They Live (1988)

Tagline: ‘You think they’re people just like you? You’re wrong, dead wrong.’
UK Running Time: 93 Minutes

Film Quality: 4.5/5
Gore Content: 1.5/5
Entertainment Value: 4.5/5
Originality: 5/5

Introduction

John Carpenter could lay claim to be one of the greatest American directors, certainly the most underrated with an almost unrivalled body of work which includes such inspirational classics as ‘Halloween’, ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, ‘The Thing’ and ‘Escape From New York’. ‘They Live’ is perhaps one of the most overlooked of his gems and perhaps marks the end of his ‘golden period’ as a disappointing 90s paved the way for an almost barren ‘naughties’. He pulled this highly intelligent sci-fi horror together on a trademark shoestring budget of just under $4million and the message it sends out is perhaps more relevant today than it ever has been which, for me, is the sign of a truly great film.

In a nutshell

A man, John Nada, drifts into Los Angeles, landing himself a bit of work on a construction site and finding refuge in a local shantytown. There’s something strange going on in the local church which arouses his interest, along with that of the local and national authorities who attack the church and destroy the shantytown. All our antihero finds is a pair of sunglasses and what he sees when he puts them on can’t be unseen, leading him down a path from which there is no coming back. He’s stumbled upon something that everyone in a position of authority wants to keep very much a secret.

What’s good about it?

This film does what all good sci-fi should do – makes you think about the world in which we live in a different way and question what’s happening around you. Jon Carpenter based this clever little film on a 1963 short story (‘8 o’clock in the Morning’ by Ray Nelson) and turns it into a satirical attack on the ruling classes and their control over everything from the media and advertising to city banking and the police. The star of this film is undoubtedly Carpenter himself who wrote and directed the film as well as creating the soundtrack and was behind one of the shrewdest pieces of casting in film history when placing WWF wrestler ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper in the leading role.

Piper is superb and his performance exudes a world-weary personality that allows Carpenter to channel, through him, an inquisitive narrative that pulls the viewer into the conspiracy that unravels as the film plays out. He delivers some of the 80s most famous lines, particularly ‘I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubblegum’ which was reportedly ad-libbed. His character is beautifully contrasted by the brilliant character actor Keith David (reunited with Carpenter following ‘The Thing’) who prefers to keep his head down, blaming society and the elite for his misfortunes but, through Nada’s discovery, is convinced to get involved enough to make a difference.

A very retro image from Carpenter

Without giving away too much of the plot, the subliminal media messages are unnervingly accurate… “Sleep”, “Obey”, “Comsume” adorn billboards, “This is your God” is scribbled over dollar bills, “No Imagination” and “Submit to Authority” can be seen across magazines and behind political rallies. This is a film about Reagan-era America and the opulence of the 80s, indulged by an elite at the expense of a working class kept down by cleverly marketed media messages and authority bordering on a police state. This was a very brave studio film when it’s obvious to anyone watching it that the film itself is taking a swipe at the media and how the executive classes use it to manipulate the masses.

A post fight Roddy Piper and Keith David

You can’t talk about ‘They Live’ without mentioning the epic fight scene between Piper and David. Just under six minutes of bruising, bone-crunching, back breaking, painful looking brawling. This is no choreographed James Bond style, high-skill jousting but a low down and dirty scrap between two working class heroes, neither of whom are willing to back down – the pair reportedly fought it out for real in parts, Carpenter liking the end result so much he decided to keep it in. At one point Piper starts laughing when he realised he might have gone a bit too far only for David to retaliate in kind. It’s great fun to watch, especially when all that’s at stake is putting on a pair of sunglasses!

Of course the best thing about this is ‘the reveal’! I’ve deliberately avoided explaining it explicitly because the film works best as a surprise, even if the front and back covers to most video and digital releases show images that pretty much give it away. What I will say is that the reveal is done in black and white which kind of gives it the look of one of the old fashioned, 50s films which often had so much to say about American society and the state of humanity. Carpenter is clearly a film historian, he remade ‘The Thing’ keeping that 50s paranoia right up there on screen, ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ was a nod to ‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘Halloween’, despite ushering in a new era in slasher films is basically an old fashioned, “he’s behind you”, haunted house film. This little parody of those old black and white 50s sci-fi flicks is his tribute to the era that he grew up in and ‘They Live’ deserves its place as a classic of its kind.

What about the bad?

I’ve struggled to come up with anything seriously wrong with this film. It’s fast-paced, intelligent, incredibly well acted and written, it has action to go along with the social commentary and despite being firmly rooted in the 80s it stands up remarkably well today and demands repeat viewing.

Meg Foster - for some reason I always thought she was blind

My only gripe is the treatment of Meg Foster’s character Holly. Fair play to Carpenter for not making her a bland love interest but her character arc shifts and shuffles about more often than an audience member with Haemorrhoids! I understand the reasoning, you can’t trust anyone in this film but it happens once or twice too often and I just didn’t buy it. In a film this clever I’m not really sure it needed that…but if that’s the only moan then you can’t complain, if you know what I mean!

Any themes?

It’s about the oppression and manipulation of the working classes by the political elite, their control of the media and authority and a swipe at the shallow opulence of a Reagan-era America that valued fast cars, big shoulder pads and commercialism over the welfare of the homeless and the treatment of its veterans. The film shows a serious distrust of authority and scenes such as the invasion and destruction of the shantytown and subsequent beating of minority groups resonates just as powerfully now as it did back in the late 80s.

Release History

Something of a surprise hit upon its release it was very positively received and made its money back by the opening weekend. Some of that could have been due to its release coinciding with election day in the US so the audience was already susceptible to political messages. Whatever the reason it topped the box office, eventually grossing more than $13million.

No censorship issues, the film has pretty much always been in print on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray with some decent special edition bonus features.

Cultural Impact

Carpenter (white top) directing a scene from 'They Live'

It’s become a cult favourite amongst many film fans but always falls short of classic status, most likely because it hasn’t stepped out of the shadows of some of Carpenter’s other sci-fi/horror films. The fight scene and “bubblegum” quote have entered into movie folklore but there have been no sequels, a brief comic adaptation called ‘Nada’ but thankfully this has stayed a glorious one off.

Final Thoughts

Smart, funny and you get something new from it every time you watch it, it’s a great ‘message movie’ that hits home, not only is it not a preachy film but it entertains compulsively throughout. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, and I hope I’ve managed to write this without spoiling it too much, then hunt it down or look out for it on TV.

Memorable Quotes

Piper just before he runs out of Bubblegum!

Nada: “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubblegum.”

Frank: “That’s the Golden Rule, he who has the gold makes the rules.”

Preacher: “Outside the limit of our sight, feeding off us, perched on top of us, from birth to death, are our owners! Our owners! They have us. They control us! They are our masters! Wake up! They’re all about you, all around you.”

Nada: Life's a bitch and she's back in heat."

Nada: "You look like your head fell in the cheese dip back in 1957

You’ll like this if you enjoyed…

‘Alien Nation’, ‘Escape From New York’, ‘Scanners’, ‘The Dead Zone.