The Farmer (Rarely-Screened 1977 Revenge Movie)

Directed by David Berlatsky (in his one and only directorial role), The Farmer chronicles the story of Kyle Martin, a farmer who has just returned from World War II a hero and Silver Star recipient, only to discover that the bank intends to foreclose his dilapidated farm. Despite his previous heroism, the creditors refuse to change their minds, and Martin sets out to raise money to try and save the farm.

The farmer soon comes cross a car accident from which he pulls gambler Johnny O'Neill to safety, moments before the wreckage bursts into flames. O'Neill decides to reward Martin with $1,500, but it is still not enough to save his farm. The men go their seperate ways, but shortly afterwards, O'Neill is attacked and blinded with acid by a mob boss, Passini, and his men over a gambling dispute. Aware of his previous military experience, O'Neill meets with the farmer's girlfriend, who he tasks with passing on a message, that being an offer of $50,000 to track down and murder the 5 men responsible for the attack on O'Neill.

Initially, Martin declines, realising the immorality of the proposition, but, unbeknownst to him, the mobsters have already caught wind of his involvement with O'Neill. He returns to his farm one night to find his barn burnt to the ground, along with the burnt remains of his black family friend, Gumshoe, who had been shot and left for dead in the barn. He also discovers that his wife has been brutally raped by one of Passini's syndicate men, Weasel. It is at this point that the farmer decides to take O'Neill up on his previous offer, and immediately sets off on his trail of revenge.

The film had a limited screening in public theatres in 1977, and was said to have been screened heavily at several Marine Corps Base theatres. It also appeared on cable TV for a short period, after its theatrical release. The film, to this day, has never received a home video release of any kind, and is heavily sought-after by collectors. In 2006, Code Red DVD claimed that they were in the process of digitally remastering the film for an upcoming DVD release, but said DVD simply never happened. Code Red even went as far as including a trailer for The Farmer on several of its other DVD releases, which remains the only piece of footage from the film that is publicly available.