Two-Fisted Tales1992

Zemeckis-fest "Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once". This deserves so much better than that weird little imp introducing it.  YELLOW So this was originally released as part of a pilot for a spinoff series from Tales from the Crypt called Two-Fisted Tales. The show never got picked up, and the segments from the pilot were added to The Crypt.  It’s very clear that this is very different, even only compared to the last episode. This is a mature drama that deals with complex themes and tackles them beautifully for its 40-minute run time.  So if you’ve seen Paths of Glory, this is basically the speedrun version of that film (which was already pretty brief) with Kirk Douglas now playing the bloodthirsty general and his cowardly son played by Eric Douglas, his son in real life.  Honestly, I would say just watch this one. It’s truly incredible and worlds better than it has any right to be. Douglas the senior is still incredible even at this age, and his son brings a softness that contrasts perfectly. I want to see the original pilot version because if this segment is this strong, I’m curious how good the other two are.  This definitely shows that Zemeckis really could have a knack for dramatic work, and I’m curious how/if that will come across in the next films.