The Sender (1998)

Director:

Richard Pepin

Writers:

Nathan Long (writer)
Richard Preston Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

19 February 1999 (South Africa)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In 1965, an American fighter squadron encountered a spaceship while flying over the Bermuda Triangle...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Aug. 2

4:45 AM

HBO

Cast

Michael Madsen	...	Dallas Grayson
R. Lee Ermey	...	Colonel Rosewater
Robert Vaughn	...	Ron Fairfax
Dyan Cannon	...	Gina Fairfax
Steven Williams	...	Lockwood
Shelli Lether	...	Angel
Brian Bloom	...	Jack Grayson
Josh Clark	...	Barry Stoop
Erica Everage	...	Lisa Grayson
Carlos Lauchu	...	Lab Technican
Arminae Austen	...	Castille
Francis Fallon	...	Nick
Rance Howard	...	Max
Richard Kuhlman	...	Sergeant York
Ramsey Krull	...	Young Dallas

Also Known As:

Armée du silence, L' (France) [fr]
Destination: Zero (Germany) (video title) [de]
Mesagerul stelar (Romania) [ro]
Paranormal - Im Bann der Aliens (Germany) [de]
The Sender - Força Invasora (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

Brazil:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

USA

Goofs:

Continuity: During the desert chase Dallas and Angel are pursued by a helicopter. They stop the car leaving both doors wide open and run across the desert. When the helicopter flies over during the next scene - the driver side door is closed on the car.

A real stinker, but pretty funny, with a few redeeming moments

Wow! This is one of the most amazing films I've ever seen. And I don't mean that in a good way. (grin) Once you get past the endless car chases and senseless shoot-em-ups, you have to shake your head in amazement at just how badly this film was botched. I mean, it had the stench of rotting cheese you could smell all the way back to the alien's home planet.

If I had to guess, I'd say this was a first-time effort for the director, the screenwriter, AND the musical effects people. It just reeked of "We have NO clue what we're doing", which made it pretty darn funny, once you got over the expectation that you were going to see a "real movie".

It's difficult to capture the essence of how this film plays out, but I'd characterize it best by saying, ...what would happen if you got a bunch of actors together, didn't let them read a script, then handed them their lines one page at a time, just before shooting each scene?

They'd have no idea what was going on. They'd ask, "what's my motivation here?", to which the director would respond, "forget motivation, just say your lines". And that's exactly what the "actors" here do, 90% of the time. They just say lines. They don't act, they don't react, they don't respond to what's going on around them, there's no emotion. It's just bizarre. And the movie is full of these "WTF? moments". I kept asking myself, "Are these human beings, or zombies?". The one exception being R. Lee Ermy, who goes postal at the drop of a hat, with no provocation whatsoever.

I'm baffled how someone could get funding to make a film this poorly, but I'd guess they didn't get to make any more. So here's your opportunity to catch a real schlock-fest. If you go into it with no expectations; like lots of action, with no suspense; don't mind gaping plot holes and a senseless script, you could be in for an amusing hour and a half of shaking your head and saying "unfreaking-believable!". I can't believe I watched the WHOLE thing. (smile)