Endangered Species

This movie is downright scary and well made. However, the main character could use some work, especially with the interaction between him and the female sheriff. Although the movie initially got off to a slow start and seemed like just another cattle mutilation story... it really took off and surprised you. Once the real source of the mutilations is revealed, this movie really gets quite frightening. This is a quality movie which will give you nightmares. I would have given it a 10 if Urich's role had been written a little better and the beginning of the movie had gotten off to a better start. But this isn't just any cattle mutilation movie... this is the gov't doing really frightening germ war experiments and killing people in the most gruesome ways. There's enough validity in the gov'ts role in this movie to compare with some real life issues ongoing in that region when this movie was made. They were actually doing germ warfare and chemical testing in that area and killing off livestock... so that was probably the catalyst to making this movie... which is why I said it would frighten you if you had sense about some of the terrible things they do without oversight. Some of the effects in the latter part of the movie are downright graphic. The music and sound effects add so much scariness to the movie, it just rattles you to the bone. The background music and sound effects certainly earned a 10. That was the main key in the scary effects. The care which went into choosing the gov't sites & vehicles was well thought out. It looked quite real and believable. Superb direction. Quality production. Excellent story. The latter third of the movie was fantastic. All fresh storyline. Once you got past the first third of the movie and slow beginning, it really took off and was great right to the end. I've only had a couple other movies which were scary to me. This was one. The gov'ts biowarfare role in this movie will give you nightmares... even compared to current day films, this movie will stand up with the best of them. Good direction. Excellent special effects. Believable props for the gov't sites and black helicopters. Someone really put some quality effort into this movie. I found this movie while looking for "The Return" another cattle mutilation movie with Raymond Burr which was a totally different premise. It will surprise you and frighten you. It is available on DVD on Amazon. I would not recommend this movie to children under 14 or anyone who scares easily. The cattle mutilations and character deaths are quite graphic. The cattle appeared to have been real and not props for the most part. I think some props were mixed in with the real cattle carcasses.

It's almost impossible to find this movie nowadays. Too bad. Not because it's good but because it's one rare occurrence where you get a different explanation for the mysterious events than the standard " alien from outer space did it". For 1982, it's not bad. We are treated to cool silent helicopters, biological warfare and a Satanic cover-up in the making. Sure, all the soap opera with the NY cop in ranch country is quite lame but still, there is something fascinating here for the conspiracy buff. The all electronic score is weird too. The script relies on these typically 80's beliefs and scares: Abandoned Nike missile bases, cattle mutilations, secrets government (or else) paramilitary teams (looking south American) doing god knows what and for what purpose? Like some UFO buff once remarked: Why don't they make a deal with some slaugtherhouse to get the animals. In my opinion it is worth a look and is one good candidate for a modern remake. Be warned, the ending is a major disappointment.

At the time of the 'Endangered Species' initial 1982 release there had been 10,000 recorded cases of cattle mutilation, small change when compared to McDonald's daily apocalypse, but perhaps the macabre singularity of these bizarre, apparently random bovine evisceration's would prove to be more of a film-worthy premise for Alan Rudolph's enjoyably black-hatted conspiracy thriller,'Endangered Species'. Featuring two of the more resolutely 80s-looking movie stars; tall, rugged housewives favourite, Robert Urich and America's winsome sweetheart JoBeth Williams as the frisson-creating, diametrically opposed picture perfect couple, both drawn inexorably together by the magnetic movie magic of 'hooray for Hollywood' screenwriting! The curve-balling, faintly spooky tale unfolds with creditable alacrity after the initially esoteric mysteries concerning these ominously precise livestock mutilations bring the vexed town's higher echelon into vociferous ferment. With anxious, newly elected sheriff Harriet Perdue (JoBeth Williams), stalwart newspaperman (Paul Dooley), boorish, appropriately bovine patriot Ben (Hoyt Axton) and fleet-fisted wild card ex-city cop Reuben (Urich) all discovering that the rapidly moving lights in the night sky, the inexplicably undisturbed earth around the meticulously gored cattle's ruinous remains, and the confounding post-mortem anomalies, mysteriously suggest the reality of a deeply corrupting conspiracy, perhaps, far stranger than any of them could have previously imagined! Director Alan Rudolph has always been a class act, and being so fruitfully blessed with such a solid, chaff-free script and a uniformly excellent cast, 'Endangered Species' winningly remains an exciting, thought provoking, proto-X-Files 80s feature that still provides fun, attention-grabbing entertainment for avid Sci-thriller fans young and old! Seen today, 'Endangered Species' has the added boon of giving contemporary, conspiracy-hungry audiences a neat-o submersion into warmly fuzzy 80s genre movie nostalgia, zestfully charged with the energizing, neon-hazed synthesizer score by composer, Gary Wright which is a pleasurably pulse-pounding, adrenaline-spiking, Paul Hertzog-sounding dream!

Robert Urich and Jobeth Williams star in this fairly competant issue. Urich plays a single dad who while on vacation with his daughter starts to investigate a series of cattle mutilations. Good beginning and middle but ending could have been better.

Robert Urich is a retired cop from New York City on vacation with his daughter. While traveling on vacation, a flat tire enables him to get involved investigating a series of mysterious cattle mutilations. JoBeth Williams is the local sheriff having trouble convincing authorities of her ideas about the cause of the killings. Gailard Sartain plays an anxious mayor. Visuals are not so graphic, but the suspense keeps you interested. Providing fine support are: Hoyt Axton, Peter Coyote and Harry Carey, Jr.

"Endangered Species" follows a crestfallen New York City cop (Robert Urich) who decides to relocate to the west with his estranged teenage daughter and start a new life. The two end up landing in a small Wyoming town where a local sheriff (JoBeth Williams) is investigating a string of bizarre cattle mutilations. The two eventually team up to solve the incidents, leading to surprising revelations. This quasi-sci-fi effort from Alan Rudolph is a mostly forgotten film, despite having a rather formidable cast headlined by Urich, Williams, and featuring supporting performances from Paul Dooley and Dan Hedaya. While it is at times light on thrills, what "Endangered Species" succeeds at is effectively capturing the rural small-town west in a way that feels authentic and, at times, foreboding. The rustic downtown and rural locations give the film a unique feel, a far cry from the typical metropolis-set police procedural, and the sense of extraordinary things happening in an ordinary place comes on strong. Urich's portrayal of a struggling and detached alcoholic here is appropriately both aloof and vulnerable, while Williams is likable and naturalistic as the solo female sheriff; the two's dynamic rings truthful as NYPD city slicker vs. Small-town sheriff and local farm girl who never left her hometown. The film features some occasionally disturbing imagery involving the cattle mutilations, as well as dated sequences involving computer equipment being used to commit the crimes for potentially nefarious (and conspiratorial) reasons. Though its pacing is at times sluggish in the first half, the film ramps up in its last half-hour, and descends into full-on government conspiracy territory; while it seems to be pointed in this direction all along, the unfolding of events manages to be no less engaging. Overall, "Endangered Species" is an enjoyable and atmospheric sci-fi horror effort that is light in both; it's more a psychological thriller with touches of sci-fi and horror, but a paranoid-feeling one all the same. 8/10.

Though this film is ultimately forgettable, the saving grace is a savory morsel in the form of a cameo appearance by Jon Craig Liebling. In his role as the steward in a scene featuring a commuter airplane, Liebling delivers another of his subtle - yet, scintillating - tour de force performances. His understated and nuanced interpretation of this complex character contributes a level of patois to the scene that is memorable long after the credits roll. If you haven't done so already, be sure to seek out Liebling's contributions to the Jill Clayburgh film, "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can", as well. Once heralded as one of Hollywood's premier talents, Liebling (in both his acting and writing modes) was a dynamic presence who embodied a wide spectrum and depth of expertise that transcended his young age. From Clooney to Crowe, Ben Stiller to Jude Law, today's "A list" of Hollywood talent have all taken colors from Liebling's paintbox of cinematic artistry. When Liebling chose to leave California for a quiet, yet idyllic, life in Vermont, filmdom lost one of it's most treasured - yet inexplicably under-appreciated - players. Rumor has it, however, that Liebling now crafts short films for the exclusive enjoyment of friends and family. What lucky people they are, indeed!

Ruben Castle (Robert Urich) is a rough alcoholic ex-NYC cop who quited under some suspicions. His delinquent daughter Mackenzie is released to him as they travel to Colorado. Mackenzie gets arrested for running into Harriet Purdue (JoBeth Williams). Harriet is the new sheriff in the small Colorado town. She's investigating suspicious cattle mutilation deaths. Ruben's friend Joe Hiatt (Paul Dooley) runs the local paper and has a conspiracy theory about the cattle. Cattle rancher Ben Morgan (Hoyt Axton) is the local big wig. There is a secret base out in an abandoned nuclear silo. It take awhile before the movie settles down to its subject matter. Purdue should be much more of the lead character instead of Castle. That way the movie is solidly about the cattle mutilations. Instead it's too much about Castle's drinking and his failing father daughter relationship. The movie wants to hint at UFOs. The investigation feels like it's put on the backburner too much early on. The investigation has good spooky vibes at times and works well especially with the electronic music. The sound effects works well in opposition to the open space hinterland. The major drawback for me is that it never really explains everything to my satisfaction. It explains just enough for me to give it a pass.

They filmed the part of the missile silos in Longmont. Colo and I got to go there and watch them film the segment where the father (Urich( and his daughter ran down this hallway. It took them all day to do it and in the movie the segment only took a few seconds. I was pretty disappointed but I did get to shake hands with Jobeth Williams and Robert Urich and he gave me an Oreo cookie for a snack. Of course I kept it. ha ha I liked the movie just because of this event in my life. I especially liked the part of the effects of the toothbrush. I would like to know where to get a copy of this movie.

this is a fascinating film. I remember it vividly as my father took me to see it when I was about 12. Come to think of it, my parents took me to see some really odd films when I was growing up in the early 80s. Before I was even thirteen my parents took me to see such films as "Heavy Metal", "Eating Raoul", and "Blow Out". What the hell were they thinking? lol. Anyways, this film is about cattle mutilation and delves into the world of conspiracy theories involving black helicopters, satanic underground networks, and all that other stuff people were starting to get worked up about in the early 80s. Robert Urich plays an investigator from the big city who comes to the rural town where the mutilations are happening. With him is his delinquent teenage daughter (who is quite good. whatever happened to that young actress??). Urich also becomes romantically entangled with the local female sheriff played by JoBeth Williams. I have to give special mention to a couple of things. This film (in my opinion) is easily the best that Alan Rudolph has ever done. He's always been somewhat of a cult director but I never found his films very impressive. But "Endangered Species" is just superb. If you're going to create a film about conspiracy theories, this is the way to do it, folks. By NOT spelling everything out for the audience. But suggesting a great deal. By NOT treating the audience as though they are idiots. The cinematography is also very impressive, as is the droning, disturbing score. A definite winner! I used to have a copy of this on VHS and I gave it away a few years back. I'm still kicking myself for doing that!