When Tough Guys Ruled the Cinema- Episode 10: They Live

they liveOriginally released in 1988, John Carpenter’s, “They Live,” is not only a quality sci-fi flick, filled with twists and turns that will keep you guessing throughout, it’s a damn good action flick in its own right.

Starring wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “They Live” is powered by its action scenes, which essentially act as a catalyst to advance the story. After watching this film, you’ll wonder why Piper never got another opportunity to star in another action flick like this. Carpenter has said in numerous interviews how much fun Piper was to work with and how he helped choreograph the fight scenes, so it’s baffling to think what could have been if Piper was given another shot. However, from this film, Piper has proven to be a more than solid action star and is charismatic, tough and daring- definitely not a guy you want to mess with. Sure,the fighting scenes gets a tad old after a while, but it’s totally fun and gives us an opportunity to be privy to several memorable one-liners from Piper.

“I’ve come here to chew gum, and to kick ass… And I’m all out of bubble gum.”

“Brother, life’s a bitch and she’s back in heat.”

If that isn’t what a great action film is all about, then you’ve spent way too much time watching soap operas.

Joining Piper in this bravado and fisticuffs-laced action flick is cinema veteran and Harlem-born Keith David, who too is no slouch in the toughness department. While he’s far from the tiniest dude in the world, it’s his voice that adds an element to his demeanor. Doing voice-overs for video games and television shows over the past 20 years when not on the big screen, David is as solid a sidekick as you can get for an ’80s sci-fi action flick.

Their relationship is far from perfect however, as the fight scene between the two towards the third act of the film is one of the longest and grueling in cinema history, going so far to be mirrored in “South Park.”

If pure action isn’t enough for you, the premise of the film is also an interesting one, as alien life forms have come to the planet and are using money to take over. The middle class, of course are being oppressed, virtually eliminating them all together and forcing an inevitable battle to occur, with of course, Piper leading the way. The social commentary the film makes is still incredibly relevant today and because of that, it’s aged considerably well.

So again, while it’s not as polished as say “Die Hard,” “They Live” is action-packed from start to finish and is a shining example of how an enigmatic star and a cool concept can make up for decent production value and make a film enjoyable.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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