Savage Harbor

 



Director - Carl Monson (A Scream in the Streets, Please Don't Eat My Mother!)
Starring - Frank Stallone (Rocky, Death Blow: A Cry for Justice), Christopher Mitchum (Tombstone, Summertime Killer), and Karen Mayo-Chandler (Explorers, Beverly Hills Cop)
Release Date - 1987
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "Alone they're dangerous, together they're a nightmare"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     No one can question my love for horror.  I love the genre and I've dedicated so much of my time to the genre.  Nine out of every ten movies I watch are horror.  However, horror is not why I started writing reviews.  I wanted to review old action and exploitation films that people have forgotten or was released in obscurity.  That is why I love Vinegar Syndrome so fucking much.  They don't re-release well known horror films.  Instead, they focus on fringe horror films along with exploitation and action flicks.  Recently, they announced a new series of releases under Vinegar Syndrome Archive series.  Their first two releases was the 1977 horror film Evil Town and the 1987 action flick Savage Harbor aka Death Feud.  After watching Evil Town it only made sense to dive on into Savage Harbor.  Thank you Vin Syn for sending this one my way!
     The film follows two fisherman who return to port after spending six months at sea.  Joe (Stallone) is just looking to relax while Chris (Mitchum) is looking for some strange.  Joe meets a young woman who is a recovering addict that has deep ties to a local crime boss.  The two hit it off and become engaged before Joe and Chris return to sea for several more months.  In the mean time, the crime boss has kidnapped Joe's fiancé and forces her back on drugs and prostitution.  When Joe returns to port he begins searching for her which prompts her pimp of a boss to hire a hitman to kill her and make it look an accident.  Joe finally finds her but the timing is too late and she is run down by the hitman in a semi.  Joe, now heartbroken, enlists the help of Chris to bring the crime boss down for taking away his love.

     My favorite action films can be compared to my favorite horror films.  I tend to love the cheesier of the genres with characters that are usually clichés for the genre.  Savage Harbor was everything I enjoy about 80s action flicks and I had a lot of fun with it.  The acting in this one was fun at times and funny at others.  Frank Stallone's character had me in stitches.  He is so uptight and stiff that it was extremely difficult to take him seriously.  He's trying so hard to be a hard ass that it comes off as a parody of late 80s action films rather than an authentic late 80s action film.  I'm glad he was offered this role because the film wouldn't be as fun without him.  Also, I really liked Christopher Mitchum's performance.  His character was great and he did an amazing job making the audience love him.  I actually preferred his character over Stallone's.  The supporting cast is solid as well.  Some were scene stealers but overall they worked out very well.  The story for this one feels like it was written as a romantic drama before it was scraped for an action film.  A seaman meeting a young woman with a troubled past and the two fall in love.  He works with her and makes her life better only for it to be turned upside again.  This is something that would make a solid romantic drama.  At least, that's how it looks to me and then we add the kidnapping portion and the Stallone antics and we have an unforgettable action film.  I honestly think this was written as one style of film before Stallone was attached and the studio wanted to cash in on his relation to Rambo.  It works though because I had a lot of fun with it.  The pacing does slow down a bit in some of the scene but if you stick with it you will find yourself enjoying it.  Finally, the film does not shy away from gun shot wounds but that is the extent of it.  We get a little blood and some realistic gun shot wounds but that's it.  Overall, Savage Harbor is an underrated 80s action flick that has some unintentionally funny moments with a great cast and a smooth story.  Check it out now on blu from Vinegar Syndrome.