Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies

Deeley's account of his accomplished career in movies is, without a doubt, a VERY neat book. In terms of Hollywood insider accounts, it's up there with Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade," but obviously with more of a lilt towards the producing aspect of films. Thankfully, it's presented in linear form, and includes stories about movies that he's chanced upon during his career as a producer, which include "The Italian Job," "The Wicker Man," "Convoy," "Don't Look Now," obviously "The Deer Hunter" and "Blade Runner," and also turning down "The Godfather." In my opinion, the most entertaining tales were those from the making of "The Italian Job" (the classiness and timelessness of Michael Caine, as well as the daredevil-ry (ed.?) of French stunt virtuoso Remy Julienne); "Convoy" (working with the substance-addled ego of Sam Peckinpah towards the tail end of his career); "The Deer Hunter" (the neat insights into the method and intensity of Robert De Niro, the growth of the story from one exclusively about professional Russian Roulette, as well as the backstabbings of Michael Cimino -- who would later head the fiasco "Heaven's Gate"). To my dismay, though, the book was not the neat collection of anecdotes of stars and directors, but a comprehensive collection of Deeley's entire career (which is not a fault, merely my own opinion). Meaning it includes a retrospective at Deeley's beginnings as an editor, through his time at British Lion films and IMG. To the readers seeking excellent stories about Harrison Ford, De Niro, Christopher Walken and the like, there will be significant amounts of downtime as Deeley recounts the financial dealings behind the film industry and how they influenced his career path. This is a well-written, clearsighted account of an entire career in Hollywood with a level of access and frankness uncommon in literature. Edit: I should've selected three, not four stars. Overall, this is a solid and frequently entertaining book, but not a must-read, and certainly not a book that will reshape your understanding of the world (though in all fairness, it makes no pretense to).

I'll keep this short. The book is fast paced, very funny, full of amazing stories about classics such as The Italian Job, The Deer Hunter and Blade Runner. What's best is how the Deely does not stray away from difficulties such as big-headed, pompous directors such as Sam Peckinpah and Michael Cimino. He is not vicious, malicious, or spiteful, he, like a gentleman, discusses why he felt he could or couldn't trust said directors. He is not a kiss-[...] in the least, he lets out the dirty laundry and cleans up some rumors about Blade Runner and other films such as Convoy. The book's tone is fairly non-judgmental and very informative as to the insider workings of a movie studio. This is truly one of the best books about cinema ever written.

Some movies are simply popular, others gain a fandom years after popular culture has moved on. "Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off" is a memoir by producer Michael Deeley, one of the minds behind such cult favorites like "The Italian Job" and "The Wicker Man". An insider's look at the life of a producer who may have not made blockbusters but who deserves his place in movie history, "Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off" is an amazing glimpse into the film industry and how cult fandoms begin.