A Breed Apart *** (1984, Rutger Hauer, Powers Boothe. Kathleen Turner, Donald Pleasence) – Classic Movie Review 8758

Director Philippe Mora’s 1984 A Breed Apart is a fascinating, intelligent movie and stars a fine quartet in Rutger Hauer, Powers Boothe. Kathleen Turner, and Donald Pleasence.

Avaricious billionaire collector J P Whittier (Pleasence) hires adventurous mountain climber Mike Walker (Boothe) to steal the eggs of an endangered pair of nesting bald-headed eagles and mysterious recluse Jim Malden (Hauer) swoops to defend the birds.

There is a lot of energetic acting in this well paced and attractive green suspense action drama, with a touch of romance from Turner (as widow Stella Clayton). It is picturesquely filmed by French-born, Australia-raised director Mora in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It is an adult drama, with female full frontal nudity, a sex scene, four-letter words and violence.

Unfortunately one of the four completed reels never arrived by plane from North Carolina to Los Angeles, and the film had to be re-edited around the missing scenes, so some sub-plots are incomplete, Malden has no back story, and the film runs a short 95 minutes.

A Breed Apart is directed by Philippe Mora, runs 95 minutes, is made by Sagittarius Productions and Hemdale, is released by Orion Pictures (1984) (US) and Guild, is written by Paul Wheeler, is shot in Metrocolor by Geoffrey Stephenson, is produced by John Daly and Derek Gibson and is scored by Maurice Gibb.

Rutger Hauer (1944–2019).

RIP the awesome Dutch star actor Rutger Hauer (1944–2019). Best known for Blade Runner (as Roy Batty) and The Hitcher, he won a Golden Globe for Escape from Sobibor (1987). He also appeared in Nighthawks, Eureka, The Osterman Weekend, A Breed Apart, Ladyhawke, Flesh and Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) as Lothos, Surviving the Game, Sin City (2005) as Cardinal Roark, Batman Begins (2005) as Earle and Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) as Hobo.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8758

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