The Glove
December. 01,1979 RIn this actioner, a bounty hunter is assigned to bring back an enormous and angry ex-convict who wears a deadly glove made of leather and steel. Rock'em sock'em mayhem ensues.
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I love this movie so much
Expected more
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
This movie isn't the best thing I've ever seen, but as a fun PI flick from the late seventies it gets the job done and has a quirky personality of its own. In other words, it isn't an exploitation classic or an ultraviolent actioner, it kind of just is what it is. The great John Saxon is great here, as a down on his luck PI. His somewhat over the top narration is fun. Rosy Grier is great as an angry convict out for revenge. The movie doesn't really have much of a drive, there are many pointless scenes, but it doesn't really bore either. The ending is excellent, with a big surprise at the last minute. Overall, if you aren't expecting some 70s cult phenomenon and you like John Saxon, its worth watching.
Sam Kellog is a worn out bounty hunter of Los Angeles, who takes on a job, which would pay him $20,000 big ones and help with his martial problems. For tracking down an ex-convict, Victor Hale, who's dressed up in riot gear and is beating prison guards to death with a steel laced glove that was invented by the police and was first used on him. So, it's payback time for Victor, but Sam is determined to find his man and bring him in despite the warnings.Are you ready for a good old beating. Well, don't be expecting much venom here, as when it was time for a beating. It's nothing more than comic, b-grade action fodder, which is inadequately done. But that in mind the action is kept at a minimal and we simply follow the life of the struggling bounty hunter, Sam looking into the case of Victor, but it gets put on the back-burner at times, by falling into some side-projects. They do feel unnecessary and nothing more than fillers to the overall picture, as it does take half of the film before Sam and Victor first get in contact and get things moving. Just like a fellow reviewer mentioned, it's more so a character study with a touch of noir and social commentary to boot. It's very hammy in its treatment of it, but Saxon (the reason why I took the chance with the flick) makes great of the meek material."The Glove" is an odd chunk of cheap and slightly dim schlock that bathes itself in cheesy glory and is entertainingly goofy. Unintentionally, of course. But it just doesn't live up to its cracking idea, since it basically sits there for too long, after the pounding opening and somewhat colourful poster artwork, has you believe. There's a real erratic mood because of scrappy direction by Ross Hagen. He stages some fun clashes with the crushing fist and manages to get a real grungy look to the flick with its scummy surroundings coming off the screen. How about that unusually sleek, broad and quite smooth music score. The theme songs kind of stick to you and the time goes by so quickly, which makes it an enticing treat.The story is rather typical detective stuff with Saxon's crisp and smoking voice-over running throughout the film and being one of the high notes. It blends a variety of ingredients and savvy interactions with its scathing, wry and bold dialogues. John Saxon turns in a charming lead performance as the steely-eye bounty hunter, Sam Kellog. Rosey Grier (former football player) simply fills out the costume by bringing an enforcing and unstoppable figure, which is totally opposite to his subdue attitude and husky voice, the anti-hero Victor Hale. He's rather hypnotic whenever on screen and the interplay between the two leads was always on the boil. Making up the rest of the studded b-cast is the always lovely Joanna Cassidy, Keenan Wynn, Jack Carter the rich tycoon and the unlucky Aldo Ray.Interesting, if not totally successful exploitation, but thanks largely to the prolific performances of Saxon and Grier. It's enjoyably, uncanny trash.
Stocky ex-felon Victor Hale (amiably essayed by hulking pro footballer Rosey Grier of "The Thing With Two Heads" fame) goes around Los Angeles, brutally mashing up crooked prison guards who beat him up in jail with a lethal steel riot glove. Out to bring him in is dour and divorced no-nonsense bounty hunter supreme Samuel Kellog (a nicely rough'n'tumble performance by longtime favorite veteran tough guy actor John Saxon, who really sinks his teeth into a juicy lead part), who desperately needs the substantial bounty placed on Hale's head to settle his domestic woes with his bitter ex-wife.Clumsily directed with a certain endearing ineptitude by seasoned trash movie thespian Ross Hagen (who later helmed the not half bad medical sci-fi/horror effort "B.O.R.N."), with typically accomplished cinematography by ace exploitation feature cameraman Gary ("Satan's Sadists," "The Toolbox Murders") Graver, a groovy score by Robert O. ("Evils of the Night," "Deep Space") Ragland, and a simply stupendous campy sub-"Shaft" R&B theme song ("You can't escape/From the kiss and rape of the Glove"), "The Glove" makes for a whole lot of irresistibly cheesy low-budget grindhouse junk fun. It's meant to be more of a bleak and low-key character study than a straight-out exciting action item. The scenes with the macho Kellog attempting to bond with his estranged daughter are pretty damn funny (I especially dug the moment where Kellog does push-ups while his adorably diminutive daughter sits on his back!). Kellog's ersatz Humphrey Bogart hard-boiled narration provides plenty of solid amusement as well (sample line: "I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach and left the shoe there"). Moreover, the sporadic badly choreographed fight scenes are likewise quite unintentionally hilarious, with the definite gut-busting highlight being Kellog's tussle with a guy in a meat packing plant (the guy smacks Kellog with a big bloody side of beef!). The stand-out B-picture cast qualifies as another substantial asset: the lovely Joanna Cassidy as a classy secretary Kellog becomes romantically involved with, the always delightful Keenan Wynn as Kellog's cranky loudmouth boss, Jack Carter as a stuck-up rich jerk, Michael Pataki as Kellog's ruthless sleazeball rival, Nicholas Worth (the raving psycho Vietnam vet photographer killer in "Don't Answer the Phone") as a gay blank check dropper Kellog tosses into a pool, and Aldo Ray as an ill-fated prison guard. All in all, "The Glove" rates highly as a most entertaining oddball drive-in movie hoot.
It's interesting to note that Ross Hagen, a man who starred in numerous trashy films in his infamous career, did the directing. The film's kinda sleazy in a few parts, and the theme song is hilarious, but the violent scenes should have been the main attraction here, and unfortunately there's little of it. John Saxon talks through the whole picture like I'm waiting for some blood to fly. The best parts I liked about The Glove are the beginning, the middle, and the end. It's O.K. as long as cheap thrills are your cup of tea. Don't let the film's ad mat entice you!