MovieChat Forums > When a Stranger Calls (1979) Discussion > The fattest, dumpiest hero ever pitted a...

The fattest, dumpiest hero ever pitted against the wimpiest villian ever

posted 16 years ago by tmitch-1
21 replies | jump to latest

The first part is pretty good - although it's just a dramatization of an urban legend that was already at least a decade old in 1979.

After that, it's pretty much just an entire hour of the oldest, fattest, dumpiest hero ever chasing after the wimpiest, most pathetic villian ever.

Worse, the movie never even tried to explain why these guys were so pathetic. Maybe if the short, rotund ex-cop was an alcoholic, or had had a heart bypass or something. Nope, I guess we we're just supposed to believe that this is your typical hard-boiled ex-cop. And I know that Charles Durning is a notable actor; I guess he was supposed to be the answer to Donald Pleasance in Halloween. But come on - Charles Durning just isn't Dirty Harry!!

And the villian had to be the wimpiest, most pathetic excuse for a bad guy this side of the Looney Toons. Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam and Sylvester combined get beat up fewer times than this guy!

And again, no explanation for how in the world a guy who is supposed to be a ruthless killer can also be so incredibly wimpy. Take the scene where he gets the snot beat out of him in the bar. If he had come back and laid some sadistic trap or something for the guy who beat him up, that might have added something. But no, he gets totally pounded, cries like a little girl, and runs away - end of story. Can you IMAGINE how the bar bully would have ended up if he had tried that on Hannibal Lecter??!!

Anyways, if I'm ever stalked by an ex-cop on a blood hunt, or a serial killer - PLEASE let it be the ex-cop or the serial killer from this movie!!

[–] Jay_Nadiah 11 years ago

i'll somewhat agree with you on the P.I. ... was it necessary to get someone THAT fat and out of shape... it was a bit comical at times when he was chasing the villain up the stairs and around the tables..

but I also agree with other posters that it added a sense of realism to have him look like a real life retired cop rather than a Hollywood one... I just think someone a little less porky would have been better... he still could have been a little overweight and out of shape... just not as much.

the villain however... I totally disagree with you on that... the first thing I picked up on in the first bar scene was the realisation that he only preyed on children and women because he was not only weaker than most men but he probably had an inferiority complex about it and he took it out on the only people weaker than himself... children... it showed what a pathetic person he was. mentally and physically.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Kimrubymoon 9 years ago

Ignorant people SHOULD be stalked by a detective....and I hope he/she catches you. You obviously know nothing about psychology. I've went into the same details in other threads in these posts but size has nothing to do with sociopathy and contrary to the Halloween movies, actual human schizophrenic psychopaths aren't always "bad-ass" and pissed off. Jesus take some classes.