The Wraith (1986)

Essentially a revved-up sci-fi version of High Plains Drifter with 80s teens and the cute young spirit of vengeance driving the Mad Max Interceptor instead of riding into town on a horse, The Wraith is one I've remembered fondly since first seeing it on Monstervision with Joe Bob Briggs in the 90s.

The story is, as other reviewers have noted, pretty hopelessly stupid, with dialogue alternating between bland and quotably goofy. Sheen, though top-billed, has little to do and isn't particularly charismatic when he's on screen. Consequently, the Wraith experience is all about the superficial elements: slick car action, hot 80s pop, eye-pleasing girls, etc. Also noteworthy, however, is the colorful supporting cast, including Randy Quaid as the sheriff, and scene-stealing comic relief cretins Skank, Gutterboy, and Rughead (the eternally fascinating Clint Howard sporting an Eraserhead 'do).

It's amusing to see the wild array of user reactions to The Wraith, ranging from exaggeratedly laudatory ("Sheen's Post-Impressionist Masterpiece", whatever that means) to dismissive ("Really bad 80's cheese") to indignantly blunt ("crap!!"). It really depends on how you feel about the wacky decade that unleashed The Wraith, a disposable 80s trash flick par excellence. All you need to know is that this movie is 80s to the max. I might be disposed to dismiss The Wraith as time-wasting crap, myself, if it weren't for the fact that it's such utterly fun and nostalgically classic crap.

Fmovies: Very few films past or present stray from the predictable form of a fluid linear narrative. Exposition, conflict, resolution, and possibly an occasional flashback or revisiting of an earlier moment---these are all staples of visual story telling.

Charlie Sheen's late 80's action masterpiece THE WRAITH, however, successfully ventures down a road much less traveled by filmmakers, a road which guides viewers through an assemblage of scenes which seem somehow related, but give no indication of how or why.

Ingeniuosly, the many questions of THE WRAITH, much like the guiding directions in other impressionist images, provide a grander picture of a straight forward story of love, loss, and revenge. Who is the angelic avenger that, one by one, picks off the gang of road-rash-ruffians in a futuristic car? Who, inexplicably halfway through the picture, receives his untimely demise from the ruffians in the trunk of car? Can it be the same character so craftily played by Sheen, a charming young man who both befriends the young short-order chef and knocks boots with the buxomly Sherilyn Flynn?

Thankfully the audience is given a clue to THE WRAITH's avante-garde modus in the air brushed leather jacket of Nick Cassavettes: the skull-among-flames symbolizes many things, maybe most important of which is the picture's dramatic refutation of sensible organization. The line between the beautiful, bone-white skull and the jacket's hot, licking flames, is blurred in the same fashion as the line of narrative arch which threads through THE WRAITH.

80's Action connoisseurs will appreciate the steely-eyed performance Sheen gives, as well as the supplemental contributions of Chuck Howard and Randy "Uncle Eddy" Quaid. From the first moment Flynn appears on the screen, there can be no doubt that Sheen will take her to the mat---or in this case, an Arizona hot spring---and there can be no doubt that Cassevettes and co. will receive their devilish comeuppance. During the course of such a spectacle, the audience must then ultimately ask itself, will we be able to handle the power contained in rest of this film? And if so, more importantly, will we be able to ever again stomach the banality of traditional film?

Maybe if you've seen one 1980s horror/sci-fi/romance, you've seen them all. But you still need to see "The Wraith". It portrays a young guy (Charlie Sheen) riding into a small Arizona town which seems to be nearly run by a gang of hoodlums. The gang leader (Nick Cassavetes) is very jealous of one of the teenage girls (Sherilyn Fenn) and gets nasty if it looks like anyone else is approaching her. But things start to change for everyone once a strange black car starts driving through town.

Think about what all this movie portrays. First off, it stars Martin Sheen's son, John Cassavetes's son, Ron Howard's brother (Clint Howard sports a crazy hairdo and plays the only intelligent member of the gang), and Dennis Quaid's brother (Randy Quaid plays the sheriff and was noticeably leaner back then). Speaking of weight, women in movies were meatier back then; check out Sherilyn Fenn in her waitress outfit (or in another scene)! But another thing is about the definition of the title. A wraith is an apparition, often portending someone's doom (the word comes from Scottish, but I don't know the full origin).

Are the car races the highlight? That's debatable. The road looked very much like the same road that they used for the desert scenes in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", which of course starred another hot babe (I mean Dorothy Provine, hubba hubba).

Anyway, this is one that you're sure to love. And just keep watching the skies.

Back when Martin Sheen's father immigrated to the US from Spain and John Cassavetes's father immigrated to the US from Greece, they probably never guessed that their grandchildren would co-star in this sort of movie. Hell, back in the days when Ron Howard played Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show", people probably never guessed that his brother would star in this sort of movie. I don't know what people would have thought when Randy Quaid debuted in "The Last Picture Show".

The Wraith fmovies. Let's be serious... this movie isn't meant to win an Oscar. It's just supposed to be fun and in my opinion succeeds on every level. The script is hokey, yet there are some really tender moments, like when Billy Hankins realizes who the Wraith really is. The acting is OK but this isn't Shakespeare. This movie is a great escape. Plus the revenge angle is definitely cool. The ending is actually a little reminiscent of "High Plains Drifter", where there is that one unspoken moment where fantasy and reality blur. This is actually one of my favorite films of the 80's. Sure it is massively dated, but, interesting none the less. Just a side note.... one of the waitresses at the drive in is a young Brook Burke of Wild On and Rockstar INXS fame!!!

Back in 1986, The Wraith just about qualified as a moderately entertaining alternative should the video rental shop be all out of copies of Aliens or Top Gun; however, when watched twenty three years later from a nostalgic point of view, this silly supernatural revenge flick actually proves to be a whole heap of fun. Charlie Sheen's lifeless performance; the sheer naffness of the race scenes; an ever-present pop/rock soundtrack; Nick Cassavetes' ridiculously nasty boo-hiss bad guy; a collection of annoying comic-book punks with idiotic names and silly mannerisms: The Wraith is perfect for anyone looking for some mindless popcorn action and a bit of a laugh at the expense of the decade that taste forgot.

Sheen plays a restless spirit who returns from the afterlife in a turbo charged ghost car to seek revenge on the reprehensible road pirates responsible for his death, rescue roller waitress Keri (the scorching Sherilyn Fenn) from the clutches of psychotic killer Packard Walsh (Cassavetes), and say goodbye to his younger brother Billy (Matthew Barry).

Although the film's star isn't really given that much to do (for much of the time, Sheen's character is hidden behind he wheel of his otherworldly car or in a silly cyberpunk suit and black full-face helmet), the excellent supporting cast more than make up for his absence: Randy Quaid is great as a desert cop trying to make sense of the carnage; Clint Howard gives another memorable performance as a mechanic with crazy hair; and Fenn is effortlessly sexy, and gets her top off once or twice during proceedings.

With more cheese than one of the burgers served up by Keri at the Big K bar, The Wraith is a great time-waster and recommended to all fans of 80s cult cinema.

This movie survives only because the plot idea is kinda' cool. The rest of it is tremendously cheesy, but the excellent car and a compulsive 80's sound track make this a movie worthy of a night in and a bucket of popcorn. Put up your feet, put your brain to bed, sit back and enjoy.