Search and Destroy (1995) Reviews

• A Misunderstood masterpiece

  TheTwistedLiver2006-09-19

  This is a gem that is lost amongst the crap that came out in the mid nineties American cinema. The first time I saw this film I thought that it was bizarre, yet in some odd way compelling. I have since seen it seven or eight more times and it gets better each time. The humor is dark and unconventional, and the dialog is odd in that it is difficult to determine whether or not its meant to be funny or is simply poor writing, I still have not figured that out which is probably one of the reasons I love this film. The cast is of course outstanding, which is why I first rented this film knowing nothing about it. It must have had a very short theater shelf life. Dennis Hopper, Ethan Hawke and produced by Martin Scorcese, how could you go wrong? But the truly outstanding performance, and the majority of the quotable lines are spoken by Christopher Walken. His characters name is Kim Ulander, classic, and walken does what walken does best in this role, he plays a psychopath. See this film, and see it again and again and again.

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• A great movie that somehow slipped under everyones radar.

  kodak0072007-03-14

  Greetings to the rare few who have sought out this title on IMDb, and the rarer few who have chosen to read my little rant. Hope it sits well with you.... I have to say that this movie is one of the rare pieces of film that shows what can be accomplished with no money at all, or little money. Scene to scene, moment to moment, it is the essence of what a "low budget movie" can accomplish, it does not wallow in what it cant do, and focuses on what it needs to do, to tell a story. There are moments in it, where you totally don't realize how little it took to create the scene, and its because your lost in the story, and thats what gives the film so much strength. True enough, if you have the cast this film has, you can do little wrong. But its great to see that each member does their part, and keeps up with the story, and makes it all seamless. The travel scene to NYC with Douglas and Dunn is a perfect example of what can be accomplished with creative thinking and attention to character. without a airport being shut down to accommodate a production schedule that is based more on ego than need. There are moments of sheer perfection in this film that i, as a avid lover of film and movies have rarely seen. for over ten years now i have proudly listed this film in my top favorites, as its eccentricities grow more and more lovely upon each watching. The arc is there, and so is the commitment to the ideas that it presents almost immediately as its thesis. Waxling is the truth sayer in this piece of fiction, and he lets you know right away what to expect. i remember being up late, watching HBO, High, Bored, and finding this film. It was a huge factor in my interest in film school. The tone is unmatched in my opinion. As it is a complete work, not quirky for the sake of it, as so many other movies rely on... but quirky due to the fact that life is quirky, off, odd. You can be what you want, you can do what you want, this movie sums that up in a rare way that i have not often seen, and i appreciate upon each watching... Dr Waxlings comments are gold. All and all i am proud to be in the small group of people that promote this film to no advantage of self, as it addresses many of the same issues that other films like Fight Club go in to in a more serious, bigger budget way. Check it out. Break out your VHS player, and be ready to want to rewind and see it again. Really a gem in the wild. Boo Ya!

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• An Amazing Surprise!

  joelmeggs2005-01-04

  This movie is incredible. It's got fantastic dialog and terrific performances from Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper. That it was originally for the stage is pretty obvious; it just has that feel to it. But so did Glengarry Glen Ross, and that too was a terrific movie. I don't know if the film is really any sort of meaningful commentary on modern life. I think maybe it tries. The whole thing centers around an infomercial for an adventure story that's a metaphor for self-improvement/self-discovery a la Celestine Prophecy. Mostly it's just about weird characters in weird situations and excellent dialog. I can't say enough good things about this movie. Anyone who has a taste for weird, black-comedy is going adore this film. 8.5 out of 10.

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• offbeat, funny, quirky gem

  vincent-271999-03-10

  Great movie, probably one my favorites, although I'm not sure why. Technically, it's pretty sloppy but I just love the cast, the crazy rapid-fire delivery of Turturo, the eerie deadpan Walken, the manic Dunne. Griffin Dunne performs a souped reprise of his role in "After Hours", although he overacts at times, he has the desperate loser role down pat. The movie title, to me, is about searching for what you love and then destroying it, something most of us seem to do over and over again. I like this movie more and more each time I see it, although the sloppiness bugs me increasingly as well. There is a message here about the dangers of pop psychology and new age mantras, but muddled among the nonsense sayings there are some meaningful comments. My favorite is the observation that "We are afraid of change, we are lazy and we are addicted to our pain". How true....

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• A quirky, dark satire

  CandyR1998-09-13

  This movie seemed to be a snowballing sequence of mishaps - similar to what happens in "After Hours" from 1985. Things keep getting worse for the main character, but it kept me intrigued. Dennis Hopper is an interesting character in this one. As usual, Chris Walken steals the show as a business man and somewhat "off-kilter" character who enjoys an evening of Karaoke. I would recommend it to people who enjoy strange movies. Personally, I enjoyed it.

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