My review was written in July 1984 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.
Made in 1977-78 as an early entry from Melvin Simon Productions, "Wolf Lake" is a tortuous melodrama, not saved by a strong Rod Steiger performance. Picture received a very limited theatrical release under the title "The Honor Guard" from Filmcorp and is reviewed here for the record upon its availability in home video format, reverting to its original moniker.
Writer-director Burt Kenney tips his hat here in the direction of his 1960s contemporary Sam Peckinpah (at least one key scene recapitulates latter's "Straw Dogs") in this desultory tale of the sour feelings left on the home front after the Vietnam war. Pic is set in Canada in 1976 (though oddly filmed in Chihuahua, Mexico), where Vietnam deserter David (David Huffman) is living at Wolf Lake lodge with his girlfriend Linda (Robin Mattson).
Four hunters trek to the lake for their annual outing, led by Charlie (Rod Steiger), whose son Danny was killed in Vietnam. When Charlie and his rifle-toting pals find out David is a deserter, there's hell to pay.
Dreary format has the inevitable climactic violence delayed by pointless scenes of verbal parrying and some worthwhile (perhaps for excerpt purposes) bravura monologs by Steiger expressing the bitterness of flag-waving Americans who saw youngsters avoiding or deserting from the military service while their kids were toeing the line. Biggest mistake here is that all the violent payoffs, including killings and a gang raper, are telegraphed repeatedly by flashforwards and even a senseless prolog that turns out to be the pic's final scene inserted at the outset. This structuring turns everything into an anticlimax.
Outside of Steiger, pic has little to offer, with dull thesping by the rest of the cat and meager technical contributions.
Made in 1977-78 as an early entry from Melvin Simon Productions, "Wolf Lake" is a tortuous melodrama, not saved by a strong Rod Steiger performance. Picture received a very limited theatrical release under the title "The Honor Guard" from Filmcorp and is reviewed here for the record upon its availability in home video format, reverting to its original moniker.
Writer-director Burt Kenney tips his hat here in the direction of his 1960s contemporary Sam Peckinpah (at least one key scene recapitulates latter's "Straw Dogs") in this desultory tale of the sour feelings left on the home front after the Vietnam war. Pic is set in Canada in 1976 (though oddly filmed in Chihuahua, Mexico), where Vietnam deserter David (David Huffman) is living at Wolf Lake lodge with his girlfriend Linda (Robin Mattson).
Four hunters trek to the lake for their annual outing, led by Charlie (Rod Steiger), whose son Danny was killed in Vietnam. When Charlie and his rifle-toting pals find out David is a deserter, there's hell to pay.
Dreary format has the inevitable climactic violence delayed by pointless scenes of verbal parrying and some worthwhile (perhaps for excerpt purposes) bravura monologs by Steiger expressing the bitterness of flag-waving Americans who saw youngsters avoiding or deserting from the military service while their kids were toeing the line. Biggest mistake here is that all the violent payoffs, including killings and a gang raper, are telegraphed repeatedly by flashforwards and even a senseless prolog that turns out to be the pic's final scene inserted at the outset. This structuring turns everything into an anticlimax.
Outside of Steiger, pic has little to offer, with dull thesping by the rest of the cat and meager technical contributions.