The Movies That Moved Me: Mike Marvin’s THE WRAITH
I spent my Friday largely obsessed with listening to Tim Feehan’s “Where’s The Fire”. Yes, this was a real place my mind went, and it dates back to a recurring obsession I have with Mike Marvin’s 1986 cyberpunk sci-fi racing thriller, The Wraith.
The movie centers on the arrival of supernatural entity who arrives to enact vengance on those who murdered him, including the violent leader of a gang of desert street racers. Charlie Sheen stars in the title role along with Sherilyn Fenn and Nick Cassavetes, from a script by Marvin.
The film wasn’t a huge box office draw but became a home video hit and a cult phenomenon that still remains fresh to this day, even as much of the concept behind The Wraith isn’t fully explained or conveyed. Some call that a blessing as its best takeaways are said to range anywhere from some of the performances and the costume and car design, to the old school racing sequences.
There’s ample history to this film that gets a deep dive from those involved if you can nab this one on Blu-Ray. If you’re the streaming type, you can also find it on Prime Video as of this write-up.
I did read that Marvin wrote two sequels he never got to direct. I think those would have been great to get into, while I definitely wouldn’t mind some kind of a revival or a continuation with an upgrade to the aesthetics for today’s cult genre and festival crowds. It’s really cool sci-fi, and for the most part, it’s got music that slaps!
“The Movies That Moved Me” is a series of articles in which I reflect on (or revisit) select films and various aspects of films that made me the fan I am today, and inspire me to write as I do.
Lead image: ViaVision Entertainment
