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.
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.
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