Re:tro Re:view - The Warriors!

The Warriors is an urban action movie following a gang of tough warriors through New York on the run from other gangs and the police! It is based on the 1965 novel by Sol Yorick with illustrations by Frank Modell. The book In turn is based on the Greek soldier and writer Xenophon’s Anabasis.  This had Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger return from a war in Persia fighting their way to return to the safety of Greece. The film is directed and co-written by Walter Hill, he had directed and also co-wrote the action comedy 48 Hrs.(1982) and co-wrote the story for Aliens (1986). The screenplay is also by David Shaber who also wrote the screenplay for the action movie, Nighthawks (1981). The movie was controversial on its release involving three deaths which had the studio pull the movie from theaters.  

The film reached cult status and Hill released the Ultimate Director’s Cut of The Warriors with chapters that had comic book splash pages which he intended for the original release. The Warriors did make it into comic book form with The Warriors Official Movie Adaptation limited series published by Dabel Brothers. This was followed by a limited series catching up with the gang in The Warriors: Jailbreak. We don’t get names except the head of the gangs, Cyrus, at this point, but the leader of the Warriors, Cleon (Dorsey Wright) tells about the meeting called by Cyrus. Wright also starred in the musical, Hair (1979), in the same year. We open at the Ultimate Director’s Cut edition with some eerie music, there are comic book illustrations of the “Battle of Cunaxa, 410 B.C.” It is narrated by the director.  

This moves to a night shot of the Wonder Wheel lit purple, an icon of Coney Island. We move to the subway train headed to its last stop. Walking up to a closeup is Cleon who has his distinctive leopard pattern doo rag. He explains that Cyrus doesn’t want any weapons or fighting, the Warriors will honor the truce, the gang, nine members, enter the subway train. We get an interesting shot of two trains running side by side, lit blue, from a dark middle area. Cinematography is by Andrew Laszlo. Swan (Michael Beck) talks to Cleon about the gang has never been to the Bronx. Beck appeared in the musical Xanadu (1980) the next year. He is clear thinking and a Gang members start to walk through stations. Cochise (David Harris) mentions that they going in without weapons to Snow (Brian Tyler). Harris was in the Vietnam war film, Purple Hearts (1984), and Tyler was later in the horror movie, Vamp Bikers (2013) also with Wright.  

Cleon tells Rembrandt (Marcelino Sanchez) to use his spray can to show the Warriors mark everywhere. Sanchez had a cameo in 48 Hrs., but unfortunately died in 1986. Rembrandt is an innocent member of the gang. The map of the subway lines is traced to the Bronx so we can get an idea of the route the Warriors need to take to return. Cowboy (Tom McKitterick) tells Vermin (Terry Michos) they need to wear their colors. This was McKitterick's only film. Michos was in the action movie, The Great Skycopter Rescue (1980). Ajax (James Remar) wants to get into some fights, but Cleon tells him to be quiet. Remar, the veteran genre actor, was Ganz in 48 Hrs. Swan warns Rembrandt to be careful. We get to Van Cortlandt Park which is filled with gang members. They are all watched by members of the Gramercy Riffs gang with their orange robes.  

Cleon and the rest of the Warriors make their way through the crowd. Taking the stage is the charismatic Cyrus (Roger Hill), it becomes silent. Hill was in the "Leatherstocking Tales" (1979) episode of the Once Upon a Classic series. The actor died in 2014. Cyrus explains that all of the gangs are there without fighting each other and climbs up to the wooden podium. He notes that there are nine delegates from the hundred gangs. There is another hundred more. He says 20,000 “hard core” members, others that will total what Cyrus calls “60,000 soldiers.” Cyrus says that there are 20,000 total police officers. He finishes with wrestling announcer style, “Can you dig it?”, to cheers from everyone.  

Cyrus says that one gang will take the crime syndicates and the police. Police cars silently roll up to the park gates. Cyrus wants the truce to stand and take the city one borough at a time. A gun is handed across until we see the viperl-ike eyes of Luther (David Patrick Kelly). He is the leader of the black leather vest and hat wearing gang, the Rogues. Kelly was also Luther in 48 Hrs. and I think I recognize him most as T-Bird in The Crow (1994). Luther is ruthless and unstable. He shoots Cyrus who falls from the wooden podium. He turns to see the gangs scattering and the only one standing is Fox shocked at the killing. Luther is about to shoot him, but the park lights suddenly turn on blinding him. Police sirens and lights starts and everyone starts to run. Cleon orders the Warriors to move against the flow of the crowd. He reaches the body of Cyrus. 

Luther shouts out that the Warrior, Cleon, shot Cyrus. He runs toward Cleon, but the Warrior elbows him. Still, he can’t defend himself against all of the Riffs, a gang with red robes. The rest of the Warriors reach a wooden wall, but break through it and run into the night. They reach a cemetery and take cover as a helicopter flies overhead and police cars race past them. Swan sends Rembrandt to scout around the graveyard. He plans with the others while they face the police and the possible breaking of the Truce. So they have to face other gangs to reach the subway station.  Swan tells them to go to Union Square if they are separated. Ajax questions Swan making decisions. The others point out Cleon made Swan war chief. Swan is ready to fight Ajax to be warlord when Rembrandt says the subway is arriving.  

They head there while Rembrandt sprays the Warriors symbol. The new leader of the Gramercy Riffs, Masai (Edward Sewer) asks the assembled gang if they know about the Warriors. This was Sewer's only film and he had died in 2004. Silence. Then, he tells them all of the Warriors have to be found and sends the word. A tight closeup shows the lips of a DJ (Lynne Thigpen) giving out the dedication to the Coney Island Warriors, a remix of “Nowhere to Run.” Thigpen was in the comedy, Tootsie (1982), the actress was also known as Chief in Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? (1991-1995), she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in An American Daughter (1997). Thigpen died in 2003. All of the gangs hear the radio. The strangest is the gang in baseball jerseys, painted faces, and bats, the Baseball Furies. The diversity and sometimes absurdity of the gangs make them a threat. Swan has the gang stay put before heading out to the subway platform.  

He sees a school bus taken over by a gang. Cochise recognizes them as the Turnbull A.C.s. The bus passes, the Warriors see the train overhead, and the bus turns. The Warriors start to run with the other gang screaming for them on the bus. They make it to the stairs and up to the station. The Turnbull A.C.s tear after them! The Warriors get on the train on time as it pulls away from the other gang. Everyone cheers, but Swan wants to reach Coney Island before any celebration. Masai is told that the Turnbull A.C.s lost the Warriors. A fire has the subway train pulling up to the next stop.  Luther and the Rogues pull up to a store so he can make a call. He says to another Rogue that the Riffs want the Warriors alive. They are worried that they will point out that Luther killed Cyrus.  The Warriors are walking through the streets watched over by a gang in green t-shirts. 

Fox says they are the Orphans, a gang that are not serious players, and he guesses there are thirty members. Swan takes Fox to talk with the leader of the Orphans. He tells the leader, Sully (Paul Greco) that they were at the “big meeting” and ended up there from the fire. Grego was later in Crocodile Dundee (1986) and had passed away in 2008. The Orphan leader didn’t hear about the meeting. He snaps his fingers to bring another Orphan to show a newspaper clip about how the police are trying to raid the gang. They allow the Warriors to pass, but they are given chicken clucks by Mercy (Deborah Van Valkenburgh). She was in the Hill film, Streets of Fire (1984), but I recognize her the most as the sister roommate in the sitcom Too Close for Comfort. Mercy is a tough talking woman who is looking for a place for herself. The Warriors know she is trouble.  Mercy walks up to them wanting a vest. Then, she goads her boyfriend, Sully.  

He wants them to take over their colors. Swan refuses and the Orphans start to walk up the stairs, to get weapons? He has the Warriors walk on to the insults by Mercy.  They leave and Mercy starts to walk after them until caught by Ajax. Swan has her released and then the Orphans run up with their weapons. Snow brings out a bottle. Swan rips off a piece of Mercy’s skirt. He wraps the skirt piece to the bottle and throws the molotov cocktail at a car. The Warriors start to run as the car explodes. They run to the station along with Mercy. The Warriors think that the other gangs are breaking the truce, but soon realize that they are blamed for the death of Cyrus. The gangs get stranger and the fights get more brutal, but the Warriors are tough fighters. The Warriors is an endless night of battles and running from gangs and the police to survive long enought to the last subway ride to Coney Island!   

Four Warriors jackets out of Five!  

#TheWarriors, #WalterHill, #MichaelBeck, #JamesRemar, #DeborahVanValkenburgh, #DavidHarris, #MarcelinoSanchez, #TerryMichos, #TomMcKitterick, #DorseyWright, #RogerHill 

Re:tro Re:view - The King’s Man!

The King's Man has the Matthew Vaughn action with a thoughtful, dramatic script!  The Kingsman series started with Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), based on The Secret Service (2012) comic book limited series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.  It was followed by Kingsman: The Golden Circle, (2017), by director and co-writer, Matthew Vaughn.  The King’s Man is the prequel directed by Vaughn with a screenplay by Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek, who co-wrote the action thriller, The November Man (2014).  The movie opens on a rocky plain, “South Africa, 1902”, a horse caravan is taking a road, the driver (Djimon Honsou) points out something to a man he calls, “Your Grace” (Ralph Fiennes).  Honsou was in the horror sequel, A Quiet Place Part II (2020).  Fiennes was M in the James Bond film, No Time to Die (2021).  The film on December 22nd last year and is currently streaming on Hulu.  

The duke walks out and takes out binoculars to look across the plain.  He sees a camp where soldiers are dropping bodies.  The caravan has pulled up next to the camp.  He walks up to the guards and asks for General Kitchener.  An officer allows him in and takes to the general.  He sees the emanciated bodies of the Boer in the concentration camps that the officer says is needed for the war.  General Kitchener (Charles Dance) greets Oxford who says that Emily and Conrad are outside.  Dance played Lord Mountbatten in The Crown series.  They are in one of the carriages, young Conrad (Alexander Shaw) wonders why they have traveled there, Emily (Alexandra Maria Lara) reminds him of the Round Tale, that all men are equal.  She leaves him to check on her husband.  

Conrad talks to Shola wanting to be Lancelot and Shola could be Merlin.  Emily argues about supplies from the Red Cross, their organzation is needed, the general orders the gates to be opened.   A gunshot and Oxford falls.  Shola sets Conrad down and heads out.  A sniper is shooting people in the camp.  He targets Kitchener, but Emily running towards Conrad, gets in the way!  Shola brings his sword down on the sniper.  Emily holds her torso and then falls.  Oxford runs toward his wife.  She gasps vowing him to protect their son and “Never let him see war again.”  Conrad runs to his mother and his father holds him.  We see on his jacket covering Emily, “The Kingsman, Your Grace, Duke of Oxford 07/03/01”, and it focuses on the title.  This is a brilliant beginning, a fresh setting, seeing the horrors of war, and the Arthurian nods are perfect.  

It is “12 years later”, a yellow biplane soars over green fields, it lands before a mansion.  Rows of servants await the pilots.  They are Oxford and his now older son (Harris Dickinson).  The actor was in the romantic movie, The Souvenir: Part II (2021).  Shola welcomes the duke.  Oxford walks with a cane from his injury.  He stops at one servant, Polly Watkins (Gemma Arterton), and wants her at his study.  Arterton was in the drama, Summerland (2020).  Oxford sees the portrait of his wife.  He says he does not want her opinion.  She says he is too protective of Conrad and Oxford admits he needs a nanny too.  Outside, shirtless, Conrad spars with Shola using wooden daggers scored with red and white powder.  The duo are disturbed by Polly who was fired a gun. 

They head to Saville Road, Westminster, Oxford has taken him to “the world’s finest tailor”, King’sman.  Conrad is given his first suit.  Oxford tells his son that they came from brutal people who became noble, but wants his son to be a gentleman.  He is greeted by Kitchener who wants a private room to talk to him.  Kitchener has his aide, Morton (Matthew Goode), stay with Conrad.  Goode is in A Discovery of Witches.  Once, in the pattern room, Kitchener mentions the refused invitation by Archiduke Ferdinand.  He thinks the archiduke may be in danger.  Morton asks Conrad if he wants to be a soldier and his father wants him to get a shooting suit.  In a massive, tower of a mountain, a rickety, lift brings the arrival of a dark, bearded man.  This is Rasputin (Rhys Ifans).  The actor voiced The Lizard in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

He has brought a Fabrege egg for the leader of a group at a table, the Shepherd.  The leader’s raspy voice (with a bit of a Scottish brogue) mentions trust that he only finds in animals and asks if he can trust all of the assembled flock.  They find boxes with rings that have animal symbols and the Shepherd warns them that if he has lost their trust, they will get a “final gift.”  Rasputin doesn’t like his tortoise and wants to trade for the bear of Gavrilo Princip (Joel Basman).  The other film for Basman was the German war film, The Royal Game (2021).  Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Brühl) says the Shepherd deserves respect.  Brühl reprised the role of Baron Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  

Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) dares Rasputin to take the bear ring.  Pachner was in the Terrence Malick film, A Hidden Life (2019).  The Shepherd says they are a team and walks up to his goat, Angus, and takes the goat's head with his sword. Then, he brings the sword to Rasputin until he backs down.  He says his spy knows that Kitchener is worried about Archduke Ferdinand.  The Shepherd sends Princip and the group bangs their rings on the table in unision.  Later, Princip assembles an explosive device, and puts it in his coat.  Below Princip’s balcony, the people cheer as a car with Archduke Ferdinand (Ron Cook) passes on the streets of Sarajevo, he is being advised by Oxford. 

The archduke says he will make a decision.  Conrad in the front seat waves at a woman, Princip pushes her aside to throw the explosive, Conrad uses his cane to knock it aside.  It blows up the car behind them and Oxford orders the driver to escape the chaos.  Princip retreats behind the front door.  The archduke jokes at his welcome in Serbia to an assembled crowd in a hall.  Oxford wants his son back home and says he doesn’t know about the evil of the world.  On a street cafe, Princip empties from his ring, a pill.  He is about to take the pill when the archduke and Oxford take a wrong turn down a street.  Princip takes a gun from his waist and shoots the archduke and his wife, Sophie (Barbara Drennan)!  Oxford sees Archduke Ferdinand's dying eyes.  

On a private train car, Oxford tells his son that the Austrian army is getting ready for war.  He relates the story of three cousins arguing with their grandmother, Queen Victoria (Alexa Povah) stopping their fight. The boys become Kaiser Wilhelm from Germany, Russia’s Tsar Nicholas, and King George of England (all played by Tom Hollander!).  The actor was also in Bird Box (2018).  King George has the photo of the three cousins with letters sent by Kitchener.  He has Morton take care of it.  This enrages Kaiser Wilhelm which he tells Erik who reminds him that the cousins made fun of his deformed hand.  Tsar Nicholas wants to oppose Kaiser Wilhelm, much to the approval of Rasputin!  Oxford wonders to Kitchener why it has come to war.

Morton reminds them they have a meeting with the prime minister.  Um, I sense traitor vibes with him.  Conrad tries to volunteer, but he is too young.  The British soldiers fix bayonets and run from the trenches only to be cut down. Narration by the Shepherd notes it has only been two years when the battlefields have turned the countryside into ruin.  There are hills of shells as the Shepherd explains that the trust is lost between the people and the monarchs.  He wants revenge for Scotland and has Russia withdraw its forces for Germany to attack England.  Conrad wants to join the conscription and is angry with his father.  He shows his son his Victoria Cross, we see his killing of Afghan fighters, then sees himself in the mirror, afterwards dedicating himself to the Red Cross.  

The collison of the three countries going to war finally has Oxford take his son to the cellar.  There he explains taken a pacifist stance he can be in the right place without suspicion.  It is the operations room of his group including Polly and Shola.  They have formed a network of servants who move as spies in military and political rooms.  Oxford had found the prisoner, Princip, with his ring pointing to another force.  Their next mission is to go to Russia and deal with Rasputin.  Eventually, the United States with President Woodrow Wilson (Ian Kelly) has to take a position in the world war.  has the formation of the spy organization, against a historical backdrop and figures.  It also highlights the bloody cost of war and    The King’s Man is a brilliant action movie that has a conscious, plus a generous helping of history and historical figures. 

Five Kingsman Suits out of Five!  

#TheKingsMan, #MatthewVaughn, #RalphFiennes, #HarrisDickinson, #DjimonHounsou, #GemmaArterton, #CharlesDance, #MatthewGoode, #RhysIfans, #DanielBruhl, #ValeriePachner, #JoelBasman

  

 

Peacemaker, “It’s Cow or Never”, Review!

The finale of Peacemaker is here!, but we need a Re:cap of last episode.  Emilia has formed the plan; the Cow is in the cavern below the barn, we see Sophie and her butterfly army.  Harcourt continues that they hope to move the Cow with the teleportation devices.  All of the 11st Street Kids are ready, Vigilante adds, “Hashtag me too”, very funny.  The veterinarians are ready to also go in shooting, also funny, they some of the best cameo characters.  They slo mo walk to the Paws A Moment van.  Leota tries to apologize, but Peacemaker doesn’t want to see her after the mission.  

Sophie, Locke, and Fitzgibbon butterflies go to the cavern and see the Cow, it looks like a fleshy cross of the Adipose from Doctor Who, black eyes (many eyes) and one sharp tooth, and the Jagrafess which hangs from a ceiling, with a little of Grimace’s blubbery mouth.  Leota again tries to apologize to Chris, he and Vigilante begin to cut her off with small kid antics, and Peacemaker still feels betrayed.  They have stopped and Leota calls her mother to get back up.  Overlooking the barn, Leota has assembled the Peacemaker helmets and debriefed by Chris on their function, it looks like the Human Torpedo function is untested.  

Leota mentions activate anti-gravity and the helmet floats up.  Next, Peacemaker works to get Eagly to take the helmet to the barn, instead he drops it in the woods.  Economos is teamed up with Vigilante who brings up ants in a pointless conversation.  Leota admits that she saw Eagly hug Peacemaker that was the sign she took to go on the mission.  Peacemaker sees Auggie and takes out his poison dart blowgun and Emilia sees his imaginary conversation.  She finds the helmet.  Emilia has another mission for Peacemaker, he stabs a guard with the poison dart, at night they have the uniform for Economos to take the helmet to the barn.  He is stopped by the Fitzgibbon butterfly and has the bag to get to the barn.  

Emilia advises Economos to take the stairs to take the helmet down.  Then, he sees the Cow being milked.  Economos drops the helmet bag and starts to run.  Fitzgibbon asks him about dying his beard.  Economos admits that he wanted to look younger.  A butterfly has discovered the helmet.  Leota is about to activate the helmet, but drops the walkie talkie.  This complication is not too clever.  Economos has to run with the butterflies behind him.  The possessed Sophie and a gang pile of butterfly humans swarm Economos.  Finally, Leota activates the sonic boom and the barn is leveled.  Sophie sees the destruction and runs with the other human butterflies.  Another sonic boom destroys the butterflies headed towards the barn.  

It starts to have rocks fall on the Cow seen by Locke in the cavern.  The last sonic boom is about to bring the cavern down on the Cow.  Sophie rushes towards it.  Peacemaker has a shield and his guns, he moves with Emilia and Vigilante to kill the Cow!  They begin to shoot and use their weapons on the butterhumanflies to the opening credit song, “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” by Wig Wam.  Peacemaker’s shield is used to deflect bullets, but also has a stabbing edge, look out Captain America!  Vigilante is finally able to use his sword to slice and dice.  Peacemaker chases after Sophie.  Butterfly Fitzgibbons roars at him and Vigilante’s sword cuts into his head.  Peacemaker ends up collapsing the stairs.  

Vigilante is shot in the back and throws a dagger at the humanbutterfly.  Emilia is shot several times, but is able to kill the butterflied humans.  She falls and the song gets distorted.  Leota picks up two guns and goes into action as a butterfly is about to land on Emilia.  The butterfly climbs into her mouth, but is pulled up by Leota and killed.  Economos has wounded his leg trying to leap a fence.  He has dragged himself over and rolls her a Peacemaker helmet.  She wears the Peacemaker helmet and begins tracking Chris to the rubble that trapped him.  He is pulled free by Sophie/Goff, but she knocks him around and holds him up by the throat.  Leota has cleared the debris and activates Human Torpedo… slamming her into a wall!  

Queen/Sophie has Peacemaker follow her, they leave the groaning Leota, and see the Cow zapped by the faulty teleportation devices.  She begins to tell Peacemaker what she said to Judomaster to get him on their side.  The queen explains that the butterflies took a vow, their world had died, and the Cow would help them live another hundred years.  Then, the butterflies realized that humans were on the path to destroy the Earth just like the butterfly world.  They ignore science, in favor of leaders that “fires and floods” are unrelated, loving profit.  Chris flashes back to his own vow.  She thanks Chris for feeding her in the jar. His answer is “Activate Human Torpedo” sending the weary Leota into the belly of the Cow.  He shoots Locke and then Sophie.  Leota falls in a messy splatter from the Cow. 

Peacemaker sees the butterfly emerge from Sophie’s mouth.  Economos is there as well as Vigilante.  Peacemaker carries Emilia and the others limp next to him.  They see the shadowy forms of four heroes.  Peacemaker is angry that they are late and we see two of the Justice League.  At the Mount Rouge medical center, Emilia and Economos are taken away on gurneys.  Vigilante faints.  Later, Leota says that Peacemaker’s decision was for humans to make their own decisions not their “bug overlords.”  Peacemaker says that Leota is his best friend after Eagly.  Leota gives an A.R.G.U.S. briefing saying Peacemaker is innocent and her mother, Amanda Waller, is in charge of the Suicide Squad operation.  Dr. Alandy from the first episode takes Chris to the recovery room of Emilia.  Leota returns home to Keeya.  Economos returns to Belle Reve.  We see Judomaster cry at the devastation and then eat a Cheeto.  There is an end credit scene which is a final joke.  

Four Peacemaker Helmets out of Five! 

#Peacemaker, #ItsCowOrNever, #JamesGunn, #JohnCena, #DanielleBrooks, #FreddieStroma, #JenniferHolland, #SteveAgee, #ChukwudiIwuji, #ElizabethFaithLudlow, #NhutLe, #AnnieChang, #LochlynMunro, #DeeBradleyBaker, #ChristopherHeyerdahl, #RobertPatrick 

Peacemaker, “Stop Dragon My Heart Around”, Review!

 A little Re:cap before we get started - Sophie, the butterfly Queen, enters the Evergreen police department with her horde of butterflies.  Fitzgibbon tries to run, but he, Locke, all of the officers and prisoners are taken by the butterflies!  Leota is confused about who she would betray and Keeya tells her to leave the situation.  Emilia forms a dove symbol on Peacemaker’s FN P-90 which she gives to him.  He wants to give up killing people, but he is fine with killing aliens.  Alone, Peacemaker starts to play on piano, “Home Sweet Home” by Mötley Crüe.  Vigilante takes him to see the latest news report.  

Leota sees on television, Captain Locke giving a press conference about Peacemaker’s diary about the alien invasion, killing Annie Struphausen, Senator Goff, and the Glan Tal workers.  Records are played by young Chris and his brother, Keith, and they are told by one of the followers that their father is ready for them.  Auggie is complete with a mullet.  The brothers are taken to a sand pit to fight. The older Chris looks at himself in the mirror.  The bloodied Chris punches his brother to the cheers of Auggie’s people.  They become silent as Keith starts to twitch.  Chris hears over and over his father saying he killed his brother.  Vigilante has been knocking trying to check on Peacemaker.  

Peacemaker walks out ready to run with Leota betraying him placing the diary and Locke was supposed to protect them.  He finds Judomaster missing from the couch, doesn’t care, and starts to take his bag with Peacemaker helmet.  White Dragon has put tracking devices on the Peacemaker helmets and finds the headquarters.  Economos wonders about Peacemaker’s diary.  Peacemaker is set on killing the Cow with Vigilante and Economos goes with them.  Leota is watching the news when Emilia enters angry that she planted the diary for Amanda Waller.  They start to argue and Emilia realizes that Amanda is Leota’s mother.  Murn knows the situation and wants them to pack up and leave. 

Two young men head to a liquor store, EZ PZ Mart (great name) and are startled by Judomaster eating his Cheetos.  Emilia leaves a message for Peacemaker.  Now, we find she is the most trusted character on this show.  Economos is driving the van while the others are rocking out.  The White Dragon’s crew is following them in another van.  White Dragon is flying above them.  He slams into the van sending it flying on its side.  Then, the White Dragon tears open the van and tries to blast his son.  He is sent back by Vigilante’s machine gun fire.  White Dragon is forced back in front of his followers.  

Vigilante tosses a grenade that drops White Dragon.  Peacemaker is tracked by the Skinhead Girl (Jen Znack) seen last episode.  Vigilante sees them pass as he is hidden by a tree with his injuries.  Peacemaker is walking with Economos and realizes his helmet is what is being tracked. Skinhead Girl sees Eagly overhead and then the followers see Vigilante take their car.  The two men exit the liquor store and are taken care of with lethal strikes by Judomaster who goes back to eating his Cheetos.  Murn is getting his computer ready and then sees the police outside his window.  Emilia is rolling her luggage and moves to the side as Sophie, Locke, and other officers try to knock on the apartment door.  

She draws on Leota and has her take cover.  The Skinhead Girl is tracking Peacemaker, really a raccoon with the helmet tied to its tail, very funny!  Eagly joins Economos and Peacemaker.  Vigilante takes off his mask, but then starts to black out driving the car.  Murn has his walkie talkie to tell the others to leave as the police try to break into the apartment.  He says he is proud to have them on the team, “finish the job”, and kill the Cow.  He shoots at Sophie, but Murn is restrained as she asks about the Cow and then shoots him several times.  Emilia and Leota hear Sophie saying to move “the teleportation equipment” to the ranch.  The Murn butterfly flies out of him, but is captured by Sophie and crushed.  

When they leave, Emilia and Leota enter the apartment, Emilia finds the dying butterfly and uses her index finger to touch the butterfly’s hand.  Kinda touching in a weird way.  Judomaster shows up, kicks Emilia and Leota, but Emilia is ready for a fight.  He knocks around Emilia, but she tells him “the rope-a-dope” and Leota shocks him repeatedly with a stun gun!  Love this scene!  Skinhead Girl finds the signal and they all surround the point, but find its a raccoon.  Peacemaker finds Vigilante in the car and wakes him enough to get in while Economos is peeked at by Eagly.  Economos tells Vigilante about the tracking device and then they stop the car. 

Peacemaker finds a bag of helmets in the trunk.  He takes the bag and is about to throw it when the hooded men run out of the woods.  Peacemaker starts to run as Economos sees what is happening.  He is cornered and struck by tire irons and baseball bats.  He, um, finds Vigilante as Eagly starts to attack the hooded men.  White Dragon lands and then strikes Eagly!  Peacemaker runs to tackle his father.  White Dragon uses his powered fist throwing Peacemaker back.  The villain goes on a rant about Peacemaker killing his brother and having affairs with men and women.  Vigilante leaps on White Dragon’s back and shocks him in the “gaps of his armor.”  He is thrown off and into the guns of the followers.  Economos saves the day again gunning down the followers. 

 White Dragon tries to blast his son, but his armor malfunctions.  Peacemaker punches his father again and again.  Hating himself for listening to his father.  He finds a Luger from his follower and then finally gets some peace from his father.  Vigilante is still clueless about Peacemaker’s sadness, not as fun as last episode.  Leota helps with Emilia’s wounds and explains she worked at a dog shelter.  Emilia admits that Leota is “good at the job.”  She gets a call from Peacemaker.  They head over to Paws A Moment where Dr. Hurwitz (Haig Sutherland) and his assistants are held hostage by Vigilante.  Leota missed a call from Keeya.  She sees Peacemaker praying over Eagly.  She watches as Eagly revives and hugs him.  Peacemaker takes a smiling selfie with Eagly.  Economos is looking for a leader and Leota gets the 11th Street Kids approval for Emilia Harcourt!  Peacemaker ep. 7 is one of the best of the series, this fantastic ep is directed by Brad Anderson!   

Five Peacemaker helmets out of Five!  

#Peacemaker, #StopDragonMyHeartAround, #JenZnack, #HaigSutherland

Peacemaker, “Murn After Reading”, Review!

 Re:cap - The eps have ended on cliffhangers!  Detective Sophie goes to get an order from a judge, his name is Judy, her partner Fitzgibbon remarks that his name is Judge Judy!  Sophie asks her uncle, William Judy (David Beairsto), for search warrant on Peacemaker.  Leota and Peacemaker are driving when he sees on his phone that Emilia added a group, “11th Street Kids.”  Also, their group pic in the van.  Leota celebrates their victory at Peacemaker’s trailer.  He has a headline about Vigilante capturing Kite-Man.  The kinda supervillain, Charles Brown, was introduced in Batman #133 (1960).  Later, Peacemaker goes to the bathroom, and Leota places his diary.  Driving back, Leota tries to apologize to Keeya.  

She returns to the office, tries on Peacemaker’s helmet with the x-ray vision, and then sees the butterfly in Murn’s head!  Leota tries to run and Murn throws her down on the rainy street!   This episode has James Gunn returning, briefly, to directing.  Murn tells Leota that he won’t hurt her.  Emilia walks up and asks if Leota knows.  Leota is taken back to the office, Emilia worked out that Murn was a butterfly, Murn explains that the butterflies came from a dying planet.  He also says the Goff butterfly was his leader.  She had plans to take over the world, but Murn was the only one to oppose her.  In a way, Murn is like Martin in V (1983), a Visitor who opposes Diana, the leader of the Visitors.  Economos also knows about Murn, but they are trying to keep the secret from Amanda Waller.  Now, they have to worry about “the Cow”, probably the alien making the honey.  

At an elementary school classroom, Peacemaker tells them about how he defeated Kite-Man to the laughs of the students.  During question time, the students basically take apart his boasts!  In the back, is Jamil, the janitor from the first episode.  He probably regrets inviting Peacemaker.  One student calls him a loser and Jamil’s daughter (Maya Kooner) asks about his origin story.  He flashes back to his young days with his father saying that he killed Keith.  Next, a young girl (Alice Comer) asks him if he knows Becky Coolridge, a former bartender at the Starlight Lounge.  The girl says that he might be her father!  The teacher wraps up the guest speaker segment.  Jamil thanks Peacemaker.  At the prison, Auggie signs the last of the paperwork and is about to leave.  He makes some racist remarks to Detective Sophia and she gets right back at him.  

Captain Locke is angry at Sophie and she explains that she presented the evidence to a judge, and the suspect is now Peacemaker.  He is about to walk away and Sophie notes that he is acting strange, a butterfly. Auggie goes to the truck of one of his followers and tells him that he wants to kill his son.  Chris feeds Eagly and then the Goff butterfly he has in a jar.  At the office, Emilia says she is using logic to work out the situation, Economos enters and Emilia tells him so he puts his fingers in his ears.   Leota finds that the factory recieved a tank every three days of the amber fluid.  She gets a message from Keeya about calling her back.  At the police station, Sophie has almost every officer getting ready to take Peacemaker’s trailer.  Chris sets a knock on his trailer and knows it’s Vigilante who has noticed the Goff butterfly jar.  Also that the butterfly uses the amber to make a peace sign!

Locke contacts Murn about the police mobilization.  Peacemaker has the butterfly answer yes or no questions knocking on the jar.  He starts arguing with Vigilante and they don’t notice the phone buzzing from Murn’s call.  The police surround the trailer.  Economos says to Murn to try Vigilante’s phone.  Adrian answers, but tries to pretend he isn’t Vigilante.  Peacemaker takes it and Murns warns him about the police.   He throws Eagly up to the roof, then pulls himself up.  Vigilante has taped the jar to himself and then is pulled up as the police break into the trailer.  Sophie finds the trailer is empty and has the officers tear up the place.  One officer finds the Peacemaker diary!  Peacemaker and Vigilante climb to a nearby tree and try to get Eagly’s attention.  He flies up and Sophie starts to move towards them!   

Vigilante falls and shatters the jar!  The butterfly flies at Sophie and enters her mouth!  She's the mother alien host!  Peacemaker and Vigilante watch as Sophie twitches with the butterfly inside her.  An officer sees them and brings in others!  Fitzgibbon sees his partner’s bloody mouth and calls for an ambulance.  Peacemaker and Vigilante run through the forest with some help from Eagly!  They are surrounded by three officers, take care of two of them, but the third has his gun drawn on Peacemaker.  He is shot in the head by Captain Locke who tells them to take his car.  They start to run, but Peacemaker looks back to see Locke shoot the others. Peacemaker pushes Eagly to the back seat and they drive away.  Sophie revives and goes to find Peacemaker.  Vigilante throws Peacemaker’s phone out of the car thinking it could be traced.  Peacemaker takes Vigilante’s phone.  Vigilante is pure comic relief for this show.  

Sophie and Fitzgibbon reach Locke who says the shooter fits the description of the Hamburgler.  An officer gives Locke Peacemaker’s diary and he takes it.  Emilia is contacted by Peacemaker and Murn asks everyone about his diary.  Peacemaker walks in and tells the 11th Street Kids that Goff escaped.  He gets angry at Murn sending Locke who killed the officers.  Sophie rewires her computer and begins contacting the butterflies.  Economos has tracked the truck that delivered the amber to a barn at Coverdale Ranch. Murn knows that there is an underground lair of the Cow that makes the amber.  Sophie is outside looking at the night sky.  A swarm of tiny ships land, batteries not included, the butterflies bow to her.  Auggie activates his secret room.  The butterflies fly with their queen sipping the amber.  Auggie goes to put on his White Dragon armor.  On a rare chance, Chris could have sabotaged the armor.  Sophie walks into the police station with the butterflies attacking the officers.  The butterfly possessed humans have strange Joker smiles. Peacemaker is realizing the two deadly threats with the 11th Street Kids broken!  

Four Peacemaker helmets out of Five!  

#Peacemaker, #MurnAfterReading, #11thStreetKids, #DavidBeairsto, #TheCow, #CoverdaleRanch, #MayaKooner