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A Breed Apart

Play trailer Poster for A Breed Apart R 1984 1h 35m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 34% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Jim Malden (Rutger Hauer), a Vietnam vet who's lost his family, lives virtually alone on a bird-filled island, where he's a committed conservationist. When rock climber Mike Walker (Powers Boothe) is hired by passionate egg collector J.P. Whittier (Donald Pleasence) to steal the eggs of the rare bald eagle, which lives on Malden's island, he tells Malden he's a nature photographer to gain his trust. However, Malden's infectious passion for the wild forces Walker to reconsider the plan.

Critics Reviews

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Ángel Luis Inurria El Pais (Spain) 04/01/2020
This environmental and love adventure is directed with an uneven rhythm by Philippe Mora. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 09/14/2015
C+
Never makes much sense. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 09/26/2002
3/4
[Rutger Hauer is] frequently seen riding around his island on a white horse, wearing pirate's clothing, and holstering a cross-bow. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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tm11999 M May 18 everybody needed a check. the hitcher does a little roy batty soliloquy, powers boothe plays powers boothe, kathey turner shows a ninny, pre-fat ninny, and maurice gibb does the music..........meh.....you could watch this. See more David O 11/24/2024 I really liked this film. It is worth watching and I think you'll agree. The message, scenery and story are all good imo. See more 07/02/2018 Interesting little adventure film, without much action. It's more of a commentary on the importance of protecting endangered species. Rutger plays a really unconventional leading man, with a dark past that clearly still haunts him. Powers Booth plays a surprisingly likeable antagonist, and shares a great chemistry with Rutger. See more @Ollie1972 08/26/2013 Jim Malden (Rutger Hauer), a Vietnam veteran who has lost his wife and child, lives as a recluse on an island full of rare birds. His only contact with humanity is with Stella Clayton (Kathleen Turner) and her young son Adam, who have a small supply store on the mainland. One day, a mountain climber named Mike Walker (Powers Boothe) arrives to the island to observe two very rare eagles; what he doesn't tell Malden is that he's hired by the obsessive egg collector J.P. Whittier (Donald Pleasence) to steal the eagle´s eggs. But, the situation takes different turns for Walker... I had totally forgotten about this movie, I did see it back in 1985, and now I found it on dvd in Germany. First of all, the plot with the animal protective and recluse Malden and his whole island set up is intriguing. His outfits, animals and general weirdness adds to the storyline. Hauer is ok, but this is hardly his finest moment, nor is it Turners or Boothes either. The acting is pretty wobbly, the movie feels out of sequence and there´s no proper structure. Then I red that after principal filming in South Carolina had finished, the film reels were sent back by plane to Los Angeles. One reel (of 4) never arrived, so the film was substantially reorganized around the missing scenes (shot out of order) in the editing room. This partly explains why some sub-plots are incomplete and Malden has no back story. Thus, this hardly helps the movie. Variety said that the film "lacks reason, dramatic tension or emotional involvement." and to that I can only agree. "A Breed Apart" doesn´t hold together properly despite the fact that there´s a foundation with a good story. I reckon the production team and the director Phillipe Mora simply only managed to take "A Breed Apart" to some sort of b-movie level. But, there´s still something I like with this movie. See more 03/18/2012 This is a so so action yawn nothing really happens but the message behind it is important. See more 07/09/2011 Great story of a Vietnam veteran who finds a home in the solitude of nature. His time alone is interrupted when a poacher from the city threatens the vet's bald eagles. See more Read all reviews
A Breed Apart

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jim Malden (Rutger Hauer), a Vietnam vet who's lost his family, lives virtually alone on a bird-filled island, where he's a committed conservationist. When rock climber Mike Walker (Powers Boothe) is hired by passionate egg collector J.P. Whittier (Donald Pleasence) to steal the eggs of the rare bald eagle, which lives on Malden's island, he tells Malden he's a nature photographer to gain his trust. However, Malden's infectious passion for the wild forces Walker to reconsider the plan.
Director
Philippe Mora
Producer
John Daly, Derek Gibson
Screenwriter
Paul Wheeler
Production Co
Sagittarius Productions, Cinema '84, Hemdale
Rating
R
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 22, 1984, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2020
Runtime
1h 35m