Blu-ray Review: TAG: The Assassination Game

TAG: The Assassination Game is a 1982 film written and directed by Nick Castle (who played Michael Myers in the original Halloween and would go on to direct The Last Starfighter). It's about a group of college kids who play a game on campus where they try to shoot each other with plastic darts that have rubber suction cup tips, a fun and safe game until one player takes things a little too seriously. It stars Robert Carradine (before Revenge Of The Nerds) and Linda Hamilton (before Children Of The Corn and The Terminator), along with Bruce Abbott (before Re-Animator and Casual Sex?), Kristine DeBell (Meatballs), Perry Lang (The Big Red One, Alligator, Eight Men Out), John Mengatti (Meatballs Part II), and Michael Winslow (before Police Academy and Spaceballs). The movie is part comedy, part film noir, part suspense thriller, and it largely manages to work in each realm, due mainly to excellent performances by Linda Hamilton, Robert Carradine and Bruce Abbott. The film has now gotten its first Blu-ray release.

As TAG: The Assassination Game begins, the score over its first moments seems to suggest this is a horror film. Then a big laugh comes almost immediately on the reverse shot of a man standing in a hall holding a newspaper with two holes cut out for his eyes. It is such a delightfully ridiculous image, and coming out of what otherwise is a suspenseful sequence, that we can't help but laugh. In this sequence one man is pursuing another, and it isn't until the end of the sequence that we learn it is all part of a harmless game. Then there is a sort of play on the James Bond opening credits sequence, which is fun. When we are introduced to Susan Swayze (Linda Hamilton) after the credits, she is alone after dark, and all our horror movie experience would inform us that she is soon to be a victim. But when she pulls out a profile for "Jeff Shooster," we learn she is not just being chased, but is a hunter herself, Linda Hamilton clearly gaining experience she'll need later for the Terminator movies. And when she ends up hiding in the dorm room of Alex Marsh (Robert Carradine), there are some wonderful film noir aspects to the look and feel of the film. Alex, in that scene, is reading a copy of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, a nice touch. All these early moments help establish the tone and give us a pretty clear idea of what to expect from this film. And, yes, it might remind you a bit of another 1980s film, Gotcha!, but this one predates that movie by three years.

Alex Marsh writes for the college paper, and fancies himself a Raymond Chandler type. He decides to write a piece about the game, in large part as a way to get to know Susan. His first stop is at the office set aside for the game, its door letting us know these rooms are also used by the Chess Club, Jews For Jesus, and the Iranian Student Association, something that is wonderfully funny as well as being oddly accurate to my memories of the college experience, that every special interest deserved and got its own club. Anyway, the head of TAG is quite a character. Named Nick Carpenter (presumably after Nick Castle himself and John Carpenter), he is played by Frazer Smith, a Los Angeles radio personality who completely commits to the role and is actually a delight, going right up to the edge, but never quite going over the top. Interestingly, much of the humor comes from, and because of, the character Gersh, played by Bruce Abbott in his first film role. Gersh, touching on horror movie tropes, addresses another player: "Don't you know you're not supposed to take showers when people are trying to kill you? They always get it in the shower." Though this movie is not in the horror genre, it does like to play with some of the elements of horror, and with the expectations of a horror audience. When Gersh is surprisingly hit and "killed" in the game, he does not take it well. After smashing up stuff in his dorm room, he returns to confront the player that shot him (who is still in the shower for some reason), this time carrying a real gun. 

Some people take games and sports much too seriously (hell, many universities take sports much too seriously), and can't handle losing. Their identities are too closely tied with a game, and such is the case with Gersh, who is the champion of TAG at his school. Even though he's a music student and composer, this game is where he puts his energy and his passion. And so he goes a little sideways when he is shot. What's interesting is that he realizes he's done wrong, and actually calls Nick Carpenter and confesses his crime. This, to me, is perhaps the funniest scene in the film because of Bruce Abbott's expressions while on the phone with Carpenter. Carpenter, not understanding Gersh's meaning, tells him, "Good work, Gersh, looks like you're on your way to another title." And he wishes Gersh, "Good luck." Gersh's expression as he says "Thanks" is perfect. He takes Carpenter's words as approval of his actions and encouragement to go on killing. Gersh is delightfully unhinged. And Carpenter's earlier admonishment to "clean up your act" takes on another meaning now.

But it is the relationship between Susan and Alex that it is at the heart of this film. Alex describes Susan as "tough, strong, hard," and likens her to Lauren Bacall. A little later, Susan does her best Bacall, saying to Alex, "You know to whistle, Marsh, just put your lips together and blow." Adding humor to the moment, a cleaning woman behind Alex whistles at him to get his attention, to get him to move out of her way. Both Robert Carradine and Linda Hamilton turn in wonderful performances, and those performances are the main reason the films works as well as it does.

Special Features

The Blu-ray includes a commentary track by writer/director Nick Castle and actor Robert Carradine, moderated by Sean Clark. Nick talks about being inspired by an article about a real campus game, and about how John Carpenter helped ensure that he would be able to direct the film. He mentions that Demi Moore, Daryl Hannah and Kirstie Alley were also considered for the role that ended up going to Linda Hamilton. Nick reveals that her character's last name was chosen after Patrick Swayze, and that the Wallace character was named after Tommy Wallace, a character in one of John Carpenter's movies. They talk about shooting at UCLA, and get into get into some detail about certain locations. They also talk about the great work of the movie's cinematographer, Willy Kurant. The Blu-ray also includes the theatrical trailer.

The Blu-ray edition of TAG: The Assassination Game was released on September 8, 2026 through Synapse Films.

Blu-ray Review: Falling Down

When Falling Down came out in 1993, I was alarmed by how much I was able to identify with the lead character, William Foster. Part of it, of course, was because of Michael Douglas' incredible performance in that role. But even at the age of 21, I was tired of much of the nonsense that society expects us to endure, and the idea of just walking away held much appeal. Now, more than three decades later, and living in Los Angeles, I find there is still something in that character that speaks to me, perhaps even more strongly than back then, although the character's faults are also more striking. This is a perfect time to revisit this remarkable film, especially after the recent changes this country has gone through and is continuing to go through, none of them for the better. A new 4K restoration of the film from Arrow Video has been released on Blu-ray, and it looks great. Plus, the disc has plenty of excellent bonus material.

The movie opens with an extreme closeup of William Foster's face. As the camera pulls back, we see that he is in his car, and is stuck in traffic. Others around him are hoking their horns, but we hear nothing. It is clear from that opening moment that William is on the edge. And we are right there with him. The sound begins to come in as the camera takes us along the scene, a scene that is completely normal, completely mundane, but which has taken on a nightmarish vibe. It is a hot day. His air conditioning is not working. A fly is buzzing around him, crawling on his neck. He can't even manage to swat the fly, though he tries multiple times. Finally he opens the car door, takes a welcome breath of air, grabs his briefcase and gets out. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" the guy in the car behind him asks (played by the film's screenwriter, Ebbe Roe Smith). William Foster answers, "I'm going home." Is there anything more relatable than that, wanting to just get home? That's all he wants, putting this film sort of in the same ballpark as The Warriors. And he, in fact, is a sort of warrior himself, a warrior whose war has ended and who is no longer needed. 

Meanwhile, Martin Prendergast (Robert Duvall) is stuck in the same traffic jam, but has quite a different reaction, a different disposition, even smiling at the graffiti he spots on a billboard. As we soon learn, today is his last day as a police officer. And the world, much as it has for William Foster, is moving past Prendergast, leaving him behind. His boss (played by the wonderful Raymond J. Barry) knows basically nothing about him, about his life, nor cares to know. In some ways, the two main characters are leading parallel lives. The difference is in how each reacts to the changes in the world. 

The first encounter William Foster has is with a Korean clerk at a convenience store. He goes into the store to get change for the pay phone (to anyone young reading this, it was not all that long ago that there were pay phones along the streets). When told he'd have to make a purchase, William decides to buy a can of soda. But the clerk overcharges him, telling him it will cost eight-five cents, not giving him enough change for the phone call, the entire point of the purchase. William's reaction is tinged with racism, calling the clerk out not just for the inflated price, but for not pronouncing "eighty-five" correctly. "There's a V in the word," William tells him. Still, we can't help but side with him as he reacts, grabbing the baseball bat from the clerk and smashing some of the displays of likewise overpriced items. And a little later when he hits a gang member with the bat, we can't help but cheer. And when he goes against a neo-Nazi, the exact sort of person who would later vote for Donald Trump, we feel a certain satisfaction, even joy. By the way, when the Korean clerk reports the incident to the police, he says he had the bat for defense. "De-fense," he stresses, reminding us of William's vanity license plate: "D-FENS." That license plate has a second meaning for us, more striking these days when we've been hearing about "draining the swamp," for "fens" means "marshes, swamps."

Our feelings toward William Foster change over the course of the story. We are at first rooting for him to make it home, but after a while his ex-wife tells him on the phone, "This isn't your home anymore." And that is a key line of the film. The world has changed, and nohing seems like his home anymore. And we can't help but wonder just what transpired to make his wife fear his arrival. At a certain point, we can no longer be on the character's side. "I'm the bad guy?" William asks, incredulous but thoughtful. And perhaps that line might make us take a look inward as well.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a commentary track that includes thoughts from director Joel Schmacher, editor Paul Hirsch, screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith, journalist Shawn Hubler, and cast members Michael Douglas, Michael Paul Chan, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Frederic Forrest. Joel talks about the opening scene, and how people relate to it, and Ebbe Roe Smith talks about how he once had an urge to walk away from his car in a traffic jam. Michael Douglas talks about why he took the part, and calls the role the "best part I've had since Wall Street." This track was recorded in 2009.

"Man On The Edge" is a new interview with screenwriter Ebbe Roe Smith, in which he talks about the inspiration for the film and about the nature of Los Angeles itself. He also talks about the original feel for the movie, and how the golf scene came about. This interview is approximately nineteen minutes. "At War With The World" is a new interview with composer James Newton Howard, in which he talks about having a short time to compose the score. He talks about the hand percussion in a certain scene, and about the use of guitar and the use of trumpet at the end. There is also a conversation with Michael Douglas from 2009, in which he calls the film an unusual picture to be made by a studio. This is approximately ten minutes.

"Going Home" is a featurette on the locations used in the film, and how they've changed since the production. Here it is mentioned how MacArthur Park is one location that hasn't changed much. And if you've been there recently, you know the truth of that statement. It is a place that many of us in Los Angeles avoid. The special features also include two trailers and an extensive image gallery (163 production photos, some in color, some in black and white). And a booklet is included, with pieces written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Simon Ward.

This special Blu-ray release of Falling Down was released on July 21, 2026.

Blu-ray Review: The House With Laughing Windows

Right from the film's opening image of a man being tortured, murdered, The House With Laughing Windows is riveting. And as we are still grappling with understanding just what we're seeing, the film adds another surprising element, voiceover that you might think to be coming from the man being murdered. "The colors. My colors. Coming out of my veins. They're soft, my colors. Sweet like autumn and hot as blood. They're smooth like syphilis." It's incredibly unsettling, and the film does a fantastic job of immediately taking us from our reality and placing us in its own. The House With Laughing Windows was directed by Pupi Avati, and stars Lino Capolicchio, Francesca Marciano, Gianni Cavina and Giulio Pizzirani. It was released in theaters in 1976, and late last year got a Blu-ray release here in the United States through Arrow Video. The Blu-ray release contains plenty of bonus material, including a full-length documentary on the film.

Stefano (Lino Capolicchio) has been hired to restore a painting in a church in a small community. He arrives by boat, which enhances the feeling that the community is cut off from the world he leaves behind. Arriving on that same boat is a beautiful young woman that he exchanges glances with, but no words. Solmi (Bob Tonelli), the man who has hired him, believes that the artist's work will become a main attraction of the town and will bring in tourists to help revive the post-war economy. When we see the painting, we recognize it immediately as depicting a scene similar to what we witnessed in the film's shocking opening. And it isn't long before we hear that the artist was crazy. Then, when Stefano is led to his hotel room, a red-haired woman emerges from another room. The hotel staff member shakes her head, and tells Stefano, "She should stay in her own place doing what she does best." There is a nice moment when the woman, down the hall already, turns back to them. Did she hear what was said, or is she just checking Stefano out? I love how the film introduces us to an assortment of interesting characters all in the first ten minutes. Stefano gets the first in a series of mysterious phone calls, someone telling him to go away. "Don't touch that painting."

There are more unusual characters in the town, and Stefano is surprised by a friend, Antonio (Giulio Pizzirani), who, it turns out, recommended him for the restoration job. He also claims to have discovered an extraordinary story which he needs to share. But even though he is a friend to Stefano, we aren't sure whether we can completely trust him, as there is some word of a breakdown in his recent past, and he seems nervous. Even Stefano worries that he might still be suffering from his illness. The film does an excellent job of aligning us completely with Stefano and making us uneasy about everyone else, without resorting to heavy-handed tactics. The film is also really well-constructed, the way one scene is connected to the next. For example, at one point Stefano sees a woman in the distance collecting flowers. and the film then cuts to some flowers next to him as begins work on restoring the painting. There is even mystery here, as Stefano casually asks Lidio (Pietro Brambilla) who brought the flowers to the church, and Lidio says he doesn't know. Mystery seems to be just under the surface of everything, and Stefano begins to scrape away at it, just as he begins to scrape away at the painting.

After Antonio's questionable death, immediately judged a suicide, Stefano is even more alone. The only other person he had connected to at all was the red-haired woman (who, in another of the film's surprises, turns out to be a school teacher), but when he goes back to her place, he learns she has left town. She has been replaced in her teaching position by the young woman from the boat, Francesca (Francesca Marciano). Because Francesca arrived in this community at the same time he did, Stefano feels he can trust her. And so do we. It isn't long before both of them are in grave danger. The House With Laughing Windows is a fanastic film, full of suspense, and with a wonderfully unsettling atmosphere that never feels unbelievable. In addition, there are beautifully composed shots. There is a reason this film is so beloved and respected. And this Blu-ray edition looks great.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a lot of bonus material, including two commentary tracks. The first is done by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, who both immediately say they love the film, and go on to talk about what they appreciate about it (I think, however, that Alexandra does not know what the word "ambivalent" means). The second is by Eugene Ercolani and Troy Howarth, who talk about the Avati brothers and what they're known for in Italy, and how they wrote the initial script several years earlier. Also, interestingly, once they did go into production, the filming apparently went smoothly. That's something you rarely hear about any film. They talk about the priest character, and how there were a lot of Italian genre pictures in the 1970s that featured priests as killers. They say that "a lot of these films could be seen as being vaguely anti-Catholic" or "highly critical of Catholicism," but that's not the case with this film. They also talk about the lack of sex scenes in the film.

There is also, as I mentioned earlier, a feature-length documentary on the film, titled Painted Screams, directed by Federico Caddeo. It contains interviews with director Pupi Avati, producer Antonio Avati, assistant director Cesare Bastelli, costumer designer Luciana Morosetti, assistant camera operator Antonio Scaramuzza, sound man and still photographer Enrico Blasi, and painter Emanuele Taglietti, along with cast memgbers Lino Capolicchio, Francesca Marciano, Giulo Pizzirani, and Pietro Brambilla. Pupi Avati says the film was made by a crew of only twelve people, due to budget constraints, which is crazy. He also says, "When it comes to making so-called 'gothic films,' which would be called 'horror' back in the day, or just scary movies, the key is the protagonist's journey. You must establish a rapport with the protagonist from the get-go." Francesca says, "I think my character's purpose in this story was adding a reassuring presence amidst all this gloom." The documentary gets into the cast and the locations, and even about an earthquake that occurred during production. There is also information about the addition to the film's ending.

The special features also include two featurettes. The first, "La Casa Sola," has Chris Alexander talking about the importance of the opening title sequence, as well as the feel of the film and about this film's place within Italian cinema. The second, "The Art Of Suffering," finds critic Kat Ellinger talking about how the character Stefano represents modernity entering an antiquated community, and talks about the film's relation to artistic traditions. The Blu-ray also contains the film's trailer.

The House With Laughing Windows was released on Blu-ray on December 2, 2025 through Arrow Video.