Into the Fire (1988)

Excellent but underrated film

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Blistering performances.

I can't believe "The Legend of Wolf Lodge" aka "Into the fire" was actually released to some theaters in 1988 because, aside from the tame nudity, it feels like a TV movie, and not a good one, which isn't to say it doesn't have some positive qualities.The melodramatic story involves a young musician (Lee Montgomery) who drifts into a town in the Winter and takes a job by a guy (Art Hindle) who, apparently, abuses his alcoholic wife (Susan Anspach). The guitarist and his dog stay at the small rental house adjacent to their huge home, Wolf Lodge, which looks like it was really something back in the day. The wife thinks she's hotter than she actually is and makes the moves on the rock stud, but he's more interested in a local waitress, a young hottie (Olivia d'Abo).Someone criticized the film on the grounds that the only likable character is the dog, and this is pretty accurate. Montgomery, in his final film, is always likable, but his character here is so stupid he loses the viewer's sympathy. For instance, the husband proves himself to be a masculinity-on-overdrive psycho and yet the rocker willingly makes out with his wife when the man's barely around the corner. It's so stupid it's unbelievable. However, Montgomery is such a quality protagonist that you tend to overlook it, sort of. Speaking of unbelievable, the final act spirals out of control on this front. Olivia d'Abo is in her prime here and there's some tame top nudity of her and Anspach, but the latter's character is so scary it's impossible to regard her as sexy.What makes this B movie worth maybe catching is the effective Winter Ambiance, shot in Kirkfield Ontario in the middle of Winter. The blaring 80s score often detracts, but it has some interesting elements as well.Although I appreciated these factors, my wife gave me a look when the credits rolled that said: "You made me sit through THAT?" The film runs 78 minutes and has too many uninteresting stretches.GRADE: C-

The back cover of the VHS rental tape of "Into The Fire" (aka "The Legend of Wolf Lodge") babbles on about the woods surrounding Wolf Lodge being a holy place - or better yet: unholy grounds, as they were once an Indian burial ground - now inhabited by an vengeful spirit that likes to punish wrong-doers. Sadly, this info boils down to nothing more than a subplot that's never developed throughout the entire film. Heck, the legend only gets mentioned merely as a side note. Instead, we get another attempt at neo-noir with "Into The Fire": A lonesome musician just happens to park his car at the wrong bar in the wrong town and gets entangled in a triangular relationship between a femme fatal & her violent, drinking husband (who happened to have blown away the entire family's fortune). A young waitress gets thrown in for some more sexual goings-on and in the end it's all about who's going to kill who for a fair amount of money. A few horroresque scenes are throw in the mix - mostly nightmarish sequences - but they don't add up to much, really. Nevertheless, "Into The Fire" is probably a worthwhile time-waster because of some sex scenes and a couple of unforeseen twists near the end of the plot. But somehow, the movie (and the twists) don't have any impact on the viewer. The film's not badly made, has some nice tracking & crane shots, but the title "The Legend of Wolf Lodge" is pretty misleading. There simply isn't much of a legend to talk about. Not much in terms of suspense either. Just a film to have a quick peek at and be done with it.

Nothing goes as planned in this twisty low budget noir. The snowy Canadian locations are a definite plus. The often times grating soundtrack is a definite minus. Seductive Susan Anspach is a definite plus. Olivia D'Abo in a tub scene, obviously wearing underwear is a definite minus. The creepy old mansion loaded with imposing stuffed wild animals is a definite plus. Lee Montgomery supposedly getting blown up with just a dynamite plunger and zero dynamite present is a definite minus. Susan Anspach's nude scenes keep "Into the Fire" from descending below mediocrity, and that is a definite plus. When you add it up however, all you are left with is a familiar plot and several nude scenes. Let the viewer decide. MERK

Overly familiar film noir stuff, so derivative that the cliches seem to be checked off from a list: the naive outsider, the aggressive femme fatale, the brutal husband, the innocent "nice girl", doublecrosses, etc....At least they tried to put a spin on one of those all-too-typical characters, with mild success. But the movie is not very thrilling, and the many love scenes generate little heat because the women aren't particularly attractive. (**)