While catching snippets of Charlie Sheen's tirades on tv recently.. I was surprise that "The Wraith" has not been mentioned more. 'The Wraith of Charlie Sheen' seems as if it would be the perfect title of his sold out shows.
The first thing that most folks probably think about with regarding to "The Wraith" is that wicked but unusal car. This car was actually a prototype from a joint venture between Dodge and Chrysler to develop the ultimate high performance vehicle. It was called a Dodge M4S and had an estimated cost to build of 1.5 million dollars. A very cool auto for its time indeed.
The plot of "The Wraith" is quite simple.. it is a story of vengeance intertwined with an excellent love story. The movie will play out exactly as you will expect it to, however you will still be entertained by some of the best pyrotechnical work I've seen. The explosions were many and almost jaw dropping. For me, though predictable.. the final scenes of the movie were kinda touching and good payoff after all the action.
The cast is 80's stellar.. Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavetes, and Randy Quaid lead it, but Chris Nash, David Sherrill, Griffin O'Neal, and especially Matthew Barry are the nuggets that 80's fans like us are seeking.
Actually, though it was for only a few seconds, one of my fav finds in "The Wraith" was the beautiful Brooke Burke.
I've already mentioned some great reasons to watch "The Wraith", but the true star of this engaging flick is actually the soundtrack from artists like Lion, Billy Idol, Robert Palmer, Ozzy Osbourne, and Honeymoon Suite.
And since I watched the movie this morning .. I can't seem to get this tune by LaMarca out of my head:
And Ronnie.. there is a tune by James House in "The Wraith", but it in no way resembles the greatness he achieved with "I'm In It For Love".
Finally, though I might not ever want to eat there after seeing the grilling area manned by Billy Hankins .. I totally thought Big Kay's was just 80's awesome!
[ 26. March 2011, 07:28: Message edited by: Valley ]
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
Thanks Muffy !! And aTomiK that is a bold statement!
"The Wraith" is a fun movie that I hadn't watched since the 80's. I got a great deal on the DVD, but just noticed it was free on imdb.com for anyone that might be interested.
Too bad I'm not in love with a girl with blue eyes because that excellent tune has stuck with me since watching the movie this morning.
Posts: 7845 | From: Smiling and glancing in awe in the back of a limo | Registered: Mar 2003 | Site Updates: 22
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80'sRocked Play it Loud, Play it Proud
Member # 6979
posted
I love this flick too and am glad I bought my dvd before the prices for it got out of control. Great soundtrack as well!
•"WHERE'S THE FIRE" Written and Performed by Tim Feehan Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"SECRET LOSER" By Ozzy Osbourne, Jake E. Lee and Bob Daisley Performed by Ozzy Osbourne Courtesy of CBS Associated Records
•"HEARTS VS. HEADS" By Stan Bush and Andy DiTaranto Performed by Stan Bush Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"WAKE UP CALL" By Arthur Baker, Tina B. and Tommy Mandel Performed by Ian Hunter
•"SMOKIN' IN THE BOY'S ROOM" By Cub Koda and Michael Lutz Performed by Mötley Crüe Courtesy of Elektra/Asylum Records By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
•"ADDICTED TO LOVE" Written and Performed by Robert Palmer Courtesy of Island Records, Inc.
•"SCREAM OF ANGELS" By Nick Gilder and Eric Nelson Performed by Nick Gilder Courtesy of RCA Records
•"POWER LOVE" By Norman Swan Performed by Lion Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"THOSE WERE THE DAYS" By Ray Coburn Performed by Honeymoon Suite Courtesy of WEA Music of Canada, Ltd.
•"NEVER SURRENDER" By Norman Swan and Douglas Aldrich Performed by Lion Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"MATTER OF THE HEART" By Adam Mitchell and Philip Allen Brown Performed by Bonnie Tyler Courtesy of CBS Records
•"HOLD ON BLUE EYES" By Haden Gregg, Mark Tiemens and John David Souther Performed by LaMarca Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"REBEL YELL" By Billy Idol and Steve Stevens Performed by Billy Idol Courtesy of Chrysalis Records, Inc.
•"YOUNG LOVE, HOT LOVE" By Randall Nicklaus Performed by Jill Michaels Courtesy of Scotti Brothers Records
•"BAD MISTAKE" By Jeffrey Wilson and Steve Woodard Performed by James House
Here's "Where's the Fire".... awesome tune and video!
posted
this movie is an 80's classic. one of my favorites.
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oneyedwilly
The Dread Pirate Rewind....
Member # 8730
posted
seconding muffy's call on the sound clip, well done and seconding Atomik's call on a 'classic'...this movie is definately more popular with me now more than it was back then.
The thing about these action/thriller/sci fi oh for god sake whatever genre it is, ... it lacks substance, it lacks depth, some of the lines are just terrible and so unlike st elmos fire it worked because all that filling is just not needed in this film to make it work. Explosions (as per Valley said), Brook Burk (for about 3.2 seconds) charlie sheen on a motor bike, a ridiculous looking but at the same time, awsome looking car, a pair of er umm ahhh hmmm dweebs, an illiterate sheriff and a tale of revenge - its just like 'The Crow' on wheels.
2 thumbs up and now my Monday night is booked! Awsome.
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posted
Just watched this on IMDb. Loved the cinematography of the desert, and what an incredible soundtrack! Sherilyn Fenn was absolutely gorgeous and Charlie Sheen was "winning" of course... Posts: 731 | From: Racine, WI | Registered: Dec 2003 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
watching this in a matter of 3 hrs time...looking forward to it thanks to this thread . . .kudos to Valley.
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Valley Dated Julie From 'Valley Girl' (allegedly!)
Member # 1322
posted
so i got a chance to watch this last night. i couldn't help but bop my head to all the tunes, especially the racing scenes.
Nick Cassavetes, who played Packard, has directed a few note worthy movies. Charlie Sheen and Randy Quaid's lives sure have gotten pretty interesting lately, right? skank and gutterboy have done a handful of movies together, small roles of course. i had completely forgotten about Chris Nash being in this. i remembered all the others except him! we've seen him in Modern Girls, Satisfaction, and Mischief.
i remember when we were watching April Fool's Day and i spotted Griffin O'Neal. in all the times i have seen AFD, i didn't put the two together until that night. plus, had no idea he's Tatum's brother, son of Ryan, until you guys said that. good trivia.
it was great to hear the story behind the car. loved how classic it looks from the back and how it rides low in the front haha.
like Veronica said, the cinematography is great,...another movie filmed in Tucson!
glad i watched it,...it's been a while. Posts: 4807 | Registered: Oct 2002 | Site Updates: 39
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The thing I noticed most when I last watched it... is that Sheen is only onscreen for about five minutes. What's the betting they got him for his name but could only afford to hire him for about two days?
Posts: 3383 | From: England | Registered: May 2003 | Site Updates: 21
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posted
A while back I saw "The Wraith: Special Edition" DVD from around 2010. Excellent picture quality & nice anamorphic print (and far better than the pan & scan P.O.S. DVD that we had before).
For whatever reason, I completely missed this back in the '80's, and wasn't even aware of the film until someone recommended it to me in the 200X's.
Great movie - it bore a lot of similarities to Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" & "Pale Rider", i.e. a mysterious stranger shows up in a small town, throws his weight around with the local toughs, and strongly reminds people of someone in their past - the scars on Sheen's back are also very similar to what we saw on the Eastwood character in PR.
However, The Wraith is still a very original & unique film. Sheen's tricked-out car was fantastic, the car chase scenes were incredible, and his outfit (the black jumpsuit and helmet) was amazing...
quote:Originally posted by Logan 5: The thing I noticed most when I last watched it... is that Sheen is only onscreen for about five minutes. What's the betting they got him for his name but could only afford to hire him for about two days?
I have 0 issues with Sheen's absence from most of the film. The way I see it, the whole point of the film was that the motorcycle rider (the Sheen ghost) was meant to be mysterious & unseen for most of the movie.
[ 12. October 2016, 04:59: Message edited by: Nostalgic for the '80's ]
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aTomiK
.... has green eyes as well....
Member # 6575
posted
Agreed - Big Kay's would be great. Though the food may be questionable, the scenery is fantastic Posts: 400 | Registered: Sep 2016 | Site Updates: 0
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I wonder if Big Kay's is where they got the idea for HOOTER'S from Posts: 3243 | From: canterbury united kingdom | Registered: Mar 2011 | Site Updates: 0
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posted
Cool. Wish I owned it. Id do a wraith/ just one of the guys double feature
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