Really Surprised!

One of my all time favorites.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

While there are tons of movies about old folks in senior homes to choose from, if you want one with a bit of a spooky flavor to it, rent Amos. Kirk Douglas, Ray Walston, Pat Morita, and Dorothy Maguire are in a senior home, but the head nurse, Elizabeth Montgomery, isn't nearly as sweet as she appears to outsiders. . .A lot of these types of movies are "old folks still got it" movies, but Amos differs from the usual themes. Kirk Douglas and his "inmates" are abused and, for the most part, are trapped from rebelling against the head nurse, rather like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. If you feel like I do about Kirk Douglas, you might want to look away when he gets ruffed up by Elizabeth Montgomery's goons. Then again, even if you don't remember him from his hunky days, who likes to watch older folks get beat up?Amos isn't the best senior-cast film I've seen, and in general, I watch a lot of them. It's meant to be exciting-and at times it is-but all in all, it's mostly sad. You're better off renting films with younger versions of the stars, unless you go in for depressing old-people movies, like Wrestling Ernest Hemingway.

Kirk Douglas is Amos Lasher, a man who's married and retired and enjoying home life. That is, until he has a car accident, which kills his wife, left him with a broken hip and with little to no money to pay for an operation, recovery, etc. He lost his house and has to go to a rest home for recovery. Little does he know, t.l.c. is the last thing on the mind of Head Nurse Daisy Dawes, played by Elizabeth Montgomery, who plays her role to the hilt. And, Ms. Montgomery gets a very fulfilling send-off for the viewer to enjoy. Fans of Ms. Montgomery, myself included, will love her performance and wish more of her TV movies and work can be found on DVD. I had to find this on VHS. On a entertainment level, this is a very good movie with great actors who know their business, including Ray Walston and Dorothy McGuire. But, the movie takes its entertainment from an otherwise very sobering subject matter, which may be too disturbing and real for some people watching, especially when the viewer might have a parent in a rest home, subjected to such treatment. If you can watch a movie about a rest home, then this is one to see, which is similar to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was produced by Michael Douglas, the son of Kirk Douglas, the star of this. Kirk's Amos Lasher is a survivor and a fighter and will not go quietly....

AMOS was a surprisingly effective TV-movie which owes a lot to ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, but stands on its own as competent little shocker. Kirk Douglas, who ironically starred in CUCKOO'S NEST on Broadway, plays the title role here, a cantankerous senior citizen who finds himself committed to a senior citizens facility that is run by an iron-fisted nurse (Elizabeth Montgomery)who Amos suspects is over stepping the bounds of her authority by physically abusing the clients and robbing them of their life savings. Stanley Gordon West's strong teleplay is an asset,but what makes this film sizzle is the cat and mouse game between Amos and the head nurse, who Montgomery bone-chillingly brings to life in one of her best performances, burying her Samantha Stephens image forever. Strong support is also provided by screen veterans Dorothy McGuire, Pat Morita, and Ray Walston but it is the Emmy-nominated performances by Douglas and Montgomery that are the main selling points here. It's no CUCKOO'S NEST, but it is an entertaining second cousin.

This movie isn't the greatest ever, but it's good if you're bored and happen to have it around. Elizabeth Montgomery is (as usual) wonderful in her role, although decidedly evil. Don't see this movie the same way I did, while waiting to go in for day surgery. Daisy is one nurse you do not want looking after you!