The Osterman Weekend was Sam Peckinpah's farewell film and as a final fadeout doesn't measure up to Ride The High Country, The Wild Bunch or Junior Bonner. But it seems to have its supporters.

A Robert Ludlum spy novel is something I would think would appeal to a Sam Peckinpah as his kind of screen material. But he did adapt it as best he could to his own style.

John Hurt is quite the puppetmaster here and he's planning some big time revenge for the CIA killing his wife whom they suspected of being a Soviet agent. None other than Burt Lancaster who as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency takes out of mothballs his characterization of James Mattoon Scott the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Seven Days In May.

But part of that scheme is to use sensationalist TV newscaster Rutger Hauer to convince three friends of his and their wives to spend a weekend with him. The six are Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, and Dennis Hopper and wives Helen Shaver, Cassie Yates, and Meg Foster. It all starts out nice, but pretty soon the house which has every room bugged becomes a killing ground soon enough.

I don't want to go into more detail as this does take quite a turn and neither Hurt or Lancaster have clean hands. And the people spending time on that Osterman weekend aren't Boy and Girl Scouts.

Sam Peckinpah gets a pair of violence ballets into the film, first with a fight sequence between Hauer and Nelson and later a long involved sequence in a swimming pool where Hauer and Nelson are held prisoner there by machine gun fire until a most interesting rescue.

I'm willing to bet that Ludlam's original story was far more cerebral than what Peckinpah gives us. Still for admirers of this director this should satisfy them.

Sam Peckinpah's swan song is a muddled, confusing work with flashes of greatness that remind us of the director in his prime. Considering the amount of trash that was released during the '80s, I was actually pretty pleased with this film, which kept me gripped throughout. The reason is twofold: first off, the twisty, turny plot line, taken from a Robert Ludlum novel, always keeps you guessing as to the true identities of the characters and what's going on behind the scenes. The second reason is the cast: this film has assembled a list of greats from old-time winners to then-new talent.

The film marks pretty familiar territory for the director: taut conspiracy tension combines with a home-under-siege scenario reminiscent of the climax of STRAW DOGS. Along the way there's time for the kind of biting television satire that was also prevalent in the likes of Cronenberg's VIDEODROME from the same period. The action is handled very well indeed and there's just the right amount without the film being too over the top; time is always taken to build the characters and storyline first, unlike in today's Hollywood blockbusters. I find action always more effective when you care about those involved. Peckinpah can't resist shooting some slow motion and I love the bow and arrows/crossbow scenes, expertly done.

Yes, the film's editing is poor, and Lalo Schifrin's score is one of his deservedly lesser known compositions. The muddled storyline takes some working out but despite all these negatives, I had fun watching this movie. The twist is spot on and the actors handle it very well. John Hurt is creepy and weird, while Rutger Hauer is the best I've ever seen him, making for a charismatic hero who's believable as well as being an action man. Burt Lancaster lends some old-time gravitas to the role while '80s starlets Helen Shaver and Meg Foster also make good, early impressions in their careers. Some of the best casting is saved for the trio of friends who visit Hauer; Nelson, Hopper and Sarandon take some beating. Hopper achieves a fine balance between friendliness and sinister; Chris Sarandon is a pretty frightening, volatile character and I'm sure his part here paved the way for his vampire role in FRIGHT NIGHT. Best of all is POLTERGEIST's Craig T. Nelson, absolutely superb as the buddy with shady intentions; he plays it just right. What a cast!

CIA director Maxwell Danforth (Burt Lancaster) does a deal with the Soviets and let them kill agent Laurence Fassett (John Hurt)'s wife. Fassett is unaware of the deal and is tracking down Soviet agent Omega. He tells TV personality John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) that his friends are all working for Omega. Tanner and his friends are gathering for the weekend. Fassett sets his home up with surveillance. Tanner tries to send his wife Ali (Meg Foster) and son away but they are almost kidnapped. Tanner's friends include his TV producer Bernard Osterman (Craig T. Nelson),plastic surgeon Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper) and his coke-snorting wife Virginia (Helen Shaver),and stock trader Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon) and wife Betty (Cassie Yates).

This story is a mess and the execution doesn't solve anything. Director Sam Peckinpah's last feature film is full questionable things. It's too many to list. Even his action sequences are badly done. He overuses his trademark slow motion shots which seems very dated. Other action directors have pass him by. Then there is the plot. It's not simply plot holes but more about motivations. I don't understand why Fassett is doing what he's doing. It's all quite a mess.