Cat Murkil and the Silks

1976 "The Silks... the most vicious street gang of all... led by the killer they call Eddie the Cat."
4.7| 1h42m| R| en| More Info
Released: 01 July 1976 Released
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A street-gang member kills the gang's leader and blames it on a rival gang.

Genre

Crime

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Director

John A. Bushelman

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Cat Murkil and the Silks Audience Reviews

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
PodBill Just what I expected
ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!
Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Woodyanders Conniving little weasel Eddie "the Cat" Murkil (expertly played to the sniveling obnoxious hilt by David Kyle, who later quit acting to become a youth minister!) is a cunning adolescent psychopath who ruthlessly bumps off Punch (a nifty, albeit brief appearance by Derrel Maury of "Massacre at Central High" fame), the leader of the teenage hoodlum gang the Silks. Cat makes it look like the rival Latino gang the Ruedas did it. This leads to a violent gang war. Pretty soon the body count begins to pile up at an alarming rate (the definite highlight occurs when two scrawny 14-year-old members of the Silks sneak into a high school locker room to shiv two members of the Ruedas in the shower!). Clearly intended as some kind of grim cautionary tale about teen gangs and adolescent violence on the rise in major cities, this unjustly overlooked 70's drive-in juvenile delinquent exploitation item qualifies as a real campy hoot. Director John Bushelman takes the whole silly story very seriously, which in turn gives this goofy marvel a certain endearingly clunky charm. Bruce Logan's polished cinematography gives the film a sharp, glossy look. Better still, both the amusingly insipid soft-rock theme song "Slow Down Baby" and especially Bernie Kaai Lewis' funky garage rock score are hilariously cheesy. Popping up in snazzy supporting roles are Rhodes Reason and Doug McGrath as two hard-nosed police detectives, Steve Bond as Murkil's incarcerated older brother who's struggling to go straight, Doodles Weaver as a gas station owner and "Beverly Hills Cop" film series regular John Ashton as a high school football coach. Good dumb fun.
schlockfink This is a really fun 70's street gang film! I'm sure it's not good as far as editing goes (like that other reviewer said), but who pays attention to that(?); only nurd film majors! It's a violent gang b movie and it'll make you laugh out loud at it's cheesiness. Plus they cruise around in a cherry 57 buick! So watch it, it's a goodie! that's if you can find this rare gem at a old video store. Seriously this film made me laugh, especially when they let that kid who looked like he was 10 in the gang. Plus the music is pretty funny, with a cheesy garagey theme song "Slow Down Baby". My favorite line from the film is happens after this rival black pimp gang hassle with the all white silks about a drug deal gone bad they say "lets get out of here I feel like I'm in Disneyland".
stevenfallonnyc This is definitely a "so bad it's good" entry. First, the title. I saw this as "Cruisin' High," and while definitely a better title than "Cat Murkil and the Silks," hardly any of this takes place in a high school (what little is in the high school of the enemy gang) and if they mean "high while Cruisin' in cool 60's cars," well OK they do a little bit of Cruisin'.The film is bad, but a blast. The Silks are run by Punch, who always comes down on Cat. But Cat sees a unique opportunity to become the leader of the gang, and grabs it. Tough-guy and badass Cat is, yes, a skinny blond semi-pretty boy (ok looking but nothing spectacular) who gets tough and gets in the faces of, among others, old teachers, blacks and Mexicans. He tosses the word "nigger" and "mammy" to one black drug dealer, then tries not to cry and save a little face when the dealer's "connections" confront Cat. It's a great scene! His main man can only be described as a "young Bowzer from Sha Na Na," and Cat has a brother about to be released from prison who he idolizes. Cat is also in love/lust with his brother's wife, who is indeed very, very hot.The Silks pull things like murder and terrorize people, and actually some of the violence is pretty nasty. But sometimes you have to laugh, I mean, sure it's cruel when the newest Silk, some little kid, is racing an old lady in a wheelchair around her home, but it's done in such a hokey way you get a kick out of it, even if you feel guilty later on. (It's only a movie anyway.) The wheelchair lady definitely can't touch Grandma in "Fight For Your Life" but she's not bad. And all throughout Cruisin' High, even during nasty scenes, the goofiest music is playing, as if it were a cartoon. It's incredible to think that all this was put together so seriously.Some of the actors are definitely recognizable, like from episodes of "Shazam" and other 70's stuff. Steve Bond and Derrel Maury, who both are pretty decent in my opinion, would soon be reunited the next year in "Massacre At Central High," a vastly superior film. And the top cop is Rhodes Reason, who most viewers will remember from the classic Toho film "King Kong Escapes!" This is by no means a "sought-after" flick, as most probably don't even know it exists, so it can be bought for cheap. It is definitely highly recommended as a fun blast from the past.
oscar-17 Sure, it's a little silly, but the film stands out far beyond other movies of the age-old "juvenile delinquent" genre. Don't even think about sordid campiness here, because this is the real thing! It is dramatically interesting, and there's enough crude action to cause mass hysteria.. Although it now pales by comparison of today's films on a higher standard, the message on teenage violence still delivers to this day. As it is, the movie remains fun and entertaining.