Blucher
One of the worst movies I've ever seen
2hotFeature
one of my absolute favorites!
Thehibikiew
Not even bad in a good way
MartinHafer
"Mystery Science Theater 3000" was all about making fun of bad movies. And, since they made a bunch of installments of the show, they had to find a lot of terrible films to tear to pieces. Sometimes, however, they took poor to mediocre films and gave them the full treatment--and folks just assumed that the films were trash. And, sadly, I think a lot of people who saw these films chopped up and made fun of then voted on IMDb. This would account for films like "The Girl in Gold Boots" (a poor film, but actually one of the better ones by Ted Mikels) and "Mitchell" making IMDb's infamous Bottom 100 list. "Mitchell" is clearly NOT a terrible film and is decent entertainment. And, as a guy who has seen more bad films that just about anyone, I could probably name 1000 movies worse than this one without even trying.Joe Don Baker plays a cop who likes to play by his own rules. He's honest but tough and often plays the rogue cop--a very, very common 1970s cop film theme. When he investigates the killing of a burglar, the crime scene doesn't look right and Mitchell (Baker) thinks the homeowner killed the thief in cold blood. This seemingly simple case eventually leads to a heroin smuggling ring and ultimately leads to a showdown with the man in charge.I would never call "Mitchell" a good film. It's a brainless time-passer with lots of action and a few good scenes. Brainless because Mitchell has never heard of the Bill of Rights and because a guy is shot in the head at very, very close range and he barely bleeds--when his head should have exploded since it was an AR-15!!
michael_the_nermal
Warning! Spoilers AheadThis movie could not have been intended as anything but a farce or comedy. Nobody who watches this movie will take Mitchell seriously as an action hero. Everything about this movie smacks of parody or over-the-top exaggeration. I think "Mitchell" was intended as a weird, eclectic comedy about an inept, fat, trigger-happy cop who shoots first, asks questions later, and beds hookers before throwing them in the slammer. The people who rate this the Worst Movie Ever have it all wrong: "Mitchell" was never intended as a serious movie, the way a Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood "Dity Harry" movie might. "Mitchell" might be seen as a parody of those. C'mon, how else can you explain the pile of beer cans on Mitchell's floor, the generally filthy appearance of his apartment, the wacky "wa-wa-waaa" music after he abruptly shoots a suspect in the leg, or the cornball "my, my, my, my Mitchell" song while he and Linda Evans are in bed? Don't forget the famous chase scene with "hot merging action!"Speaking of which, "Mitchell" is part of a deservedly classic "Mystery Science Theater 3000" episode, chock full of fat and alcoholic jokes to complement Mitchell's glowing screen presence. The film alone might not be funny enough to merit a view, but the MST3000 commentary elevate this film to comedy gold status. Most of the comments are dead on, though there are some esoteric film jokes or dated jokes (the '70s soft rock score sounds like a 3M commercial? I don't really get it). Still, in spite of all that, "Mitchell" warrants a view if it is complemented by MST3000's sarcastic comments and mock lyrics to the chase music. Buy or rent the MST3000 episode and enjoy the antics of "the chubby blue line".
Woodyanders
When given the awesome challenge and responsibility of making a comment on the extraordinary piece of pure cinematic gold that is "Mitchell," one simply can't just write your basic synopsis of the plot and follow it with a critique of the picture itself. Instead, one must show a little creativity and imagination (two sterling attributes which are richly abundant in this remarkably fine feature) in order to properly give the film itself it's true due. So, I'm going to happily list the many reasons why "Mitchell" is better than "The French Connection."1) Burly, bullfrog-faced 70's B-movie icon Joe Don Baker portrays the scruffy, boozy, blithely amoral and thoroughly unorthodox maverick cop Mitchell with an animal passion and charismatic conviction which makes Gene Hackman's overrated Oscar-winning performance in "French Connection" seem extremely bland and superficial. Moreover, the character of Mitchell clearly influenced such subsequent "you gotta bend the law in order to enforce it" fellow iconoclastic rough-around-the-edges police detectives as Nick Nolte in "48 Hours" and especially Mel Gibson in "Lethal Weapon." 2) The sluggish pacing will give you a profound newfound respect and admiration for the stirring spectacle that is watching grass grow. 3) Both John Saxon as a suavely slimy lawyer and Martin Balsam as a dastardly dope-dealing businessman sneer and leer with a lip-smacking go-for-it panache that's an absolute joy to behold. 4) The adversarial relationship between Mitchell and his huffy disapproving superior boldly explores heretofore untouched terrain in a cop action flick. 5) Linda Evans as a gorgeous high class hooker bears a striking resemblance to Cathy Lee Crospy. Don't miss the post-coital scene which shows Mitchell kissing Linda's bare feet; I'm sure this particular moment is wholly accountable for Quentin Tarantino's foot fetish. Furthermore, the Patsy Kensit gratuitous love interest character in "Lethal Weapon 2" was obviously patterned after Linda Evans' role in "Mitchell." 6) The choppy editing forsakes a steady snappy rhythm for a herky-jerky carelessly slapped together quality that's bound to make you queasy. Kudos are also in order for beautiful cinematography which sharply photographs the picture with a painter's discerning eye for breathtaking poetic imagery. 7) The insanely funky score cuts a righteous get-down groove which makes that over-hyped "Theme from 'Shaft'" sound like insipid elevator music. Better yet, we are further entreated to a couple of wonderfully corny country and western songs which are deftly drawled by the sublime Hoyt Axton ("Hey hey hey my Mitchell"). 8) The infrequent, but nonetheless still thrilling action scenes are staged with a rip-snorting aplomb and consummate expertise that makes John Woo seem dull and uninspired. The guy who takes a spill out of a helicopter and falls all of five lousy feet into the ocean below has to be one of the single most exciting and impressive stunts I have ever had the pleasure to see. All in all, as this illustrious list quite persuasively proclaims "Mitchell" is without a doubt a shamefully unsung and unheralded work of tremendous art that future generations of film fans will watch in total awe and amazement.
Seth Nelson
It's a good thing a movie like "Mitchell" was made and a star like Joe Don Baker ran the show - without the two things together, how would have the 70s had given us the finest in cinema, huh? I mean, all the funny things happen here in "Mitchell" - and I will not give these things away, because not all of us have seen this movie - yet! (Including me - I want to see the MST3K version!) Speaking of which, this movie is best seen on "Mystery Science Theater 3000," because instead of a horror movie being lampooned, it was a cheesy action film that got the boot! Also, it's amazing how a now out-of-print TV copy has made it this far thanks to the Best Brains deciding to use a heavily edited version for all to see!
