Enemy Territory – Arrow

Director: Peter Manoogian
Screenplay: Stuart Kaminsky, Bobby Liddell
Starring: Gary Frank, Ray Parker Jr., Jan-Michael Vincent, Tony Todd, Frances Foster, Stacey Dash, Deon Richmond
Country: USA
Running Time: 89 min
Year: 1987
BBFC Certificate: 15

Charles Band is a B-movie legend with 447 producing credits to his name, on top of the 100-odd films he directed. He’s probably best known for his unusual penchant for making films with diminutive villains, such as the Puppet Master, Ghoulies and Demonic Toys series.

For the past 37 years, he’s been producing and distributing films through his company Full Moon Features, but his initial foray into putting out his own work in this way was through Empire Pictures.

It was through this company that he produced some of his most famous titles, such as Re-Animator, Troll, Ghoulies, Trancers, and From Beyond (not all directed by himself, of course).

The year before Empire Pictures folded, Band produced a film that seemed quite different from his usual output, Enemy Territory. This gritty urban thriller was streets away from the often quite humorous fantasy horror titles Empire were known for. From accounts included on Arrow’s new Blu-ray release of the film, it was Band’s then-wife, Debra, who was interested in the project and pushed it forward.

Regular Band associate Peter Manoogian was given the task of directing the film. It was not a success for Empire, the possible reasons for which I’ll get to later, but over the years, people have stood up for the film, claiming it’s much stronger than critics made out back then.

So, fast forward almost 40 years and Arrow Video have added Enemy Territory to their excellent range of classic and cult favourites on Blu-ray. Intrigued, and having a strong taste for the 80s and 90s B-movies of my youth, I got hold of a copy, and my thoughts follow.

Enemy Territory centres around Barry Rapchick (Gary Frank), a recently divorced and struggling insurance salesman, who enters a notorious New York City housing project known as Lincoln Towers to close a policy deal with a resident. During his visit, Barry unintentionally offends a young gang member in the lobby. The situation quickly escalates when he defends himself, accidentally causing the death of the gang member in the process. This act marks him as a target of The Vampires – a ruthless, cult-like gang that controls the building and is led by the enigmatic and feared ‘The Count’ (Tony Todd).

Now trapped inside the tower after nightfall, Barry is hunted through the corridors and stairwells by the gang. With no way out and no one willing to help, his only ally becomes Will (Ray Parker Jr.), a courageous telephone repairman who knows the building and refuses to back down. Together, they form a fragile alliance with a few residents willing to resist The Vampires’ reign. Will this be enough to help Barry survive the night and escape?

This was my first viewing of Enemy Territory, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was expecting something fun and trashy, but it’s surprisingly gritty and believable. Yes, some moments feel a little goofy, with the Vampire gang’s chants and rituals, and Jan-Michael Vincent’s Vietnam vet playing it a little large. Overall, however, the film takes its premise and setting very seriously.

As mentioned, the film was not well received on release, and the main reason for this was due to it being branded as racist. Race relations were particularly sensitive at the time, which didn’t help, but many took offence at the fact that the gang who act as the villains are made up of entirely black members.

This, indeed, sounds insensitive on paper. However, after watching the film, I’d say this viewpoint is a little narrow-minded. For one, it’s explained in some key dialogue that different tower blocks in the area are run by gangs of different ethnicities. It just so happens that this was set in one run by a black group. This idea of gangs being racially or ethnically homogeneous, to be honest, was likely more realistic than the mixed-race gangs you get in a lot of films.

Plus, the film’s critics seem to be forgetting the fact that all of the sympathetic characters are black too. Yes, the supposed lead is white, but he’s deeply flawed, frequently depicted as arrogant and insensitive. It’s Ray Parker Jr. who’s the real hero, and he’s backed up by a range of positive black role model characters living in the tower block.

Also important to note is the fact that it’s the white character’s clumsy intervention that causes the deaths of many black men. The central killing of the young black gang member is treated with shock and horror from all sides too. On top of this, there’s a powerful moment when a mother calls Barry out for seemingly trying to “buy” her black son.

I’m sorry to bang on about the film not being racist (a claim I’m likely not at liberty to make, being white), but these points just go to show that Enemy Territory has a certain level of social commentary and weight that you wouldn’t expect from a Charles Band B-movie.

Granted, some of the commentary can be a little simplistic, such as a line that suggests the lack of father figures is the only cause of the hatred and violence. But, overall, Enemy Territory is a tough, honest film with something to say about race relations in America.

Moving away from the racism angle, the film is tautly constructed. Peter Manoogian is hardly a household name, but he’s a craftsman who knows how to make an effective film that moves along with little fluff. It reminded me of early John Carpenter, and this is cemented by an end credit hip-hop track that samples the theme from Halloween.

Ray Parker Jr. is best known, of course, for his iconic theme song for Ghostbusters. His part in Enemy Territory was his only lead acting role in a feature film, which is a shame, as he makes a great hero. He’s likeable, good-looking and convincing in the action sequences. Gary Frank is effective too, as our other not-always-so-likeable protagonist. He gets to show his range later on in a raw moment following his killing of a gang member.

Though it looks like it might have been shot on recycled sets, having narrow corridors featured frequently throughout the film, it was actually almost entirely shot in an actual apartment block in New York.

The film’s DOP was the great Ernest Dickerson, who worked regularly with Spike Lee in the 80s and early 90s before moving on to direct his own films. He makes good use of colour and the claustrophobic settings.

Anyway, I’ve been rambling on far too long now. Overall, Enemy Territory is a gripping action thriller (with some horror elements) that was unjustly passed over on release. Now that it’s available in a wonderfully polished Blu-ray release, it’s high time the film was reappraised.

Enemy Territory is out on 4th August on region B Blu-Ray, released by Arrow Video. The transfer is fantastic, looking crisp with natural details, colours and textures. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks. I found the dialogue slightly muffled in places, but this might be as originally recorded. The music and overall sound come through nicely though.

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