John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) is an investigative journalist with a chip on his shoulder. On his news program Face To Face he interviews and exposes his government interviewees for their scandalous transgressions against the American people. This high profile, liberal behavior brings him to the attention of the CIA, and Maxwell Danforth (gruffly played by the legendary Burt Lancaster). Danforth petitions Tanner to help the CIA uncover a group of KGB double agents working on a Soviet germ warfare program codenamed Omega during a weekend reunion with his friends from Berkeley. Unfortunately, the traitors he is exposing are his friends taking part in the titular Osterman Weekend.

Tanner reluctantly agrees only after guaranteeing a television interview with Danforth after the job is complete. The CIA brings in Agent Fassett (John Hurt) to supervise the mission, which liberally peppers the Tanner home with surveillance equipment. All Tanner has to do is act normally, to treat his friends with the same respect and care as if he didn’t know.

That proves to be much more difficult than originally thought. Tanner’s fervent love for his country, coupled with undeniable proof of his friends’ guilt pulls the rope of tolerance a little too taut for comfort. Not only that, but someone has been alerting the three alleged agents that they are being exposed as traitors, and all fingers point right back to Tanner, pulling the rope right to its breaking point.

Between its stunning direction, fabulous set pieces, an amazing cast (Hauer, Hurt, Lancaster, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, and many more) The Osterman Weekend should have been the golden capstone to Sam Peckinpah’s long, acclaimed career. Sadly, it was not meant to be. The troubled production of Peckinpah’s films is the stuff of legends, with horror stories of once-perfect films left in scraps on the cutting-room floor, and Osterman is no exception. Viewing the original rough screener cut on the second disc of Anchor Bay’s set hints at a more cohesive film, sadly forced to the side by confused test audiences and angry producers. People often refer to this as a whimpering death to Peckinpah’s career, when it truly isn’t. It may not have the adventurous spirit of The Wild Bunch, or quite as heady a social commentary as Straw Dogs, but it’s far from being Peckinpah’s worst (that easily goes to Convoy).

Unfortunately, people can’t look past the script, which is a prime example of compression. Taking a book by Robert Ludlum (whose topsy-turvy plot twists are already tough enough to put your head around) and stuffing it into a brisk sub-100 minute run time (I’m not including credits) is a Herculean feat. But if all the dime store film critics were to get over the movie’s plot flaws (an issue that wasn’t Peckinpah’s fault), they’ll see a solid last film from Bloody Sam. His graceful slow-mo action scenes hit a perfect tempo, from a stunning car chase, to a fistfight between Hauer’s and Nelson’s characters, to the final swimming pool shootout, the breathtaking action alternately gives you guilty shivers or painful grimaces. They play out like brutal ballets, elegant yet savage, which can bring any real action fan to the height of ecstasy.

The cast also does a knockout job. Everyone showed up to play, and it shows. From Dennis Hopper’s weaselly Tremayne (complete with coke-snorting wife) to John Hurt’s Oz-behind-the-curtain turn as the voyeuristic and vengeful Fassett, to Burt Lancaster’s pompous turn as Danforth, the acting is solid and believable across the board. They also interact with one another wonderfully, making the cat-and-mouse head games in the Tanner household even more excruciatingly tense.

Anchor Bay has released The Osterman Weekend as part of their Divimax series with sadly mixed results. While colors are vivid and edges crisp, the grain becomes almost unbearable at times. It’s upsetting simply because AB’s Divimax releases are usually the cream of the crop, and releasing such a flawed print under that proud moniker seems sloppy. While other releases have had similar problems (i.e. The Hills Have Eyes), they didn’t have the Divimax name to live up to. Audio fares much better however, giving us wonderfully clean tracks in either Dolby 5.1 or 6.1 DTS-ES. While the lack of the original mix may disappoint some purists, the new digital mixes are simply beautiful, with excellent (if spare) surround use and crystal clarity.

Now let’s get to extras, because this is where AB has really delivered the goods. We’re given a commentary track with a quartet of Sam Peckinpah "historians," a theatrical trailer, a still gallery, bios, and a very meaty documentary titled "Alpha To Omega." It covers a lot of material, and features interviews with almost the entire cast as well as the producers. Best of all is the inclusion of a "rough cut" of the film, as it was originally screened to test audiences. You have the option of watching it in its entirety, or to view the individual scenes that differed greatly from the final cut. Sure, it may not look very nice (no remastering), but it’s truly fascinating to see how Peckinpah’s original vision was forced to change.

While not as lauded as his other films, Sam Peckinpah’s The Osterman Weekend is still highly recommended for spy and action junkies. Its plot may be a little confusing, as well as dated (even for 1983), but it’s still one hell of a movie, and a classy end to an illustrious career.