Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except

"Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except", given theatrical release in Detroit as "Stryker's War", is an American low budget action / horror film, originally released in 1987. The film was written by Josh Becker and Scott Spiegel, with a story by Becker, actor Bruce Campbell, and Sheldon Lettich. Directed by Becker, the film is fairly obscure, but maintains a small following. It was released on Region 1 DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2000.

Plot summary

Having come home after half of his squadron was killed during the Vietnam War, Sergeant Jack Stryker (portrayed by Brian Schulz), given an honorable discharge due to his injuries, attempts to get his life back together. Finding himself reunited with an old girlfriend, Sally (Cheryl Hausen) and his war buddies, he feels he may have successfully re-established his life. However, this happiness is quickly cut short when a murderous cult led by an enigmatic but unnamed Charles Manson-like figure, portrayed by director and writer Sam Raimi, comes into town to continue their rampage.

After Sally is tortured and Stryker and his compatriats find the cult torturing police officers near his house, they arm themselves up and decide to, as the trailer puts it, "break the laws of both God (the title is a reference to one of the Biblical Ten Commandments) and man" and fight back. What follows is a war between the two groups, ending in numerous deaths, including the cult leader's; the exchange between Raimi and Shulz is as follows:

Cult Leader: "I am Jesus Christ!"
Stryker: "No, you're not — You're dead."

Upon which Stryker shoots Raimi's character in the chest, and he careens into a river, eventually being impaled on a motorcycle, and their brutal war is ended.

Following

A small but devoted cult following has arose around this film. Josh Becker's website is notable for a few fanatics that are claiming this to be one of the great works of American film. Some groups have even devoted significant new artwork to the film, including reimaging the soundtrack, re-editing the film, and other 'tributes'. The most well know, based in Stockton, California, have commemorated the film through communal art projects, featuring extravagant parties to debut their creations, a tradition that has now lasted over 15 years.Fact|date=February 2008

Cast

The cast of the film consists largely of unknowns, because most of the smaller roles are filled by Becker's friends and relatives. Some, however, have been featured in other films, largely those produced by Renaissance Pictures or otherwise involving Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, or Becker.

Actors who have been featured in other productions include Raimi, who, while better known as a director and writer, has also appeared in "The Hudsucker Proxy", "Indian Summer", and "Miller's Crossing", among other films. His brother, Ted Raimi, also appears briefly, once as Vietnamese soldier who is shot in the head, and once as a cult member nicknamed "Chain Man".

Tim Quill, who plays Tim Tyler, one of Stryker's companions, is a longtime friend of Raimi and Campbell's, and has cameos in some of their work. Co-writer Scott Spiegel appears as a cultist who is killed upon being shoved onto a rack of knives; the character is listed in the credits as "Pin Cushion".

Production

The film was originally produced in 1980 as a Super-8 film entitled "Stryker's War", designed to get interest from investors; Campbell and Becker drafted the story ideas while returning home from the Tennessee set of "The Evil Dead". The interior sets were primarily Bruce Campbell's garage in suburban Detroit, Michigan, dressed up as either a military base or Stryker's house. The Vietnam scenes were filmed in Hartland, though the overhead shots consist solely of stock footage.

Bruce Campbell also served as assistant sound editor on the film, where he re-used many of the Foley effects created for "The Evil Dead". The film's release was, like "The Evil Dead", handled primarily by press agent Irvin Shapiro. Shapiro suggested the final title, over Becker's objections; this is similar to Shapiro's summary retitling of "The Book of the Dead" to "The Evil Dead".

References

*imdb title|id=0090093|name=Stryker's War
* [http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/Q-T/thou_shall_not_kill.html Review] at dvdmaniacs.net
*Becker, Josh. Campbell, Bruce. "Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except" DVD audio commentary.