Peckinpah saddled himself with a no-win situation in attempting to make a comeback with The Osterman Weekend. Whilst the Ludlum novel may differ, certainly the screenplay makes the fatal error of asking us to care about a group of thoroughly dislikable characters. Furthermore, once the studio suits began chopping up the finished version, what was merely a tale of unpleasant folks getting what they deserved turned into an incongruous mess. The viewer is introduced to conversations halfway through, characters suddenly completely change their behaviour, and all because scenes were either shortened or cut.
Peckinpah's women are either mothers or whores. Hurt's wife is murdered whilst masturbating, Yates' is a doomed and dim, gum-chewing bubble-head, and Shaver's coke-addled nympho' is so unsympathetic, we can hardly care what happens to her. Only Foster is allowed to keep her breasts off camera, but then again she IS a mother...
Gets two out of ten for Hopper's timidity and Hurt's oiliness. Watch only if you are a Peckinpah completist, otherwise avoid!
Peckinpah's women are either mothers or whores. Hurt's wife is murdered whilst masturbating, Yates' is a doomed and dim, gum-chewing bubble-head, and Shaver's coke-addled nympho' is so unsympathetic, we can hardly care what happens to her. Only Foster is allowed to keep her breasts off camera, but then again she IS a mother...
Gets two out of ten for Hopper's timidity and Hurt's oiliness. Watch only if you are a Peckinpah completist, otherwise avoid!