THE RATS (Robert Clouse) This little documented B-monster mash up turned out to be quite an amusing time-waster concerning the mainly human diet of a ravening plague of dachshund-sized rats in downtown Toronto. The real problem with the film is that it is meant to be based on James Herbert's scuzzball splatterfest, and outside of cribbing the title, Clouse ill-advisedly decided to eschew Herbert's wall-to-wall grume and stick to a more conventional modus operandi, which plays like a 1950's Bert I. Gordon quickie, but it's this very anachronistic take on the genre which I found so appealing; 'Deadly Eyes' would make a great double bill with the equally ludicrous, but entirely fantastic 'Food Of The Gods'. A particularly amusing moment (reminding one of 'The Blob') is the sequence in the packed cinema with a clutch of appreciative, vocal fans enjoying the classic sequence from 'Game of Death' where Bruce Lee makes light work of lanky titan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar; when suddenly the rampaging rats chew their way through the shrieking audience; bloody marvelous! Yes, the script is banal, with all the characterizations and performances, outside of the delightful Scatman Crothers cameo being completely perfunctory, but miraculously all this lumpen silliness manages to translate into acceptable late-night fare. (Admittedly it's one of those uninspired schlockers where one's lack of sobriety plays a role in the degree of entertainment said film affords).
