Split Image

Last night I had the opportunity to revisit a movie I haven't seen in thirty years, 1982's Split Image. Here's my thoughts.

Michael O'Keefe, from Caddyshack and The Whoopee Boys, stars as a college student who comes from a loving family. One day, while out with his buddies, he meets a young lady, Karen Allen from Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Starman, and instantly falls for her. She invites him to come with her to a weekend religious retreat. He goes and soon realizes that it's actually a cult. At first he is resistant, but his will is slowly beaten down and he becomes persuaded by the charismatic cult leader, Peter Fonda. When his worried parents, Brian Dennehy and Elizabeth Ashley, learn of this, they unsuccessfully try to bring in home. When that doesn't work, they hire a foul mouthed, somewhat sleazy, deprogrammer, James Woods, to rescue him.

This is a terrific film that really holds your attention. What really elevates this from feeling like an after school special is the amazing cast, especially O'Keefe and Woods. O'Keefe goes from a likable kid, similar to his character in Caddyshack, to a zombiefied follower with an amazing amount of believability. Woods is very intense and displays a sleazy charm.

This was directed by Ted Kotcheff, a terrific filmmaker who I felt never really got the credit he deserved. He has done everything from First Blood to Weekend At Bernie's. Now that's range.

Sadly, Split Image has never been put out on dvd and it doesn't look like a blu ray is in the future. It is however steaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu if you want to check out this forgotten gem.