They Live (1988) ***1/2

While I've always found the political satire of consumerism, greed, class, and sheep-like mentality in They Live (1988) to be a bit clumsy and heavy-handed (though still relevant), the mix of black humor and realistic violence/drama a bit tonally uneven, and the score to be one of director John Carpenter's cheesier and lesser efforts, it's still a very fun and entertaining film.

Lead Roddy Piper belies his wrestling roots to give a mostly subdued and strong performance, and Keith David is his perfectly-cast support. The seemingly endless and awesome street fight between the two is a showstopper—brutal, comedic, and—amazingly—includes no stunt doubles.

To sing more of They Live's praises—it features excellent cinematography, choice one-liners, action that predates first-person shooter video games, a perfect zinger of an ending, and one of the most iconic genre posters of the 80s.

You can find my John Carpenter Films Ranked list here.

Comments