Director Sam Fuller's 1951 The Steel Helmet was probably the first movie to deal with the Korean War; undoubtedly China Gate was one of the first to discuss Vietnam. In the early days of the Vietnam War, a motley crew of mercenaries and French Legionnaires set out to destroy a Communist ammunition dump and hobble the war effort of the Vietcong. An element of melodrama is added when the tough sergeant Brock is confronted by his ex-wife (Angie Dickinson-as a Eurasian?); he doesn't want anything to do with their son simply because the boy is of Asian descent. What would be a fairly routine war film is livened by its setting and the familiar fixations that Sam Fuller often addresses in his movies. Antihero Brock refuses to face his son and by doing so refuses to admit his own racism. As in The Steel Helmet, one of the supporting roles is held down by a black actor-Nat "King" Cole, in this case. The interplay and conflicts between characters lives up to Fuller's quote of "film is like a battlefield," with emotions running the show and setting the entire tone of the movie. It may not be one of Sam Fuller's greatest movies, but it's certainly interesting, if for no other reason than its early look at the dynamics of the Vietnam War. -Jerry Renshaw.

A professional assassin from Chicago of Polish origin is commissioned by the Mafia to go to Odessa to kill a traitor who fled there. Enthusiastic welcome from the various Soviet authorities makes his mission almost impossible. After many adventures, shoot-outs, chases and brawls, his victim lands in prison, and he in a psychiatric hospital. English subtitles. Cast: Jerzy Stuhr, Galina Pietrowa, Liza Machulska 1989, Color. Running time: 108 mins.

Eight Films in nice clean dust box. Tapes in slipcases: Diamonds are Forever, The Spy, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill.

"Tower of Tagot"-While Junior and Barney are on another planet, the beautiful Queen of the Serrians becomes imprisoned high in the Tower of Tagot. "Secrets Of Hexagon"-Junior and Barney get tricked into trading their ship for a mysterious hexagon key that supposedly operates a duplicating machine that can make a new spaceship to get them home.

Director Sam Fuller's 1951 The Steel Helmet was probably the first movie to deal with the Korean War; undoubtedly China Gate was one of the first to discuss Vietnam. In the early days of the Vietnam War, a motley crew of mercenaries and French Legionnaires set out to destroy a Communist ammunition dump and hobble the war effort of the Vietcong. An element of melodrama is added when the tough sergeant Brock is confronted by his ex-wife (Angie Dickinson-as a Eurasian?); he doesn't want anything to do with their son simply because the boy is of Asian descent. What would be a fairly routine war film is livened by its setting and the familiar fixations that Sam Fuller often addresses in his movies. Antihero Brock refuses to face his son and by doing so refuses to admit his own racism. As in The Steel Helmet, one of the supporting roles is held down by a black actor-Nat "King" Cole, in this case. The interplay and conflicts between characters lives up to Fuller's quote of "film is like a battlefield," with emotions running the show and setting the entire tone of the movie. It may not be one of Sam Fuller's greatest movies, but it's certainly interesting, if for no other reason than its early look at the dynamics of the Vietnam War. -Jerry Renshaw.

Five-count 'em, five-chances to wallow in the shoot-first, ask-questions-later ethos of San Francisco cop Harry Callahan, who became a signature character for actor Clint Eastwood. The first one, Dirty Harry, is the best, a Don Siegel film in which Harry flouts rules about police brutality to capture a serial killer. In Magnum Force he tracks rogue cops and utters his "Do you feel lucky, punk?" speech. In The Enforcer he gets a female partner (future Cagney and Lacy star Tyne Daly). Sudden Impact featured him tracking a female serial killer and offered a new catch phrase: "Go ahead. Make my day. " And The Dead Pool, aside from offering a smart little chase involving a radio-controlled model car, brought him face to face with Liam Neeson. You can't ask for much more firepower in one box than this. -Marshall Fine.