A different way of telling a story

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Uptight ultra conservative (Connors) decides to get even with the world after it fails him, using his bomb making skills to put the city in the grip of fear. Only tired-looking detective Vince Edwards and suspected rapist Neville Brand can stop his murderous reign of terror in this reasonably taut time filler.It's unusual to have dual plots/villains and the presence of Brand in such an understated yet critical characterisation cannot be diminished. His scenes are amongst the best and most gripping as he leverages a chance encounter with the mad bomber to his advantage (and much to Edward's chagrin).Solid cast includes Hank Brandt, Royce Applegate and Jeff Burton in minor roles, whilst Ilona Wilson has a quirky cameo as Brand's defensive wife. Good momentum, special effects and committed acting elevate this minor movie to something more substantial - and check out the graphic ending for a shocking conclusion!

This film called THE MAD BOMBER tells you all you have to now . The title sums it up . He's a bomber and he's mad and he ain't gonna take it anymore . It's rather sleazy exploitation which is something of a shame because one would have hoped for more along the lines of a DIRTY HARRY or a TAXI DRIVER type of film This is a shame because you can empathise to an extent with Chuck Connors anti-hero who sees the world collapsing and become a strange place and sets about setting the world to rights via dynamite . Come on people we've all been there and some people don't listen to reasonable arguments unless they've been blown to bits . Let's not judge the anti-hero of Geronimo Minelli . Having a name like that couldn't have been easy and if not excuses his behaviour at least explains it Or does it ? You can find yourself identifying very easily with Travis Bickle in TAXI DRIVER if you're honest but Scorsese's film was a journey through the alienated male psyche . Here it isn't the case because Heronimo is a sociopath played and written to the hilt . Just because Geronimo rants and raves then quickly changes his tone and asks for a cheese sandwich doesn't make him multi-layered it just makes him something of a cypher or plot device Everything about THE MAD BOMBER is over done which isn't surprising . It isn't helped by the fact that there's two bad guys , one being the bomber and the other being a serial rapist and for a relatively mainstream film with a well known lead in the shape of Chuck Connors some of the violence is rather disturbing

Far and away the best film Bert I Gordon ever put his name to, THE MAD BOMBER is, on the surface, a routine police thriller that's uninspired as far as music, photography, etc goes. Where it's made much better than it had any right to be is with three great performances by the main leads - none of whom are . In an even better twist, it's the rapist who's probably the most 'sane' of the three! Vince Edwards is a bitter, almost Hitler-ish detective who routinely abuses his authority - where it be threatening witnesses at gunpoint, breaking and entering, or beating them half to death. He's out to catch a broken-down madman (Connors) who starts blowing buildings up out of revenge. And the only person who can provide any clues to finding the bomber is a rapist (Brand).Edwards is great as the unhinged cop who falls slightly to the right of Judge Dredd. Brand - well-versed in dealing with gruff, sleazy characters - gives another memorable turn as a gruff and sleazy rapist. But it's Connors that steals the show (this is definitely his best performance!), and every scene he's in are the highlights of the movie. His villain is actually quite sympathetic, even though for a criminal, his behaviour isn't exactly low-profile - he can't even leave the house without attacking or arguing with somebody.Gordon keeps things nice and fast-moving, and there are very few slow spots in the movie. And there's a good deal of suspense to be had in the last 15-20 minutes, where the bomber hopes to right the wrongs done to him, and he's going make the whole of L.A listen! How come movies like this don't get made now? Though it's well worth seeing even in its cut version, THE MAD BOMBER is much more effective in its entirety and actually emerges as one of the more violent and sleazy thrillers to come out of the 1970s. As one reviewer has already pointed out, it has more gore, more nudity and more profanity (there's about five minutes extra footage) than most releases. For those who are curious to seek it out, the versions to get are either the American 'Program Hunters' tape or the Canadian 'Marquis' tape (which has quite a dark print) under the title THE POLICE CONNECTION. Every other video release - Stateside or no - and ALL DVD releases are the cut version.

I don't know why I resisted seeing this movie for so long. I think it's because I thought that the plot description was too dull and pedantic for a great Bert I. Gordon experience. I thought that it sounded like a routine police actioner that Mr. BIG must have directed when he needed to make a car payment. Well, I was completely wrong. Maybe not about the car payment, but certainly about the movie. Gordon has delivered one of the most depraved, callous, stupefying images of Los Angeles ever committed to celluloid. And boy is it hilarious.It pre-figures "Falling Down" and is a thousand times more satisfying. An almost unrecognizable Chuck Connors plays the most angry, righteous, and hateful in LA. His daughter has died of a drug overdose, and like most Angelenos, he chooses to blame the town for his bad luck. This performance is so brave, so unaffected and balls out, that I suspect Chuck Connors may be one of the most unappreciated actors of the 70s. That, or he was completely whacked out of his head during filming. This guy runs through Los Angeles looking exactly like the kind of guy who would plot the doom of society. Hell, his eyebrows look like they could jump off his head and eat a person. This is one intense looking dude.Connors has been planting bombs around the city and at one target he's seen by a virulent rapist whose just trying to grab another victim. What Bert I. Gordon does with this outline is unexpected and wonderful. He shows the daily existence of these cretins. Connors goes around with a chip on his shoulder bigger than his actual shoulder. Only in a Mr. B.I.G. movie would you see a rampaging lunatic shop for his food before he flips out on a cashier at a Ralph's grocery store for not providing proper service. The rapist is also shown in his private places. Like when he masturbates to soft-core porn of his wife! And it's not like she's gone or dead or anything. This middle-aged, puffy housefrau just likes to keep her lovin' hubby happy.Despite working with a restrictive budget, Gordon manages some oddly contrived but surprisingly effective explosion scenes. Especially wonderful is the first one at a high school with plenty of young victims. There's a hilarious scene where Connors infiltrates a meeting of feminists only to plant a bomb underneath the chicken they've ordered for the snack. As with most movies directed by the incomparable Gordon, this film lays on the sleaze in dollops not veneer. Vince Edwards, the cop pursuing Connors, finds his investigation leading to a strip club. As he interviews one stripper backstage, the one on stage is in the frame behind Edwards. Only Bert I. Gordon would remember to put the girl in that shot! To make clear his commitment to the case, Edwards says one of the most memorable lines in the movie. "Let me blanket the city with policewomen just begging to be raped!" If that makes you laugh, run to find the uncut version of this masterpiece. If such dialog has you wondering whatever happened to Paddy Chayefsky, then go nowhere near this or any other Bert I. Gordon work.