Boba_Fett1138 This is not simply an independent movie, it's an amateur movie! It got put together by a bunch of friends, with a passion for movie making but without a sufficient budget. It makes the movie quite awkwardly looking in parts but it doesn't prevent it from becoming a fun and still quite good one.It is a pretty odd movie, that is hard to take seriously really but then again, not all movies are supposed to be taken serious. Sometimes movies can just offer you simple pleasure and the creators of this movie must besides had some pretty good fun with it as well, which can be seen back on the screen.If it wasn't for Sam Raimi's involvement, this movie would had probably been lost into obscurity already. Raimi and director Josh Becker were friends at the time and most of the movie got shot in Bruce Campbell's backyard. All pretty awesome facts that don't help to make the movie any better but it is something that makes this movie a curiosity piece for a whole bunch of people out there.And yes, the movie is actually worth watching. It's stupid, it's simple, it's cheap but it is fun as well! At first this movie didn't seemed like it would be a good one at all. For the longest time the story was going absolutely nowhere and was simply dragging on, no doubt to extend its running time. The real 'story' and fun kicks in during its second half, when the movie turns into a good old fashioned exploitation flick.No doubt that the '70's exploitation genre formed the biggest inspiration for this movie. The second half of the movie is nothing but violence and gore. No nudity though, though the movie also easily could had gone that way. It's that kind of movie! The violence and gore isn't all that convincing and very over the top really but this all adds to the overall fun level of the movie.There is no way that you could call this a great movie but it's one you can have a great time with while watching and having a couple of laughs at it while still being entertained by it all. It's not laughable bad, it's enjoyable bad! And the film-makers luckily had no problem with this and didn't took themselves very seriously to begin with.6/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Mark Heiliger Story by Bruce Campbell, produced by Scott Spiegel, starring Sam Raimi, and directed by Josh Becker - the crew that made The Evil Dead. This is like a movie a couple of drunken friends would make over a weekend. Not a single thing is believable about it, from the main character's limp to the 30-year old they got to play a high school student. This is NOT a good movie, yet I can't call it totally un-enjoyable.The story starts with some day-for-night, Midwest-for-Vietnam battle scenes in which Stryker gets his leg shot in a disastrous attack on an enemy village. This information could have been relayed quickly in any number of ways, but the first 20 minutes of the picture is devoted to this. It's all padding and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, except for Stryker's fake limp and his Marine buddies showing up later on. Cut to Michigan years later. Stryker is coming back to his hometown at the same time a maniacal cult is cutting up the locals. But nobody notices until the Cult Leader (played by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi) kidnaps Stryker's potential girlfriend. Then he and his military pals bring on the violence.The violence in this movie is so poorly executed, it's laughable. The squibs are visible underneath the actors' clothes, the blood is obviously red syrup, and the fight scenes are the least exciting I think I've ever seen. It's a rare movie that's so bad it's good (and funny). Most movies that people recommend for the same reason are usually so bad they're just bad. I don't expect anyone to rush out and see this based on it being a terrible movie. Most of the dialogue attempts to be taken seriously, but the occasional brilliantly stupid line comes up. "Don't touch the sacrificial fluids! Okey-dokey?" Or when the Cult Leader claims to be Jesus Christ reincarnated, Stryker simply replies, "No, you're not." It was all I could do to muffle my laughter and not wake up my roommates.http://www.movieswithmark.com

eibon04 Stryker's War is a very good and well made independant feature from the makers of The Evil Dead series. It deals with soliders who have trouble adjusting to civilian live and only find meaning when they go into combat espcially with the murderous cult lead by a Manison type person. The battle scene in Vietnam during the first few moments of the film and the battle in the woods during the climax really parallel each other as if the soldiers will do nothing but battle for the rest of their lives. The acting is so-so but what the actors do, espcially the four soliders is something that plagued many people after returning from a tour in Vietnam. One film that this movie compares to in a small scale is Rolling Thunder(1977). Some of the set pieces in Stryker's War(1985) are terrific for a low budget action flick.

PeaBody-4 Although I saw this film under the title "Thou Shalt Not Kill Except. . .," I feel that it would be just as effective under any name. The film is divided into two segments, the first taking place in Vietnam and the second back in the US. The gripping battle sequences of the opening section might lead you to believe that this is just a below-average combat picture. But it's when Stryker returns to the US that the film really takes off. He returns from the front a changed man, walking with a limp as he rekindles old friendships (and just maybe a love affair!). But Stryker's world is shattered all over again when his gal pal gets kidnapped by a murderous gang of drug-addled cretins led by Sam Raimi. The stage is set for Stryker ro reunite his old 'Nam unit and go on one last mission -- to wipe out the evil cult leader. The film is exceptionally well-written and nicely shot -- you'll believe they're actually IN Vietnam! And the performances are first-rate, especially by the actors playing Love Machine and Chainman. This is great stuff for fans of the genre, and has become a cult hit in its own right in certain areas. Stryker's troubling return to 'normalcy' closely parallels the experience of many Vietnam vets whose lives were torn apart by guys just like Chainman. Well worth checking out, if you can find a copy.