A Breed Apart

Continuing on my look back at some forgotten gems starring the late Powers Boothe, I thought I'd write about one of his odder roles in 1984's A Breed Apart.

Boothe plays Mike Walker, an expert rock climber who's been hired by a billionaire, Donald Pleasence, to retrieve rare eggs from a new breed of bald eagle. To do this, he must pose as a photographer and gain the trust of Jim Madden, Rutger Hauer, a reclusive conservationist who will stop at nothing to protect the bird and it's hatchlings.

Judging from the story, this might not sound that strange, but the final product is kind of an odd and there's a reason why. After the film wrapped, one of the reels was lost. Not having the funds to go back and reshoot it, director Philippe Mora cobbled together what he had. The final product is somewhat disjointed, with subplots that go nowhere and Boothe's characters backstory totally gone. With that being said, it is still kind of a fun flick. Hats off to Mora for doing what he could with what he had to work with. Mora is a filmmaker I've always enjoyed watching the work of. His films are a little out there and aren't big hits or well reviewed, but I think they are fun viewing.

Both Hauer and Boothe are terrific as usual. Both bring a little bit of crazy to their roles which works in their favors. Kathleen Turner is saddled in a thankless role as Hauer's girlfriend. She's giving little to do and her talents are wasted.

The conservation point that the film tried to make might fall on deaf ears, but just sit back and enjoy two terrific, over the top performances from Boothe and Hauer.

Sadly this isn't available on dvd or blu ray.