RELEASED IN 1981 and directed/written by Stewart Raffill, "High Risk" is an action/adventure about four wannabe soldier-of-fortune Californians who fly down to Colombia to make a commando-like raid on the hacienda of an American-born drug lord (James Coburn) for an easy $5 million, but things don't go as easy as planned. The four-man team is played by James Brolin, Bruce Davison, Cleavon Little & Chick Vennera. Anthony Quinn is on hand as the leader of a motley crew of jungle bandits while Lindsay Wagner appears as a desperate woman who joins the protagonists. Ernest Borgnine has a glorified cameo as an arms dealer.This is an obscure action flick that's solid for what it is with little fat. The plot is reminiscent of "Where Eagles Dare" (1968), but with a jungle locale and taking place in the modern era. There are also occasional flashes of amusement, unlike that thoroughly austere WWII movie. It's great to see Lindsay Wagner; I forgot how beautiful she was in her prime (not that she's my type, but she's undoubtedly striking). Quinn was 65 during filming and well plays the part of a desperate-but-likable post-revolutionary.The characters played by Davison and Little are too nonchalant and naïve in life-or-death situations to be believable, but that's a minor cavil (and can be defended on the grounds of their greenhorn status); besides, the film moves so quickly that it hardly matters.THE DVD I viewed was the "Digitally Remastered" version from Digiview Productions and it was fine for such an obscure flick.THE FILM RUNS 94 minutes and was shot in Mexico.GRADE: B

This film has Peckinpah character actors throughout, sometimes in cameo roles. There are Peckinpah shots and Peckinpah edits throughout. There are Peckinpah themes throughout. When it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - I'm not saying he's the genius directing the whole film; but if he had nothing to do with it, I'll eat my shotgun. And I'm certainly not saying this is a great, or even a good Sam Peckinpah film. But it is a Sam Peckinpah film. So why the silence? Especially on the part of Coburn (Pat Garrett) and Borgnine (Wild Bunch)? Well, at the time Peckinpah's name was the kiss of death in Hollywood, especially to himself. And since it's not a very good film, why add more badness to a bad legend? But this is a Sam Peckinpah film, shot after Cross of Iron and before his brief resurrection working with Don Siegal, and it has some interesting stuff in it. Peckinph fans pay note.

This movie has everything! Shootouts, planes, bandits, drug dealers, great locations, and most of all, a really good bunch of actors at the top of their game. When four buddies try to rob a big time drug lord, Murphy's Law comes into play and everything goes wrong. James Brolin has never been better, as the determined leader of a group of suburban losers who want to strike it rich, and James Coburn is excellent as the drug lord. Bruce Davidson, Cleavon Little, Ernist Borgnine, and Lindsey Wagnor are all good, and Anthony Quinn stand out in an exceptional performance, reminding us what a good actor he really is. There's enough action for two Rambo movies, as lots of lighthearted comedy. My favorite scene is when Brolin gun-butts a guard, and the guy doesn't just fall unconscious like everybody always does in the movies. Instead he grabs his head and starts yelling, and Brolin has to hit him again. The director takes conventional action scenes we've seen million times, like whacking a guard, and makes them original. It's hard to believe he went on to direct Mac & Me, a really silly E.T. ripoff.

I absolutely love this film! Whenever I have theatre nachos (which is not often) I think back to 20 years ago when I fell in love with this forgotten gem at the Meridian Quad theatre in San Jose. That's what I ate during the film. They went together perfectly. I had the original one-sheet poster hanging on my wall for awhile. Many people who saw the poster had no idea this film even existed. If it ever comes out on DVD, I'll purchase it. Anthony Quinn was priceless as the bandit Mariano; and Borgnine's one scene is a classic! I recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine diamond-in-the-rough eighties film! Just terrific!