Because I can, I spend a reasonable amount of cyber-ink talking about films beyond the usual Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
Simply put, that’s the beauty of running my own shop. While I spend clearly the lion’s share of my time amping up the Daily Citation Pages, penning columns about the nature of fandom and its films, and reviewing a great share of flicks associated with the realms of the Fantastic, I – like so many of you – prefer having a bit of variety in my entertainment diet. As such, I’ll venture outside those lines into occasional critiques of Thrillers, Westerns, Film-Noir and Neo-Noir, and more. It’s good to do not only because it widens my perspective but also because it challenges me to remain fresh in the ways I evaluate storytelling. Not everything need have a droid, you know, and I’m glad you’re all still sharing this wild ride with me.
Today’s delight: an early 1970’s Crime Thriller titled The Mad Bomber.
“Why?” you ask.
Now, a good number of you regulars will likely recognize the name of Bert I. Gordon, aka Mr B.I.G. This uniquely talented screenwriter, director, and producer truly got his start in the early days of Science Fiction and Fantasy, perhaps even putting his stamp on 1950’s genre moviemaking that helped push doors open for so many more. As a writer, he crafted such yarns as King Dinosaur (1955), Beginning Of The End (1957), The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), War Of The Colossal Beast (1958), Attack Of The Puppet People (1958), The Spider (1958), and Village Of The Giants (1965). Somewhere along the way, he turned his sights toward directing and producing as well, continuing to mine territory that stayed reasonably close to such genre visions … and, yet, he still found time to explore something markedly different with Bomber.
As you can imagine, this piqued my interest, and I had to see it.
I’m glad I did. While I’d argue it both is and isn’t something one might recognize in Gordon’s catalogue of efforts, what struck me most is the fact that it’s just so damn good. No, it isn’t great. It isn’t astonishing. It broke no barriers, certainly not like the auteur is regarded with SciFi, Fantasy, and Horror. But as arguably his only legitimate work outside what he did so well, Bomber succeeds as much as it kinda/sorta stumbles with a smidge of predictability and scene chewing by some of best from the bygone era.
Simply put, that’s the beauty of running my own shop. While I spend clearly the lion’s share of my time amping up the Daily Citation Pages, penning columns about the nature of fandom and its films, and reviewing a great share of flicks associated with the realms of the Fantastic, I – like so many of you – prefer having a bit of variety in my entertainment diet. As such, I’ll venture outside those lines into occasional critiques of Thrillers, Westerns, Film-Noir and Neo-Noir, and more. It’s good to do not only because it widens my perspective but also because it challenges me to remain fresh in the ways I evaluate storytelling. Not everything need have a droid, you know, and I’m glad you’re all still sharing this wild ride with me.
Today’s delight: an early 1970’s Crime Thriller titled The Mad Bomber.
“Why?” you ask.
- Because I can.
- Because this nifty little procedural sprang from the imagination of one Bert I. Gordon.
Now, a good number of you regulars will likely recognize the name of Bert I. Gordon, aka Mr B.I.G. This uniquely talented screenwriter, director, and producer truly got his start in the early days of Science Fiction and Fantasy, perhaps even putting his stamp on 1950’s genre moviemaking that helped push doors open for so many more. As a writer, he crafted such yarns as King Dinosaur (1955), Beginning Of The End (1957), The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), War Of The Colossal Beast (1958), Attack Of The Puppet People (1958), The Spider (1958), and Village Of The Giants (1965). Somewhere along the way, he turned his sights toward directing and producing as well, continuing to mine territory that stayed reasonably close to such genre visions … and, yet, he still found time to explore something markedly different with Bomber.
As you can imagine, this piqued my interest, and I had to see it.
I’m glad I did. While I’d argue it both is and isn’t something one might recognize in Gordon’s catalogue of efforts, what struck me most is the fact that it’s just so damn good. No, it isn’t great. It isn’t astonishing. It broke no barriers, certainly not like the auteur is regarded with SciFi, Fantasy, and Horror. But as arguably his only legitimate work outside what he did so well, Bomber succeeds as much as it kinda/sorta stumbles with a smidge of predictability and scene chewing by some of best from the bygone era.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Los Angeles detectives Minelli and Blake must track down a serial rapist who may know the identity of a mentally disturbed bomber.”
For those unaware, the decade of the 1970’s produced some of the very best crime thrillers to have graced the silver screen ever. From what I’ve read, scholars attribute this trend to the fact that a whole new breed of filmmaker had entered the scene; and such events as political assassinations, the Vietnam conflict, and social distrust of long-established institutions brought an increasing reliance on realism and authenticity to these newfound points of view. This era of storytellers largely set aside the good versus evil mentality that had persisted for so long in filmdom; and, instead, they embraced the complexities of having good guys with bad attitudes – and vice versa – providing a layer of richness to characters that had been so easily delineated previously.
For these reasons, it’s easy to see a character like Police Lieutenant Geronimo Minelli (played by Vince Edwards) and see a somewhat watered-down version of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (1971) – the screen’s seminal cop as anti-hero – who had just lit up imaginations only a few years early. Like Harry, Minelli both tries to respect the wishes of authority while giving himself enough room to push back with methods that have proven effective time-and-time-again on the streets out in the real world. Though his unorthodox and violent ways might always catch the ire of his partner Blake (Hank Brandt) or his precinct captain, there’s no denying that Minelli knows how that crack a suspect … in many more ways than one!
So when mad bomber William Dorn (Chuck Connors) starts his one-man war against society with the bombing of an area high school, the police are put on high alert. The problem is that the best criminal psychologists insist that these lunatics don’t have established behavior patterns that make them susceptible to being accurately profiled; and this leaves Minelli and Blake with few options with which to round up the usual suspects. But when Dorn is accidentally witnessed setting his next explosive in an area hospital by closeted rapist George Fromley (Neville Brand), the cops realize that if they can find their elusive criminal if they can first catch the predator, a tactic that puts them at odds with their higher ups. Eventually, City Hall agrees, narrowing the distance between the hunters and the hunted considerably.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Los Angeles detectives Minelli and Blake must track down a serial rapist who may know the identity of a mentally disturbed bomber.”
For those unaware, the decade of the 1970’s produced some of the very best crime thrillers to have graced the silver screen ever. From what I’ve read, scholars attribute this trend to the fact that a whole new breed of filmmaker had entered the scene; and such events as political assassinations, the Vietnam conflict, and social distrust of long-established institutions brought an increasing reliance on realism and authenticity to these newfound points of view. This era of storytellers largely set aside the good versus evil mentality that had persisted for so long in filmdom; and, instead, they embraced the complexities of having good guys with bad attitudes – and vice versa – providing a layer of richness to characters that had been so easily delineated previously.
For these reasons, it’s easy to see a character like Police Lieutenant Geronimo Minelli (played by Vince Edwards) and see a somewhat watered-down version of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (1971) – the screen’s seminal cop as anti-hero – who had just lit up imaginations only a few years early. Like Harry, Minelli both tries to respect the wishes of authority while giving himself enough room to push back with methods that have proven effective time-and-time-again on the streets out in the real world. Though his unorthodox and violent ways might always catch the ire of his partner Blake (Hank Brandt) or his precinct captain, there’s no denying that Minelli knows how that crack a suspect … in many more ways than one!
So when mad bomber William Dorn (Chuck Connors) starts his one-man war against society with the bombing of an area high school, the police are put on high alert. The problem is that the best criminal psychologists insist that these lunatics don’t have established behavior patterns that make them susceptible to being accurately profiled; and this leaves Minelli and Blake with few options with which to round up the usual suspects. But when Dorn is accidentally witnessed setting his next explosive in an area hospital by closeted rapist George Fromley (Neville Brand), the cops realize that if they can find their elusive criminal if they can first catch the predator, a tactic that puts them at odds with their higher ups. Eventually, City Hall agrees, narrowing the distance between the hunters and the hunted considerably.
As a police procedural, Bomber works. Though Gordon might be guilty of glorifying the kinds of resources available to police officers back in the day (it is a movie, after all), there’s an understandable progression between gathering of clues, clarifying what is and isn’t proper evidence, and even concocting their scheme to use one criminal against the other in the mad dash to bring Dorn’s reign of terror to an end. There are even some great little character moments for both Connors and Brand respectively to show how their minds process the world around them, giving hints to the psychosis that fuels the sexual attacker and the aggrieved individual who wants to turn buildings into rubble. Neither actor gets short-changed in the script, though some in the audience might suggest that Brand’s Fromley feels a bit more of a cinematic creation than he does a violator of women. It’s a bit exploitative, yes, but I thought it worked just fine.
Where I struggled a bit with the story as designed is with Edwards’ work. His high-strung and borderline bombastic speeches come off a bit too much like those also delivered by the criminally minded. (Connors gets a few fabulous scenes telling off society’s bullies, and they’re high points to the flick.) Knowing that Bomber also enjoyed distribution at some point under the alternate title of Confessions Of A Dirty Cop suggests that perhaps this is what Gordon intended all along – that this script featured a holy trinity of sorts of baddies with the only distinction between the lieutenant was the fact that he carried a badge. Certainly, Minelli doesn’t simmer onscreen – not anywhere in the same fashion that Eastwood did as Detective Harry Callahan – so I’m generally inclined to imagine that his cop likely bent a few more rules than Harry ever did. Minelli could’ve dialed back the anger just a bit, and nothing would’ve been lost in this equation; to me, that suggests a bit of overacting, but what do I know?
Gordon also rather deftly employs visuals to suggest both causality and linkages between good and less-than-stellar behavior throughout Bomber. He peppers Connors’ reflections with images of his wife and daughter, never quite nailing down those particulars until later in the action, an effect which does keep one guessing until that point. Additionally, Minelli’s – ahem – unlawful search of Fromley’s mancave (well before mancaves were in style) gives another fantastic suggestion of just how off the deep-end Georgie-boy may’ve dipped, splashing poster-sized pornographic prints of his lovely wife (Ilona Wilson) in Playmate poses increasingly more risqué than the last. Was she a lesser spouse for having succumbed to and participated an exploration of his appetites, or could her displays have stimulated a more depraved mind? Only you can decide … but it’s pretty clear that Minelli didn’t exactly approve.
For these reasons, The Mad Bomber both is and isn’t a paradigm shifting procedural like so many of the others that emerged from the 1970’s; but it’s clearly drawn up from the same narrative stock. It is and both isn’t a typical effort in the interesting catalogue of Mr. B.I.G.’s works. It also both is and isn’t emblematic of exploitation fare that was continuing to give drive-in theaters some of the more compelling schlock from that era. Still, it’s this elusiveness to be any one thing that makes it quite possibly one of the writer’s, director’s, and producer’s most worthwhile additions to all of cinema; and that’s definitely saying something if not something special.
Where I struggled a bit with the story as designed is with Edwards’ work. His high-strung and borderline bombastic speeches come off a bit too much like those also delivered by the criminally minded. (Connors gets a few fabulous scenes telling off society’s bullies, and they’re high points to the flick.) Knowing that Bomber also enjoyed distribution at some point under the alternate title of Confessions Of A Dirty Cop suggests that perhaps this is what Gordon intended all along – that this script featured a holy trinity of sorts of baddies with the only distinction between the lieutenant was the fact that he carried a badge. Certainly, Minelli doesn’t simmer onscreen – not anywhere in the same fashion that Eastwood did as Detective Harry Callahan – so I’m generally inclined to imagine that his cop likely bent a few more rules than Harry ever did. Minelli could’ve dialed back the anger just a bit, and nothing would’ve been lost in this equation; to me, that suggests a bit of overacting, but what do I know?
Gordon also rather deftly employs visuals to suggest both causality and linkages between good and less-than-stellar behavior throughout Bomber. He peppers Connors’ reflections with images of his wife and daughter, never quite nailing down those particulars until later in the action, an effect which does keep one guessing until that point. Additionally, Minelli’s – ahem – unlawful search of Fromley’s mancave (well before mancaves were in style) gives another fantastic suggestion of just how off the deep-end Georgie-boy may’ve dipped, splashing poster-sized pornographic prints of his lovely wife (Ilona Wilson) in Playmate poses increasingly more risqué than the last. Was she a lesser spouse for having succumbed to and participated an exploration of his appetites, or could her displays have stimulated a more depraved mind? Only you can decide … but it’s pretty clear that Minelli didn’t exactly approve.
For these reasons, The Mad Bomber both is and isn’t a paradigm shifting procedural like so many of the others that emerged from the 1970’s; but it’s clearly drawn up from the same narrative stock. It is and both isn’t a typical effort in the interesting catalogue of Mr. B.I.G.’s works. It also both is and isn’t emblematic of exploitation fare that was continuing to give drive-in theaters some of the more compelling schlock from that era. Still, it’s this elusiveness to be any one thing that makes it quite possibly one of the writer’s, director’s, and producer’s most worthwhile additions to all of cinema; and that’s definitely saying something if not something special.
The Mad Bomber (aka The Police Connection) (aka Confessions Of A Dirty Cop) (1973) was produced by College Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Severin Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, this brand new 4K scan from the internegative looks pretty solid from start-to-finish: given its age, there’s a bit of grain that has worked in in places, but it’s really in great shape, all things considered. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? There are a few interviews and some of the usual whatnot – including an audio interview with director Gordon that’s plastered like a commentary track for those interested – but what I found amazingly refreshing was the audio commentary from author Kier-La Janisse and retired bomb squad detective Mike Digby. Mind you: I didn’t quite learn as much about the production itself as other commentaries, but the two manage to give this one a spectacular examination from so many different angles it truly keeps drawing listeners in. Though it might not be for everyone, I thought it was a pure winner … a rarity especially considering this isn’t exactly a well-known picture by any estimation.
Recommended.
In all honesty, The Mad Bomber (1973) surprised me, turning out to be a very well-crafted Crime Thriller regardless of emerging from the mind of Science Fiction and Fantasy (schlock) auteur Bert I. Gordon. Now, don’t misunderstand me: it certainly isn’t anywhere near the peak of 1970’s crime stories – of which there are plenty of authentic Classics – but even a few decades later it’s still an exceedingly watchable and relevant production. Though it dabbles heavily in B-Movie sensibilities as well, Bomber pushes forward with a lean efficiency – much like the ticking down of a timebomb – only stopping here and there to exploit the dark habits of its twin villains whose paths crossed and intertwined in spite of their differences.
And, yes, it fades to black with an impressive boom, as well.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary 4K UltraHD Blu-ray of The Mad Bomber (1973) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Recommended.
In all honesty, The Mad Bomber (1973) surprised me, turning out to be a very well-crafted Crime Thriller regardless of emerging from the mind of Science Fiction and Fantasy (schlock) auteur Bert I. Gordon. Now, don’t misunderstand me: it certainly isn’t anywhere near the peak of 1970’s crime stories – of which there are plenty of authentic Classics – but even a few decades later it’s still an exceedingly watchable and relevant production. Though it dabbles heavily in B-Movie sensibilities as well, Bomber pushes forward with a lean efficiency – much like the ticking down of a timebomb – only stopping here and there to exploit the dark habits of its twin villains whose paths crossed and intertwined in spite of their differences.
And, yes, it fades to black with an impressive boom, as well.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Severin Films provided me with a complimentary 4K UltraHD Blu-ray of The Mad Bomber (1973) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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