might Not Have Seen But Really Should
Top Ten Movies to watch this Halloween
Top Ten Frightfest Moments
Top Ten Defining Friday the 13th Moments


Zombie Club

Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors
Vigilante Night
Deodato Night
Peter O'Brian Night
Strike Commando Dawn
George Kenne-Day
Ninja Ninja Ninja Night
Juan Piquer Simon Night
Panther Night
Klaus Kinski Sci-Fi Night
Revenge Night
Sergio Martino Night
Monsters and Dinosaurs Night
Trollogy Night
Italian Post-Apoc Night
Late Fulci Night
Warrior Women Day
Ozploitation Night
70s Kidnap Night
Chinese Super Ninja Night


              All written material © Copyright EMB 2003-2017       

Just keep saying to yourself...All your monster needs
60s & 70s Soundtracks & Library MusicEat My Brains!!!!