It IS strange! An unhinged cadet at a Southern military academy runs rampant over the other students in this creepy, little known film. Ben Gazzara has the lead (with the kinky sounding name of Jocko DeParis). He's great and the supporting cast includes Pat Hingle, George Peppard, Arthur Storch and Geoffrey Horne. With the exception of Horne, they're all way to old looking to be convincing as cadets, but there's enough sinister goings on to make for a very involving movie. Calder Willingham's script (from his novel and play) is terrific, full of bizarre undertones and offering Gazzara one of his few really good film roles. Peppard, in his film debut as a newbie, was never better. One of only two films to be directed by Jack Garfein, the other being 1961's equally strange SOMETHING WILD.
Review of The Strange One
