Sam Kellog is a worn out bounty hunter of Los Angeles, who takes on a job, which would pay him $20,000 big ones and help with his martial problems. For tracking down an ex-convict, Victor Hale, who's dressed up in riot gear and is beating prison guards to death with a steel laced glove that was invented by the police and was first used on him. So, it's payback time for Victor, but Sam is determined to find his man and bring him in despite the warnings.
Are you ready for a good old beating. Well, don't be expecting much venom here, as when it was time for a beating. It's nothing more than comic, b-grade action fodder, which is inadequately done. But that in mind the action is kept at a minimal and we simply follow the life of the struggling bounty hunter, Sam looking into the case of Victor, but it gets put on the back-burner at times, by falling into some side-projects. They do feel unnecessary and nothing more than fillers to the overall picture, as it does take half of the film before Sam and Victor first get in contact and get things moving. Just like a fellow reviewer mentioned, it's more so a character study with a touch of noir and social commentary to boot. It's very hammy in its treatment of it, but Saxon (the reason why I took the chance with the flick) makes great of the meek material.
"The Glove" is an odd chunk of cheap and slightly dim schlock that bathes itself in cheesy glory and is entertainingly goofy. Unintentionally, of course. But it just doesn't live up to its cracking idea, since it basically sits there for too long, after the pounding opening and somewhat colourful poster artwork, has you believe. There's a real erratic mood because of scrappy direction by Ross Hagen. He stages some fun clashes with the crushing fist and manages to get a real grungy look to the flick with its scummy surroundings coming off the screen. How about that unusually sleek, broad and quite smooth music score. The theme songs kind of stick to you and the time goes by so quickly, which makes it an enticing treat.
The story is rather typical detective stuff with Saxon's crisp and smoking voice-over running throughout the film and being one of the high notes. It blends a variety of ingredients and savvy interactions with its scathing, wry and bold dialogues. John Saxon turns in a charming lead performance as the steely-eye bounty hunter, Sam Kellog. Rosey Grier (former football player) simply fills out the costume by bringing an enforcing and unstoppable figure, which is totally opposite to his subdue attitude and husky voice, the anti-hero Victor Hale. He's rather hypnotic whenever on screen and the interplay between the two leads was always on the boil. Making up the rest of the studded b-cast is the always lovely Joanna Cassidy, Keenan Wynn, Jack Carter the rich tycoon and the unlucky Aldo Ray.
Interesting, if not totally successful exploitation, but thanks largely to the prolific performances of Saxon and Grier. It's enjoyably, uncanny trash.
