Endangered Species (1982)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers:

Judson Klinger (story) &
Richard Clayton Woods (story) ...

Release Date:

10 September 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What you don't know can kill you.

Plot:

About a retired New York cop on Vacation in America's West who is drawn into a female sheriff's investigation of a mysterious series of cattle killings.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Sheriff | Cattle Mutilation | Mutilation | UFO

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Urich	...	Ruben Castle
JoBeth Williams	...	Harriet Purdue
Paul Dooley	...	Joe Hiatt
Hoyt Axton	...	Ben Morgan
Peter Coyote	...	Steele
Marin Kanter	...	Mackenzie Castle
Gailard Sartain	...	Mayor
Dan Hedaya	...	Peck
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dr. Emmer
John Considine	...	Burnside
Margery Bond	...	Judy Hiatt
Joseph G. Medalis	...	Lawyer
Patrick Houser	...	Chester
Alvin Crow	...	Deputy Wayne
Ned Dowd	...	Deputy Bobby

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (video rental version) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Alive Enterprises

Trivia:

The character Susan is played by Heather Menzies, co-star Robert Urich's off-screen wife. Menzies is best known as Louisa, one of the children in The Sound of Music (1965).

Soundtrack:

BOOZERS ARE LOOSERS

The late night TV elusive species

I recall seeing Endangered Species on a late night movie channel when I was very young. Actually, it seemed to come on late night movie channels quite frequently from about 1985-1987. I remembered the film being mysterious, dark, and a little bit unsettling. I remembered strange parts of the film, especially the scene where germ warfare is put on a man's toothbrush, and the gruesome effects afterwards. Just recently I was remembering this film and could not recall the title. I asked numerous friends and co-workers and they offered no help. So, I spent about 2 hours, just for the sake of completion, trying to recall the name of this movie! I really had nothing to go on, because I could not remember any of the actors who were in it. Finally, thanks to the IMDB, I was able to do a complex search and eventually found the title to this elusive film. Of course I had to see it again. Trying to find this film to rent or buy was nearly impossible. I DID find a local video store who had an ancient copy. I rented it and was a little less than impressed. Still, Endangered Species seemed to retain its mysterious and disturbing effect on me. I think I over-hyped my expectations due to all the research I conducted. Anyway, The acting is sub-par, and the film quality is pretty bad. Robert Urich plays up his part pretty well, but comes off as a male chauvinist pig. Hey, this is the early 80's, they didn't give a S#*! about being "PC" then. Peter Coyote (from E.T. fame) is also in this movie. His plays a sneaky, sinister para-military type character. Endangered Species definitely conjures up some X-Files type conspiracy theories. The pacing is good, and it really does have a suspense ridden feel throughout. Supposedly Endangered Species is loosely based on real events. I kind of feel that I have wasted my time researching and re-watching this film. But like I said earlier, I just wanted to remember the title! I didn't think I would go so far as watching it again. Ah, well. At least now I can put it out of my head.