Plot: A man (Roddy Piper) arrives in town with tools on his back and a strong work ethic, but finds himself hard pressed to find a chance to earn his keep. He finally gets some work on a construction site where he meets Frank (Keith David), who then guides him to a place he can find food and shelter. While there the man notices some odd activity in a nearby church, but when he investigates, he finds only cardboard boxes and a recorded hymn session on loop. Soon after, the police stage a large scale raid on the area, leveling the shelters and assaulting the men from the church. The man then returns to the church to see what he can learn, but he once again finds only a box and inside are some sunglasses, nothing else. But when he puts on the sunglasses, he discovers a world he never expected or knew existed…

Entertainment Value: An iconic movie with tough guys, classic dialogue, and remarkable visuals, They Live is just a bad ass experience. The story is eerie and has a lot of social commentary, but it never interferes with the entertainment. I mean, a big budget movie from a Hollywood corporation that criticizes consumerism…yeah. But that aside, They Live tells a tense, tight story that never slows down until the final credits. The cast is what drives the movie though, with pro wrestler Roddy Piper in the performance of his career at the lead. Piper is able to be a tough bastard, but still convey a sense of humor and most importantly, show his human foibles. He can’t help but make fun of the aliens and he will beat the shit out of a friend, if it means saving his life. Keith David is also terrific here, in a role that is much better than most “buddy” type characters. I have to think few people haven’t seen They Live, but if you haven’t, you should.

One brief topless scene, but it is a memorable one. On the blood side, we have a lot of gun shot deaths and some nice hand to hand showdowns. The brawl between Piper and Keith David is one of cinema’s all time best throwdowns. Brutal, high impact, and aside from a few suplexes, very gritty and grounded. The fight is all the more brutal because we know the two are friends and have a bond, but both are steadfast in their stance. The blood isn’t high volume in this one, but you do get some wicked squib effects from the shootouts, so there’s some good blood here. If you want quotes, line up because Piper uncorks a host of iconic lines in this one. His line about chewing bubblegum and kicking ass is likely one of the most quoted movie lines of all time, in fact. As for insanity level, They Live has a wild concept, but the movie keeps grounded outside of the usual action movie tropes. Not a totally sane one, but just a well crafted, well executed picture.

Nudity: 1/10

Blood: 4/10

Dialogue: 10/10

Overall Insanity: 2/10

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