THOU SHALT NOT KILL

Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except (1985)

Posted: 22 May 2012 01:17 PM PDT

Directed by: Josh Becker
Written by: Josh Becker, Scott Spiegel, Sheldon Lettich, Bruce Campbell
Starring: Brian Shulz, Sam Raimi, Robert Rickman, John Manfredi, Tim Quill

The cracked fever dream of a movie titled Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except is best known for its impressive Evil Dead pedigree, featuring several key players from that classic indie film both in front of and behind the camera.

Spearheaded by Josh Becker (who worked on The Evil Dead ’s second unit) and Scott Spiegel (co-writer of Evil Dead 2), this “Marines vs. the Manson family” saga from 1985 has built a solid cult of its own over the years. Much like The Evil Dead, it began as a short film made to raise funds for a feature-length production. The shot-on-8mm Stryker’s War (also the alternate title for the feature) starred Bruce Campbell as Sergeant Stryker and included much of the same plot and dialogue.

After Campbell’s success with The Evil Dead, he became a SAG member, ruling out his participation in the eventual feature (though he did ultimately manage to make a cameo as the feet of the dog sitter). Even without the beloved cult icon, who receives story credit, the film succeeds on its own merits (bargain basement though they may be). Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except is a gloriously silly mash-up of David Durston’s I Drink Your Blood and several post-Vietnam revenge films.

In 1969 Vietnam, a squadron of Marines is ambushed in a failed attempt to overtake a Viet Cong village. Sergeant Jack Stryker (an intense Brian Shulz) fights the good fight, but his leg is severely wounded in battle and he’s sent home. Once back in the U.S., Stryker retreats to his secluded cabin in the woods with his loyal dog, Whiskey. He also rekindles his relationship with spurned high school girlfriend Sally (Cheryl Hausen). Stryker’s return unfortunately coincides with the arrival of a Manson-like hippie cult that has taken up residence in the rural community as well. Led by a kill-happy maniac (Evil Deaddirector Sam Raimi) who declares himself Jesus Christ, the cult begins to systematically torture and/or slaughter random citizens. They inevitably set their sights on Sally, who is taken hostage just before a lunch date with Stryker.

As luck would have it, three of Stryker’s fellow Marines, 2nd Lt. Miller (John Manfredi), Sgt. Jackson (Robert Rickman) and LCpl. Tyler (Timothy Quill), are on leave and decide to seek him out. The four reunited soldiers celebrate with alcohol and target practice out in the woods. At this point, most of the town has been taken hostage by the cult, whose sole purpose seems to be complete annihilation of everyone. When Stryker and his fellow soldiers discover that Sally and what’s left of the townspeople are in danger, they prepare themselves for an all-out war with the blood cult.

Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except is epic trash. While not a good film in a technical or artistic sense, it’s so infectiously entertaining that it’s difficult to dislike. Shot on a shoestring budget of $200,000 (though it feels like less), Josh Becker’s feature film debut was clearly made out of love for the genre. The opening scenes set in Vietnam combine stock footage with Michigan woodlands to laughable effect.

But despite the obvious backyard mise-en-scène, the editing and the tight framing eventually create a semblance of place. The clichéd action film dialogue is treated with the utmost sincerity by the actors, which also greatly helps sell the illusion. Becker’s combat sequences (he also shot and edited the film) don’t fare as well, but are staged with good humor and sufficient energy. However, the Vietnam prologue goes on for too long and a subplot about Miller’s poor judgment during the Viet Cong mission should have been cut altogether.

Once the action shifts back to the U.S., the film manages to create a more convincing period atmosphere. Becker uses the rural setting to his advantage and his one stock footage shot (a gratuitous one) is used to good effect. One of the reasons Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except works so well is that the story, outrageous as it is, could only take place in the Vietnam era. The simple, straightforward narrative is elevated through the political and social subtext of that tumultuous time.

Not that any of this is directly reflected in the script — and not that viewers will care given the exploitive nature of the project. This is a movie called Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except. Becker and Spiegel are both credited for writing the screenplay, which is wildly uneven and contains a few story threads that seem to get washed away with all the bloodshed. But these minor plot points are easily forgotten once the funky practical effects and five dollar action setpieces are set into motion.

Shulz is solid as the wounded war hero Stryker, managing a nice balancing act between camp and drama. It’s difficult not to compare his performance to Campbell’s since Stryker’s War is included as an extra. Both men share a similar snarky machismo, but Campbell ultimately comes off as the more charismatic of the two. Mafredi, Rickman and Quill all make believable military men, less so when they are called upon to do anything military-like (such as fight or shoot a gun). The high (and low) point of the film performance-wise is Raimi. His crackpot portrayal of the crazed cult leader is bizarre and often hilarious. But he’s so cartoonish and over the top, he’s never much of a threat. With dialogue that includes such howlers as "Don't you ever touch the sacrificial fluids! Okey dokey?" he creates a memorable, campy grindhouse villain.

This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from Synapse is truly a special edition. It includes a high-definition restoration from the original negative (which remains grainy, but true to its 16mm origins), the original 8mm Stryker’s War short starring Bruce Campbell and two audio commentaries with the cast and crew. A highlight is the great documentary on the making of the film called Made in Michigan: the Making of Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except. The doc was created by the geniuses at Red Shirt Pictures and contains everything you could ever want to know about the making of the film. Also included is a deleted scene (with optional commentary), the alternate Stryker’s War title sequence and the original trailer. It’s a superior package for this underrated trash epic.