The people who insult this fantastic film are brainwashed by big hollywoods new profile of an action hero. They expect all action hero cops to look like Tom Cruise and the movie to contain stupid,cartoon like computer generated effects. Well Joe Don Baker does a truly wonderful job of portraying a true-to-life cop/action hero. Not only can he take on drug cartells,he also gets marajuana smokers off the streets. Unlike the new hollywood idea for a perfect action hero who's sopposed to look like his @!#$ don't stink,Mitchell shows he's human. He over-eats,drinks warm beer,burps,farts,and wakes up with a hangover,but this doesn't make him a lesser man! For his time,Joe Don Baker was a sex symbol and most ladies idea of a real man. Mitchell has exciting car chases,action packed brawls,and some of the greatest shoot-outs in movie history. Mitchell single-handedly takes on a drug cartell and proves he is truly a one man army. Anchor Bay is sopposed to release Mitchell on DVD will all the cut footage,interviews with Joe Don Baker and John Saxxon,and special behind the scenes footage of the makng of Mitchell. I cant wait!
.
One most certainly commend Mr. Flanigan for his brave and somewhat lonely stance on Mitchell and the oevre of Joe Don Baker. However, a perhaps more standard view of Mr. Baker's work can be found in my review of Final Justice at:
http://www.jabootu.com/vcdecohoh.htm#fj
Please return here after you look at this piece, should you decide to. I wouldn't want Andrew to think I was poaching his readers.
I really am glad to know, that there are other people, who appreciate films, that a lot of people just pass by, without even a second glance. Mitchell is a great action film, and Joe Don Baker, an equally great action star. By the way, David, have you also seen SpeedTrap?
I like Mr. Baker "Mitchell. I saw Mitchell and Final Justice in the MST 3K'ed versions. I will have to say they are funny as hell.
John
I am curious to see the uncut Mitchelle. It's the MST3K version I grew up with.
Never heard of this movie before.
Uncut Mitchell has the word "bastard" replacing "jerk", and shows you what happens to John Saxon, a few other things. My copy takes off the end of Axton's song though.... :bluesad:
Quote from: Mr. Briggs Inc. on March 02, 2007, 04:57:09 PM
Uncut Mitchell has the word "bastard" replacing "jerk", and shows you what happens to John Saxon, a few other things. My copy takes off the end of Axton's song though.... :bluesad:
What does happen to John Saxon? In the MST3K version he just sorts of disappears!
Is Merlin Olsen the football player in this playing a chauffer?
QuoteWhat does happen to John Saxon? In the MST3K version he just sorts of disappears!
He tries to kill Mitchell with his goons by running him down in go-carts. Mitchell manages to kill one (that's actually what he was doing in the title sequence) and steal his cart. Deaney (Saxon) continues chasing Mitchell, but ends up losing control of his cart. It flips over, and explodes.
http://www.moviedeaths.com/mitchell/walter_deaney/ (http://www.moviedeaths.com/mitchell/walter_deaney/)
QuoteIs Merlin Olsen the football player in this playing a chauffer?
Yes, he plays Benton, Cummins' lousy butler
QuoteFor his time,Joe Don Baker was a sex symbol and most ladies idea of a real man.
So most ladies spent the 70s sloshed on PBR? Damn missed opportunities.
I don't hate this movie like others do, but do enjoy it for the grubby little flick it is. OTOH, I'd still rather watch
Walking Tall given a choice.
I just wanted to chime in here and say I actually like both Mitchell and Joe Don Baker. And I'm not afraid to say it! Mitchell as a character is rather interesting. Especially since that for all the flack he catches, he spends much of the movie seeking justice for the murder of a non-white burglar nobody else cares about. Is Mitchell a good movie? Not really, no. But it contains enough interesting ideas that I enjoy watching it and wouldn't mind seeing it remade, maybe with Brendan Gleeson in the title role.
Incidentally, Mr. Flanigan apparently hasn't watched Mitchell recently. For all the jokes about him being a slob, his apartment is actually fairly straight, and I can't remember one instance of the supposed flatulance this guy is talking about.
I think he's putting on a little bit, based on how much the MST3K gang and other have bad mouthed this movie, but I could be wrong.
But Baker is a decent actor anyway. He's a fantastic, but believable villain in the Walter Matthau crime flick Charlie Varrick. I even liked his stint as the temp sherriff on In the Heat of the Night, and I was never much of a fan of that show.
Quote from: Mr. Briggs Inc. on March 03, 2007, 08:01:18 AM
QuoteWhat does happen to John Saxon? In the MST3K version he just sorts of disappears!
He tries to kill Mitchell with his goons by running him down in go-carts. Mitchell manages to kill one (that's actually what he was doing in the title sequence) and steal his cart. Deaney (Saxon) continues chasing Mitchell, but ends up losing control of his cart. It flips over, and explodes.
http://www.moviedeaths.com/mitchell/walter_deaney/ (http://www.moviedeaths.com/mitchell/walter_deaney/)
QuoteIs Merlin Olsen the football player in this playing a chauffer?
Yes, he plays Benton, Cummins' lousy butler
Exploding....golf cart? And Mike and the Bots let that part pass? Huh!? Man......
Joe Don is lethal in CHARLEY VERRICK. Good job, big guy...but i still love the riffing.
I don't think they cut it out themselves. The version they used was the theatrical cut of the film I believe. It was originally made for TV, and aired in its complete and uncut form, and was then edited severely and released theatrically. At least, this is what I was told. In any event, I doubt the MST3K guys deliberately cut out Deaney's death scene just so they could have the joke "Um, guys, wasn't John Saxon in this movie?"
Other stuff removed from that version of the film or outright changed includes: when Mitchell shoots Cummings at the end, we actually see the bullet hit his forehead, and the sex scene between Mitchell and Greta is more graphic, among various other things like alternate dialogue with stronger language (Mitchell calls Aldridge a***ole Aldridge" instead of "Asinine Aldridge" for example), and Greta writes "Bastard" on Mitchell's windshield instead of "Jerk".
I really am hoping for an uncut DVD release of Mitchell eventually. I have a really weird affection for the movie despite its outright ineptness.
QuoteI really am hoping for an uncut DVD release of Mitchell eventually.
There is already I'm pretty sure. Mine has the scene and other cuts intact. I dunno about Britain