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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Golden Harvest presents A Limelight Production in association with Gary Propper A Steve Barron film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Starring Judith Hoag Elias Koteas Based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird Music by John Du Prez Production Designer Roy Forgre Smith Executive In Charge Of Production Thomas K. Gray Executive Producer Raymond Chow Co Producer Graham Cottle Story by Bobby Herbeck Screen Play by Todd W. Langlen and Bobby Herbeck Produced by Kim Dawson, Simon Fields, David Chan Directed by Steve Barron Dave Nice establishing shot here.  "I can't walk through the park, 'cause it's crazy after dark. Keep my hand on my gun, 'cause they got me on the run." Kev Yeh. Is that over Central Park? It looks like it. I like the little details, like Michaelangelo sleeping with the panda toy, they really help sell the idea that the four of them are essentially still just kids themselves. Dave Ha, ha! Yeah, I forgot about that. What’s that in the background there? Kev An Elvis Presley bust, or something. I suppose, she lives above an antiques store, so she’s probably taken certain things upstairs to decorate her flat, sorry, her apartment with, which give it that eclectic look. Dave Yeah. She’s a good lead, Judith Hoag. ‘Cause she is essentially the lead in the movie. Kev Oh, yeh. She's definitely the lead in this. That’s a good way of having Danny see the Turtles in her apartment, when he sees Michaelangelo hiding under the table in the mirror. It plants that plot point for later on as well.  "Ready or not. Here I come. You can't hide. Gonna find you....." Dave Yeah. Y’know what’s been good? The way they’ve been building up to the reveal of the villain’s lair. I mean, it’s obviously coming up now, but they’ve let it be part of the story. Kev They’ve not rushed it. It only comes into play when necessary, doesn't it? Dave It’s just another part of the story. They’ve not forced it. You’ve got all the father and son themes playing out now. Kev Right enough. With Danny and his dad, April and her father, and those four and Splinter as well. Dave Yeah, because they’re going for a younger audience. Kev Yeh, your late 80s/early 90s youth market. Hence the MC Hammer. Dave Did you not have MC Hammer albums back then? Kev You know what, man, I just found his second one, on cassette tape, up at my mum’s, along with the cassette tape of this soundtrack and the novelisation of this film and the Batman movie. They were all sitting in a cupboard up there. Dave Did you have the novelisation, yeah? Kev Yeh. The thing with the novelisations back then was, often they were the only way you could get certain still pictures from the film before it came onto the cinema. There’s Sam Rockwell again. Dave Yep. That’s a good thing, they’ve got a great cast. They’ve got supporting actors like Sam Rockwell, Elias Koteas, Judith Hoag. Kev Yep. All people, quite early in their careers that….. Dave …..are good, good actors. Kev And well cast too. Dave Yeah. People that you instantly take to. Toshishiro Obata for example. Kev Exactly. People that are convincing in their roles, that are good character actors. Even that bit, with Tatsu's dismissive little hand gesture there, with the fingers, “Go. Play.” That’s great. Dave The lair looks quite smart. It’s like a runaway home, isn’t it?  The Foot Clan community centre was clearly not subject to the same local council budgetary cuts as many of its ilk. Kev Yep. It’s basically a ninja version of an Isis recruitment camp. These kids are being completely indoctrinated into this life of crime, and are being radicalised. Dave Haha. That’s a good point actually, yeah. Kev “Never lower your eyes to an enemy.” That’s the Bruce Lee thing, isn’t it? “Never take your eyes off your opponent.” Dave Yeah. Tatsu’s even got the knife to this kid's throat too. Kev Yeah, you’re right, to a kid who looks all of what, fifteen, sixteen? Barely an adult, if that. Dave Yeah. I remember they kind-of stole this look for The Flash TV pilot, that kind of underground lair. Kev Did they? Dave Yeah. This is a great introduction for Shredder here. Kev Yeh man, with the light coming through the doorway like that. Dave It’s kind-of just the Darth Vader sort of thing, but it’s really well done. Kev Oh yeh, I mean look at that. That’s a great shot, with the shadow coming off the cape like that.  The Shredder casts a long shadow. Dave It’s a proper intro to your villain, with the menacing music as well. Kev Yeh, the soundtrack’s great again here, isn’t it? You’re right, this is the first proper reveal of Shredder, isn’t it? Dave Yeah, we had a little hint of him earlier on, and now here he comes. Kev And they’ve kept that traditional Japanese look to the headgear. Dave It’s a proper samurai look, yeah. I always remembered that he had trouble taking the cape off, you’ll see it here. Kev Oh yeh, ‘cause he’s got the blades on the shoulders as well. Dave Yeah, it gets caught. Ha,ha. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, it’s the bladed shoulder pads that let you know he’s Shredder, I suppose. Just in case you weren't one hundred percent sure.  I know shoulder pads were big in the '80s, but Oroku Saki is taking them to ridiculous extremes here. Dave Oh, he's even getting the red carpet treatment. Kev Ha, ha! Now, in the cartoon, was Shredder purple, is that right? Did they have him in more of a purple? Dave I think he was, yeah. This is more of a cherry red. Kev Yeah. Dave That’s the thing, you wouldn’t really have noticed Sam Rockwell, hanging back, in the background there. Unless you were looking for him, that is. Kev Yeah. Dave What age would he have been here? About 20, or something? Kev Yeh, he couldn’t have been much older than that. “This is your family. I am your father.“ The fathers and sons theme at play again here. The fact that he’s giving these kids, that are probably in and out of group homes and stuff, a “family” of sorts, is how he manipulates them. And here he comes, here’s Danny, just messing it up for everyone, with his Sid & Nancy t-shirt on. He must be a Sex Pistols fan, ‘cause he had his Sid Vicious one on earlier as well.  Never mind the bollocks, here's Danny Pennington. Dave Yeah. Kev To get those facial expressions on those masks is great. The animatronics are amazing. Dave Oh yeah. That’s another mistake there. I’m pretty sure there’s a crew member that you can see here, at the table. Kev Oh yeh. Ha, ha! Just hiding behind that chair. Dave He was obviously like, “Oh fuck!” 'Cause that’s what I thought. “Pork rind.” That must’ve been the actors in the suits saying that line. Kev Could've been, yeh. See, I love these rooftop shots. They look great with the vents and everything. Dave The rooftops, yeah. Again, proper, real locations. None of your studio set nonsense. They were just getting out there and making it in the streets. Kev Totally. All those water towers and everything look great. They add so much production value.  Rooftop kata. Dave It reminds me of ‘Spider-Man: The Deadly Dust,’ when he fights Benson on the rooftop. Kev Yeh, that's true. Dave And this is a great bit where The Foot clan all just appear out of the background. This is building up to another big fight scene. Kev Yeh. Dave Haha! ”Ninja kick!” Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. It’s interesting just how lost they are without Splinter. They’re all just sitting around her apartment, waiting. They’re really passive. Dave Yeah. Well, there’s the sais gone. Kev Yep. I love the way that Foot guy just dumps them over the side of the roof. Just dead nonchalantly.  "Ooops!" Dave Interesting, Raphael has had all the fight scenes so far, hasn’t he? You never really see the rest of them in the fight scene at the start, because it's in complete darkness, whereas he’s had the three, so far, that you’ve actually seen. Great choreography though. Kev Yeh, man. The choreography is superb. This bit, where he does the front kick, into the back thrust kick is great. And the cuts between these two scenes are good as well.  Superturtle punch. Dave Yeah, rather than just having one, long fight scene. And it ties in to what else is happening in the rest of the film, thematically, as well. Kev Yeh, and it’s building tension too. Dave Yeah. This is the sort of scene where you’d be looking out for complaints here. Kev About the violence, yeh. It's Raph essentially just getting beaten-up by a gang of thugs now. This is a great as well, when he gets thrown through the skylight here.  April should've ponied-up for double glazing on that skylight. Dave Oh yeah. I’m sure this is the bit where you see the rubber shell. You see his hand on it? Donatello. Kev Oh yeh, right enough. Ha, ha! Dave This is great too, the way The Foot all burst through into the room here. Kev “And I thought insurance salesmen were pushy.” Ha, ha! That’s a good line. Dave This bit with the nunchakus was cut.  James Ferman's favourite scene, allegedly. Kev Yeh, you’re right, these were all the bits that were cut from the original cinematic and VHS releases over here, weren't they? Dave Look, this guy’s lens has come off.  "This is gonna be the new look for the '90s. You're gonna be the first pirate." "But I don't wanna be a pirate." Kev Yeh, this dude’s missing a lens. I suppose, this is some of that same style of humour that’s in a lot of kung-fu movies as well. Dave Yeah, that’s it, isn’t it? Kev And I love this piece of the score here. Dave Yeah, ‘cause it takes more of a comedic tone. Kev Yeh, it’s comedic here, but then it turns very dramatic in a minute. Dave Yeah, the humour is kind-of slapstick, but not overly stupid slapstick. Kev No, but it's slapstick enough to appeal to kids. Dave Yeah. That was a good move. With the front kick into the back thrust kick. Kev Yeh, and a bit of Turtle breakdancing here, with the ol’ backspins.  Mikey breaks out the Street Sounds Electro cassette tapes and the lino. Dave “California roll.” Ha, ha! That's funny, but then the use of, “Spaz?” Hmmm. Not so much. Kev Yeh. That’s not aged well, at all. Although, in saying that, I never liked the use of that word back then either. I always wondered what Donatello’s rub of the head here was all about. Other than it just being a bit of “business.”  Turtle Wax the dome. Dave This is where it gets a bit more gritty. Kev Yeh. Good use of the cymbals, and I like the way they are establishing that it’s the sheer weight of numbers that’s overwhelming them here, ‘cause they’re essentially a man down. Which, of course, brings in…..the equaliser.  Zildjian, the cymbal of excellence. Dave Haha. Casey Jones.  Ice hockey is for wimps, shinty is a real man's game. Kev Judith Hoag’s reaction to the “Oooh! Who is the babe?” line is brilliant. Dave Yeah, I know. Haha. Kev I love the soundtrack here. The score is fantastic as it gets into this fight scene. Dave Yeah, that piece of the score is great. Kev Casey Jones has got a bit of a Bane voice with the mask on. It’s a bit muffled. Dave Yeah. Kev I like this bit, with the cord of the phone burning out, just as Charles has finished recording that message. And that’s another little nod to the cartoon with the van as well, isn’t it?  The Mystery Machine. Dave Yeah. Kev This is a really good character beat for April, I think. After all, she’s just watched her apartment, and her dad’s store going up in flames. And it’s all Danny fault.  "Burn, burn. Yes, ya gonna burn. Burn, burn. Yes, ya gonna burn. Burn, burn. Yes, ya gonna burn." Dave Yeah. Kev Big reverb on the Shredder drums. Dave Yeah. This is the shame issue here. The Japanese are big on shame, and not losing face. Kev Yeah. This is quite brutal this bit actually, isn’t it? ‘Cause Tatsu really takes his shame out on this kid, doesn’t he? Dave Yeah. He really takes this poor kid out here. He gives him a hiding. Kev It's heavily implied that he's actually killed this kid here, isn't it? Dave Yeah. Kev And, this is where the kids start to realise that The Foot isn’t going to all be fun and games, and that there are going to consequences if they fail. Dave Yeah. Well, they all come from broken homes, and this is just another example of a broken home that they’ve fallen into. Kev That's a good point, man, true. I suppose, with this being released in the cinemas in the UK in November, you’re getting into that Christmas release schedule period, which is always a good time to release a kids film. Dave Yeah. Well, it kind-of is a family film, ‘cause it’s all about family values. Kev Yeah, this line here. “All fathers care for their sons.” That's such a well delivered line. I love the tears in Splinter’s eyes as well. They’re really good. It looks like he’s in pain. Not only the emotional kind, as he’s talking about missing his sons here, but also the physical pain from the torture that’s been inflicted upon him by The Foot.  Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 5. Dave And we’ve got the start of the sexual tension between April and Casey here. Kev Yeh. Elias Koteas is pretty lean in this. He looks like he’s in good shape.  And people say Casey Jones has no superpowers, well, what about his magical finger guns? Dave Yeah. This is quite funny, the way this scene plays out, how he breaks the news to her that she’s lost her job. Kev Is this Han and Leia style of sexual tension that they’re going for here, do you think? Dave I suppose it is, yeah. Ha, ha! “Moonlighting.” Kev Again though, how many kids would’ve got that 'Moonlighting' reference? There couldn’t have been that many, I wouldn’t have thought. Dave No, I certainly didn’t watch 'Moonlighting' as a kid. Kev That’s interesting that she’s talking about the Turtles having suffered their first defeat as well. Dave Yeah, it’s like the narrative for them. Kev Yeh, and their growth as "people," and as a team. That artwork’s great. I wonder if it was Eastman or Laird that did that? I think I remember reading somewhere that it was one of the two, now that I think about it. I love the sketch of Leonardo, and of his leg, in a slightly different position, before she decided on the final version. And the transitions into the actual shots are great as well.  Eastman?  Laird? Dave Oh yeah, the scene is basic and simple, there’s not a lot in it. It’s almost just an empty room. Kev Yeh, you’re right, it’s essentially just an empty room with a couple of characters in it. I always found the fact that they’re keeping Raphael in the bathtub, as a way of taking care of him, quite amusing. Dave Yeah, that’s their way of looking after him.  He's not an amphibian, April. I think you may be over-subscribing to the healing properties of water for him here. Kev I wonder why they chose to do the journal entries here. Dave To provide a bit of narrative, I reckon. Kev Yeh, you’re right, I suppose. A little bit of exposition, eh? Dave Yeah. Do you think that this was meant, this bit with the chain on the swinging chair breaking? Kev I dunno. Dave His reaction is really comedic there. Kev Yeh, that reaction looks pretty genuine. Good bit of business from Koteas, if it wasn't. Dave Raphael’s sounds like a proper Brooklynite. Kev Yeh, he’s got that Brooklyn accent, alright. I like the fact that, on the costumes, each of their musculature is different as well. Dave Oh yeah. Kev They’re all unique, like you were saying. Raph’s the biggest, he’s got that bruiser look, Leo’s a bit leaner, Michelangelo almost looks a bit younger, and that’s why he’s not as muscular, and Donatello kind-of somewhere in between. Dave Right enough. Ha, ha! This is where you can see the guy’s face in the mouth of the costume here.  "The horror. The horror." Kev Ha, ha! Oh yeh. Dave You can even see the guy’s mouth. Kev Yeh, he’s opening his mouth as well. That’s actually quite terrifying. It’s like something out of Alien, with the second, smaller, mouth inside the bigger mouth. It’s like you’re just waiting on it to attack you. Dave Is that the guy’s eyes? Kev I’m not sure. They don’t look like they’re in line with his face, with his mouth, or anything else, if those are his eyes? Dave No, it can’t be his eyes. It looks like it, but…. Kev Nah. Is it maybe part of the structure of the mask? Maybe they're metal pins, or something? Dave Yeah, ‘cause you can see the rest of the inside of the turtle mask. That’s what it is. If they didn’t have those pins or whatever they are, it probably wouldn’t look so bad, but because of them, it looks like a person’s eyes. Kev Yeh, you’re right, it does look like a person’s eyes. Dave It’s actually quite disturbing. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, it really is. Dave This is a bit like a Rocky-style montage here, isn’t it? Kev Yeh, Mikey’s even on the heavy bag.  1. 1-2. 1-1-2. 1-2. 1. 1-2-3. 1-1-3. 1-1-2. 1-1-4. 1-5. 1-6. 1. 1. 1-1-7. 1-1-8. Dave I suppose, there’s a little bit of Stallone in there with Raph yelling, “Splinter!” Kev Yep, that’s like Rocky shouting for Ardian. Dave Oddly enough, they dubbed Tatsu’s voice. Kev Did they? Dave Yeah, they dubbed it. I love the darkness in these scenes. The lighting and the colours and the tones and all that. Kev Yeh, it looks really good. I like the soundtrack here as well. Very fight montage-esque sort of stuff. Again, a bit like a Rocky flick. Dave Has this been edited? This is the full version, isn’t it? Kev I don’t know. I’ve seen that many different versions of this film over the years, between cinema, home video and all the TV cuts, that I can never tell which one’s which. Dave I’m pretty sure that, nowadays, you get the full, unedited version, because the censors are past caring about it. Kev And there’s nobody kicking off about it these days now either, I suppose. Dave Yeah. I like the fact that he’s using a sword to prepare dinner.  Casey is preparing a rustic vegetable stew, with bell peppers, eggplant and katana sliced carrots. Kev Ha, Ha, yeh. Using the big katana sword, just to cut up some carrots. Michaelangelo’s little giggle is great. Dave You’re right, the muscle definition is different on each of them. Kev Yeh, and even the shades of green on their skin are all slightly different as well. They’ve definitely put a lot of thought and work into how each of them look. It's some achievement, for as little as they were working with. Dave Yeah, the costumes are fantastic, for what they were able to do at the time. Kev Is Donatello maybe the most underwritten of the four Turtles in this? Because they don’t show much, if any, of the intellectual and engineering side of his personality, that he has in a lot of the other versions. Dave Yeah, he’s definitely made more of an intellectual later on. And they changed the voice as well, didn’t they? ‘Cause it was Corey Feldman here, but they got someone else in for the later movies. Kev I keep forgetting that it was Corey Feldman who did Donatello’s voice in this one. Dave Yeah, it’s Corey Feldman. Kev A bit of astral projection stuff going on here, with the channelling of Splinter.  Force ghost Splinter. Whoops. Wrong franchise, again. Dave Yeah. More traditional martial arts movie stuff. Kev Yeh. Good score again for this bit. It underpins the emotion of the scene. Dave Yeah, definitely. I keep looking at those masks now, looking for the actor’s face. Kev Ha, ha! Dave This is the second act being wrapped-up, and we're moving into act three. Kev Yeh. How far into the film are we here? Dave One hour, two minutes. Kev Yeh, you’re right then. We’re pretty bang on for your standard three act structure. (D) & (K) Next: Act 3. Where a man gets crushed (seemingly to death) in a trash compactor. In a film aimed primarily at kids. 
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