Willard (1971)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The movie may have done the impossible---actually making rats, of all things, seem sympathetic. At least it did for me. Add a plot that features a double twist on a premise of righteous revenge and you've got a cult film. Poor Willard (Davison), his skinny frame perfectly reflects the lack of respect he gets from family, employer, and himself. Worse, as the only son of a wealthy manufacturer he should be getting maximo respect. But mom's kept him on a suffocating leash, isolating him from younger folks his own age. (That birthday party amounts to a poignant hoot and an illustration of Willard's plight.) At the same time, office shark Martin (Borgnine) has taken over the business relegating Willard to a menial slot. No wonder Willard looks for a substitute family and circle of friends. And the movie being a feat of offbeat imagination, he finds them in the world of rodents, namely Ben and Socrates as leaders of the pack. Now poor Willard's finally happy if only he can keep his big house where he and the pack live in symbiotic harmony.Davison delivers a cracker-jack performance as the needy Willard, while Borgnine seems made for the bullying boss role. Too bad we don't see more of Sondra Locke who appears Davison's skinny blonde double-a perfect matchup. Plus, I nominate Ben and Socrates for four-footed Oscars though they have no lines, not even a woof, woof. But oh my goodness, I almost didn't recognize Elsa Lanchester without that leaning tower of wavy hair and gray racing streak-- but where's hubby Frankenstein. What a great eccentric actress she was.All in all, the flick's surprisingly well done for a horror thriller. No corner cutting that I could spot. And if you think about how the rodents, on one hand, behave, and how people behave, on the other, there may well be an unsettling message lurking inside.

Didn't see a review with that title. Seemed like one was in order for this entertaining, original, exceptionally unique little flick. The script, acting, character development etc - all elements come together in delightful way. The Ernest Borgnine role, brilliantly conceived and executed (ahem). A great performance by Sondra Locke too, before she became more famous (Clint Eastwood movies, if I recall). Perfect casting, all around. Superb viewing, highly recommended for discriminating tastes in vintage exploitation cinema. No comparisons apply for this monumental, one-of-a-kind landmark movie. Ten stars in every department, a lot of bang for low-budget production buck.

I am huge fan animals attack people in the movies, From Good old From The Birds to Cujo, even the really b movie like Black Sheep. I was not sure what I expected from this movie but I did not expected it to be a slow as it was. This is very slow moving movie, for most of the movie we see Willard who just turned 27 year old, Having one of those bad day, seem to get worse as the weeks gose on.He got no friends, his boss bullies him and never give hime raise Also his mum is fallen sick and calling for help, as soon as walk into his home.She soon passes , leaving not money, then ends up loses the house and only spare time he get, he hang out new little friends in the garden.I did expect horror movie but This is not Horror movie at all, Nothinkg was scary or creepy or was that gory or Bloody either.With all these nasty stuff happening and get closer to rat he really start to lose his mind in some scene. I was really gutted that there was only one attack scene in this movie, it was over a little to quick.The acting was really good from the whole cast.5 out of 10 EDIT, I give it 7 out of 10 now.

I wildly concur with Lambiepie-2 - my L.A. horror-home-girl for life - that the command "Tear 'em up" immediately sailed into the lexicon of my favorite film lines after seeing "Willard." This flick is one of several from the early '70s that I defiantly cling to for all the thrills and laughs it gave me as a kid. I even shed a tear at the grisly demise of Socrates. I didn't see "Willard" in its original 1971 release. I was only 6 then. I caught it a few years later as part of some GP-rated double feature. Watching "Willard" decades later on a prized $35 LASER DISC, I cringed at its hokey made-for-TV pacing. However, I became a Bruce Davison fan for life because of "Willard," faithfully following him through a maze of impressively eclectic performances - from "Short Eyes" to "Longtime Companion." His gifts were so wasted in "X-Men." I, too, remember Mr. Davison paying moon-tanned "Elvira" a visit on her horror-snicker-flickers show one Saturday night to reminisce about sharing screen time with vermin - that would be the rats AND Ernest Borgnine. In all fairness, mad props are due to ol' Ernie for inhabiting the asshole you love to hate as Stanley Willard's lecherous and conniving boss.Much as I loved Crispin Glover in "River's Edge" (a haunting and disturbing film about teens finding a dead girl in the woods which also starred the luscious Ione Skye and a demented Dennis Hopper as a character named "Feck"), I could tell from the tone of the "Willard" remake's trailer alone that I would have zip-zero interest in sitting through it. I imagine Crispin was over-the-top and that the CGI-enhanced flesh eating rodents chewed up more than their fair share of the scenery AND the extras. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for splatter, menace and entrails ("The Toolbox Murders," "Don't Answer the Phone" or "The Last House on The Left," anyone), but there was a creepy, era-specific charm to the original "Willard." Bruce Davison left an indelible and unshakable impression in this - a remarkable role for his first as the title lead.Now, where can I find a copy of "The Ratman's Notebooks" to keep me up at night in the new year?!