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They Live poster

They Live

year 1988decade 80sdirector John Carpentergenre Horrorgenre Science fiction

94

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Keith David Frank
Meg Foster Holly
Peter Jason Gilbert
Raymond St. Jacques Street preacher
Jason Robards III Family man
John Lawrence Bearded man
Susan Barnes Brown haired woman
Sy Richardson Black revolutionary
Wendy Brainard Family man's daughter
Lucille Meredith Female interviewer
Susan Blanchard Ingenue
Norman Alden Foreman
Dana Bratton Black junkie
John F. Goff Well dressed customer
Norm Wilson Vendor
Thelma Lee Rich lady
Stratton Leopold Depressed human
Rezza Shan Arab clerk
Norman Howell Blonde haired cop
Larry Franco Neighbor
Tom Searle Biker
Robert Grasmere Scruffy blonde man
Vince Inneo Passageway guard
Bob Hudson Passageway guard #2
Jon Paul Jones Manager
Dennis Michael Male news anchor
Nancy Gee Female news anchor
Claudia Stanlee Young female executive
Christine Anne Baur Woman on phone
Eileen Wesson Pregnant secretary
Gregory J. Barnett Security guard #1
Jim Nickerson Security guard #2
Kerry Rossall 2nd unit guard
Cibby Danyla Naked lady
Jeff Imada Male ghoul
Michelle Costello Female ghoul

They Live | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyproducer Craig Horlbeck format Live
Explore episodeClose episode

Apex Mountain

Roddy Piper as an actor

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:37Read transcript
  • The performance is called Piper’s acting Apex; later films are criticized and Piper credited Carpenter with making him a good actor.

Casting What-Ifs

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:02Read transcript
  • The part was written for Kurt Russell, but Carpenter reportedly wanted to avoid another collaboration.
  • A Russell version is imagined as more talkative; Piper’s few lines and signature dialogue are favored.

Roger Ebert's review

Rating not yet verified
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:51Read transcript
  • No Ebert review is located; the panel speculates the film’s caricature of the critics contributed.
  • The discussion contrasts his reception of Carpenter’s films with his favorable Escape from L.A. review.

Most Rewatchable Scene

The alley fight; the first sunglasses revelation

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:24Read transcript
  • The glasses reveal advertising commands and alien faces, leading into the bank confrontation and bubblegum line.
  • Holly sending Piper’s character through the window is nominated as an abrupt, effective stunt.
  • The five-and-a-half-minute fight is broken down into punches, groin shots, slams and suplexes; the close imaginary score favors Piper.
  • The hotel-room philosophical conversation is another favorite.
  • The collaborators’ dinner party and tuxedoed sellout receive praise.
  • The final shootout and Holly’s turn are discussed.
  • The panel calls the fight the signature scene while another preference favors the glasses; the audience is also split.

What’s Aged the Best?

The score; Piper’s hair; drifters with a past; cultural influence; the bubblegum line; social critique

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:45Read transcript
  • The simple score is praised and identified as the last collaboration with Alan Howarth.
  • Piper’s feathered hair recalls wrestlers, rock musicians and other 1980s figures.
  • A capable drifter arriving with a knapsack remains an appealing setup.
  • The anticipated roaring 1990s and the film’s 2025 takeover date are revisited.
  • The film’s Obey imagery is linked to Shepard Fairey’s street art.
  • The bubblegum line and the television-interview exchange about meeting the A team endure.
  • Economic inequality, homelessness and manipulative government/media remain resonant.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The transformed billboard skyline; the opening train and arrival

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:28Read transcript
  • The wide-screen skyline reveals the transformed advertising landscape.
  • The opening credits, train and arrival are praised; a costly train retake is reported.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Neo-Nazi and Alex Jones appropriation; cheap-looking production; missed television satire

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:31Read transcript
  • Neo-Nazi interpretations reportedly prompted Carpenter’s rejection; Alex Jones’s enthusiasm is also criticized.
  • The ending’s nudity is debated as dated gratuity versus a deliberate satire of cultural distraction.
  • The low-budget handmade appearance is compared unfavorably with Prince of Darkness, though the monochrome alien effects work.
  • The television-station setting could have included more direct parodies; Stay Tuned and UHF are comparisons.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Selling out looks appealing; Carpenter’s most memorable 1980s film; Keith David in Samuel L. Jackson roles

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:40Read transcript
  • Alien collaboration appears to offer a comfortable life with cars, housing and television work.
  • The film is proposed as Carpenter’s most memorable 1980s work; Escape from New York and The Thing are counterchoices.
  • A counterfactual proposes Keith David could have had much of Sam Jackson’s career, including Jules and a Die Hard 3 role.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Homeless extras; Piper commentary; fight choreography; Meg Foster’s television firing

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:57Read transcript
  • The production reportedly employed homeless people with food and wages; Piper mistook a comic subliminal-television short for documentary evidence.
  • Piper’s abrupt commentary story about a stalker who was an arms dealer leaves Carpenter trying to return to the movie.
  • The screenplay reportedly used repeated pages saying the fight continues; Piper also alleged payments to local gangs.
  • Meg Foster’s Cagney & Lacey replacement is discussed alongside a quoted sexist and homophobic executive explanation.
  • The fight was reportedly rehearsed in Carpenter’s backyard.

Apex Mountain

Roddy Piper; 1980s downtown Los Angeles movies; street fights

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:01Read transcript
  • Piper is affirmed because of his wrestling fame and the film’s number-one opening.
  • Piper’s persona and move into acting are compared with Dwayne Johnson’s later career.
  • Carpenter is rejected in favor of Halloween, with Starman also discussed; Reagan critiques receive only a qualified suggestion.
  • Downtown L.A. films receive a yes with Prince of Darkness as a comparison; Foster’s possible peaks include Masters of the Universe and Leviathan.
  • Keith David’s peak is placed at Platoon, with There’s Something About Mary also recalled.
  • Street fights receive an affirmative suggestion, challenged with The Warriors and Mission: Impossible comparisons.

Picking Nits

Bank escape; gun handling; fight injuries; rebel eyewear

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:22Read transcript
  • Piper shoots people in the bank and escapes out the back door despite many cops arriving.
  • Piper’s machine-gun handling looks untrained; Russell in Big Trouble in Little China is contrasted with Keanu’s firearm preparation.
  • The fight should leave far worse facial injuries.
  • The impoverished rebels’ advanced glasses and contacts lack a manufacturing explanation.
  • Frank’s refusal to briefly try the glasses makes the lengthy fight unnecessary; eyewear side effects are also unexplained.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

All-Black cast; contemporary television; alien-arrival prequel

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:43Read transcript
  • An all-Black version jokingly retains Piper in Keith David’s role.
  • A contemporary series could explore the internet or a Newsroom-like alien television station.
  • A prequel could explain the arrival and infiltration; the father’s changed behavior is debated as literal evidence or social metaphor.
  • A prestige series could expand construction and Denver backstory, with quality depending on the streamer.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Internet-era adaptation; Andromeda travel; collaborator secrecy and contracts; alien vulnerability

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:38Read transcript
  • A modern version would feature more computers and TikTok.
  • Andromeda Airlines, gravitational transport and the collaborator freely revealing secrets are questioned.
  • Travel luggage, alien weather, hotels and clothing prompt speculation.
  • Advanced aliens losing to rebels and a shot transmitter seems implausible.
  • Collaborator contracts, secrecy and a joking alien salary cap are debated.
  • A second television season could explore repercussions on Andromeda.

Best Double Feature

They Live poster
They Live
Poster unavailable
The Thing
Poster unavailable
Prince of Darkness
Poster unavailable
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Poster unavailable
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Poster unavailable
Escape from New York
Poster unavailable
The Parallax View
Poster unavailable
Three Days of the Condor
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:51Read transcript
  • Carpenter options include The Thing and Prince of Darkness.
  • Either Invasion of the Body Snatchers version and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang are proposed for social persecution parallels.
  • Escape from New York and the Sutherland Body Snatchers are endorsed.
  • The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor fit the discovery of a vast conspiracy.

The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?

War; alien detention; possible retaliation

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:42Read transcript
  • World war or rounding up exposed aliens are proposed, with no need for glasses after the signal dies.
  • Teleportation and advanced weapons might survive the transmitter loss, enabling retaliation.
  • An alien president is imagined as a political scandal.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:59Read transcript
  • The film’s number-one opening and rapid disappearance frame a Carpenter preference; it is called his last truly great movie.
  • Carpenter is selected again; Piper receives a distinct alternative vote for his singular performance, while Peter Jason is considered and rejected.
  • The film is placed at the end of Carpenter’s peak run, with later influence emphasized.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
John Carpenter
Speaker not identified
John Carpenter
Speaker not identified
Roddy Piper

More from the conversation

The live recording follows a screening at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:58Read transcript
The panel discusses the film as an anti-capitalist satire whose critical reputation grew over time.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:06Read transcript
The Reagan-era economic critique contrasts with nostalgic depictions of the 1980s.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:22Read transcript
Carpenter’s minimalism conveys media manipulation and unequal power through background television and framing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:15Read transcript
Carpenter described television as selling products and called Ted Turner an alien; the sell-out dialogue reportedly came from a studio executive.
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:53Read transcript
The discussion imagines Carpenter directing Top Gun or Fatal Attraction after recounting projects he declined.
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:20Read transcript
Simple premises and mood connect Halloween, Escape from New York and They Live.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:26Read transcript
Piper’s heel persona, WrestleMania history and departure to pursue acting frame his performance.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:36Read transcript
Keith David’s supporting career and believable physical opposition to Piper receive praise.
Approx. transcript time · 00:22:57Read transcript
An explicitly six-item favorite normal-fights list names Mission: Impossible – Fallout, They Live, Silent Rage, The Warriors, Eastern Promises and Road House; the normal-person rule is challenged for Fallout and martial-arts exclusions. This is not a Top Ten List.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:05Read transcript
The fight is compared to The Quiet Man.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:37Read transcript
The fight’s length is praised in the theater but felt longer on streaming; Eastern Promises and Oldboy join the favorite-fight conversation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:53Read transcript
A personal story recounts childhood hypnosis to make wearing contacts possible.
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:27Read transcript
A future November theme month is discussed, with prior family dysfunction, divorce and courtroom themes recalled; none identifies this episode’s theme.
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:37Read transcript