One Good Movie - Remixes

Hi friend,

A month ago, I embarked on a lengthy quest to find the best Raiders knockoff. It’s easy to cite the movies and serials that inspired George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s 1981 action masterpiece, but my hope was to discover a new, unappreciated treasure.

Instead, I watched a bunch of stinkers.

I had hopes for Gwendoline. It promised the Indy aesthetic mixed with R-rated violence and nudity. The French film has higher production values than most, but the pacing is a drag; the sexual politics antiquated.

The best knockoff is Romancing the Stone, and we’ve seen it.

So what to watch?

Let’s go back to basics.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

An altogether different kind of film, and yet the influence is unmistakable.

-Guy

Epilogue

With trepidation and nostalgia, I see Indy V tomorrow at Phenomena in Barcelona.

Remix

If you want to go full film nerd, watch Steven Soderbergh’s Raiders.

Serial Influence

If you have young kids or are a big kid, I recommend Zorro’s Fighting Legion. All 12 chapters are available on YouTube. For structure and pacing, it’s Raiders’ blueprint.