#herkimer battle jitney

[hellalena]

This aesthetic is why the Herkimer Battle Jitney is up there with my favorite movie cars

Morning comrades who wants to see some wacky art deco vehicles

[orpheusterminals]

Herkimer Battle Jitney

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Herkimer Battle Jitney

[mysterymenmovie]

[Later, in the lab.]

Heller: If we're gonna bust into that mansion, you're gonna need more than a station wagon.

Furious: At the auto yard, there's this old Herkimer battle jitney. Sally's always telling me to "junk it!"

Heller: Wait. You have a Herkimer battle jitney?? That's the finest non-lethal military vehicle ever made!

Shoveler: All right, we'll meet at the junkyard. We'll go from there.

Raja: I--I--I shall need more forks, I'm afraid.

Shoveler: Those of you with loved ones, say good-bye before we go. You may not get another chance.

All: Zei gezunt.

[tur80]

I love a Herkimer Battle Jitney

[gorditagaycars]

Herkimer Battle Jitney

[andrearrrrr]

Herkimer Battle Jitney aka Zephyr Z17 Marauder heavy combat defensive troop transport.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/10/06/the-herkimer-battle-jitney-lives-and-the-new-owner-plans-a-full-restoration

[steampunkvehicles]

Herkimer Battle Jitney!

[bai4zi]

Screen-Used Herkimer Battle Jitney purchased by RazorFly Studios in NC for restoration 撸先生：看片神器，每日更新，高清流畅，无需翻墙，t.cn/EVvnoK4

[mysterymenmovie]

[Out in the autoyard.]

(Furious attempts to tear the Herkimer battle jitney apart w/ a crowbar and fails. The radio is on.)

Radio Announcer: We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. Champion City's best-known billionaire, Lance Hunt, has disappeared. Police hope to enlist the help of Captain Amazing in the search for Hunt, but have so far failed to contact the city's beloved superhero.

[wittypenguin]

Mystery Men (1999)

After watching over a decade of Marvel films, then watching the ‘Eastrail 177 Trilogy’ of films (which I’ll write a concluding review for in a few days), something that dealt with super heroes in a mocking but loving way seemed right up my alley! It even begins with a silly scene in an old age home being attacked by silly villains! Then… Wow. This is less silly and more… yeah, I dunno…

The cast is fantastic, with Greg Kinnear being perfect as Captain Amazing. It even has the look of an insane Batman film. Which makes sense, because a number of the sets used in the film are the same sets used in Batman Forever.

“SFX by Ghostbusters II” was the note I made at one point, and given that the main firm responsible seems to have been Rhythm & Hues, I wasn’t far off. I can’t quite tell if they were involved in the Ghostbusters sequel, but I wouldn’t be surprised, as the colour palette and stylistic approach is fairly similar, especially with the massive deus ex machina ending which… is… okay, I guess…? Really, it’s too little too late by that point.

There are some gags scattered throughout which are okay — the purpose of “A Fifth of Beethoven” hath finally been revealed as fight choreography music, The Shoveler’s physical business, Invisible Boy’s actual use of his power which saves the day (which I distinctly remembered from the trailers), the Herkimer Battle Jitney, the mocking of the Superman trope of his ‘disguise’ being his glasses — but it’s not enough to hang a movie on. There must be more to the original comic books’ material, but there’s no ‘there’ here in this film.

William H. Macy [left] as ‘Shoveler,’ Ben Stiller [centre, rear] as ‘Furious,’ and Hank Azaria [right] as ‘Blue Raja’

Invisible Boy’s introduction is over written. It’s got a good premise, and even the two lead-up scenes are solid (although the one in the diner could have been a bit tighter), but the scene where he explains his the limitations of his power spirals at least twice before landing. It’s a shame.

It’s really uneven. Given the comedic talent on hand — JANNINE GAROFALO, Hank Azaria, Ben Stiller, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Waits, William H Macy — it’s surprising how some of this is so… well, ‘infantile’ seems too dismissive, but it’s getting pretty close. When you have a ‘Super Hero’ who can pass wind on demand, you expect a certain puerility, sure, but some of the ‘gags’ are delivered with a 20-pound sledgehammer when all you need is a tack hammer. Apparently the shooting experience was fraught with strife, with various people trying to change the style of the comedy, and the director even declared at one point that they would never direct a feature again, as it was far too much effort and not enough satisfaction.

Eddie Izzard as “Tony P”

Mr Macy’s character gets nearly all of the best lines, for my taste, and he delivers them perfectly. Somehow his ‘Everyman’ face is perfect for someone as seemingly inconsequential as a hero wielding a shovel, yet still able to stirring statements which inspire his fellow crime fighters. My goodness, his career of medium-sized characters was something to which I very much aspired (when I still had hopes and dreams), and this could have been a fantastic demonstration of his ability to anchor an ensemble… had the writing been better.

There’s a couple of people woefully under-utilized, Lena Olin and Eddie Izzard in particular. Ms Olin’s character has a grand total of two lines in the entire film, but appears in more than a handful of scenes. Lord knows she’s capable of far more. Mr Izzard is similarly hobbled in speech, and seems reduced to doing physical comedy as ‘Henchman #2.’ He’s extremely good at the former, far more talented than the requirements of the latter, and neither task is seen enough in the story. Lordy.

I could also have used more of the auditioning super heroes, especially if their ‘super abilities’ were outlined. The names of some in the credits are quite promising. Additionally, more of the ‘Super Hero Boot Camp’ sequence with Wes Studi as ‘Sphinx’ would have been good, especially if the writing had developed past the gag based on the trope of ‘inscrutable Oriental aphorisms,’ which was really beaten to death before finally being moved past.

There’s a whole plot thread of romantic interest for Mr Stiller’s character which could have been taken out but for the old line about “I love you for you, not for your powers” thing which nearly worked. That same lesson was bing learned with Mr Macy’s character, however, and his marriage being saved by his saving the world has a better feeling of accomplishment than the other set-up, however. Certainly Mr Stiller’s character’s ‘ability’ of being furious might have been better developed as being, at best, ineffective, as it seemed oddly glossed over, given the rest of the gags being pounded into the ground. There are many things being given too much emphasis and too many being under-explored, one wonders if there was any consideration given to a ‘middle ground approach?’

Ben Stiller is quite angry… one might almost say he’s… ‘Furious’

There are also a couple of of cameos — including the director Michael Bay as a frat boy — which really serve no purpose beyond causing people to yell “WHO is in this…‽” which may have been the idea, as there’s little else to say for them. Merely because one can do something in a film doesn’t mean that one should do that particular thing.

Overall, it’s a sad thing, given the people involved. At one point, Danny Divito was considering directing and starring in the William H Macy role, but backed out of both positions when he realized the scope of the project. It’s possible he could have made things work, but not if he was acting as well; there’s too much heavy lifting to change what I saw into something worthwhile.

★★☆☆☆

[ow-my-skin]

That's the Herkimer Battle Jitney from Mystery Men

Custom Built Doomsday Truck [602 × 414]

[kinlochhold]

Why? WWWHHHHYYYYYYYY???

Me: *plays M3* Mr KH: Whatcha doing? Me: Running through combat simulator scenarios with Alenko and EDI because I never use the two of them together but I have to take her on the next mission and I need to know how their talents work together or everyone will die. Mr KH: Ri-i-i-ight. Which one is The Spleen and which one is The Bowler? Me: Um... he’s a biotic, that’s a Mass Effect thing and you don’t really need to know about it and she’s a fembot. No Spleen, no Bowler. Sorry. Mr KH: Are her bazooms... Me: Her weapons? No. She has an actual gun for that. Mr KH: And who is the Herkimer Battle Jitney? Me: Oh! That would be Shepard.

[obishawnc]

Not a Herkimer Battle Jitney, but she'll do... (at El Cajon, California)

[rap-skullion]

Is that the Herkimer Battle Jitney!?

[havemanymonkeys]

Wait! You have a Herkimer Battle Jitney? That's the finest nonlethal military vehicle ever made!