Matt's Movie Reviews Podcast · Matthew Pejkovic

The Rewind - Rampage (1987)

December 19, 2025·1 hr 12 min·5 clips

The Rewind opens with Rampage and its place in William Friedkin's work. It comes across as one of those movies that got shortchanged for years. Michael Biehn plays a liberal district attorney whose views on capital punishment are tested by a case involving a mentally disturbed young man who slaughtered and mutilated five victims. The episode brings in Howard S. Berger, film historian and filmmaker, who appears on the new 4K release through audio commentary. That gives the conversation a strong home-video and preservation angle right away. Berger and the host both treat the movie as something worth rediscovering. They talk about why it was received the way it was. The 1992 Miramax imposition comes up as a major reason the film's reputation got tangled. The discussion makes clear that the recut version changed how people understood the movie. At the same time, the original is defended as something worth seeing on its own terms. The episode does not pretend the film is easy or neat. Instead, it leans into the ambiguity and the fact that Friedkin was willing to make things difficult. There is also some reflection on how films used to live or die in theaters with very little attention. That gives the conversation a lived-in feel. The tone stays warm without getting polished to death. It sounds like people who really care about the movie's legacy and about giving listeners a way into it. Berger's perspective helps the episode move beyond simple praise. The host keeps asking questions that open up the history around the film. The result is less a verdict than a guided reassessment. By the end, the episode makes a strong case that both versions of Rampage deserve to exist and to be watched. It leaves the movie feeling newly available rather than settled.

As heard by us

A thoughtful case for revisiting an underrated Friedkin film.

Rampage is presented as one of William Friedkin's underrated films, and Howard S. Berger gives the discussion its clearest momentum by tracing the movie's reputation and the value of having both the Miramax-era version and the newer 4K release in circulation.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you want an affectionate, context-rich defense of Rampage.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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