The Farmer (found action film; 1977)

From The Lost Media Wiki
Revision as of 09:26, 11 May 2015 by Dycaite (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Advertisement poster for the film.
The released trailer for the film.

Directed by David Berlatsky (in his one and only directorial role), The Farmer (aka Blazing Revenge, aka The Killer Farmer) chronicles the story of Kyle Martin, a farmer who has just returned from World War II a hero and Silver Star recipient, only to discover that the bank intends to foreclose his dilapidated farm. Despite his previous heroism, the creditors refuse to change their minds, and Martin sets out to raise money to try and save the farm.

The farmer soon comes across a car accident from which he pulls gambler Johnny O'Neill to safety, moments before the wreckage bursts into flames. O'Neill decides to reward Martin with $1,500, but it is still not enough to save his farm. The men go their separate ways, but shortly afterwards, O'Neill is attacked and blinded with acid by mob boss Passini and his men, over a gambling dispute. Aware of his previous military experience, O'Neill meets with the farmer's girlfriend Betty, who happens to be a long-time friend of his, and who he tasks with passing on a message; that being an offer of $50,000 to track down and murder the 5 men responsible for blinding him.

Initially, Martin declines, realising the immorality of the proposition, but, unbeknownst to him, the mobsters have already caught wind of his involvement with O'Neill. He returns to his farm one night to find his barn burnt to the ground, along with the burnt remains of his black, long-time family friend, Gumshoe, who has been shot and left for dead in the barn. He also discovers that Betty has been brutally raped by one of Passini's syndicate men, Weasel. It is at this point that the farmer decides to take O'Neill up on his previous offer, immediately setting off on his trail of revenge.

The film had a limited screening in public theatres in 1977, though was said to have been screened heavily at a variety of Marine Corps base theatres around the world. It also appeared on cable TV for a short period, after its theatrical release. The film, to this day, has never received a home video release of any kind, and is heavily sought-after by collectors. In 2006, Code Red DVD claimed that they were in the process of digitally remastering the film for an upcoming DVD release, but said release simply never came to fruition. Code Red even went as far as including a trailer for The Farmer on several of its other DVD releases, said trailer remaining the only footage from the film that is publicly available (aside from a collection of screenshots released by Code Red in 2007[1], and a few production stills and advertisements for the film).

Screenshots

References