This movie was nothing like what I expected. I thought this was a sci-fi movie, but I ain't mad.

There was so much going on, so much to digest.

The main character, Danny (Michael O'Keefe),is a talented gymnast going to Dayton college. He's so talented that the Olympics is even mentioned regarding him. One day he locks eyes with a girl in a café. It was a weird exchange because she was staring at him so ardently but it was a look more of intrigue than desire. He, of course, interpreted the look and the subsequent advance as an invitation. It was an invitation alright... an invitation to a commune in some remote area.

If this was another movie this could've easily had been a scary movie. The commune definitely had a strange vibe, but that's all it was. There were no human sacrifices, no conjuring evil spirits, or even holding people hostage. With a little bit of truth and a lot of hugs they win people over and Danny was no exception.

Danny was in but his parents were not and they wanted him back. In steps Charles Pratt (James Woods),he is the Kool-Aid camp kidnapper. You lose 'em and he brings 'em back. His character is so mercurial you love him and loathe him at the same time. His tactics seem unorthodox and at times you question his tactics as well as his motives. Then he'll say or do something to totally redeem himself. I thought his character and his performance was the best of the movie.

I think the strength of the movie was in the firm yet subtle nature of the commune. The commune wasn't overtly bad at any point. Without a doubt the commune was a break from social norms. Yes, it was clear that something was amiss but were they ever in danger? Were they ever really misled? You can say yes, they were being misled, but to what degree? Was the cult leader, Kirklander (Peter Fonda),saying anything so outlandish?

Personally, I think he was a kook as well as his followers. Personally, my reaction as a parent would've been the same as Danny's parents: kidnap him and have him deprogrammed. The parent dynamic was very good. They were torn. They wanted him back, they wanted him broken of the cult confusion, but they couldn't bear to see him hurt in the process.

I think the mother had the best line of the movie. It was the point when she was trying to find out the true reason why her son even visited that wacky place and he said there was someone there that he cared about. When she realized it was a girl he was chasing she had to clear the air when she said,

"I've sacrificed most of my life on that holy alter that they call motherhood. Right? Always putting you first. Your needs. Your life..."

It was a powerful moment for me as a parent. Here it is this lost, confused, and now insolent boy she raised that's so bold as to tell her to shut up because she mentioned this nameless girl with disdain. I totally understood her anger and outrage. She, as well as his father, raised him giving him love, support and all the best they could afford (which was a lot) and in a single three-day weekend all of their sacrifices for him were rendered meaningless. The entire situation-- the young man, the girl, the cult, the parents, and even the "reclaimer" Charles-- was so profound and layered.

If there was anything I didn't like about the movie it would be the ending. I knew that there was a risk of regression as Charles had stated (just like Charles stated that they needed to give their son more to live for). I thought the options were fully reuniting with his parents or slipping back to the commune. I never saw option C which was running off with his sweetheart Rebecca/Amy (Karen Allen). That part of the story was too fairytale-you know, the whole riding off into the sunset.

That action wasn't a full break from the movie because it was the act of two confused souls still. If there was any mystery with the commune it was not going to be anything like the unknown from them running off together. They were probably the least qualified people to do anything on their own. Without a doubt, Rebecca was still under the influence of the cult and Danny, fresh from deprogramming and having no financial means, was extremely vulnerable.

But I guess that was the point of the ending. Maybe the fairytale ending would've been him reuniting with his parents. Instead we got the more realistic ending: the two running away from everyone probably not knowing who to trust and who to believe. OK... maybe I do like the ending.

A young man, Danny Stetson (Michael O'Keefe),is seduced by a pretty young woman (Karen Allen) into a cult called Homeland. It's run by Kirklander (Peter Fonda) and Danny slowly becomes brainwashed into them, rejecting his family and friends. He is kidnapped from the cult and deprogrammer Charles Pratt (James Woods) tries to save him...but is he too late?

This is a totally lost film which I caught in a theatre during its VERY short run in 1982. It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know (I've read some books on actual cults) and seemed kind of blandly directed--but it wasn't too bad. O'Keefe was very good in a difficult role and Woods matched him as the very tough deprogrammer. Allen unfortunately was given very little to work with. Best of all was Fonda who REALLY surprised me. He was cast against type and he was just great. The only letdown was the very end which seemed abrupt and not realistic. Aside from that, this is a good dramatic film that's just fallen between the cracks. Recommended.

I'm bloody surprised, if bloody dumbfounded, 5 people have only reviewed this film. First, there was Kotchef's First Blood. Then this. Both are fine movies. Split Image really offers something different, where by the end of the film, you feel drained or put through the ringer. This must be a very overlooked film, and that would be an understatement. Though SI, isn't without faults, unlike how the taut and tense, First Blood was handled. There's a bit of sloppiness to the film, as in the skipping part structure. The story revolves around a promising gymnast Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe). He has everything going for him, but his new love becomes his ruin, when he gets mixed up in a cult where young people are suckered into a new life on a plantation camp behind closed gates. It's run by a older guy, Kirklander in a surprisingly underestimated and somewhat creepy performance by Peter Fonda. Let me be honest, he's the best actor in the movie, where the other performances are bloody good too, especially from Keefe, and his new found love, Elizabeth (Karen Allen). On the other side of that coin is James Woods as the deprogrammer who has a hatred for Fonda, that's so immense, it's worrying, even slagging on black and white photo of his nemesis. Keefe's parents are played by Brian Dennehy and Elizabeth Ashley, Ashley the better performance of the two who enlists Wood's services, who not really won over, or even show a liking to this lowlife character, who likes to flash his tongue at college girls, while at work with his team, ready to snatch, save- de programme the next mind altered kid. His view on college is interesting too. What's great about Split Image, is we see the views of both sides, like really get inside the life of these cults and how they are run, and it's an interesting duration and insight, I must say. The other side is that of Keefe's family, offering some funny moments, before he's snatched, and then the helplessness, we so much feel for them. The duration of the deprogramming of Keefe, kept captive in an attic, is of course the strongest part/real heart of the movie, as we want so much for this character to be saved, and it's quite a grueling watch, where O'Keefe shows off his best acting in this part, sometimes too convincingly, it's hard to watch. What really didn't convince me, was how easily led Danny was into this cult, which is a sick business, but if this is all it takes, it's frighteningly alarming or sickening, kind of like these young kids being brainwashed into terrorism. The only other issue I had with the film, was the deprogramming bit in the attic, as I strongly feel it would of taken much more time and effort, to bring O'Keefe back to his original self, where to be frank, some kids would be that far gone, they wouldn't be able to be saved. Kotchef makes good films. Christ, he even made Weekend At Bernies, where Split Image, deservedly earns it's place beside them. Check it out. Don't overlook this one. Please.