tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47552400409107126862024-03-16T16:33:24.442+11:00Explosive ActionExplosive Action is an action movie review blog focusing on b-grade, direct-to-dvd, made for TV and otherwise unknown gems across the action, horror and sci-fi genres.Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-77542567593620259812024-03-16T16:33:00.001+11:002024-03-16T16:33:22.840+11:00Command Performance (2009)<p><img alt="Command Performance (2009)" border="0" width=250 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL9VsOCgyawVwMj-5oRZkMEO8XznTDIJEOFXTPX32A2s_3JErJtV242u47endm5dKjrvPv5j55qaAprQ7vekYvjqwTpsEd5WFt_DBf5DVg9l0mbdp2VWq13sDDUbgO9dEQbH2Fc_FIOA96m1_lA6-8lqj7ERZiL1ezsZEZPNYPhHR5IIDVPBoyTjjzzMh/s1600/command-performance-2009-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>This show could be deadly.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><img title="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-26 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-26 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1xiz2rYjsjmnf5BzRv48rLbQMYz_azwjE" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><a href="/search/label/Dolph Lundgren">Dolph Lundgren</a> is Joe, the drummer of a rock band called CMF about to play support for a popstar called Venus (Melissa Molinaro). The two artists are playing a special command performance for the Russian President under strict security. While CMF is playing, men disguised as cooks and waiters kill the backdoor guards and sneak in, bringing crates of weapons with them.</p> <p>At the height of Venus' set and whilst Joe is backstage, the team of assassins blast in killing most of the security and storm the stage, taking not only Venus hostage but the American ambassador and the President himself. Joe emerges to witness the filming of the first execution and formulates a plan - play a wild guitar solo then use his Fender as a mallet! Joe teams up with one of the surviving Russian security team and the fight back begins.</p> <p><img title="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-6 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-6 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1KDShLy_7YytDYqNX0e9jTptLZVl2hZr8" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1aeZx2BSanSiMVd1P02d8R6vVuNfeuCFl"><img title="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-29 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-29 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1j8CwzJyhweqR0IkxQ07TbQjku_cvXKYF" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p><em>"Dying is easy. Rock and roll is hard."</em></p> <p>Command Performance is Die Hard in an Arena, basically. It has some really fun scenes and lines, like Dolph sticking a knife into someone's brain and quipping "watch the hair, dude". The film doesn't shy from the violence, with squibs aplenty, machine gun slaughter, throats ripped out, AK-47 rifle butt bludgeoning and old fashioned beatdowns. Dolph is the man as Joe, tattooed and badass with a history in biker gangs that makes him gun shy (until he isn't). </p> <p>Melissa Molinaro is believable as Venus, in that I can’t stand her. That’s the point though, at least at the beginning; she’s a brat with too much money. Most of the other characters are non-descript; Hristo Shopov’s President is certainly no Putin, though you can tell that is what they were aiming for. I did like the character of Oleg Kazov, played by the late <a href="/search/label/Dave Legeno">Dave Legeno</a>, who is responsible for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSgk5N-MIMg">twelve kills to Dolph’s ten.</a> He’s damn ruthless and quite the joy to watch. Frequent Dolph collaborator <a href="/search/label/James Chalke">James Chalke</a> as Vladimir also gets his hands dirty quite a bit.</p> <p><img title="Command Performance - Official Trailer 1-0 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Command Performance - Official Trailer 1-0 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1UJmczcw7IqvyObfsXcrCaofQmDj0-sDx" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p>Fun fact, one of the president's daughters is Lundgren's own daughter, Ida. She was a good little actress (better than some of the adult extras) and has only since appeared in her dad's most recent Direction, Castle Falls, much older of course.</p> <p>Dolph is a solid director, <a href="https://youtu.be/mHtatY7bOUY?si=NvPe2k0_I6jimKjW&t=57">solid drummer</a>, and Command Performance is a solid action film. I always have fun watching this one; it's tightly paced, has some fun dialogue and absolutely brings the violence. Dolph had a string of solid action films around this time – Direct Contact, Missionary Man, The Mechanik, Icarus aka The Killing Machine – and they are all worth watching. But Command Performance might just be the best.</p> <p><img title="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-47 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Command Performance - Official Trailer 0-47 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1N4iGBcR1FTnoPnxxsgCQHNFZgalZFQfB" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/76X-E_GcPJ4?si=rgw3m5tQOVIfUJ3Q" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-36904060331943332332024-03-09T17:06:00.006+11:002024-03-09T17:21:39.790+11:00Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar (2022)<p><img alt="" border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yBPvRsEoDJUT75VCS2zg68R21cvKHHnc0pWEhfcfDBdZX-5KLq1QYh0wPw8XPbYMWicIweFZy-k47RbvuJFeriEOAXQL0-p9KaezpPDNzAXgjvRMxgXQADtYgrER9QETG1nGw2_r3P4ef_uf-Zzy9NePiG3zIQIxNOqbkIO7Ibtt17GMfzcbhuLU4daC/s1600/space-wars-cover.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Death is reversible, but at what cost?</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><strong><img title="vlcsnap-00002" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00002" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MuRaqyYuoJG-KXUivQlphUHNN0eFpHWv" width="500" height="281" /></strong></p> <p>In 2980, death is reversible using a blue liquid called Essence. Space scavengers Kip Corman (<a href="/search/label/Michael Pare">Michael Pare</a>) and his daughter Taylor (<a href="/search/label/Sarah French">Sarah French</a>) seek to bring back Kip's deceased wife by transplanting her essence into a cyborg body. After a scavenge transaction goes bad, the pair flee leaving them on the run from the evil Elnora. Running on fumes, the duo decide to embark on one last adventure which is when they encounter a scientist who holds the key to finding the legendary Deepstar - a lost ship supposedly full of treasure. Soon Kip and Taylor realize that they aren't the only ones searching for it as Dykstra (<a href="/search/label/Olivier Gruner">Olivier Gruner</a>) and his rag-tag team of space pirates give them chase.</p> <p>So, what does the hunt for the Deepstar have to do with mysterious blue liquids and dead wives? Kip and his daughter are flat broke, that’s what, and they hope that whatever is in the Deepstar can pay off their debts to Jabba the- I mean, fund the resurrection of Kip’s dear wife and Taylor’s mother. The opening monologue of the film briefed us on the future-year and the Essence and how it’s infused with a cyborg body, but I have many questions on the mechanics: how long after death do you have before you can extract the blue goo? Is it like brain death; get them within the first six minutes or it’s a big bust? What state is dear mother in when in the vial of liquid – is she sentient like a brain in a jar, or just in a dream state? These answers require a sequel, or more preferably, a prequel: <em>Space Wars – The Essence of Life</em> (email me to discuss purchasing this title).</p> <p><img title="vlcsnap-00003" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00003" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1gVqR_Dj8Onxldc89zs3SExRaWpZ1F9wM" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p>If Kip is our Han Solo, than Dykstra is our Greedo. Gruner is great in the role and has a suitable array of henchman and henchwomen to assist him. On top of both of them is the evil Elnora played by Sadie Katz. She is peak Star Trek villain and chews up and spits out her dialogue with glee. Her character is ruthless and happily dispatches her own underlings to make a point (and because they can just be resurrected anyway, I guess).</p> <p>On the side of the good guys is Jackie, a stowaway that Kip and Taylor pick up on their journey who happens to know the location of the Deepstar. Unfortunately Dykstra knows this too, which is why he’s giving the team chase. Much of the film is either Dykstra or Elnora gaining the upper hand on Kip and Taylor, but as you would expect, he finds a way out each time.</p> <p><img title="vlcsnap-00009" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00009" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1miG9tLSLrJmdnGsnHaihNYcH0Yp9NhLD" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><img title="vlcsnap-00004" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00004" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1t-FCarso8OuNFcugNYzULeWFf6HvFY3i" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p>Let’s talk about the action. We have Pare as the good guy and more to the point we have Gruner as the bad guy. So, do they fight? Well if you are looking for an all out brawl between them, you won’t get that. Gruner does roundhouse an alien on a desert planet which was cool, and there are a couple of tussles in the film – Taylor actually gets a good punch up in – but this is really more a sci-fi adventure than explosive action. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t expect Angel Town. What you do get is lots of space battles!</p> <p>Which leads me onto the effects. I was actually pretty impressed with the CG effects in the film, for the most part. Lot’s of stylish looking ships and space battles, colourful laser bolts and gigantic alien monsters. The quality reminded me of an episode of Stargate SG1 or Battlestar Galactica the reboot. If SyFy Channel were still making stuff like this, it would look on par I think. Where it falls down compared to those shows is when reality mixes with the CG. There can be rough greenscreen edges around people at times, or a lack of depth when they stand in front of a CG backdrop. It’s a minor thing really and the production works around this as best it can, particularly by utilising strong lighting. We even get a couple of old school aliens in rubber masks moments that I wish were seen a bit more.</p> <p><img title="vlcsnap-00005" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00005" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1aeZ_WOJUAjd5YrSjIWp2y_44i_IlkvKn" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1-nx6cbxTS8Q0M2DqvcHHRzVr0jGeSi4R"><img title="vlcsnap-00008" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00008" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Tm42zQgEKoIgw5KM0mq21kX7--iQDpbP" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>I have to mention the pre-opening credits scene in the film, as it is such a fun setup. Kip is about to be executed in an elaborate way by an over the top cartoon character bad guy who is surrounded by scantily clad women with guns. Of course he escapes in an seat-of-your-pants fashion but I had to applaud the execution method used, and the glee on the executioners face. It really set the tone of the film for me as ‘comic book’ but not in a dark, depressing DC universe way. Everything is so brightly coloured in Space Wars.</p> <p>You know what this film reminded me of? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxB0EmdckaU">Space Chase</a>, from 1990. I am probably one of four people who has seen that classic but the similarities are there, mostly because it all stems from Flash Gordon and of course a certain famous George Lucas film that isn’t American Graffiti. I don’t know why I’ve never reviewed Space Chase, but I should do that at some point.</p> <p>As for Space Wars, this is a good time. It’s 90 minutes of space opera’ing and space adventuring, with plenty of lasers shot, fists fought and acting over’ed. Sure, some of the lines don’t land well (“<em>I killed my mum. Now I’ll kill yours!</em>”) but the air of fun in the film never dissipates. This air of fun can be seen in the bloopers feature on the DVD – the cast and crew are all having a great time, and the obvious budgetary constraints are shown in this reel with sets falling over and costumes failing the actors. </p> <p>Space Wars feels like a passion project for Director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138076/">Garo Setian</a> and clearly the cast enjoy working with him, as many of them were involved in his previous picture, Automation. Recommended Sunday afternoon viewing.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1fvDMWfbdTGHRkdznBIDpuLvSOl2wASa_"><img title="vlcsnap-00001" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00001" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1jTkb1vwLbhtXpHYHfHm2zL_37DL3NUxY" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p><img title="vlcsnap-00010" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-00010" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/15BA_WWHVD1pU_fDUCL-4xW5Ee9-soFNy" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vp7QhiHQgR0?si=XhRVcpdqA5C4ngi3" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-54415675901586994652024-03-03T09:54:00.003+11:002024-03-03T09:54:37.332+11:00Cyborg Cop II (1994)<p><img alt="Cyborg Cop II (1994)" border="0" height="363" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY22cgssbUA1flUzNyueU_lsuxC0huvE76i8DCWq7_rfgNZR7nox5pIW751AqGVXUIhB658vJV4z_EIVlA3nJwNWf00Cn8P8z-AQFvAEBiDu0bJ9egu79HhR4eb-5UPVv0V8J4wig8-NeHmZybEl-EyhPQS-Njan7omCHUYduclykPu1rV7PtdKV7cH55T/s1600/cyborg-cop-ii-1994-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>You thought he was dead… You were wrong. Dead Wrong.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-01" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-01" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1rWYMSlI-zi4FYZ5Wv9F9ScLvwqOYNJci" width="350" height="262" /></p> <p>Let’s skip the plot and start off with the action, because holy shit, what an explosive opening scene! Terrorists being machine gunned from a jeep by other terrorists, falling off buildings in slow motion and otherwise being squibbed. This feels very much like the opening of The Expendables 2. Did Stallone watch Cyborg Cop 2? I bet he at least read the cheat sheet.</p> <p>Topless narcotics production line, again! And barely after the opening credits roll. Firstenberg really knows how to give the punters what they want. Ten cop cars from the DEA show up, aided by Jack (<a href="/search/label/David Bradley">David Bradley</a>) on his motorbike, to take out the leader Strix (<a href="/search/label/Frank Notaro">Frank Notaro</a>, Merchant of Death). Jack shoots up the room guns akimbo and captures Strix, but his partner is killed. Strix is sentenced to death but "escapes" death row with help from a government agency called the Anti Terrorist Group (ATG). When Jack finds out, he has revenge on his mind.</p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-02" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-02" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1vlpJvCSKWDsZOogs4E20xLgz16yV5nBm" width="350" height="262" /></p> <p>It seems the cyborg development line is still going. It even looks like the same set as the first film, but the armaments of the units are vastly improved. And lo and behold, Strix has been reborn a cyborg known as Spartacus. Putting a psychotic bad guy into a metal casing, where have we seen that before? Hell, even the opening titles looked like Robocop 2, so this should come as no surprise.</p> <p>Then comes the most obvious plot device in this film. The cyborgs are controlled by a wrist band - whomever has the band, has the power. When the chief scientist gets jiggy with his secretary in the lab, the band falls off only to be claimed by Spartacus who now commands a squad of cyborgs and takes over Universal Soldier-style! Gotta say, they look a bit cheaper this time. Rubber chests that just look like shirts, and ridiculously over the top mechanical hands. On the plus side, Spartacus has much more personality than the cyborgs in the first film; similar to Zagarino's cyborg in Shadowchaser II. Though I've never heard a cyborg say "son of a bitch" so much.</p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-03" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-03" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1BFEgw6Fcz6ZStG22_lUmbtjg4PnAT0oy" width="350" height="262" /></p> <p>Jack eventually tracks down the cyborgs and we get a great scene demonstrating their Minigun and rocket launching hands. Not only that but cop cars get launched, a petrol station explodes and Jack gets launched across the street like a water balloon. Sam Firstenberg strikes again!</p> <p>Jack takes a welding torch to one of the 'borgs and screws with its brain so much it starts talking like the cyborg in Bruno Mattei's <a href="/2011/09/robowar-1989.html">Robowar</a>!<em> (“ON TARGET ON TARGET RECEIVE RECEIVE.”)</em> That made me smile. For the final fight with Spartacus, Jack teams up with the attractive CEO of the ATG and jointly infiltrates the lab to put an end to the experiment. Strix goes down yelling "you son of a bitch" until finally fried with electricity. Shocking!</p> <p>Cyborg Cop 2 is just as good as the first film. David Bradley kicks arse yet again, and Firstenberg blows everything up. Good times.</p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-04" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-04" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1EKqb4WYoTItbJjbbx-BCKU58pb8f6Qna" width="350" height="262" /></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-05" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-ii-1994-05" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1OtIEthFGAdb3fvVacxmcE6YhLlMeeSSu" width="350" height="262" /></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RuMF7QOF81I?si=hHcy4JHCwBnEHwgl" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-90459943771047678412024-02-25T14:03:00.001+11:002024-02-25T14:03:15.093+11:00Cyborg Cop (1993)<p><img alt="Cyborg Cop (1993)" border="0" height="375" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCBKNY8ILQk2C_F4vbi96c4txotReyFS5RldA79F3-al1Ys0_1bS_fTxICSxW-9FVyc7nbVWrT7IZyzVPNnLb8aDn-j9RX8hFXrPgj0LHPyRbG2DOPuS4boyr45qQDUO2etuBb8dDitBDbZwP7jqq5kdyJ6itiMWSip9kaD5t0QVn8xAHNbfoGboj3GoI/s1600/cyborg-cop-1993-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Programmed to kill… He is Unstoppable.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-01" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-01" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1wmZ4OK68embjTLkn7KpZdiiviiu0UdLe" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p>In an abandoned warehouse shootout in a hostage situation, DEA agent Jack Ryan (<a href="/search/label/David Bradley">David Bradley</a>, American Samurai, Operation Delta Force) kills the bad guy using forbidden techniques leaving him disgraced and unemployed.</p> <p>His brother Phillip (<a href="/search/label/Todd Jensen">Todd Jensen</a>, Operation Delta Force, Ninja) is on a drug bust mission that sees <a href="/search/label/John Rhys-Davies">John Rhys-Davies</a> (Raiders of the Lost Ark) as robotic scientist Kessel with his remote control kamikaze model planes that explode on contact. The mission goes bad with most of Phillips' team killed in massive explosions, Kessel picking Phillip for his next experiment. Jack receives a microtape from Phillip saying he's in trouble, which sets Jack on a rescue mission to the Caribbean.</p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-03" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-03" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1F9Dvsz7NFN4bBH8wgcETd5cVFr8Nlfad" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p>Jack meets hot stuff reporter Cathy (Alonna Shaw, Double Impact) who gets tied up in his adventure whilst evading local authorities. Can Jack find his brother before he's turned into a CYBORG COP?</p> <p><em><strong>"Watch your ass, Jack. This ain't Cleveland, man!"</strong></em></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-gif" style="display: inline;" alt="cyborg-cop-gif" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1k190HMyByyI01TE1BVm_gSagdVoA_6Pj" width="350" height="269" /> <br /><font size="1">GIF credit: </font><a title="https://spockvarietyhour.tumblr.com/post/660695387213070336" href="https://spockvarietyhour.tumblr.com/post/660695387213070336"><font size="1">https://spockvarietyhour.tumblr.com/post/660695387213070336</font></a></p> <p>This one is lots of fun. Bradley in a leather jacket gets to use his impressive kickboxing skills a few times, shoving one dude through a car window and kicking more than one in their respective joy departments. There's some seriously heavy artillery on display as well, with as much messy automatic gunfire, dynamite and squibs as the best Canon film - this is a Sam Firstenberg (American Ninja, Avenging Force) film after all. There's even a sweet car chase to Beverly Hillbillies music.</p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-04" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-04" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1cW_7RHNVGyiFWqRIBb_Y4V2yaCUZxCcN" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p>But the best action is the final infiltration of Kessel's base. Bradley is really on fire in this one; it might even be his best. So much brutal machine gun action, and close up shotguns to the face. No questions, no chances, just blammin’. He also rides a mean motorcycle just like Lorenzo Lamas.</p> <p>Speaking of impressive, Shaw's assets make an appearance at the hour mark after her repeated flirting with Bradley. There's even a drug lab where all the women workers are topless (for some reason). I guess Firstenberg is just a fan of the mammary.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1HMYk1_RHuBIm2FGCG3GuH3WSCvtCjCyD"><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-06" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-06" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1tL-gIUQJuawquOh_vGrkzUuSjZeYISeY" width="350" height="268" /></a></p> <p>John Rhys-Davies is absolutely chewing the scenery in Cyborg Cop in his Hawaiian shirt, barking at people or conversely offering them tea. Obviously he’s having a great time being the bad guy. He's also trying something with his accent but I can't pick what. Maybe going for a Caribbean flair? Either way, 95% of what comes through is Pure Davies.</p> <p>The cyborgs in the film may not be up to James Cameron's standard, but they are definitely Great Value. The operation scene where the limbs are replaced is pretty effective, as are the demonstrations of their strength. The pasty-white makeup not so much, but I got a good laugh out of Robo-Phillip saying "BACK. IN. ACTION."</p> <p>I can't believe Cyborg Cop has been relegated to cheap full-screen DVDs from dollar stores. I demand a three disc deluxe Blu-ray set of Cyborg Cop!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1kJqsFEnYoaNlxiDiAaggampA6rGappEH"><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-05" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-05" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1PA1vIv8OX1gnQMrwstxATbX04OyT2jvB" width="350" height="268" /></a></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-08" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-08" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1J9Ofz-XnauZHKPSyCYl4xPMU7jSmlcJ3" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-09" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-09" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1IxH8r94XC-boUboL30v1oEmF1V8YA_vs" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p><img title="cyborg-cop-1993-10" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="cyborg-cop-1993-10" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1EWjAJpnggZVjYjbR_1SuwhJ2a8SY8yxk" width="350" height="268" /></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3L9xy3CTLQk?si=XTEE2vcUKcGEJbLE" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-53183197823976449392024-02-18T10:49:00.001+11:002024-02-18T10:49:30.708+11:00Kill Switch (2008)<p><img alt="Kill Switch (2008)" border="0" width="250" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtmKCkVqpfm7Z2pzb6RyFlcuQQOoPLrTNcO7yiAmDyculyg0T2LUnuq9Q1AGn0OnFvACalvvqCVx5x9Ltgq_cBLQry3yC5zWBw-aGX1KTYPmLwKmfPmrwMmG7Z83KjwjW3t0ZgJKZjf7ZUWOslpSI8s7a6YFmcCvhv8Zah4x5Pd9JgSnYNsRPBMafplZG/s1600/kill-switch-2008-cover.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>His Rules. His Way. No Exceptions.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><img title="kill-switch-2008-1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="kill-switch-2008-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1axOicMJ3qUaCbltDqpuH8jDMwarC9vKy" width="350" height="223" /></p> <p>Jacob (<a href="/search/label/Steven Seagal">Steven Seagal</a> with a Southern accent) is a homicide detective with a troubled childhood who lets his fists do the talking. In the explosive opening scene he ejects a bomber out the window of a fourth story window and wisecracks over smooth blues guitar. His wisecracks are hard to hear as we are well into the Mumbling Seagal era, but you get the gist.</p> <p>Meanwhile a psychotic serial killer is punishing then murdering prostitutes, as confirmed by coroner <a href="/search/label/Isaac Hayes">Isaac Hayes</a> (a bizarre casting) and leaving ciphers of astrological symbols with the bodies. Jacob employs his patented interview style by first causing a prolonged and bloody bar fight. The action is unfortunately shaky and zoomed in to make the stunt double less obvious, given his wig is worse than Seagal's. </p> <p><img title="kill-switch-2008-6" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="kill-switch-2008-6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1QEvqmV6kjNVA0LQ3HOVJbS6wcVxd_YT9" width="350" height="197" /></p> <p>The FBI get involved in the case and Agent Frankie Miller (Holly Dignard) doesn't appreciate the way Jacob works. I mean the dude slap-fu's his way through innocent patrons at a nightclub to get to our perp at the other side, then shoots up everything in his path and he STILL gets away. The two do eventually combine forces when the case gets more complicated with perhaps more than one killer being involved.</p> <p>I quite like this for the most part. The action is fast and violent (if too zoomed), even sadistic at times. Seagal might be stunt-doubled quite a bit but there at least looks like effort put in by all parties, and for Steve it's playing to his strengths of close combat. The way he takes out one guy with a hammer is pretty glorious. Add in some twists and you have a low rent but entertaining thriller that's more than just for Seagalogists only. </p><p>And this makes me consider some things.. are the best DTV Seagal films from the pre-Donut Beard era uniformly? 2012's Maximum Conviction marks the end of clean-shaven Seagal. 2013's Force of Execution ushers in the circular face fungus. Now I am not one to take IMDB ratings too literally, but the trend definitely kicks off there. For me personally, I start to enjoy the films less as "solid action film" and more "fun, despite Seagal, who makes it hilarious". Just some observations on a Sunday morning...</p> <p><img title="kill-switch-2008-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="kill-switch-2008-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1xd5AAbZLcfwcdK8azYwIJSWxOJLSKAce" width="350" height="233" /></p> <p><img title="kill-switch-2008-3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="kill-switch-2008-3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1-SZFDxvlr6jBKsJ8cdhV0Dm7XS4dBj-R" width="350" height="236" /></p> <p><img title="kill-switch-2008-4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="kill-switch-2008-4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1a3AM8OSPA4y0pF31aQbp0pFiO9YoHG14" width="350" height="258" /></p> <p><font size="1">Image sources: IMDB</font></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oNfzpfVhWEA?si=VM4BCErOfawpnkfd" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-33630390888284933772024-02-03T14:45:00.000+11:002024-02-03T14:45:02.072+11:00Air Strike (2003)<p><img alt="Air Strike (2003)" border="0" width="250" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg_YORBVyMx6NRt1aGAEboKbQTobzSHOVDo12ew4TXrIM6GO4eNOK6kBWx6LPQyE9Q0Ocd-rAPwMggvCfIYmJKuw8Veoqpr2V-np_u43qc27U4Dtb-FcR5CeFHxm2PLcY23tH0WF-uM1NQrupjpzbAUmEG4jHAsVsWQqudw3yKmLz4Yqp6MDh3_BFpI7G/s1600/air-strike-2003-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>The Spirit of This Country will Not be Defeated.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><img title="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-19 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-19 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1wkh0ZaZIkgB-dhjj-m5IXeVMoRwJT_vd" width="640" height="360" /></p> <p>They don't mess around with preamble in Air Strike: the mission is briefed at minute one and stock footage of helicopters are flying over enemy territory at minute five. At the launch of the first missile, the first guitar riff kicks in and the first bad guy soldiers with accents are annihilated. Huge explosions and chants of USA abound! The mission was a success but one chopper was destroyed and three soldiers killed. The Colonel needs to find fitting replacements.</p> <p>Meet Captain Garrett (<a href="/search/label/Robert Rusler">Robert Rusler</a>), brother of one of the dead soldiers, and Lieutenant "Charlie" - a WOMAN (plot twist) the daughter of the General with a chip on her shoulder. They are deployed on foot into the holdup of Ivan the Terrible, the local drug dealer, with orders to bring him back dead or alive but the mission is a bust. Drinking their sorrows at a bar, a bomb goes off and takes out another of their team.</p> <p><img title="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-37 screenshot (1)" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-37 screenshot (1)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1T1s4HyQ5dapfAuKX0pZfePBZ2dVaVV3-" width="640" height="360" /></p> <p>This came out two years after 9/11 so we are well and truly still in that mindset, though the film takes place in a made-up eastern European country called Petrovia. The explosion at the bar is brutal and surprisingly gory and adds another catalyst to wipe out Ivan, though he makes it difficult. On a scout mission, Captain Garrett is shot down and captured. Time for a rescue mission. <em>HOOAH!</em></p> <p>The bad guy is called Ivan the Terrible and is a walking cliché. Also he is sometimes dubbed and it's pretty hilarious; like when Seagal is dubbed in his films from the same period. He has quality lines like "I'm going to fuck you to death!' when playing chicken with two helicopters. His first officer is called Chicago, which is nearly as funny. Neither actually have a great deal to do in the film; it's all about the good guys and the size of the explosions!</p> <p><img title="Air Strike - Official Trailer 1-11 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Air Strike - Official Trailer 1-11 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1cjq2xWPTx79FQPWp5O97c0T1eZ2LWa0v" width="640" height="360" /></p> <p>This was directed by David Worth – director of many action films, most notably Kickboxer – so there's plenty of action in the movie, though about a third of it is stock footage of helicopters firing missiles as seen through command control monitors. Some of the chopper scenes look made for the film, others are lifted from 1990's Fire Birds, and there's also pretty rough looking CG choppers - a real mixed bag. </p> <p>Thankfully the excessive quantity of real explosions (seriously half of Petrovia is blown up), guns akimbo machine gun action and even martial arts make up for a few ropey choppers. There's gallons of bravado and military one-liners to keep you entertained, plus of course added sexual tension because Charlie is... A WOMAN. The best part is one man killing machine Garret going apeshit with a machete on Petrovian scum.</p> <p><em>HOOAH!</em></p> <p><img title="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-48 screenshot" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Air Strike - Official Trailer 0-48 screenshot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1pkNK6zIjGyd_401R_Zp7W5LwpQ8fDuZI" width="640" height="360" /></p> <p>Trailer:</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2hbkX2iAOug?si=ki7gfhTJqjbVgtJd" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-48461799951709423782024-01-26T14:02:00.005+11:002024-01-26T16:03:46.017+11:00The Cutter (2005)<p><strong><img alt="The Cutter (2005)" border="0" width="250" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCn4Y0ZiLog98lB7NrqsYvLayL8fUVyJPoYiheGZ2uA0dDfNbjwEbiVcypJ9Z6wU8LILA1uajBupQd439yu6Ym_Otquqlvm1NgunF5iDayL7nWE_pzicaDAFerB-HvCr22VNRNG0wS0TV326g5CM7PqHM9nwT4Y1-LticUPFnVv2qg3Hkv-x_csAlYs-y/s400/the-cutter-2005-poster.jpg"/></strong></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>The Past Holds the Key.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1vUn99ecpCc9M-9tKVz1eyErI8DX8Tz_c"><img title="the-cutter-01" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="the-cutter-01" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1YKdjfVmOsybUK4ilh8oi2mhGaPi7q8dS" width="450" height="253" /></a></p> <p>A girl is kidnapped and a two million ransom demanded from the mother. Who's going to rescue her? P.I. <a href="/search/label/Chuck Norris">Chuck Norris</a>! But he's too late and she's dead. Chuck beats himself up, by which I mean a boxing bag. He's like 65 at the time of filming and still punching strong.</p> <p>Meanwhile an Archaeological dig in Egypt turns into a fatal heist of rare gemstones when <a href="/search/label/Daniel Bernhardt">Daniel Bernhardt</a> murders the crew and takes the gems to the States to shop around for an exclusive diamond specialist. He finds Isaac Teller and forces him to cut an impossible design. His niece Elizabeth hires P.I. Chuck to find him but he's attacked by a fake electrician in a ponytail and then tased, and shot at and constantly - Bernhardt clearly means business.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1D1zDxm9zFe0_6xMA-U7gw5_79QpTFUoQ"><img title="the-cutter-02" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="the-cutter-02" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1E_wR9ydTfvGt4NKK1ATzR3A8lVhDMsNV" width="450" height="255" /></a></p> <p>This is a good time. Chuck's Russian accent in his first scene is hilarious: think Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds ("<em>Bonjourno</em>."). He's badass in a stunt-doubles kind of way though, throwing a guy out the window then saying "I needed some air". Later he deadpan says "I'm as serious as a heart attack" and I laughed out loud.</p> <p>Bernhardt is fun as the master of disguises and really quite ruthless. He has a good fight with Chuck on a bus and this time it's poor Chuck who goes out the window, but Chuck comes back with a vengeance in a second fight with kickboxing roundhouses. Of course Chuck has a stunt double but it’s tastefully done. Bernhardt has like five or six completely different disguises in the film and it’s great to see him pop up with fake beards and the like.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1RMDd0t596Na68Emq5uffhxuBiDHaM4fI"><img title="the-cutter-04" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="the-cutter-04" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1lPUuYR4nVkK-oeZpmX9FGNnZMKW1CXVE" width="450" height="257" /></a></p> <p>Speaking of cutters, I tell you what should have been cut: that early 2000s Bourne Identity style quick-action cutaways with rapid zooms. It's enough to give you a headache. Chuck is in a fun car chase where he's the pursuer but it's difficult to follow due to the way its shot. Pretty much any shootout is the same. Some of the Seagal from the same period (which The Cutter feels very much like) suffered similarly.</p> <p>This only runs 85 minutes and despite the complaints in cinematographic choices, it's never dull. Chuck will never win awards for acting ability but he is still a presence on screen and fun to watch. This was Chuck’s final starring role (a cameo in Expendables 2 aside) but as of the time of writing, Chuck is back in <a title="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26743864/?ref_=nm_flmg_unrel_2_act" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26743864/?ref_=nm_flmg_unrel_2_act">Agent Recon!</a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1VHIaujXb_l6xyCkjFDWxINolDgZAHmDg"><img title="the-cutter-05" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="the-cutter-05" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1vvVTBJNuRmQ_r1VBEhO1NGbvLuPhZrYJ" width="450" height="257" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LLHQafGUJU8?si=9iE_DG54phK_4tmW" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-15046016368999751192023-11-12T21:38:00.006+11:002024-01-26T16:30:23.487+11:00Lunar Cop (1995)<p><img alt="Lunar Cop" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPjGF74bYP5FxyW-4RkRRTM1Xdj1KM5Lp6pQhxt1jByCf9jqOYveq-ThYCWC1nnHIB_Dj_Ex71j478Dd48yxjHClBYIP_IPJFg0BxlIGQFOKxiSJ4RBRk-Sya3iuTWt3ywkjjHXSUPvc0mMAWXuj_3W-fjWEXsDUD2rkl82lf10UdzWvUYF7TxBu9EqyB/s1600/lunar-cop-poster.jpg" width="250" /></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>He came to Earth to clean up the mess!</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1bz8K4skIkRd8kfBpvAK8swU7Qkt3F9jr"><img alt="lunar-cop-1" border="0" height="201" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1jAMR4NI8J-JviqShRX9S1Gsk4Y6oJGfA" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline;" title="lunar-cop-1" width="300" /></a></p> <p><a href="/search/label/Michael Pare">Michael Paré</a> is Lunar Cop Joe Brody of the moon colony, sent to the supposed ruins of earth to retrieve a stolen serum that can revitalise the planet for habitation after the Big Burn. When he arrives he finds a post apocalyptic wasteland ruled by a deranged <a href="/search/label/Billy Drago">Billy Drago</a> as Kay and his motorcycle riding thugs, but the planet is not the toxic dump he was told it was. </p> <p>The first ten minutes on the moon colony are glorious in a Roger Corman kind of way: static space sets, amusing costumes and military bravado. Once on earth, Brody finds a motorcycle and quickly becomes a Mad Max style protector in a wild west that replaces horses with many, many motorcycles. Given the desert location and style of action, this feels very much like Cirio Santiago's Stryker (or Wheels of Fire, or Equalizer 2000..)</p> <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=17kjer0rXXLQm2ggtvR3F1wTqIXRv2rT8"><img alt="lunar-cop-2" border="0" height="202" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/14OP0rHk4Q3njde5Xy7rdN-G5dt3VYnP3" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline;" title="lunar-cop-2" width="300" /></a></p> <p>Paré is pretty stoic in this, except when letting his guard down for Thora. He's not the type of guy I immediately think of when it comes to post-apocalyptic action in a desert wasteland, but he does well here. Mad Michael, rather than Mad Max, and not really that mad. He certainly keeps busy these days, starring in every second film from <a href="http://theasylum.cc/">The Asylum</a> (I guess when Eric Roberts isn't available).</p><p>Walker Brandt plays the Pocahontas style love interest, Thora, and like I said Billy Drago is unhinged and doing his best Toecutter impersonation. His inclusion is a diversion from the real fight: once Brody finds out the truth about the Earth survivors, the moon colony send a Terminator-style cyborg to eliminate him. The action stakes only get higher from here!</p> <p>So many things explode in this film. The pyro budget was definitely higher than the sets, but that's a good thing, because they blow up those sets. When things aren't exploding, they are at least being shot at. In fact the only times the action lets up is for Brody to make temporary goo-goo eyes at Thora. That’s okay, because the explosions soon resume.</p> <p>From the director of the great <a href="/search/label/Joe Lara">Joe Lara</a> film <a href="/2010/06/american-cyborg-steel-warrior-1993.html">American Cyborg Steel Warrior</a>, and you can tell. I dug this one, because it just doesn't give you time not to! 84 minutes of shit exploding, you can't go wrong.</p> <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1qfEzyAHtQTnLnKvOkxdZv_GLivWs9a_U"><img alt="lunar-cop-3" border="0" height="196" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1rjj8g4XJxhqGr8rGOLxFu4MwK6heMKbf" style="background-image: none; border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline;" title="lunar-cop-3" width="300" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J5EY-_kkhgM?si=aV8nv_QGDdtacT9T" title="YouTube video player" width="560"> </iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-23807982443144908052023-09-29T08:34:00.003+10:002024-01-26T13:06:43.068+11:00Project: Shadowchaser (1992)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://youtu.be/avfD8pxLzSo?si=Z6dmRYL9kWl7-uok" target="_blank" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: left; clear: left;"><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX94XktXtBRgGoPBD6hWnILl0y6q2ELKe6_g8-ETHCahXG1-xnUbC_IAwkvWUqvlJRoapSWsw-4TpjhnFdnOK7fIV0hT-kre4Gc9mWXLbRL8c3uouCURTQyktcq1EnMqjEsOKxa6GlCkrVaDTXqucjgY0yLuTAcclSisCoPplvgDjJ-OPykbvma4srvYfs/s400/title.jpg"/></a></div>
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<strong>But what if the creation destroys the creator? Now that would be true freedom.</strong>
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<p>
Project Shadowchaser (1992) is a B-movie Action Sci-Fi classic that riffs on Die Hard as much as it does The Terminator.. and it was followed by three sequels, all starring Frank Zagarino as an android.
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In this video, I talk about the four films and try to determine what a Shadowchaser actually is...</p>
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<strong><a href="https://youtu.be/avfD8pxLzSo?si=Z6dmRYL9kWl7-uok" target="_blank">Watch now!</a></strong>
</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/avfD8pxLzSo?si=yMnYU9bOyH00Snvu" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-16586260385193431812021-11-21T14:44:00.009+11:002024-01-26T16:30:57.057+11:00Tough to Kill (1979)<p><img title="tough-to-kill-1979-poster" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="tough-to-kill-1979-poster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HkTYnrFHqYOz-4knjj7T36XDstOWuiVoh5dhJrxusHvxbW3Wo0U3BmZgzjgqOlYXngu-x4A37L7TuaD-IbBEy8YJspRFH06rs7SBwcC68HvBX3OR57p3NjIT0u8MwwSB2rz-zOK86PZA/s0/tough-to-kill-1979-poster.jpg" width="250" height="351" /></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>One Million Dollars Of Vulture Meat</p> <p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1qWshaaOwlvBrMu77BUiti_hZjRak3GL0"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h17m41s684" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h17m41s684" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1jgKIbcio699vr4PjJHNAdyyx0fRc6BWB" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>Martin (<a href="/search/label/Luc Merenda">Luc Merenda</a>) joins the platoon of Major Hagerty (Donald O’Brien) for a steady pay check and some jungle action. On their first mission to blow up a dam in enemy territory, Martin reveals that he is actually a bounty hunter and that there is a million dollar price tag on one of the team’s heads. With this fact known, the men fight amongst themselves as to who gets the prize on their way to cash in.</p> <p><img title="reviewed-on-vhs.png" style="padding-right: 10px; float: left;" border="0" alt="reviewed-on-vhs.png" src="//lh4.ggpht.com/_D3dI85Z3BJQ/TPTn7ZpSJgI/AAAAAAAAEV8/BywD_E7JWZU/reviewed-on-vhs.png?imgmax=800" width="202" height="138" /></p> <p>Wow, this is some sleazy Euro-trash right here - not entirely unexpected being a Joe D'Amato film, the Director who gave us "Porno Holocaust". Tough to Kill has got to be one of the most “of its time” films I have seen in ages. At a rough estimate, a quarter of this film’s dialogue could not be used in 2021. Perhaps that’s why the film has languished on VHS and grey-market DVDs cut from those same VHS rather than get the remastered treatment that it deserves. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1kDqP9lIIkpsX_ZUNYipm2FVbyYeFFNsf"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h17m58s556" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h17m58s556" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1XSXkLMTpZoIhvAU8a5F0hHNDXbn9IpfL" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>If you are one to be offended by 1970s use of racist terms and treatment of anybody not American, but especially those with darker skin, turn away now. However if you can grit your teeth and bare it, there is a lot to enjoy in Tough to Kill – particularly when taken into context that some soldiers from this era likely talked and treated others like that. And given that there is some level of comeuppance as well, that helps justify things a bit and is possibly what D’Amato was going for when he plotted this out. Martin still declares this war is <em>“One bunch of n*****s trying to take down another bunch of n*****s.”</em></p> <p>What I liked about Tough to Kill was that it was not what I expected. I spent two months watching <a href="https://youtu.be/-8B-5PqBc5s" target="_blank">Teddy Page’s entire filmography</a> of jungle action films and for the most part they are all cut from the same cloth. A General needs rescuing. Rag-tag team of soldiers fetch him back. Huts explode. That is not what you get in Tough to Kill at all. On the outset I was a little confused and impatient, as the training scenes were taking half the films runtime. The mission isn’t even assigned until the half-way mark, and once Martin reveals his true purpose the direction changes entirely to be one about greed. It starts as a slow burn but it all ends up making sense, and is actually well paced and plotted in retrospect so stick with it.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1VLbP8sfsG4YJw3FyCDI--YRYUrfwp_yS"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h18m12s143" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h18m12s143" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Zj4D4SWY1zCjI2EttTHlM2VrBRysy6mX" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>There is of course still plenty of action, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. The bulk of it is the mission itself to blow up the dam, and a few incidental fire-fights that happen before and after. The violence feels quite real, as the injured carry their pains with them the rest of the duration. One cool stunt sees Martin and stow-away Wabu evade enemy fire by running inside a barrel to make it roll as they are being shot at. Some “really, we are doing this?” moments too when two of our soldiers decide that to solve their differences they will do the “"walk ten paces, turn and fire” routine. Not even joking around, that is how they solve their disagreement.</p> <p>The main proponents in this film actually have some meat on their bones in regards to characterisation that make them unique. Martin presents himself as chilled and against The Man. Hagerty is very much the definition of The Man, challenging his men to playing “chicken” with a grenade, and he gets more slime ball once Martin’s truth is out. Mike is our token Irish drunk, bartering for boxes of J&B whisky. Wabu, Martin’s “man servant” has the most growth of all and, as I mentioned earlier, there’s some comeuppance involved. However it was Polansky who I got a kick out of the most; the eccentric soldier who plays piano in the mess and is always seen carrying his pet white rabbit – even on manoeuvres when being shot at!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/14x0y6W1WsavMbBokqF-jC3Otaktltq8k"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h23m50s356" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h23m50s356" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1DnNutkisyP5mOYCFpCL475H3i_HBMBbU" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>I laughed a lot during the film; there are some genuinely well placed gags. One of my favourites was early on when Martin arrives at the training base and disembarks the plane with Irish soldier Mike. Mike yells out to the pilot, Whitey (there’s that casual racism again), that he better move the plane or insurgents will blow it up. “The plane is the safest place to be, they’ll never hit it!” It of course explodes a few seconds later, and Mike dusts himself off saying “Ah man. They even dug Whitey his own grave for him.” Some gags that are best left in the past, like the ones involving Wabu being white-washed in limestone and forced to dunk in barrels of filth to wash back to “his real colour”. Oh my.</p> <p>All in all, not what I expected and I’m pleasantly surprised by that. If you know going in that this isn’t a 90 minute blast-fest and has deeper plot with well thought out characters, despite the slurs, is a good way to spend your time if you are a fan of Italian army action.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1gtcWlHguAJF1vC2BOt0GENIKVbMgq1Wk"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h23m32s595" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h23m32s595" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Ocs2m6wHLFi3WIj64noE5wXhONKbJd4_" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p><img title="tough-to-kill-book" style="border: 0px currentcolor; padding-right: 10px; float: left; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="tough-to-kill-book" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1MMSs6_2B0f40wabo5LLYcQa33Aaf9GCu" width="131" align="left" height="169" />I wanted to briefly mention that this film was also the title of a great book of Italian action films “Tough to Kill Volume 1: The Italian Action Explosion”, co-written by <a href="http://david-z.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">David Zuelo</a> and <a href="http://ballisticbloodbullets.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Paul Cooke</a>. This book was partly responsible for my exploration into Italian action cinema, as well as deciding that I could write reviews myself. While this movie Tough to Kill was not reviewed in the book, many other Explosive Action films were. Paul passed away earlier this year so it is doubtful that we will ever see a Part 2, but I wanted to credit him and David for shining a broader light on this subgenre of film for me! <br /></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1l3EU2k9rxweU94akZIgZe1PrhP3bNtdr"><img title="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h21m24s994" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="vlcsnap-2021-11-21-14h21m24s994" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1eSQX7ujTwPZcj9l2CTkOc3EBtDXnIWJM" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1QBlZvggzrU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-77139706023373591462021-10-05T18:28:00.006+11:002024-01-26T16:31:41.872+11:00Striker (1988)<p><img alt="Striker (1988)" border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijYmoNUeYccCeVOe3WdHtlWC17fd_k5ihyphenhyphenJS5RtUS2X1eL5yKO2MAkJmS4Ryx4AuYLZM5myFO7997a0kDBTdNLTkJ_lZb1pGD8K9a6X8Yzfx5mJmLo1E2VXXbM80BeAr5pQR1Iq6QoZ3Eo/s0/striker-1988-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Unpredictable. Unbeatable. The ultimate freedom fighter.</p> <p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1rqkhBtrQHn_H-MfR4Io-BkoYTA_Fsc0U"><img title="striker-1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="striker-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/15N3l3JPS02I0H4vUmlAZI5bs3nNEAO_D" width="500" height="280" /></a></strong></p> <p><img title="reviewed-on-vhs.png" style="padding-right: 10px; float: left;" border="0" alt="reviewed-on-vhs.png" src="//lh4.ggpht.com/_D3dI85Z3BJQ/TPTn7ZpSJgI/AAAAAAAAEV8/BywD_E7JWZU/reviewed-on-vhs.png?imgmax=800" width="202" height="138" /></p> <p>John “Striker” Slade (<a href="/search/label/Frank Zagarino" target="_blank">Frank Zagarino</a>) is an ex-military hired to rescue  journalist Frank Morris from a Nicaraguan prison. Obviously this is a First Blood Part II type film, with equal parts one-man-army Commando and its B-cousin <a href="https://www.explosiveaction.com/2011/01/double-feature-strike-commando-i-ii.html">Strike Commando</a> to take the seriousness down a few notches. The first shot of Zags we see him in his <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=canadian+tuxedo" target="_blank">Canadian Tuxedo</a>, setting the tone for the film, and it’s just beautiful.</p> <p>Out for a morning stroll, Zags provides a thorough arse kicking to a masked gang that try and steal his hobo bag. Zags is arrested on trumped-up drug charges and coerced into working for the government to rescue Frank. He meets up with the attractive local guide Marta (Melonee Rodgers) and helicopter pilot “The Dutchman” Houtman (Werner Pochath) to shoot, stab and exploding slingshot his way through to cartoon-character bad guy Kariasin.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1L1jh8cCvgV0t8pDTsPS8kI6TRNeuaU1X"><img title="striker-2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="striker-2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/16ySMUcd0h2PZmEaEQEgtrRRiNirlLVpN" width="500" height="280" /></a></p> <p>Yeah, this is what you came here for. Look at the names involved for starters. First off it stars the mighty Zags as John Rambo- .. I mean, John Slade – and believe me, like Rambo, there is one thing he better bring and that’s a good supply of body bags. And who is he rescuing but none other than <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062711/characters/nm0492342" target="_blank">Pygar</a> himself, <a href="http://www.explosiveaction.com/search/label/John%20Phillip%20Law">John Phillip Law</a>! Next off are the co-writing duo of Tito Carpi and Umberto Lenzi. That’s Italian gold right there; the men collectively responsible for Escape from the Bronx, Light Blast, Ironmaster and Violent Naples. And if that wasn’t enough, the whole thing is directed by Enzo Castellari of Inglorious Bastards fame. What a pedigree! </p> <p>John Steiner plays head goon Kariasin, and he must have had a whale of a time doing this. His moustached mouth is never without a Cuban cigar, his body permanently adorned in a tacky white safari suit. He’s holed up in his castle like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargamel" target="_blank">Gargamel</a>, muttering lines like “John Slade, I’ll get you yet!” and constantly calling for his number two by yelling out “SANTIAGOOOO!!” in a glorious accent. Absolutely gnawing on the scenery. In the obligatory torture scene, he slaps Zags in the face no less than five times. Great stuff.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1_SC3Fs2ETpplYZ32oVskhy3mbkfgGlhm"><img title="striker-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="striker-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1UcoHQrBu-Hy127wtRD47diZq4_nKMJAq" width="500" height="280" /></a></p> <p>The Zag’s fighting style always reminds me of <a href="/search/label/Dolph Lundgren">Dolph Lundgren</a> – martial arts based but with a heavy thunk behind it and added punching to the chest, and even some ball squeezing for good measure. We get a bit of hand to hand in Striker, but most of the action is mowing down soldiers with machine guns to the face. Being part Rambo clone there is lots of stealth and traps, including a grenade firing slingshot and piano-wire lassos from the tops of trees, and cool stunts like ziplining with an automatic weapon and bodies exploding out castle windows. My favourite trap has to be the corpse stuffed with explosives; very satisfying when that thing goes off.</p> <p>Marta, Houtman and Frank are fine secondary characters that exist to push the plot forward but besides the Zags wiping out armies single-handed, and Steiner chewing his cigar and stroking his invisible cat, it was the short cameo of <a href="/search/label/Daniel Greene">Daniel Greene</a> as the very excited amateur boxer by night, truck driver by day scene that had me smiling. He has the job of driving a tired and over-it Zags into the metaphorical sunset; when Greene asks Zags if he likes boxing, his straight forward reply is “I hate violence”. Poetic, given what we just witnessed.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1mWeFjbYzzwzgqd8PZIH2fUsau4rtS_6b"><img title="striker-6" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="striker-6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1DSMDiOPnAQbKQfBVPChfPnCS4fgjLlpq" width="500" height="280" /></a></p> <p>Downsides? Well, we really didn’t need the first scene in any movie to be a real live cockfight. That wasn’t cool in 1988 and it’s not cool now, but its easily fast-forwarded past. I expect that this scene might be one of the troublesome reasons we haven’t had a DVD release of the film anywhere yet. Definitely in the UK that scene would be removed entirely. That scene aside, there is nothing to complain about with Striker. I watched this on my Japanese VHS from Columbia which is uncut and in letterbox widescreen. There is something about watching Rambo clones and otherwise jungle slogs on this format. Not just VHS, but Japanese VHS. They just play so well and it seems so right.</p> <p>Here’s a titbit I didn’t realise when going in. Striker is immediately followed up by 1991’s Project Eliminator, another Zags vehicle where he plays John “Striker” Slade again, but this time teamed up with David Carradine. Obviously that is going on the watch pile as soon as I can possibly make it happen. But for now, if you want your Italian junglesploitation with a muscle-bound Rambo clone, a mad, cigar-chewing stereotype bad guy and the obvious double-crossing in the third act then look no further than Striker. It comes highly recommended.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/17gp82TmfdNRYPP_1sqry1W5hQaWKms8m"><img title="striker-7" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="striker-7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1VuC7Ob-w0zeXm8WkFWirxcqApOqTfm17" width="500" height="280" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xhoM60Jhpp8" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-49530189702214213022021-10-01T12:39:00.005+10:002024-01-26T16:32:46.667+11:00Out of Death (2021)<p><img alt="Out of Death (2021)" border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0ggZwj1wRIsHw8SuzsUH2EoiNmXbeHlpZQWRc_bwJ9dTR9lXb_Cy1jNGhdNjU78trtaMyuoszajqkLvM3ZbEErnSdylD965ttf9pdwu_BUxfe-a_6Dc8DqY3Eie1qy5A_0SQ7aODnpDE/s320/Out-of-Death-2021-movie-poster.jpg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Pick up the gun. Lay down the law.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1W4tJg3pqPF-fTeWmUYsHrGDRQ3fwPh13"><img title="out-of-death-2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="out-of-death-2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/18SnTN1cB3jE85pIbucG4NVN7D4GuSbQq" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>Shannon (Jaime King) is going to spread her fathers ashes in the forest that he loved so dearly. When leaving the brush for the road she happens upon a drug deal going bad, resulting in a corrupt cop murdering the dealer. Shannon manages to capture the event on her camera, which is noticed by the cop (Lala Kent as Billie Jean) who calls for help from the Sherrif’s office. Briefly captured and about to be executed, holidaying and retired ex-city police officer Jack Harris (<a href="/search/label/Bruce Willis">Bruce Willis</a>) causes a distraction and Shannon flees. Sheriff Hank Rivers (Michael Sirow) wants this mess cleaned up quietly before the Mayoral election and will do what it takes to silence both Shannon and Jack.</p> <p>This wasn’t too bad. It also wasn’t that great. It’s by no means the Explosive Action that the title suggests; Out of Death sounds more like a <a href="/search/label/Steven Seagal">Steven Seagal</a> action film with that ridiculous name but it plays more like a Liam Neeson suspense-thriller, filtered through a desaturated lens to make it look like a modern zombie film for some reason. There’s the initial murder, a couple of gun shots and knife stabbings and that’s the action quotient for this film. Mostly it’s pistols held in a threatening manner.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/19xnKwdpYPQs-_SHlyfry4_drGECVT9uQ"><img title="out-of-death-1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="out-of-death-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1dO6xechEyjdHGs--PASionz4vEnqq_zh" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>The plot is set up early and the cat and mouse game just unfolds more and more, with a few twists and turns to keep you engaged whilst the constant, hugely annoying same piece of bluegrass music plays. At one point I thought it was a character’s ringtone, it seemed stuck in a loop. Director Mike Burns also decided to split the film into chapters with their own intro cards like it was a Tarantino film. Incidentally, Out of Death is his first feature film and it’s competently shot (if by the numbers), though I do question that https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/ of colour grading.</p> <p>So let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, Bruce Willis is billed as the star. No, he is not the star. But it’s not the bait-and-switch we’ve come to expect from <a href="https://letterboxd.com/explosiveaction/list/bruce-willist-dtv-action-films/" target="_blank">his last decade of DTV films</a> – not exactly, anyway. The focus for most of the film is actually on the bad guys. Crooked cops. Dodgy Sheriffs. Even the co-star on the cover, Jaime King, has less scenes than the bad guys. It’s an interesting way of doing things really, focussing on the cops and the sheriff trying to work out how to get out this mess that they are seemingly just making worse.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1PBak2Y-ydSZYwpk54wBR0aefeqV_Noqc"><img title="out-of-death-3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="out-of-death-3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1i7ozhUW6ckDW27HCw_rkrqg6goUu1uqF" width="500" height="202" /></a></p> <p>That’s not to say we don’t get suitable amount of Jaime and.. well, enough scenes with Bruce to warrant his inclusion. I didn’t count but I’d say there’s fifteen minutes of Bruce. We get a backstory for him being in the forest at the start, he stumbles in to save the day but that doesn’t instantly work out, and he is involved in how it all wraps up at the end. Being an ex-cop I had hoped for gunplay from him but the word that sums up his performance in Out of Death is “tired”. At least he doesn’t spend the whole film sitting down like Seagal would have, but he is his trademark unenthusiastic.</p> <p>Jaime King is not an unknown actress to me, having appeared in both sequels to Escape Plan with Sylvester Stallone, and both Sin City films also with Bruce Willis. She is fine as Shannon, growing over the 95 minutes runtime from blubbering scared rabbit to accidental Rambo, before owning the role more in the final fifteen minutes of comeuppance. It would have been good to see her have a bit more oomph in the role, but I suppose the point was she was the wrong place, wrong time every-woman type.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1j2R0l0EdWqwlht7JoXvTCHDct9LUbUWY"><img title="out-of-death-4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="out-of-death-4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/172pYE74jDjAaKmivjx10g9iS3Qb80IKa" width="500" height="206" /></a></p> <p>I quite liked both Lala Kent as corrupt officer Billie Jean, and Tyler Jon Olson as corrupt officer Tom, though not immediately. Billie Jean swore enough to make a sailor blush, and Tom had a whole pile of male bravado he needed to burn off, but both played dodgy coppers quite well. However, Michael Sirow isn’t hugely believable as Sheriff Hank Rivers, it has to be said. He looks more like a mix between IT professional and magician, sporting a black collared shirt and donning the donut beard of mystery. Sheriffs in movies are meant to be fat Texans in broad-rimmed hats, not the doorman at a Russian nightclub.</p> <p>I ended up feeling something for characters in this film, but it’s not the ones you expect. I think we are meant to feel sorry for Sharron being caught up in a mess that wasn’t her doing, or for Jack having lost his wife and getting dragged into this shit, but I just don’t have any real feelings for either of them. This is probably partly due to the design of the film not having the stars be the stars, but their lack of action doesn’t help matters. It’s actually the crooked cops I felt something for.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Bj-xOqZwnCFM8I9ajQukUDe8hZkWqaiI"><img title="out-of-death-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="out-of-death-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1KDKbJh4HCsaaKygwC7Crm1Dn0R_hnd4y" width="500" height="206" /></a></p> <p>Officers Billie Jean and Tom may be crooked as a dog’s hind leg, but they don’t ever come across as truly bad. They do bad things but they aren’t cartoon-character evil, and as things get worse and worse for each of them, I started to feel pity for them. Both seemed well out of their depths, and neither wanting to really take control of “cleaning up”, which ultimately gives Shannon the upper hand. We hear briefly of their childhood together growing up. There’s a scene between both of them that is half touching and half devastating, and is the most memorable part of the film for me. Not sure if any of this was intended, but the characters – as surface-level nasty as they appear to be – were pretty flawed human beings that have clearly made a series of poor decisions that led them down this crooked path.</p> <p>So that’s Out of Death, and at the tenth paragraph I am Out of Breath. Not anything I suggest you go out of your way to see, but you could do worse if it lands in your lap or if you are a Bruce Willis DTV tragic like myself.</p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe title="YouTube video player" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ulT5QB_uJL0" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-26834019809057064322021-03-07T00:00:00.002+11:002024-01-26T16:33:09.097+11:00Redemption Day (2021)<p><img alt="Redemption Day (2021)" border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcUnRi-Op14iSDz5RGjcW6wZV2cBP27gOmw8i9O2cA3BHt37HuVWJhCrTs0F44vXTs-wi0xsagwXOsyAnTaObnOBnu9H42yHstSwvq_rXRUqfKsQhFd-RxVhyphenhyphenG916Mzjgv8eI3Rn12Mjv/s320/redemption-day-poster.jpeg"/></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Fight for love. Fight for life. Fight for redemption.</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1IGvVzAHRbthDqOKdQSCYTTqX5X-5mb4W"><img title="redemption-day-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Mw50lwC8FbdaOMkhaEqTttPhUsJq-2la" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>U.S. Marine Captain Brad Paxton (<a href="/search/label/Gary Dourdan">Gary Dourdan</a>) suffers from PTSD caused by a mission in Syria that went bad. Struggling to return to normality, his home life is uprooted when archaeologist wife Kate goes on a dig near the Morocco-Algeria border and is kidnapped by ISIS-aligned Algerian terrorists led by Jaafar El Hadi (<a href="/search/label/Samy Naceri">Samy Naceri</a>). Bypassing the bureaucracy and Federal policies, Brad sets upon a mission into enemy territory to rescue his wife and at the same time find himself some redemption.</p> <p>Let’s set expectations up front. This is not a 90 minute roller-coaster action shoot-em-up. Outside the final act, this is an intentionally paced, tense build up with little direct action for most its running time. But don’t change channels just yet, because this is no bad thing. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this was a slow burn, but it is definitely in no hurry to get to the conclusion.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1VCfuG4xnKuYsb0skFIfW2Jv-TDoYUZkB"><img title="redemption-day-7" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1l0KZIJdhiHgAFPiUOo0mJSTwT_L1VrWx" width="500" height="212" /></a></p> <p>When we do get the action it’s well executed, if sporadic, military versus insurgents battle tactics. Brad gets to shine as he dispatches terrorists with total precision, be it up close with a side-arm or from a balcony with a sniper rifle. Accompanied by his Moroccan counterpart Younnes (Brice Bexter), the one-two punch in the final siege on the terrorist compound has some heart-racing moments. Headshots are bloody and not obviously CG (muzzle fire isn’t fake either). The dark tone of the film means we get some gritty closeup killings with blades as well.</p> <p>So how is Gary Dourdan? Now I’ve never seen any of the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation but apparently he was a leading character in that for eight years. What I have seen him in was Alien: Resurrection, a long time ago and looking much younger with dreadlocks, but in Redemption Day he was pretty authentic. When faced with the reality of the situation and what he must do, his character of Brad Paxton battles his own demons to rescue his wife Kate (played believably by Serinda Swan) with blazing accuracy and attention. He definitely felt like a military Captain who had seen some shit, and was laser-focused on the job. Being that the mission is not sanctioned, Brad is doing this for – as the tagline says – love. There’s a little bit of a “Taken” vibe to his portrayal which explains why he never smiles.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1DSXa51mv9VLsfioSFeYCqsiGojfuYHe_"><img title="redemption-day-4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1x9-mpBl7OhjxbD8JILs6RJ2hlqwZ4m8O" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>Let’s talk Samy Naceri as terrorist leader Jaafar El Hadi. We last saw Samy many years ago in the French language comedy-action film <a href="/2010/06/taxi-1998.html">Taxi</a>, and boy is he different here. I don’t think I would have recognised him if his name wasn’t on the cover. I really liked his take on an ISIS commander. Had just the right amount of “manic” without going overboard, though he was ruthless when needed – takes out more than one of his own for being incompetent. I like that in a terrorist. He has a far more manic first officer who is like a rabid guard dog, spitting foam and quickly turning to anger and violence. I like that too.</p> <p>Now, <a href="/search/label/Ernie Hudson">Ernie Hudson</a> is not the kind of minor character role I would expect in a film like this, but I’ll take any Ernie over no Ernie. When it comes down to it however, he has two scenes – helping Brad Paxton face his traumas in the boxing ring, and helping Brad Paxton by taking care of his daughter in his absence. They aren’t momentous scenes but Ernie’s role as Brad’s father is meant to provide a calming Ying to Brad’s tortured Yang, which works to some degree but really, we could have used more Ernie. We did however get a reasonable amount of screen time from <a href="/search/label/Andy Garcia">Andy Garcia</a> as the Ambassador, though his role as Cuban-cigar smoking facilitator doesn’t really leave much to write about.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1by5lGImUf-e_IvEVJPVL97EHkAQNc5vp"><img title="redemption-day-6" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/19HDVzAS_tPNttEWrd-srxGByvgufBraB" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>There <em>are</em> some parts of the film that take the shine off a little; the first I might put down to poor subtitles. In a prayer scene with the terrorists, El Hadi speaks and the translation on screen is <em>“(praising God in bad Arabic language”). </em>There is no comedy in this film, let alone this scene, so not sure what the intentions were here but it comes off pretty rough. Maybe it was to do with his French-Algerian accent, I don’t know, but I did rewind it to check that I read it correctly. </p> <p>Robert Knepper is one of those “that guy” types, apparently in the IMDB top 5000 with 142 acting credits including Transporter 3 and Hitman. He has a brief role as an Oil Tycoon that has a lot more to do with the plot than might initially be presumed, though I’ve got to say his scene was pretty damn hammy. Very Colonel Sanders Texan white suit with a wide hat and gold tipped walking cane. My oh my. This felt like an after-credits sequence rather than part of the main film. Voltage Pictures, your Seagal is showing.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1LdFU07vNSvgqExWSQT8BXCtoVNO8V5O4"><img title="redemption-day-3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/19xXimvhcbipDxUWbGnXJfAIm4TRn05jN" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>The other main thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the brief scene with the President and the other members of the White House over video conference with the ambassadors. The acting skills drop drastically when the Executive speak, the worst coming from The President – played by Jay Footlik. According to IMDB, this guy has had a couple of minor roles spanning back to Teen Wolf but was in fact a White House advisor to President Clinton. Not sure how he ended up in the film but the quality of that scene really took me out of the moment. The final CG shot of helicopters flying over the ocean was also pretty bad, which was quite unexpected given how good the long-shots of military vehicles in the Morocco landscape were looking earlier.</p> <p>Overall I dug Redemption Day. It’s not without its problems, and if you want wall to wall shootouts you came to the wrong party, but its heart was in the right place and the execution – for the most part – was well articulated and often gripping. A solid full length feature directing debut for Hicham Haji.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1mWqIYGdqxoF8kl4_w54uVrPpTfE4r8wv"><img title="redemption-day-2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="redemption-day-2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Pgtgnclmdp_Wk27o6NTNvUSDJn9vcUzb" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWjsU76dEIE" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-42736236392123020102021-03-01T19:10:00.005+11:002024-01-26T16:33:36.214+11:00Money Plane (2020)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img alt="" border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcTxTQjlorhn3ksgv5nXv38NLhxAe5wslKFCaBBWgVm7MJrWtu7W-tyLQQuMkbA2MBu0Smo0ypHucUnV7rluvbUy9OTGg6Edt_EKQ6eJ3aGauUP-m6BnOav9hmeLgqSRWO9erVXO0PnCx/s320/money-plane-poster.jpg"/></div>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>An explosive casino heist in the sky</p> <p><strong>Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/10xf7pkSycb_sXh37vuxzI-LhsPG8o0G1"><img title="money-plane-1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Mtf_C0cDYZgnAJZGbp6CkeF8WRmc-pZt" width="500" height="258" /></a></p> <p>Jack Reese (<a href="/search/label/Adam Copeland">Adam Copeland</a>) is a highly skilled thief with a massive gambling debt. After a failed art gallery heist, he is now owed to underworld crime boss Darius Grouch aka The Rumble (<a href="/search/label/Kelsey Grammer">Kelsey Grammer</a> aka Frasier). Jack and his team of heisters are forced to take one more job - board a high-stakes, airborne casino known as the "Money Plane" that flies in international airspace. Filled with the leaders of criminal syndicates from around the world, Reese and his crew must rob the plane of its cryptocurrency and cash and make it out alive.</p> <p>Despite problems, I had quite a lot of fun with this. First of all, this has nothing to do with Snipes vehicle Money TRAIN so get that out of your mind right now. Straight-forward heist plot with the standard double-crossing by the person who hired the heisters – <em>oops, spoiler</em> (as if you didn’t see that coming). The momentum only slows down for a handful of minutes in-between the first failed gallery job and the Money Plane heist (with some pretty bad sappy dialogue, I have to say) which is a pretty good score in my books. My number one rule in movies is “don’t be boring”, and I was never bored during Money Plane.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1u42EfBnmpGlPFrBE4yRls023t1DaOPSc"><img title="money-plane-2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1W_N5NV5RrXLWxiT5qqEtdjs0pbEc6w1R" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>Adam Copeland isn’t bad as the lead. He’s quite restrained and always has this look on his face of “how did I get this gig?” which is kind of amusing, but he gets the job done. I couldn’t take my eyes off the top-knot, and yes ladies, he finally unleashes the full Fabio in the final scene. I was a bit taken back by the use of his role though. In this kind of film I’d expect him to be Kurt Russel in Executive Decision, but he was more (but not fully, so don’t get the wrong impression here) <a href="/search/label/Steven Seagal">Steven Seagal</a> in <a href="/2016/11/sniper-special-ops-2016.html">Sniper: Special Ops</a>. The story has Copeland be the pilot on the plane, so he spends more than half the running time sitting in a chair and flying the damn plane. It seems a waste but it works with the story, so I can’t really complain. In a way it makes it funnier having beefcake Copeland fly stick while the wimpier tech guy (Trey, played by Patrick Lamont) fills in for him in the action department. </p> <p>The most interesting of the protagonists for me is Katrina Norman’s character Isabella, shown on the poster in the red dress. She gets the best hand to hand action in the film with some neck-snapping, ear-ripping sex appeal pulled off with a sly smile and implied one liner. As for Thomas Jane, he plays the old friend from previous jobs. “Remember Brazil?” Copeland says to him. The two have history and Copeland relies on Jane for “Plan B”. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/148o6_jsf-x3LC_jCPN5gFwa3JCi4GrEB"><img title="money-plane-3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Rpsthyex5dBZby3hvxkmJ_VmyY6yOnyM" width="500" height="279" /></a></p> <p>The last protagonist of note is man on the ground Iggy, played by Director and co-Writer of Money Plane Andrew Lawrence. He is there to receive the downloaded money transfer with a collection of ancient gear that looks like something ET assembled to phone home. But hey, the Director can cast himself a role if he likes.</p> <p>The various villains on the Money Plane are all cartoon caricatures, which is all I really want in something like this anyway. The slimy, stewardess-arse-slapping guy, the Texan big shot that never loses, the subtle Japanese high roller – it’s all here. Special props to <a href="/search/label/Joseph Lawrence">Joseph Lawrence</a> as the Concierge of the Money Plane, last seen around these parts playing a robot in <a href="http://www.explosiveaction.com/2011/11/android-apocalypse-2006.html">Android Apocalypse</a>. He, along with bookkeeper and lonnnnnng time television actor Al Sapienza, added a professional yet somewhat sinister face of the House that I really enjoyed.</p> <p> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1mmb2SKHBGbzTMVlXe3BqCDk6_C4_ViFk"><img title="money-plane-4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1HZw4CGiYxqxcJlwxUAVMrMC2HV5T8tTS" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>There’s a lot to be amused by in Money Plane. I don’t just mean the concept and its execution (which are frequently, unintentionally funny) but there’s a few scenes that have intentional humour; often quite black. I was shocked and laughed for a full minute at an unexpected violent death during a game of Russian Roulette. I had to pause to take breath I was laughing so hard, which doesn’t happen often to me. Much of the violence takes place during the gambling, with the Adventure Bets coming straight out of The Running Man book of sadism.</p> <p>In terms of budget reflected on screen, this is mid to late 2000s era Seagal for sure. Shaky camera, CG muzzle shots and poor sound design all on display here. There’s even a bit of SyFy Channel going on with some ludicrously awful fake moustaches – check out the do on our Texan cowboy gambler. The sets are cheap but I can let it slide, as the whole thing is meant to be on a plane and you can’t very well expect a DTV action film starring an ex-wrestler to aim much higher than a faux-velvet curtained room with an Ikea bar top and a few screens on walls. </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1BuBtqbuWsCM9yxX4QWsy0kUcd5-e6xUe"><img title="money-plane-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1nBeFDVls7Ioyse9ApCgIw_vLCrSCYqun" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>Now, let’s talk bait and switch. The cover for the film shows stylised heads of Copeland, Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammer and Thomas Jane, with Katrina Norman wielding a machine gun. There’s a plane with an explosion behind it. Denise Richards is second billed and Frasier’s head is second biggest. Copeland looks like the bounty hunter from The X-Files with a top knot. It promises a lot, but we know what these covers are like. </p> <p>Richards? She’s Copeland’s wife and has literally one line and two scenes. 45 seconds of screen time at best, which is a contrast to her other recent plane heist film (where the heist was actually of the plane) Altitude with <a href="/search/label/Dolph Lundgren">Dolph Lundgren</a>. She was the lead in that film but is basically cutaway footage in this one. I guess the marketers are hoping people will pick the DVD up and say “hey she was the pilot in Starship Troopers!” rather than “she was the lead in Altitude”.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/16zpygLfwNkNWZwV-7HONmvR-jmMKiCui"><img title="money-plane-6" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="money-plane-6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1ni1LH1qWpWPilJWuJJ-HTetx7UuR3x3-" width="500" height="279" /></a></p> <p>As for Frasier playing “The Rumble” (hah!), he is fun, and does get enough scenes to feel like you weren’t gipped. After the initial meet and greet he’s basically on video call to Pilot Copeland, barking orders and generally being snarky. I thought he did a decent job as the rich art collector, hamming up an attempt at Scarface with his big cigar and terracotta floors and some priceless dialogue: <em>“You want to bet on a dude fucking an alligator? Money plane.”</em> Wonder how Director Andrew Lawrence convinced him to be a part in it all. Thinking about it, his role is kind of like the bad guy version of his character in The Expendables 3 and has about the same screen time.</p> <p>So, overall I had fun with this silly movie and it blasted through its 79 minute runtime. I’d have even accepted five minutes more to flesh out some of the paper-thin characters a bit, but whatever – the film is called Money Plane. We got money and we got a plane. Money Plane. Job done.</p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sKPu2H0JgsM" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-3685515141250488992021-02-19T19:55:00.005+11:002024-01-26T16:34:22.142+11:00Monsters of Man (2020)<p><img title="monsters_of_man_poster" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Monsters of Man Poster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBIs-hoUofGyGM7TfRWMi-2-HVKUEbPHJ8eulHgtt3Vzk5Pp33rky8MP0BbT_FBa7H63Tgk6dFhMJoxa07TonVYtxtLn1DtpanbbETY75tapjWP0zk5mzsllDP4ynvlkbk_5FcPs6Zfbp/s0/monsters_of_man_poster.jpg" width="250" height="370" /></p> <p><strong>Film Review:</strong></p> <p>A robotics company teams up with a corrupt CIA agent (<a href="/search/label/Neal McDonough">Neal McDonough</a>) to position themselves to win a lucrative military contract. They illegally airdrop four prototype robots into the middle of the infamous Golden Triangle to perform a live field test on unsuspecting drug lords. Unfortunately a team of humanitarian volunteers witness the murder of the village and soon become the robot’s targets.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1pTH1GmvmLyuYfe1NRxJ7dzo3x8pbD-u0"><img title="Monsters of Man 1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1-_fCg04y5KVDCTmEvbUAJhWBh-TU02sK" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>This film was mental! And I mean that in the most positive way. Utterly relentless in its execution, these robots are the true modern Terminators. Directive says kill everyone? You better believe that is what they are going to do. It’s not that they do or don’t care about humanity – that’s putting emotion into it – they simply don’t acknowledge that as a mission parameter. What it results in is machines that will do whatever is necessary to carry out their mission, using tactics that appear on the surface to be sadistic in some cases – but remember, they are robots and don’t entertain such things as emotions.</p> <p>Except for BR-4, that is. This is the robot that had the “Johnny 5 struck by lightning” moment and got a “soul”. Landing on his head and ejecting its mission parameters hard drive from the back of its skull, BR-4 is not constrained by robot rules and therefore the advanced AI developed for it learns to grow. As well as learning new combat skills in the terrain, BR-4 starts questioning why it exists and if it is indeed alive. Unlike Johnny 5 however, this learning seems to increase its awareness of the power it wields over human life. And by golly, in some scenes I think it enjoys it too much. Remember <a href="https://youtu.be/hCT9eMM0cXc">Cain in Robocop 2</a> when he takes out the Mayor’s associates and the whole Nuke drug gang? Including women and children? Cain is Johnny 5 compared to these robots.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1e8d-QqcT6B23PxFAnFguMw8lgNV_OtfV"><img title="Monsters of Man 2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/16761FFA6-vu-Tl3RjZe3L88K4i_qSjBc" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>BR-4 is played by Conrad K. Pratt who also did stunts in The Wolverine. It’s definitely not <a href="https://youtu.be/_to-5iHhCAs">Asylum</a> level CG here, you can see the underlying movement of a human actor and it makes it so much more realistic. The film was part financed on <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/monsters-of-man-the-feature-film/" target="_blank">Indiegogo</a> and you can see there the blue suits that Pratt and the other “robots” wore on set for the CG to be later mapped to. The robots appearance themselves is definitely borrowing a thing or two from the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088955/" target="_blank">Neill Blomkamp</a> style guide, and that’s no bad thing. Adds a solid military grit to them. </p> <p>The humans in the film are split into two camps; those who built and own the robots and those who are its targets. Speaking of the latter, they are the exact type of humanitarian 20-somethings that show up in cannibal films. In a jungle they really shouldn’t be in, first they have to worry about the local armed drug gangs, and then being hunted and destroyed by military robot prototypes. Pretty cliched bunch; the wimpy guy, the cocky guy, the girl saying “can’t we all just get along” etc. Not much in the way of diverse character here, just fodder for the robots, but that is more than fine and they get dispatched in brutal and entertaining ways. As the film starts to conclude, those left alive do show their colours a bit more and we see some bravery against all odds.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1HPNChd1DT7NJXeVJIeIMeBdYUChurdjh"><img title="Monsters of Man 3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1urhdDRlV7ez0dtk0vAY3ns75RSGlZq3x" width="500" height="248" /></a></p> <p>As for those who built the things, they are quite the mix. The main programmer is, again, fitting the cliché of portly, caffeine-dependent hacker type, who along with his two engineering companions find out quickly that their “test deployment” was actually a live fire exercise. They are pushed around by typical grunt type (seriously, all these characters are wafer thin – my only complaint) who is on a serious power trip, but not as much as our man CIA agent Neal McDonough! Although his scenes were literally shot in one room and when tallied up would not exceed ten minutes, his dominance during those scenes adds gravitas to the picture.</p> <p>This film was directed, produced and written by Mark Toia, a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7802941/" target="_blank">newcomer to IMDB</a> across all skill types but by no means new to the camera. He is also an Australian (one for the home team!). His <a href="http://zoomfilmtv.com.au/2021/directors/marktoia-aus/" target="_blank">personal showcase</a> is filled with short films and commercials he has made. Speaking of IMDB, I just love the short and to the point summary of the film on there. “A US weapons manufacturer tests its 4 killer robots on heroin producers in the Golden Triangle in SE Asia. It goes haywire.” Isn’t that just brilliant? </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1KBZRyibxwqymqAPLjH_1o8Z6CTQveNJk"><img title="Monsters of Man 4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1720pfQW_nwFxctkTrentBaa9yN2gsYIc" width="500" height="262" /></a></p> <p>Another thing I really liked in the film was the location shots. Filmed on site in Cambodia, there is some truly beautiful scenery in the film that contrasts well with the horrors unleashed by these robots. As BR-4 goes more and more rogue, it stalks its targets across rocky terrain, inside ancient holy buildings and through vast swathes of jungle. Truly machine versus nature; the harsh black metal exoskeleton juxtaposed against a vibrant rainforest.</p> <p>The film also lists Action as its first genre. I disagree here – this is firmly a horror film. If the robots were zombies it would play out the same way. The level of violence and gore in the film is above that of standard action film. I mentioned how it seemed BR-4 started to enjoy killing, and it shows. When he first has his “awakening” he seems to want to understand the human body so, uh, gets his robot hands dirty. Some of the violence is no less sadistic than a slasher film, so be warned if you are squeamish! Watch the red band trailer linked below and you’ll understand what you are in for.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1aLAPZ_ShtYsGDOO29V8PgHZ5HcOxp-p7"><img title="Monsters of Man 5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Rwro4Xl_8YSGsFJxgICpFbW7pw4-ctIn" width="500" height="271" /></a></p> <p>I absolutely loved Monsters of Man and can’t wait to see what Mark Toia has up his sleeve next. The run time was well over two hours – which in this type of film could be its downfall – but I didn’t feel it go a second over 90 minutes. My only real complaint is the lack of a Blu-ray release – I had to get a DVD, which would be okay but they’ve really compressed the video quite a bit and it shows in the fast scenes. There are <a href="https://www.monstersofman.movie/">plenty of digital options</a> up to 4k if that is your thing, however. I hope to see more of these mental robots of death in the future (watch all the credits!).</p> <p><em>Photos from </em><a title="https://www.monstersofman.movie/" href="https://www.monstersofman.movie/"><em>https://www.monstersofman.movie/</em></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eV2wnZDxtyc" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-25409790809478589442021-02-13T23:11:00.006+11:002024-01-26T16:34:52.309+11:00Breach (2020)<p><img title="breach-poster" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach-poster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihe7RzStfkOsJZg9NdYHLIEFMylInzvTJ8snhyphenhyphennYjfO6siR9cDL_Qyw9JDs6JrsTuZOik-nHIXOozKr1uFShxn1XKuiyH0uBJpPopnrIxa0xqfXMEFa4utfvpZmUFnaYfXFGoqO5mK6vYC/s400/breach-poster.jpg" width="250" height="375" /></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Deep in Space, They Are Not Alone</p> <p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1wIDegp9WCk0d2yeAWbZfDTQY7ZBWeG47"><img title="breach4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1uM6-ydxzXR3JfpY72SyGd89tlnQiM_Tw" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p>A hardened mechanic (<a href="/search/label/Bruce Willis" target="_blank">Bruce Willis</a>) is one of a few chosen to stay awake and maintain an interstellar arc fleeing a dying planet Earth in the 23rd century. The last of humanity cryosleeps in the arc while the skeleton crew keep the lights on. However, humans are not the only guests on board. A shapeshifting alien creature has also taken residence and it has a habit of zombifying those it infects. Our crew of janitors must fight the creature and its spawn before the ship reaches New Earth and humanity truly is doomed.</p> <p>This was better than it had any right to be. I am a sucker for cheap sci-fi action horror and this delivered for me. If you’ve seen the 2008 <a href="/search/label/Steve Railsback" target="_blank">Steve Railsback</a> film Plaguers, it is basically the same thing as that but with an extra 0 on the budget (maybe not, but you get the idea). Unfortunately unlike Plaguers, Breach does not feature any sexy space pirates. It does however share the similar story of crew on ship being picked off one by one by space zombies spawned from an infection. I wonder if Director John Suits had seen Plaguers first.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1r_dvEYrW62UDNR7RbYvOPfcJFcC26DGF"><img title="breach7" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1rtyeL3kiozjCcDt_8wnnF-wy1F0Bnvoa" width="500" height="231" /></a></p> <p>Suits has quite a few genre films under his belt, including a similar end of humanity outer space film 3022. I’ve not seen that one but I have seen another of his, Pandemic, which also starred Rachel Nichols in a leading role and had zombies (but not in space). So, he definitely has a “type” you could say.</p> <p>Bruce Willis has – rightfully so, some would say – had a reputation the last decade of taking any and every role that will pay him and put in very little effort for a front cover billing. The same cannot be said for Breach. I won’t say this is The Sixth Sense or Fifth Element level Bruce, but he’s not phoning it in. Of course, as any connoisseur of direct to video films would expect, a big name appearing front and centre on a DVD cover means they likely have a small role. Bruce isn’t <a href="/search/label/Steven Seagal" target="_blank">Steven Seagal</a> in <a href="/2016/11/sniper-special-ops-2016.html" target="_blank">Sniper: Special Ops</a> here, but he is not the lead. What he is though is Clay, the cantankerous head janitor who makes space moonshine and talks garbage. And he does it well. He appears in a great deal of the film too, so there’s less that feeling of bait-and-switch going on.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1deao8BqSp1_0BA01a2BWiW494zzI9Prj"><img title="breach2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Bkd7Lc-gpfs76CjWjfs8_GB0zHqc3srR" width="500" height="206" /></a></p> <p>The lead goes to Cody Kearsley who plays Noah, a stowaway. I had never heard of him before, but aside from a handful of television series he apparently played Hawkeye in a 2017 Power Rangers movie. That was definitely a movie I had no interest in seeing (Voltron beats Power Rangers, all day every day). In Breach however he is fine as an every-man trying to protect his family from shape-shifting aliens. </p> <p>He is supported by <a href="/search/label/Rachel Nichols" target="_blank">Rachel Nichols</a>, Timothy V. Murphy and <a href="/search/label/Johnny Messner" target="_blank">Johnny Messner</a> as part of the crew designated to stay awake while the other leftovers of humanity cryosleep. If I’m going to pick holes in a low budget sci-fi action film, then it will usually be with the acting but I can’t even say that here. I’ve always likes Rachel (she was fantastic in the series Continuum) so no problems there, and like I already said Bruce was putting in more than an afternoon’s casual effort here. Our lead is fine, the supporting characters all fine (though don’t progress much, if you care about such things). And we have Admiral <a href="/search/label/Thomas Jane" target="_blank">Thomas Jane</a> who isn’t in it much but barks orders like you’d expect any marine type to when he does show up. There’s really quite a lot of big names in this film, which is kind of surprising.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/18cWIRyVZzftnERBpgieVXHXv0GCSj-01"><img title="breach3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/15dDv68PZbs-L5dO1x7IZ-f3xoGs5hlQ4" width="500" height="204" /></a></p> <p>Sci-Fi like this has to have good effects to be believable, and Breach doesn’t do too badly here. They mask the low budget pretty well I feel, and use the limited ship corridor sets well (I didn’t even notice the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Thatsabooklight/comments/kku7iv/film_breach_2020_the_hightech_pannels_in_the/" target="_blank">packing styrofoam on the walls</a>). The whole thing takes places on this ship that looks a bit like Red Dwarf on the inside. In fact, that show starred space janitors as well… hang on, Red Dwarf had the episodes Polymorph and Emohawk: both about shape-shifting aliens that the crew hunted down in cheap looking corridors. I think John Suits is good at taking notes. But I digress – the effects. Some decent looking lasers, a not terrible CG shapeshifter, and some pretty well done practical effects zombies (with a smattering of bloodies limbs for good measure) is what you get here, and they make up for the occasional wobbly set and dodgy hyperspace effect.</p> <p>I’ll wrap it up by saying – good job Breach. You delivered what I hoped for in 90 solid minutes and I was never bored. Part Aliens, part The Thing and apparently part Red Dwarf – though thankfully in this instance without the comedy. I prefer my Sci-Fi action played straight. Extra good job to Bruce for not phoning this one in, but just don’t expect Academy Award levels here either and you’ll do just fine.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1xZl322S9ENftO7w5uLh-bdWrahmpca-0"><img title="breach5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="breach5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1SLiJlEA4j6JEWy5HbJRwGp7GuvxuRr47" width="500" height="208" /></a></p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EQ2-7XntB48" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-12060056435726546922021-02-07T21:49:00.004+11:002024-01-26T16:35:16.354+11:00The Doorman (2020)<p><img title="thedoorman" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="thedoorman" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgXAO6GNrgXZObw-2-z7BY78_Gt4fV0H_zizk8d7nBitWWoM9oTS82kSVmcYc7GXaaZW9jnEXlS3ZeWlcygAk9RiSYO_D2MXAibwEvsEUMD9iHWqnMqocboiNw7KvSo-RAd4CSWRNbmma/s0/thedoorman.jpg" width="250" height="312" /></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Her second chance is their Last Hope</p> <p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1QavM9wN18bcz1mh3bGfETN6zwetCwiP3"><img title="doorman1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="doorman1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/18vz_kh3lI4qfXnDBsnyTK3oLTQIu6Gh3" width="500" height="234" /></a></p> <p>Former Marine with PTSD, Ali (<a href="/search/label/Ruby Rose">Ruby Rose</a>, John Wick 2) takes a job as a doorman for a luxury New York City high-rise. What should be a walk in the park turns into a game of outsmarting and battling a group of art thieves, led by their boss Victor Dubois (<a href="/search/label/Jean Reno">Jean Reno</a>, Leon the Professional), all while ensuring that a father and children staying in the hotel remain unharmed.</p> <p>Bizarre career change aside, this was a solid Die Hard in a Hotel type movie. My buddy and guest-reviewer XtroTheMutilator <a href="https://youtu.be/eriy6sg2td8" target="_blank">recommended this one</a>, and I’m glad that he did. Ruby Rose is believable as an ex-military arse kicker and obviously did some action training for the film. The choreography is above par for this kind of film – this might have been released DTV in most markets (likely due to COVID) but it definitely has a budget – fast multi-person kick-downs mixed with gun-fu and I’m glued to the screen. It runs a lean 97 minutes with very little in the way of filler, and the various plot devices to explain the situation are articulated well. I mean, it’s a Die Hard clone but replacing the cop with a marine – it’s likely going to work.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/17uw93TEW5sXXC1snk6VLquWBprKjCDtT"><img title="doorman2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="doorman2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1HJgjJ2q5YeGFZpRc5GEm31oNoGRnH2IP" width="500" height="209" /></a></p> <p>The opening scene with Ali still in the marines is excellent stuff. Travelling in black government cars, the entourage she is protecting gets attacked by a team with both machine guns and bazookas. Cars are one-by-one blown up until only one remains, with Ali taking out bad guys with her side-arm like a fairground game. Proper Explosive Action and a perfect opener to this kind of film.</p> <p>But it’s not just the opening scene she kicks arse in, Ruby holds up throughout the whole piece, doing a great John McLain impression – or more accurately, a Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2 impression, as she spends most of her action time with an unskilled sidekick who instead knows the secret passages in this old hotel. Together they ride the elevator shafts, hide in abandoned box-filled rooms and set traps involving electricity. There’s a few top quality kills to look forward to as well.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1WNQqBUBGgqC1AMLJuzSxJrnrRTxHbHTM"><img title="doorman3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="doorman3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1LIRKMwdD08FwB-xeUiEfjyxzTCyAp1x9" width="500" height="282" /></a></p> <p>Jean Reno is fine in this, though he doesn’t have to do a great deal but fill the Alan Rickman role. Dubois has henchmen to do his dirty work, but what he does have is a French accent and accompanying good manners. While Rickman’s Hans Gruber or more accurately, Travis Dane in Under Siege 2, are unhinged bad guys, Dubois plays the tea and wine drinking variety admirably. The kind of guy that brushes lint off his jacket when berating you. It’s good to see him in a new movie.</p> <p>Dubois may be the leader, but his number one Borz (Aksel Hennie) is the real piece of work in the film – the Gary Busey in Under Siege equivalent. For starters he is the one that got Ali her job as doorman, so trust is immediately broken there, but he also doesn’t care much about his fellow heisters either, throwing them under the bus to ensure his cut of the action.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Ve-eM-6v55uK7QkanpOzvq0fv73_N8Gv"><img title="doorman4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="doorman4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1tkE0AiKRJRlpJUoMCfLdtlbTJgCglNaK" width="500" height="245" /></a></p> <p><a href="/search/label/Louis Mandylor" target="_blank">Louis Mandylor</a> has a minor role in this as a safecracker. He's not quite comic relief but he's not as deadly serious as the rest of the cast. It's been good to see him have a bit of a resurgence lately, especially in both Debt Collector movies sharing equal screen time with Scott Adkins. I started to notice him more after the last Rambo film. The Mercenary from Jessee V. Johnson was pretty great, and I see he has one called Legacy out with another DTV action star, Luke Goss. Definitely adding that to the to-watch pile.</p> <p>This film is directed by Ryûhei Kitamura of Versus and Midnight Meat Train fame! First I was surprised to see his name tagged on this, but checking his IMDB of the last few years I see Downrange, an action-thriller about a sniper that I've had on my watch list for a while. Based on the quality of The Doorman, I’ll be bumping that one up the list!</p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pugLE1ifvbY?si=iNgd3PoqqxzIN57U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-8774293447639107302020-05-02T16:17:00.004+10:002024-01-26T16:35:43.310+11:00Last to Surrender (1999)<p><img title="last-to-surrender-1999" border="0" alt="last-to-surrender-1999" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1td7XX8CBs514MDjvXLkiZeY44IvXihbuq9bSabhd7bp07YAMXI24y2VxOHu8KPKD_w6y94eJBl6817T2OyAVYHy_fVoNFCjXQt6i8eJuIq0uIz-ngKu46xKyOFxHTUAUFfaEqqSDtmZH/s320/last-to-surrender-1999.jpg" width="250" height="448" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>First to Fight… Last to Surrender!</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1Z6HtUGWRv-7mpKyjKGbkSyxyBNa1dPk9"><img title="last-to-surrender-1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="last-to-surrender-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1azsvjPZJxudDkJbiRsgdFo5bTy_PN8Kz" width="350" height="196" /></a></p>
<p>This movie makes a decidedly strong first impression! Right out of the gate it's clear that being politically-correct is not a top priority, it's just over five minutes when the first gun fight takes place and when you hit the nine minute mark you've got car chase action raging across your screen!</p>
<p>The set-up is tried and true; Nick Ford (<a href="http://www.explosiveaction.com/search/label/Roddy%20Piper">Roddy Piper</a>) is a cop on the job with his partner trying to bring down some bad guys when things go wrong and the partner gets killed. Ford chases after the bad guy alongside of a particularly skilled waiter who just won’t quit! The killer gets away, Ford and the waiter get into it a little bit, and then you get confirmation of what you surely already knew… That relentless waiter is an undercover Chinese cop named Wu Yin (Han Soo Ong).</p>
<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1rG5VvckN7mZE6ONA-GPy5zlj1FqzCSzN"><img title="last-to-surrender-2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="last-to-surrender-2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1aTEj0s5FAEKwF4hc5cGfdhPKIKmYJRuw" width="350" height="195" /></a></p>
<p>From here the Red Heat influence begins to show itself in a big way. Ford is told by his superiors that he has no choice but to partner up with Wu Yin in order to capture the villainous murderer who got away because, as it’s explained, they are now the only two people to know what he looks like. The ‘he’ in question being the infamous drug kingpin known only as ‘The Tiger’. Wu Yin has been working this case for his own government for some time while Ford now has a personal stake with wanting to claim vengeance for his fallen friend and all. So, partners it is! From here the hunt is on and the action, though filtered with comedic banter between the two leads, is frequent and exciting.</p>
<p>The uneasy alliance is tested early and often but, somehow, our heroes still manage to stay on the right path. Sure, they might fight (a LOT) and go their own ways every now and then, but they always end up back together. Of course, the realization that they need each other slowly begins to creep in. Much to the chagrin of Ford! Things flip a little bit when the dynamic duo heads off to Burma together where Wu Yin is more familiar with how things are done and, obviously, blends in a little more convincingly. One thing leads to another and it appears that Ford and Wu Yin are only a plane ride away from finding what they are looking for. Too bad the plane has been sabotaged and crashes into the jungle! Pilot dead, guide dead, our well-travelled pillars of justice are not about to give up! After all, the movie IS called LAST TO SURRENDER!</p>
<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1O316qE595STbm1fIoQ3ZKxegqqHA5wrl"><img title="last-to-surrender-3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="last-to-surrender-3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1rKxdZuHF03vkxez6_2LV0V3mqJ3SHfO_" width="350" height="195" /></a></p>
<p>And so it goes… Things might not take many surprising turns from this point on but, no matter, it’s still a blast to watch! Piper is more than comfortable with this type of character and knows how to get the most out of it. It’s a pleasure to watch his Nick Ford switch from that charmingly foul-mouthed and pure-hearted cop to a crusty and frustrated jungle dweller forced to eat snake to survive! And let’s not forget Han Soo Ong! He can be seen in such films as Bloodsport 2, Tiger Claws II, and others. That strong physical presence he has along with a pleasant personality that is constantly tested by his counterpart's aggressive smack-talking make him perfectly suited for the good guy straight man role here. </p>
<p>There’s fluidity to the attractive cinematography, an excellent soundtrack by Norman Oresntein, a healthy amount of fully-packed squibs, lots of exploding huts, and would you believe they even manage to squeeze in a love interest? Yep, she’s played by Angela Tong. Piper fans should not hesitate to grab this one. A solid example of Le Cinema De Boom!</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/XtroTheMutilator">Xtro the Mutilator</a></p>
<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1W659_bl0jlIJrPc0pWYivl8FA_BgcSMU"><img title="last-to-surrender-5" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="last-to-surrender-5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1qB4A5zShGLBwcZJzJZODqXmu514nrpdM" width="350" height="195" /></a></p>
<p><strong> Notes:</strong></p>
<p>Directed by David Mitchell <br /> Starring - Roddy Piper - Han Soo Ong <br /> 1997 (year of production) – R – 94 MINUTES</p>
<p>Platinum Disc Corporation DVD <br /> Extras: Text Synopsis – Trailer – Uncut Trailer – Cast Bios – Photo Gallery – <br />(Fascinating) Production Notes</p>
<ul>
<li>Movie is set in Seattle and Burma but was filmed in Canada and Indonesia.</li>
<li>This was Han Soo Ong's first good guy leading man role and it was also his last released film to date.</li>
<li>Director David Mitchell has been working steadily in the industry since the early 80’s. </li>
<li>Composer Norman Orenstein has worked on over 80 projects.</li>
<li>During filming there was a real plane crash that left a couple of crew members injured and one dead.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RRTHqUUd1-g?si=eUeUqalrjlzRmHDl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-59743813147071995932019-09-23T21:31:00.003+10:002024-01-26T16:36:10.173+11:00Rambo: Last Blood (2019)<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1m2xw4HERqEydtnFdD8sx3hbJb8Psu1E8"><img title="rambo-last-blood-poster" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="rambo-last-blood-poster" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2hCh4IA6W-jR28az_FWdAOypKIzFr_M03EMmOQOb8g_AAme3mjjh8DF6xYH7JoIYNsE7aPZiQUjT0rzNpik-9V80xYU8bvBvQvkaqU-l8v3GXVC-Dcj1Ga_m_fu-oHMzikesbEdnUtKw/s320/6611392c-338f-4fe7-acb3-a347f731441c.jpg" width="250" height="385" /></a></p> <p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p> <p>Everyone has one more fight in them.</p> <p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p> <p>It's been eleven years since we got a Rambo film. I don't think anybody truly expected we would get another, but then <a href="/search/label/Sylvester%20Stallone">Stallone</a> threw that photo of him in the Sherriff cowboy hat on Instagram a few months ago and now we have the fifth and presumably final film in the series. Rambo 2008 was a glorious sight to behold in the old ultra-violence; how does Last Blood compare?</p> <p>John Rambo has retired to a farm on the border of Mexico (I presume) with his housekeeper or something, and her daughter Gabrielle. He must be neighbours with Enrique from Terminator 2; in fact they must be good buddies and share tunnel-making tips. Both seem to like storing an armoury underground, anyway. Rambo ups the game though with his own freaking iron smelter. And the machetes and crossbows on the wall. And then he invites kids around for a cave rave! Crazy ol' Uncle John. I digress..</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1xk7nc0SIxpcu9rh7DiLt3hx-BsBK9Sz_"><img title="Rambo Last Blood 1" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo Last Blood 1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1MtO6_ggVBL0UzES69jRBX61ITfw5I4yU" width="500" height="250" /></a></p> <p>John loves Gabrielle as if she were his own daughter, but she wants to go to Mexico to find her real father. John tells her it's a bad idea but in the cover of darkness she goes anyway. One thing leads to another and she's sold to a sex trafficking ring run by the Martinez brothers. Rambo tries to rescue her and is beaten to within an inch of his life and saved by a reporter and nursed back to health. I don't even need to recap the rest of it to you, but needless to say once recuperated he sets out to get bloody, brutal revenge. Rambo on a rampage is a man you don't want to get in the way of.</p> <p>This was a solid DTV action movie that happened to play at the cinema. It has that Nu Image/Millennium flavour that the previous Rambo had - as do the The Expendables and Olympus Has Fallen franchises - which is why I get that regular cinema goers haven't been enamoured by most of those films, including Rambo: Last Blood. The dialogue can be wooden. The plots far from original. Clichés and stereotypes abound. People cry 'racism' at time-honoured-80s tropes of Cartel bad guys (or Russians, or terrorists from Madeupistan, etc.). These films speak to the honest action fan who just wants explosions and violence delivered in a way they are used to. The Guardian said the film was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/22/rambo-last-blood-review-unwelcome-sequel" target="_blank">cheap and nasty carnage</a>. Your point being?! I knew what I was signing up for.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1NE0-XGCV09ulJ2fP8x08JuyO9_QJIOVc"><img title="Rambo Last Blood 2" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo Last Blood 2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1wHOn8NjM4vmRFNxtCVrNclL3c8mS9cxk" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>As you can tell from above, this is Action Movie Standard Plot #12 with all the usual trimmings. That's no bad thing, but if you expect Rambo in the jungle, or god forbid, a REAL movie like First Blood, you will be understandably disappointed. Last Blood will appeal far more to fans of previous Nu Image outings than it will fans of First Blood unless you really have a hankering for the character and the weapons building montage (which of course, you get in this film too). This has more in common with <a href="/search/label/Dolph%20Lundgren">Dolph Lundgren's</a> Skin Trade than Rambo 2008.</p> <p>Depending what cut of the film you watch (there's apparently a US cut and International cut) you will either see the opening ten minutes pre-plot or not. John Rambo volunteers to help in emergencies, a bit like the Australian State Emergency Service I guess, except on a horse. He rescues a hiker in torrential rain but can't save two others, and for that he beats himself up over it comparing it to how he couldn't save his buddies in Vietnam. The tortured past of the Vietnam Vet is a recurring theme in Rambo films, and it is no different in Last Blood. He has flashbacks and hears voices. It's probably why he's built this underground tunnel system on his farm.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1mwmL-fbG-p4mBjUElLQwxNuPg-DccuK3"><img title="Rambo Last Blood 3" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo Last Blood 3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/166dKOsJiCOZ2539kya63ZJ2HGa96NT1_" width="500" height="281" /></a></p> <p>There's a good build up with Rambo’s tunnels. I mean, why would you build this if not for use in the third act of a movie? Yeah. It sets itself up for its purpose, and that's more than fine given the treatment we got in the final fifteen minutes. God DAMN that was a savage blast of violence. This is why you are here folks, for the comeuppance. All the trap setting you expect from John Rambo is amplified when it's in his own backyard. It's like Kevin from Home Alone, but rated R and playing for keeps. This is seriously some of the most brutal action violence I've seen in a mainstream picture. Very creative deaths are dished out to cartel members and you will be cheering the screen as each are taken down. Literal ribs are broken and stick out of chests. It's glorious, and that's only the beginning.</p> <p>So is it better than Rambo 2008? No, it is not. It's not even really a Rambo film, if you expect jungles and soldiers. But it is a solid revenge action film with Sylvester Stallone and the final bloodbath is worth the price of entry. A solid B+ from me.</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1-Atqf27Qv9QkR6Mqe7C8sPI-CoDT668f"><img title="Rambo__Last_Blood__Large" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo__Last_Blood__Large" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1tgCE0xHlX0gHofV1TUjB67GTgZrKt5gQ" width="500" height="288" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1LS4Q2RFBAwdmH4nKfRC4UNe5c7SwK3nm"><img title="Rambo Last Blood 4" style="border: 0px currentcolor; display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo Last Blood 4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1QQLldEu-IxT_7-dpMS9i-whNwWPPcQUT" width="500" height="279" /></a> <br /></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/1jrBrISP2yjortZZPbsIXlP40QtU13-bO"><img title="Rambo Last Blood 5" style="display: inline; background-image: none; border-image: none;" border="0" alt="Rambo Last Blood 5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/0/d/141YF-fUSCJyB7qUIbvzDPyeZO7nqKy6U" width="500" height="279" /></a></p> <p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p> <p>You know that old line of “I’ll rip your heart out and show it to you before you die”? Yeah.</p> <p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/km_L0v3C0ms?si=wuv9iJauYjcTh0Xd" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-81046019628455670402018-08-13T11:26:00.001+10:002018-08-13T11:26:13.316+10:00S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017)<p><img title="swat-under-siege-poster.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcFBafnZBtvi2bPI4YMTAdH_22n_pgiOm5NRMWgpuNEZLX-PPEzW-QIL94QcR_ii3po2sgPsnK2aCDmwR2lL7dBRQczF3GUOLTBw3b3HorZH2FPSOhmPV-2zoC5K0ULGk783OpYwCcUkV/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege poster" width="250" height="374" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>When the Drug War Hits Home… the Tables are Turned.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-1.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirp7hePBNtuxnjtnacYPZk7yFI2nHIx6dffuLAggK4v9_nkw-RrpPe7D8Qi0MP7bUd5IzcsD9abfAj0xMDvvTz2tJaH3ZVPdx8EpTN1EbZNWNOPdPkVyrK3U1Lo807wwghGMKyl1oPKXE-/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 1" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’ve not bothered watching the first two SWAT films yet. The first was a big budget cinema release with Samuel Jackson, Colin Farrel and Michele Rodriguez. The second, S.W.A.T.: Firefight has Robert Patrick in it. This is the third film, Under Siege - not released to the Steven Seagal film, though I wouldn’t have objected to Sensei Seagal showing up to sit in a chair and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cllle4Kyqoo">eat a carrot</a> in this one either.</p>
<p>It’s the Fourth of July and Travis Hall (<a href="/search/label/Sam%20Jaeger">Sam Jaeger</a>) is woken on his day off to go on an important mission. With his team assembled and some DEA guys in tow, our SWAT guys and girls go to the docks to intercept a shipping container of stolen contraband. But the straight forward, walk in walk out operation is not as promised, with bad guys aplenty trying to take the team out. A man is downed and a huge explosion from a missile launcher takes out a few more. And the plot thickens more when the contents of the shipping container was not drugs and weapons, it was a man strung up by his arms with torture equipment beside him. Returning out mystery guy to the SWAT compound, he goes only by the name Scorpion (<a href="/search/label/Michael%20Jai White">Michael Jai White</a>) and he promises that the FBI agents coming to get him for the billion dollar secrets he has in his head will not be real FBI agents. Surely enough he is correct and Travis has to fight them off, but that’s not all the returned team have to worry about with the private army of rich terrorist Lars Cohagen (Matthew Marsden) at their doors demanding they release the Scorpion to them, or face a final assault.</p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-2.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoYrCWFRuTBueZjksdquVLYXQLzmCSKZnYeLVzxeZG0U8yQiOYki_-D0DXLRMdrL3-3UHpwr1LsSR-vVnEkzcrmedSHthxr8j2exSKtdoPBd-DjU2Hsp3trGL2xHLQ1qZQV77BC9ftsm7/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 2" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p>This wasn’t too bad for an Assault on Precinct 13 direct-to-video riff. Pretty decent action overall, though it did have some issues. Positive things first; I quite liked Sam Jaeger as Travis Hall. He was believable as the leader of an elite team of soldiers and had an imposing enough physique to pass muster. Perhaps not quite John Cena in The Marine, but maybe an older Mike Mizanin from The Marine 3-5. That’s probably way off the mark but you might get where I am going with this. He gets pissed and swears at the Inspector about not using her gut instinct, notices when fake FBI guys are carrying the wrong sidearm, and never gets wounded in action. He’s a family man and just wants to get the job done and celebrate the holiday. I like Travis.</p>
<p>Jai White isn’t top billing but he has a lot of screen time. It’s not bait-and-switch territory here thankfully. His character of Scorpion is played cool, a bit like a black ops version of <a href="http://matrix.wikia.com/wiki/Morpheus">Morpheus</a>. He speaks monotone with little emotion, almost robotic in delivery, arching back to his early days in Universal Soldier: The Return (tangent - I’d pay to see Jai White as a Terminator) though thankfully this little DTV action film is miles more entertaining than that thing. Scorpion is the character we feel most invested in as his backstory is not clear and never fully revealed. At any moment he could turn on the team, and that plays as an advantage to the film. We also get two really solid, classic Jai White multi-guy beatdowns similar to the street fights he has in Blood & Bone. People just lining up to get smashed!</p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-3.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z12vITg0rJK4QajHZ012IcZ6R4-PrD3KTMmLYXEYoZVlVQB1egDx7aNP3xrTzBpbX-4CUizk7SN1bXnC1jiZLexWxBojyShgfsgr1q8dvJkiOtw4W7WJ6K3SFRExYRsehYhFFqpxuCc0/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 3" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p>The action is genuine and pretty consistent with only moments of regrouping and rethinking strategy. Being SWAT it’s mainly machine gun battles, though there’s a few bonuses like snipers on rooftops and a dude with a missile launcher. The best weapon to show up was a Predator-style mini-gun and it wrecks the havoc you expect it would. Great stuff. Other than guns, we get a few fist fights, the aforementioned martial arts fights from Jai White, some one-on-one knife fights and beatdowns and a whole lot of stealthy around corners looking through sights and making military hand gestures. So we aren’t let down in the all important action department. The plot also advances with a few "can we trust him/who is the mole” points, one of which did keep me guessing until the end, so that’s a positive.</p>
<p>Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Ellen Dwyer is okay, though I didn’t really buy her as the chief Inspector of this newly commissioned compound. Her character seemed too wet behind the ears for such a role. Traditionally we’d have had a grizzled Captain in this role, chewing a cigar and complaining that he was three days from retirement. Or a no-shit-taking, genuinely imposing officer like <a href="http://policeacademy.wikia.com/wiki/Debbie_Callahan">Callahan from Police Academy</a>. I found it a bit hard to believe the team would take orders from her. That’s not to say she’s redundant; she holds her own with a weapon and holds her own in the fights, she just doesn’t seem commanding material.</p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-4.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjoNsUShc8st39G9s8hMjq9T7xa7iCZDoTxfaPlrorQCjrBTTGXcyQmQm-9WB-u9XoMgrbHdcG5jchWpcmH42ej5hBS849Nr7lGgPGZNqrcCdqcSOkLgP58FSMrk0T55N82NifdSF7Jsg/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 4" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p>And then there’s our Big Bad, the international terrorist Lars Cohagen, probably one of the weakest top bosses I’ve seen in recent years next to the guy in the Robocop reboot. His private jet and his lavender shirt don’t convince me, nor does his supposedly imposing and threatening demeanour that allows him to control his computer hacker associate. That’s not to say Marsden is not good at bad-assery (check him out leading the post-apocalyptic film Bounty Killer), this part was just not suited to him. I also got no sense of scale for his organisation; it’s just him, the perpetually smirking sidekick Simone (Monique Ganderton) and a contracted keyboard warrior that does his bidding. Of course he has a bunch of hired soldiers in polished black SUVs, but they never feel like they are “his” if you follow me. </p>
<p>The other minor quibble I had with the film: everyone is too pretty. Now don’t laugh, but when I want to see SWAT guys and girls kicking arse I don’t want them to look like they’ve come out of a Pantene commercial. Slight exaggeration maybe, but the team of Chu, Hooks, York, Phoenix etc. don’t look like they’ve seen a day of combat in their lives, which is not what I want from supposedly “the baddest motherfuckers on Earth”, as Travis calls them in a pep talk. Some of them live, some of them die, but you aren’t ever really sold on them. They aren’t made from the same stuff as Frost, Hicks and Vasquez from <a href="http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/United_States_Colonial_Marine_Corps">Aliens</a>, that’s for sure. I wish I had more to say about them but.. I really don’t. With the possible exception of Jefferson - she is a little bit of a badass and takes no crap with her shotgun “Not on my watch, motherfucker!".</p>
<p>Our IT guys on both sides look like cliche IT guys (one bearded and bigger, and one that looks like he hasn’t seen sun in a year and lives off instant noodles, both able to hack the planet). Why would such a small SWAT Training compound of a handful of members and a lead Inspector warrant a full time IT guy with the system setup he has anyway? </p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-5.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKFx2LJUh1zCUW0L31aqelH8-xHkK6oaBkq2CUzbXXtrPbK7ZaA2MybsqC0o8sU1Y_6eNRW1eWz1g2HfjuHH7ejg5UW_pGy1GmwnuKsHH-LFY59t853OKIyawTnWty3KxOQUx1e6OfsUw/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 5" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p>It may sound like I’m being negative towards the film. It was one of those films I can pick apart the pieces but when stuck back together I can still have a good time, with a couple of genuine “Hah! Awesome” out loud moments as a bonus. Jaeger was solid as our main SWAT dude Travis and Jai White was great as usual. It moved swiftly at under 90 minutes, has bloody squibs (though mostly CG) and has no prior knowledge requirements from the previous two films in the franchise before going in. Worth a watch, just don’t pay top dollar.</p>
<p><img title="swat-under-siege-6.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6ni8vLwrK9AWK5i5HXOcXhT31YniLrW7tfJ9CPj3RImt49zIIphwRAjGtbTkU50VcisKz2a6kpec9RkEZjbqdHExAD5IiPOVjQ9U8Lc4Vo6vxCawfgjWzeooZLHeFB5YznTcIRydAXvr/?imgmax=1600" alt="Swat under siege 6" width="500" height="281" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p>
<p>Pinned down in the corridors of the complex, the team are about to get it from six combatant soldiers when Jai White appears with a minigun, says “Duck.” and takes the whole lot out with a satisfying grin on his face. </p>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n-HsnU3vTVk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-24412431310447477622018-08-05T08:17:00.001+10:002024-01-26T16:37:19.133+11:00Cage (1989)<p><img title="cage-poster.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFHG0cGIuF5wFVKY2GUUaZOmBb8DrYUvYC3UOyh04uVhxN1rOCdTGh1FChRrt_B9DbZCv27P_FZS5hLZLFyGxPdgRyW74AstO0xSIWhuqij5uoiSgbfRibg1y4fqO1vPafXf5EuaksU_Y/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage poster" width="250" height="416" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>Only the winner gets out alive.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><img title="cage-1.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTu6KFraasigN0SIVY4cZvyKsW4FU3Tbv4N-kRqco7ArALqmcarA5fFt0iUxM7Ofkj1g_0l6PAQ597omvsZwGswbdmUUcnlbZukKUtRi0WOYMVLls7UeV3v-eeJ6XxSE8gtmJR_-uf_gc/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 1" width="450" height="350" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Billy and Scott, hanging out since 1969!</em></p>
<p>You push play and find yourself in Vietnam, 1969. Intense POV shots take you through the jungle as the sounds begin to come to life; bullets are whizzing by, <a href="/search/label/Reb%20Brown">Reb Brown</a> is screaming, voices become clearer from all sides, then the explosions start! Man, now THAT'S how you start a movie! A group of four guys are trying to make it to their landing zone but the enemy is seemingly everywhere. They get where they're supposed to be but the chopper is late! Holding out as best as they can four become three, and then two... It's only Bill and Scott (<a href="/search/label/Lou%20Ferrigno">Ferrigno</a> and Brown) left standing as the helicopter sets down. Bill throws a fallen soldier over his shoulder and heads for relative safety as Scott tries to find an opening. He finds it, but just as he reaches out the bullets hit him. My, this is exciting, isn't it? Bill reaches out and grabs hold of his friend as they start to take off. He's got a good grip since he's strapped himself to the pilot's seat but just then... A bullet catches him in the temple! He hangs on, they get away, but their lives will be forever changed. THIS IS ALL BEFORE THE OPENING CREDITS! </p>
<p><img title="cage-2.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2JZfULYb6i_azVEOzumOdGMMGj-5WsCOx_cP8RN1sYYZYs2f9YHsYCF721yUWdgGSk7LRhLE3a567yfUEfDEfLAO0aYO-ZD7eMx2dQv81IBQZnT7OIBDJsYEXnsxehDub2agY-2iwMnf/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 2" width="450" height="360" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Billy needs that bullet like he needs a hole in the... Oh.</em></p>
<p>Recovery is a long and arduous process for the both of them, especially Billy. He's suffered serious brain damage and is left with the mind of a child. It becomes clear that Scott will be by his side, no matter what, helping him as much as he can to get healthy and learn to live life again. It feels like Scott figures every minute of the life he now gets to live is thanks to Billy and so there isn't anything he won't do for the man that gave him that second chance. Together, they make up the action movie equivalent of Bert and Ernie. Let's jump ahead to Los Angeles, 1989. Scott owns a bar frequented by vets and Billy helps out. Scott is equal parts friend, guardian, big brother, etc. It's also now that we're introduced to some shady shenanigans happening elsewhere in town. Illegal underground death matches fought in a cage and overseen by Yin (Shigeta), the local leader of the Tongs (Chinese Mafia). </p>
<p><img title="cage-3.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRX6zo3V9mHCGn2b6KU5oBngWl8dUH4GVNpBt5H_gN-mXxikfpAfhwBRUS4XRyHMbNAxZ2OmiQHgrRhxpRe8en4y5a9zRJ1JxbZj3H6KSfH_SR5KmAra7Z7ZUgj_itZyerSt09iuwKyi3g/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 3" width="450" height="360" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Ear today! Gone Tomorrow!</em></p>
<p>Back at the bar we learn through exposition that the guys are having money troubles and things are starting to get serious. Then, an 80's gang walks in and starts trouble, that is, they give trouble a shot before our heroes kick the living snot out of 'em. Scott still has the skills to kill and Billy doesn't take kindly to people messing with his best friend. While all of this is going on two guys, Tony and Mario, who stopped in to drown their sorrows after landing themselves a healthy debt with Yin see what's going on and start getting some ideas. The initial offer to fight is of course dismissed but guys like that, they don't take no so easily. They hire the punks that caught the earlier beat-down to burn up the bar forcing the financial stress angle. That happens, but somebody was inside when the place went up...</p>
<p><img title="cage-4.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3nmsM3FiEehIlHCDd5aP3qFqnhVanoz4Yun6jS6D2_hRL-p9610XcYBKhu3Qn7CJhM6ZBcNRadENthJmhIwB8g_h567W8bCQM2_SXt_vHUpIXylJjAr0d97AdQBF8vIJWhJ34xzV9Pz3/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 4" width="450" height="353" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">This guy's batty!</em></p>
<p><img title="cage-5.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY77d_aZIM3E0I0f999DPRwHEuaQh2qWCsEkeUT3kj2fw6BTW7EoKswMll08Ru44N86hVLt5Tni90sWwHyjxIAtymvaaN0O898_U7Er_XcrOy_9bwfJk8h8M3hr0ccjAA2Am6oAaNGDiaF/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 5" width="450" height="360" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Their bar is the town's hot spot!</em></p>
<p>It turns out that Tony and Mario owe money to other dangerous people already and time is running out for them. So, they wait for a chance to get Billy alone and, with the story that Scott wants them to look after him, they manage to lure him away. They see Billy as their only way out of trouble and are hell-bent on tricking him into fighting in order to make that fast money. Finding his friend gone, Scott turns to the police who are, predictably, no help at all. He won't stand for that, not at all, and essentially goes on a rampage while tracking Billy down! He leaves a significant amount of fire and bullets in his wake while closing in on the secret location of the next match. </p>
<p><img title="cage-6.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3LdKyZmhmKamRndBKjv4zEG0duLTDJctQd0OEwzMb8QF-cQz3uGgNpQBFw6ly5EPLLrOxnELXnOXoEEsv73IP6ymR4gtH0K__nk927JlI6Rrx66AsF9iSpTUCJYdz7Rm5dNTUKOgBJhl/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 6" width="450" height="360" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Apple turnover anybody?</em></p>
<p><img title="cage-7.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKxDUAlPQVZmIVCeonxuHTiQs_4LuNqV6YlQrRyBQNv4-FRz5NTppBElZbsCPQrc4i7eh3xR9RYRhqqQi6wqeoujyOiBgopXnRILi4d1fOcI9E8hnYfc6P33f9DSKXl1ryTXTZ261YaMa/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 7" width="450" height="360" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">Reb Brown! Equal opportunity destroyer!</em></p>
<p>All this covers the first half or so of the movie. There's a lot more going on as well; a strange woman with a camera, a mysterious cop who hangs around but makes no moves, secret identities, other fights, etc. Truth is, there's a lot to discuss! I've decided to let most of it go so as not to ruin the enjoyment for any potential fans. CAGE gives you a lot of movie for your money, and that's terrific. Not to mention the car chases, splattery squibs, brutal battles to the death, and more! Solid action for sure but what might surprise many is Ferrigno's turn as the child-like Billy.</p>
<p>Everybody is great, there are no complaints, but Lou truly stands out. I have a weakness for stuff like this. What can I say? I'm a sensitive guy! You feel for Billy, you care what happens to him. It's a fantastic performance and it's a memorable one. Reb is no joke either! Really, everybody flies high in CAGE. There's always something interesting happening so it's an absolute blast to watch from start to finish! I have to give an honorable mention to Al Ruscio as Costello. In his first five minute scene he packs in enough outrageous political incorrectness for three or four different movies. And he often left me laughing before he was done. CAGE is highly recommended!</p>
<p><img title="cage-8.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIfRX6sg4qtzsE4mA1Q86jr_3YFP07bEinQK9mnvTwuUmMHNQHIvd7F9dQaHQ2sBzC5nqEV6OTJ_v1Q0GlV_4Y_Q6s27jOjMN_ppIFwBcaXpjloWCrI9DgTSJk5kHi7y05lc4HV9y1H6O/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 8" width="450" height="347" border="0" /><br /><em style="font-size: 11px;">And she's buying the stairway to heaven....</em></p>
<p><strong>Notes:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>This movie would seem to be a loose remake of Heart of Dragon, a Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung Hong Kong movie from 1985. </li>
<li>Cameo: Look for 80's wrestling personality Queen Kong in the 'pool hall/hangout' scene. </li>
<li>Cameo: Look for Danny Trejo in a uncredited part as a gangster named Danny. </li>
<li>Cameo: Look for Matthias Hues as the Italian fighter.</li>
<li>The actor who played Yin's champion fighter, Chang, was played by Tiger Chung Lee. He had a wrestling background as well. This was his last role until 2012.</li>
<li>Director Lang Elliot was not known for action when he made this movie. He had plenty of experience working on Tim Conway and Don Knotts films though!</li>
<li>There is a sequel, CAGE II, which reunites Lou and Reb and also adds Shannon Lee and Leo Fong!</li>
<li>Pictures displayed are definitely a low-budget endeavor and are meant only to indicate content and are in NO WAY meant to reflect the quality of the presentation.</li>
</ul>
<div>Reviewed by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/XtroTheMutilator">Xtro the Mutilator</a></div>
<p><img title="cage-9.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8ZnlrXb6px27-tCkdaPxwZdMrgLMojIx01eKMZGnjI2vJdHOfuqmUvTrmBYKtLkGNvSYGTxJp-CpByRPk_AHXOtKnWL9FT69pncLqFAoZO6QoMRoS3mR_ft_ulNftQ1RIDw2T37kWk8o/?imgmax=1600" alt="Cage 9" width="450" height="360" border="0" /></p>
<p style="font-size: 11px;"><em>Billy! Don't be a hero!</em></p>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ibGiyfbHUnU?si=V3aqOinlSRxMPKNk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-39430870744903552292018-07-30T21:38:00.001+10:002018-07-30T21:38:22.847+10:00The Ultimate Weapon (1998)<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-cover.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bkF5cU20mhBvvTZWHzou-3wvzlT0oQX8T3Wvh-67aKLWN-gZT0KmeNccNEqSeCcdQ5orSFRfOsnSPbUnia8Q3stvCV0w5s_BdA23ZTmNRsPXWQLRwhe0bSz2-mVwW4NUAyTjcUYkjX13/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon" width="250" height="458" border="0" /> </p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>No Fear. No Rules. No Equal.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-1.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNPzrMqE3YIrAmjG9lnVrtiSjIT9mc1_Cb76H485xR6k6C-1GPo_COT6NBaOghGJCHtoHs-15wihgKxnyOgWMPJ3efQTs1MFkUaHrCfvnHipnlr7MhpgBblptOmNE518oUI8295WCLzGE/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 1" width="450" height="344" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’ve been doing this blog (on and off, let’s be fair) since 2011. So how have I made it this far without a Hulk Hogan film amongst the ranks? That was something I was determined to fix with The Ultimate Weapon!</p>
<p>Ben Cutter aka Hardball (<a href="/search/label/Hulk%20Hogan">Hulk Hogan</a>) is an ex soldier, now contract mercenary for hire. He is given a job along with newbie Dean (Carl Marotte, The Park is Mine) aka Cobra (named Cobra because that was his dad’s callsign… Cobra) to be the strike force that takes out an illegal gun runners fortress, codename: Shamrock (a name that should have been a dead giveaway, but I digress). After laying waste to the compound, the UN weapons recovery team helicopter in to clean up. Cutter is not convinced they are actually UN (thick Irish accents a dead giveaway of IRA ties, I guess), so following his instincts blows the absolute shit out of the compound from the safe distance of the (now stolen) helicopter, giving us the first tremendous explosions of the movie. This action has a ripple effect: the wealthy IRA buyer of the guns, McBride (Daniel Pilon, Scanners III) is angry and wants revenge, determines that Cutter’s daughter Mary Kate (Cynthia Preston) is the weak spot so kidnaps her, luring Cutter into his trap of revenge.</p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-2.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmD8LExl_deQUBoOFgPzT0Nw8lggs6EQxKm_Yn9aNXubZnmXTkpMZIzGQFMQWDY085Leki0OyG5uCI_4m-ltyEJj81AczfxIBDktnOOEsRfVFvdWQ0rkugkIJpUvJ8nGMOXWxZ7y8Tzwm/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 2" width="450" height="338" border="0" /></p>
<p>This was a great time. No messing around here, no overly complex plots. Just a solid late 90s body count movie with an of-the-time-appropriate stolen flash drive subplot (though I would have also accepted CD ROM, or better yet, Minidiscs posing as data storage) with a side dish of unsatisfied wife and daughter. The Ultimate Weapon knows what it is and embraces it, at least as far as TV movies can go with these things. It starts off as a commando movie, has a befriend-and-protect estranged daughter second act, and an escape and revenge third act. The acting across the board is passable (even Hogan, he’s just in full 80’s Arnie mode and it’s actually pretty good) and being late 90s we haven’t hit shaky-cam DTV era yet. We get a blazing first act, a slower but more methodical second act and a nice wrap up in the third. All you really need in this kind of film.</p>
<p>Starting off first, Ben Cutter is a badass. The first scene we see him in he’s in a Canadian Tuxedo - denim waistcoat, open to reveal bare chest, and denim jeans - and it’s a marvellous thing. Although not sporting a mullet in the movie, he metaphorically is wearing one. That’s after being roused awake from an <em>entirely slow-motion jungle scene </em>from, presumably, his Vietnam war days where he’s running away from an engaging enemy with a little girl under his arms. He loses his grip, she rolls down a gently hill screaming and he wakes up in denim, in a haystack. Brilliant. Hogan spends most of the film shooting people and looking imposing, though we do get a few shows of brute force you’d expect from a former wrestler. A classy scene in a bar shows Hogan roundhouse kick a guy through a pile of chairs, and then throw another guy over his head into a table. In every case that he is halted with a gun to his face, he manages to get out of it by either a sneaky punch or from the help of his along-for-the-ride partner Cobra. </p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-3.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2LkNGTjWDW1kpOPYOEH8GytWvRN-rBx3g0j_Ib8oI09BSb5syJgRE5E2KT7_JSUQNz08aH4KgZg4WenM7p4GNbCLKp2VwgUA03Xw2Az7mWOXZ_nZlaIL7RJ1tAVpiKr2jsYmmXuzST97/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 3" width="450" height="338" border="0" /></p>
<p>Our bad guy McBride is the rich businessman in mansion type, who has many legitimate businesses but one or two illegitimate ones as well. The kind of guy that has men in black just standing around his mansion guarding his Fabergé egg. We even have a scene of him fencing some shmo that works for him. His ploy to get to Cutter involves threatening (sexually) his daughter to draw him out (which it does) and we get a scene of him being strung up in a shooting range designed to test new guns on pig carcasses. That’s a new one for me, but it didn’t scare our boy Cutter. He breaks free, dispatches the goons and gets on about saving the day. </p>
<p>Speaking of the daughter, Mary Kate, we find her working in a tittle bar. Yes there are boobs in this film, no they were not hers. You have to feel sorry a little for Cutter in this scene, forced to watch his daughter dance sexily for paying drunks. And he may be the absent father of twenty years, but geez she would just not give him a break until the last fifteen minutes of this film when he went missing. A lot of teenage angst in that girl. Honestly the second act of the film with its slower pace, marriage proposals and focus on daddy issues could have spoiled this film, but there’s enough mullets and guns to keep it moving at a fair pace.</p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-4.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_NS71BAKyXLR_mbBV20z1U4iZccVrttlQBdbvKlZghiaH4dh_-Qzmbue2whT5I9o1VCcA0RwozrlyvhiL87_Ya1PNQW2eokrdCabQyqlr9ghGWgO7xSiPTEQ0hpcZsf4oeIz5lEhg0G1/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 4" width="450" height="338" border="0" /></p>
<p>One of the things I love about 90’s films “computer hacking” and this film doesn’t leave me wanting in that department. Not only does McBride wear a ‘flash drive’ around his neck (in 1998 no less!) but he stores important illegal information on it under the filename.. SECRET_FILE.DOC. I laughed so hard as our heroes attempted to decrypt the file and that name showed on the screen. Seriously, I love this stuff. </p>
<p>Now being made for TV the bloodletting was toned down but that’s not to say it wasn’t a solid action film. Plenty of foes were dispatched, especially in the first act, and over the top RPG explosions, machine gun firefights, flipped cars, the works. And there are a few minor gibs at critical points so it’s not all bloodless. It feels like a proper film, just with a slight haze of midday movie to the whole thing - but don’t read into that too much. If you like 90’s action from PM Entertainment or Nu Image then you will enjoy The Ultimate Weapon. The soundtrack of synth rock with wailing guitar solos also earns it an extra point in my book.</p>
<p>Note: the runtime of this UK disc was bang on 90 minutes, but Amazon and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186647/">IMDB</a> both list the runtime as 110. I don’t know if US VHS or DVDs could possibly be longer so I’m chalking that up to misprint that was repeated as fact.</p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-5.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LP7FxuTlb783crQggnjBNU9ztvYxgb7AKq7kmngVo5dSNKd1vJFYHtZJ4XsX9Uha28fLz8-gVQ0jLjs7ODYdYf20y4jiMJ0bjyntrKBPYnrx_qhOn_kgLB7Ky5DtolVqL9aaZpdA-IUI/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 5" width="450" height="338" border="0" /></p>
<p><img title="the-ultimate-weapon-6.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadxyUUdXcSKkIkQmVFsr3GO8PC_ZVpYur7s8FJoJZxsAuk6bH-xnQheFTN70FiFySIlyY7VQ152XY88FAVpIDKU7ErdCx_tjZrFS1JIb7E6fKTDtOVyrjxnwG0D7ctIpg4toGcCJ7Krce/?imgmax=1600" alt="The ultimate weapon 6" width="450" height="338" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p>
<p>The final scene in the movie shows one of McBride’s goons crash his car into the side of a bar, when inside McBride himself is standing on a landmine. A slow motion crash followed by a satisfying, humungous explosion and fade to black.</p>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4NGyu5OeJ8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-78042354226682022422018-07-21T20:58:00.000+10:002018-07-22T19:09:32.801+10:00China Salesman aka Zhong guo tui xiao yuan (2017)<p><img title="china-salesman-poster.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1NpqnyeldEzanWKm7J89k7geHIayIxZQTxBOHKuqqjEWwbSz-Z2EbGCbuq7QLRx8J-ePKh12AC7INxy1V1X8kBYbGNj4zQEvXJ8g1GGkyJ43wzwLtvkEqvi7LUo0TGR4XzckMztEKPZw/?imgmax=1600" alt="China salesman poster" width="250" height="373" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>Fighting the war to connect the nation.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-1.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYPDyATaXdshGQOOkgnUptwTbo3xPpzQ-wgQU4t4HmX0xQYhyphenhyphencY7mSoJg5Lj9jTVRybfZHnGy3Kgn9742TO6jubGvWiinhoSxcz04dRJrTW5ywmKnd1IvZBRB00iAYsRizWScrx8iGjjf/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-1" width="499" height="223" border="0" /></p>
<p>I had heard things about this film upfront. I’m not naive when it comes to this kind of film anymore. I know when I see Steven Seagal and Mike Tyson on the cover together, that if - and that’s a big if - the two get to brawl together, it will be for two minutes and then we will see the two stars sitting in chairs on and off throughout the film whilst Third Billing But Actually Main Star Guy takes 90% of the screen time. I went into the film expecting this. What did I get? Read on.</p>
<p>Yan Jian (Dong-xue Li, Brotherhood of Blades), a young Chinese IT engineer in North Africa and helping his company to win a bid for installing a new mobile phone network in the recently war-torn nation. The winning bid will own the rights to control the communication between the south and the north of the continent. French spy Michael (Cloivs Foulin) works for a rival phone company but he also hired the best mercenary in Africa, Lauder (<a href="/search/label/Steven%20Seagal">Steven Seagal</a>) and former General Kabbah (<a href="/search/label/Mike%20Tyson">Mike Tyson</a>) to help him win. Yan has discovered their conspiracy, and along with his invention that will ensure faster 3G connectivity for all, the full force and forces of the rival company are after him. The plot is utterly ridiculous, but I can’t bring myself to completely blame the writers as apparently this is based on a true story. Rival phone companies actually having a war in Africa over 3G versus CDMA technology is a thing that apparently happened. And China was the one to save the day. There is literal flag waving in the movie.</p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-2.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMxZwEqWrIOO5LKf86TMrbxDwUidFecm232Kg8Sgkj1banZYsvYPjqa29ChYdfjKY4vdHSZKgt0PTFZ9YItT_qBxK8q3JFVAXKJDdLHCrsD6-NKHHYcQGM04DvYQmTzH6IS9T7l49lPkk/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-2" width="500" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p>Let’s get the important thing out of the way first. Yes, Seagal and Tyson fight. And.. it’s pretty damn good, at least when taken at face value. It takes less than ten minutes of the runtime for it to happen and less than fifteen for it to end, but it is exactly the kind of fight I’d want to see between these two. Tyson heavy on the punches, Seagal heavy on the avoidance tactics and his patented slap-fu. The reason for the fight though? Tyson didn’t want to drink whiskey because of religious reasons, so Seagal served him up a gallon of piss. Yup. Actual piss. So Tyson beats the living shit out of Seagal’s henchmen, then the room, and then Seagal (I was impressed with that knockout, as ol' Steve usually doesn’t allow his characters to lose). Forget the fact that as we learn later in the film, these two are on the same side. Tyson rounds out the scene with the line; “Motherfucker, YOU drink piss!”. They could have run the credits at this point and made the best short action film in years. But alas, we have another 105 minutes to go.</p>
<p>The bulk of the film is political drama between Yan and his company, he rival phone company represented by the deranged Michael, and supposed neutral adjudicator Susanna (Janicke Askevold) who ends up helping Yan at the same time as saying his company is shit. Michael as a vile frenchman is equally awful as it is hilarious, straight out of James Bond Evil Bad-guy world. Then we are filled up with boardroom meetings, sabotage of technical equipment, then HOLY SHIT CIVIL WAR, FUCKEN TANKS, BATTLE HORSES then Mike Tyson spying through telescope, Seagal slapping his secretary’s arse, drive to phone tower to install transmitter HOLY SHIT THE LOCALS ARE KILLING A BABY GIRL RESCUE HER actually it was a circumcision and you’ve offended their faith and now IT guy has been strung up by his feet WE’RE TRAPPED IN A SANDSTORM... This is the strangest movie about telecommunications ever made.</p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-3.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDBYB6D4EYuuSHiEe1Lvq_MgLtofUtyccyEPwh36-phf3gESghY1bVkPqqZlZJo2cPnokUUgV8nYM0ZYXkc0FeEx5LnMc9tmriszWSE7d8k1dAJ-Fr9pTfvAVX1Tmst8ouQMksjvWQ3RA/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-3" width="500" height="224" border="0" /></p>
<p>The best performance in the film is from Dong-xue Li who tries his best with the material he’s given. He can at least act, with the exception of his fall from the radio tower which should take three seconds but takes twenty and is hilariously overdone. As for Seagal and Tyson’s remainder of the film (I know that’s why you are here); Tyson gets in on the action but mostly it’s driving a tank. No, it’s not as cool as it sounds. He does shoot missiles at a helicopter which IS cool, but misses. Christ he’s a bad actor, really. Not B-action star bad, just BAD. I’ve seen a less wooden performance from a tree. Seagal does a lot of what he does lots of these days - sitting in chairs. He is absent for the entire second act, but I’m sure he was sitting in a chair then too.</p>
<p>I spent a lot of this film with my mouth wide open just astonished at what I was seeing - not for good reasons mind you. The combination of what seems to be an absolutely huge budget with really quite beautiful sets and scenery, likely financed directly by the Chinese Government, contrasted with the quality of script and the bulk of the acting. They were so far apart I just couldn’t believe it. You know in a B-action movie the acting can be ropey and you accept it, but this is that kind of acting you get when both "non-English as a first language” speakers combine with "English as a first language but we better dumb it down for the Chinese audience” speakers butt heads. Top that off with the already suspect acting ability of Tyson and.. this is painful to watch. Scenes change gears so abruptly it feels like something was left on the cutting room floor. One moment Yan Jian is being arrested for drinking alcohol he thought was goats milk (yes, truly) and literally three seconds later Tyson ambushes the building and blows it half up, along with the people inside. Okay? Did that actually happen in this “true story”?</p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-4.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGDfQ-j9eHj1TPrv-BY4kbtkz8KvnQ6-IbXiIt5Wp0d75aDAt7PNge3LfeJBzCwW_WSh6lGpE8MKYPM2NBSITn98jcjGsz5udY7BLAfwgWi4K8RQvI_hN9FSfLsoprUmY0pqXuAF0rcJF/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-4" width="500" height="224" border="0" /></p>
<p>So, <a href="/search/label/Scott%20Adkins">Scott Adkins</a> (billed as Scotty Adkins) has executive producer credits on this mess? What the hell was he doing? I love the guy’s work (seriously, everybody go see Savage Dog right now) but he shouldn’t have put his name to this propaganda film. Maybe he just produced the epic fight between our poster hogs? I’ll let myself believe that.</p>
<p>Did I hate this movie then? No. It’s too ridiculous to hate and the opening fight is boss. If they shaved 30 minutes off it (this thing drags through 110 minutes), it could have been loads better. As it is, it’s more often than not unintentionally hilarious what with the bonkers scenes and remedial English. In the final act, Mike Tyson gives a heartfelt monologue complete with tears, but he’s doing that whilst holding detonators in his hand. And when he said “No more war, we must bring peeth” I completely lost it. For a far better Chinese production mixed with Western actors, check out Wolf Warrior 2.</p>
<p>China Salesman movie was written and directed by Tan Bing and it is his only credit on IMDB. I wouldn’t be surprised if it remained that way.</p>
<p>Addendum: it’s worth noting that about a quarter of the film’s runtime is in Mandarin with English subtitles.</p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-5.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPtLqgeryI1JT1LzDyOYhbp1Vv1PMAaltsjw-GL4dlIA4z_BWZkhoOjP8BGbbj-VIT9FpO2vTp5NBieoI4k3kSCJ780PgOMlloTgXBytE5IujGV_FiaZbDojoU7ZRoH7IxP64tcyrRr96/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-5" width="500" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p><img title="china-salesman-6.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZkB2tukg_vwbLOzEf4NKLIln9TTbJyN_t4P5F_Lk24taUhbse_bXemuINJf7yrqiUwDjLMaCHr1tJoO8vPj88F-XU15r3__YxSNifr2TRhilShUeBYy3kKGQQ4acpmK0lUIkJmZ9SxDu/?imgmax=1600" alt="china-salesman-6" width="500" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p>
<p>As you can probably guess, the best and most traditional part of the film is the Seagal vs Tyson fight at the ten minute mark. It’s pretty epic actually, with Tyson throwing strong punches, Seagal throwing barrels and Tyson punching through them, half a bar being destroyed.. good times. Shame about the rest of the film.</p>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wUnbGvEd5ks" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-17559594346554582562017-11-27T23:27:00.001+11:002024-01-26T10:29:45.655+11:00Ultimate Justice (2016)<p><img title="ultimate-justice.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gCzouROsgog/WhwEYQewGhI/AAAAAAAAcL4/7crPfxkQ2DAhJ4MqMIbNdklW1iHgIUguwCHMYCw/ultimate-justice.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Ultimate Jusice" width="250" height="333" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>Vivere Militare Est.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p>So I’ll get this out of the way early. The film is largely dubbed, in English, likely due to it surprisingly being a German film. Mostly by their original voices (this is no <a href="/search/label/Steven%20Seagal">Steven Seagal</a> in Attack Force); Mark plays Mark, Hues plays Hues, etc. But for example Wolfgang Riehm who plays the Commander is clearly speaking German and being dubbed by somebody else. I thought this was going to be intolerable, especially after an early scene had bad echoes of the actors possibly doing their ADR work in a large room but thankfully that passed and the dubbing became less noticeable as the film progressed, though the sound is rarely natural. I thank my years of watched Kung Fu movies for my tolerance level being higher than perhaps others.</p>
<p>We start with a pretty sweet two-squad attack on an enemy compound that sees Gus (<a href="/search/label/Mark%20Dacascos">Mark Dacascos</a>) and Frank (<a href="/search/label/Matthias%20Hues">Matthias Hues</a>) taking point. Through the usual array of firing every variety of military firearm, hand grenades and even a tasty knife thrown at a throat the team get the “package” (some guy, I dunno, it’s irrelevant) but not first without losing a man. Back on friendly ground, Gus tells the Commander he’s done with this crap and disbands the team - in fact he sells the whole company (no that’s not weird, I just haven’t mentioned yet that this is a private special operations group - not regular army Joes).</p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h01m10s915.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LDUtRyLVYBM/WhwEdVXk-yI/AAAAAAAAcME/GfwC0C9nU0E5EMaAxU3EV0TcWkDCYHr3ACHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h01m10s915.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h01m10s915" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p>Eight years later and Gus is having dinner with his former Commander Hans, his wife and daughter. Hans reveals he is sick and has been seeing a doctor. This seems like something important that we should remember but Gus’ wife is impatient for sex so they leave. That night Hans’ family is attacked at home; his wife raped and murdered (a rather nasty scene), and his daughter kidnapped. Calling in on Hans at the hospital, Gus declares he will get the old team back together, rescue Hans’ daughter and deliver... Ultimate Justice.</p>
<p>It’s the oldest action movie plot in existence, but I digress. This independent action flick has a lot to offer for seasoned DTV action movie fans. Firstly there are a lot of fights and shootouts and they get pretty creative, with interesting locations and set pieces that keep things interesting. Hand to hand combat is largely based around the martial arts, and at times echoes the best Jackie Chan films with the use of random objects as makeshift weapons against three guys at once finally culminating with a shovel to the face. The film goes from interrogation to fight, to interrogation to shootout, car chase to dirt bike chase, throw in a team casualty and a red herring, wash and repeat until the final showdown and rescue of the girl. Some of the old tropes come out of the closet (“I thought you were dead!”). This is no bad thing, by the way. You didn’t come here expecting anything else. </p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h05m45s657.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NC4e7XHm-YE/WhwEks1a2hI/AAAAAAAAcMU/WWDnLtCaslc3dQTuHyvFZqS6a2AGoIdhgCHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h05m45s657.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h05m45s657" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>“To live is to fight.”<br /></em><em>“What does it mean to die?" </em></p>
<div>
<p>All the fighters are believable and we get decent screen time fights for the main team of Mark Dacascos and Matthias Hues (and it’s great to see them as compadres, not enemies). My standout was <a href="/search/label/Mike%20Möller">Mike Möller</a> as Benny who has some fast Van Dammage-like kicks in his arsenal. He’s certainly moved on from Inmate #1 in Half Past Dead and sports quite the filmography as an established stuntman. I hope to see him in more leading action roles, though not to downplay the quality fights that the rest of the team displayed, he was my favourite.</p>
When Gus is getting the team back together, we get the classic scenes of seeing what the former members are up to now, last seen for me in Expendables 3. One is a cop doing street fights for cash on the side. Another is the token computer hacker who is recruited as the.. computer hacker. Benny is pumping petrol and defending young lady customers from interfering scum. <a href="/search/label/Brandon%20Rhea">Brandon Rhea</a> as Doc has become a monk to atone for his past sins as a top notch interrogator. But Matthias Hues wins the show with his new career flipping burgers, wearing a burger hat. This is off the charts awesome, as you can see below. </div>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h00m59s176.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y2Sv07XbL48/WhwEfe_P5eI/AAAAAAAAcMI/bUXrvguVrhgQy4npvGbH7t3G6P4wQK2FQCHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h00m59s176.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h00m59s176" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p>The film may not sound great with the dubbing but it looks pretty good. Proper lighting, decent camera’s, this is a film that had a modicum of budget and was filmed in scope. The camera doesn’t flick around too much during the fights, though it’s still shot quite frenetically. This is refreshing as many modern DTV films cheap out on the visuals, though we still do get the occasional CG muzzle shot and squib but I did not find it distracting.</p>
<p>So overall, this is a fine indie actioner that suffers a little from the (sometimes amusing) post-production voice work, but is largely redeemed by some really quite good action set pieces, a story that doesn’t try too hard to be challenging, and a quality team of combatants (some of the bad guys too are badass fighters) that know how to deliver a good kicking. Good times at 90 minutes and a solid DTV debut for newcomer director Martin Christopher Bode. </p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h02m26s641.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4kjP-AkBP8M/WhwEi_4EwUI/AAAAAAAAcMQ/EmX3SCbaztkHqNumA3kJtEGhTwABya-NACHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h02m26s641.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h02m26s641" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p>
<p>Aside from Matthias Hues’ burger hat, the biggest character development is the internal turmoil we see with Doc as he switches from master interrogator to monk in dressing gown. He snaps and turns to the dark side when one of the team close to him is killed, and the film takes a temporary very dark turn into Hostel territory with Doc torturing a guy with a nail-gun and disc sander. To quote Han Solo, “They didn’t even ask me any questions..”.</p>
<p><strong>Trailer:</strong></p>
<p><strong><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u8ymMdymg04?si=UmUQ2GpNn-DtO13D" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></strong></p>
<p><strong><strong>More photos:</strong></strong></p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h02m52s595.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q0Y7EJ-gDJM/WhwEmf7RE2I/AAAAAAAAcMY/4_0Rr8abEuA8xBVtrujT0LWiJ1U5FUNEQCHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h02m52s595.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h02m52s595" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h03m53s648.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g7OLknGYqdQ/WhwEn140kQI/AAAAAAAAcMc/UQjXXuY1Qu8_W2fPMbcBMobsn1gDTtoEgCHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h03m53s648.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h03m53s648" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h04m42s966.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ro5O-JQV9KA/WhwEroTkU-I/AAAAAAAAcMk/q4G_pX_z2foEdT07B0QH2vIfWSbJwNaIwCHMYCw/vlcsnap-2017-11-27-23h04m42s966.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 11 27 23h04m42s966" width="550" height="309" border="0" /></p>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4755240040910712686.post-69046572203758754212017-06-12T23:22:00.001+10:002024-01-26T10:31:16.406+11:00Fist 2 Fist (2011)<p><img title="Fist 2 Fist.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kUfXN0h0VAM/WT6VbXTv_jI/AAAAAAAAUcA/n3I1XU6Pin8ce9OJ3LjJXSyNCKNTAaS2QCHM/Fist%2B2%2BFist.png?imgmax=1600" alt="fist-2-fist-cover" width="250" height="358" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Tagline:</strong></p>
<p>His greatest enemy lies in the shadows of his past.</p>
<p><strong>Movie Review:</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><img title="vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h01m48s248.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-daR_XgCVOTc/WT6Vc-BtPfI/AAAAAAAAUcE/ErYgzgQiTIcHwykhBu_cQ96rXiTXTaaWQCHM/vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h01m48s248.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 06 12 23h01m48s248" width="400" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p>It’s not very often I do back-to-back reviews of the same actor. I’m not even sure I have done so before - let alone another film in the same franchise. I was so impressed with <a href="/search/label/Jino%20Kang">Jino Kang</a> in <a href="/2017/05/fist-2-fist-2-weapon-of-choice-2014.html">Fist 2 Fist 2: Weapon of Choice</a> that I decided to go backwards in the saga to the first film. The first thing worth mentioning is that, like the various Bloodfist sequels, Jino Kang plays an entirely different character than he does in Fist 2 Fist 2: Weapon of Choice. So don’t go in expecting character continuation (or in this case, formation) and treat it as a stand alone film.</p>
<p>After an opening monologue delivered by Kang’s character Ken, we are straight into the action. Ken and his associate are about to break in to a car chop shop with the goal of rescuing said associate’s brother who has been forced to labour there. Almost instantly we are witness to the quality, actual martial arts delivered by Jino Kang. In character as Ken, he quickly dispatches the thugs then with a quick flinch disarms the leader of his pistol. Fast moves, and a nice intro into the world of Jino Kang that sets him up as a guy that will do what’s right and will use his skills to enforce it.</p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h04m03s526.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZavB3c_umPU/WT6VfUX1E0I/AAAAAAAAUcM/N_K9rQ7eXhMeyxwdeqDAIufa2NzZOy3MACHM/vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h04m03s526.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 06 12 23h04m03s526" width="400" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p>Ken runs a youth centre for street kids as well as kids training in the martial arts. We are introduced to Jim, a street kid who after a failed attempt to rob Ken, agrees to join his centre and train. We get a few fun scenes of a training montage, which differs from the usual as Ken is not doing most of the training. He sends Jim off to various schools to learn different schools of fighting from Karate to Hapkido and MMA - which, from the special features on the disc, appear to be actual trainers and fighters, not actors. </p>
<p>At the same time, incarcerated underworld boss Tokyo Joe (Bill Duff, featured on the poster) is up for parole. He has served fifteen years behind bars and blames his former criminal colleague Ken for his predicament; through a flashback it’s revealed that in a carjacking gone wrong, Joe snapped and killed the driver leaving a baby orphaned, and Ken has spent the same time trying to atone for what he did that night. Strangely the first thing Joe does when he gets out of jail is go see a psychic. That was a little odd, but whatever floats your boat.</p>
<p>You’d think the next course of action is for Joe to kill Ken, but no. They meet like men and Joe offers him a deal - his fighters versus Ken’s fighters in a battle royale, the winner takes the substantial pot and all past deeds forgotten. Ken can use the money to keep his youth centre open. “This sounds too good to be true” says Ken. Right he is. Ken’s wife begs Joe not to go ahead with the tournament and in return she is taken hostage to ensure the fight goes ahead. Ken, a man atoning for his past life and trying to make better choices, now must close the book on a story started fifteen years earlier.</p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h06m15s349.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FOoiL-v-4co/WT6Vgr2DMwI/AAAAAAAAUcQ/BFy1pS6lCNUEhEbkuGpycfTinNDeMA1YQCHM/vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h06m15s349.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 06 12 23h06m15s349" width="400" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p><em><strong>“There’s always a choice. You just always make the wrong one."</strong></em></p>
<p>The plot of Fist 2 Fist is similar to most other “forced to fight” films, but that’s not to say the films offers nothing new. The angle taken here is less on the fights in the ring themselves - they are the side story of Jim and his friends trying to keep their youth centre operating. The main focus is on Ken fighting his way through Tokyo Joe’s thugs to rescue his wife and defeat Joe in hand to hand (or fist 2 fist) combat. Each attacker he faces offers something unique for us to see defeated. One guy called Speed has Wolverine-style claws on his hands that scratch Ken up but still don’t take him out. Ken upgrades from his fists to knives and the violence gets bloodier with throats cut, a taser employed and a guy crushed by a car hydraulic. Ouch. </p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h06m43s129.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OHCbPRT9raw/WT6ViNGHhAI/AAAAAAAAUcU/tE8qFspXKMI51UlBCGqRKoL73GFmN4AlACHM/vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h06m43s129.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 06 12 23h06m43s129" width="400" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p>The best things about Jino Kang’s films are their honesty. They are gritty and realistic. Low key, without the flamboyant pretence of bigger Hollywood films nor the wire work of modern Chinese epics. No outrageous special effects. He’s used the cameras and equipment needed to get the job done. There’s nothing about the fights in his films that don’t look achievable to somebody with skills. Jino Kang is not an ‘action hero’, he’s somebody that knows the arts and is applying them to movies that he writes, directs and stars in. Like I said in the <a href="http://www.explosiveaction.com/2017/05/fist-2-fist-2-weapon-of-choice-2014.html">quasi-sequel</a>, they are clearly passion projects for him.</p>
<p>I bought this DVD on a whim a long time ago in a bulk sale and filed it on the shelf. It wasn’t until I learned who Jino Kang was that I realised I actually had a film with him in it. The cover: I wouldn’t say put me off, but with that title it didn’t encourage me to watch this expecting martial arts fun. More a WWE studios beatdown. Kang isn’t even on it, and I’m not familiar with Bill Duff’s career in wrestling to recognise his name. I should have watched this film sooner. And Kang should clearly be taking the front and centre position on the poster. Out of the three Jino Kang films I’ve seen (and that so far is all of them) this is my favourite one. Recommended.</p>
<p><img title="vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h07m36s686.png" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f5y6FME-o3Y/WT6VjcsGUoI/AAAAAAAAUcY/-PLOHXRTCWw0IsZbpsls2gEM7z6LW4u_wCHM/vlcsnap-2017-06-12-23h07m36s686.png?imgmax=1600" alt="Vlcsnap 2017 06 12 23h07m36s686" width="400" height="225" border="0" /></p>
<p><strong>Highlight:</strong></p>
<p>In a eight-to-one match that would see lesser combatants taken out swiftly, Ken approaches it with a one-liner that sounds straight out of a Van Damme movie: “Which one of you mother fuckers wants to die first?” Ken pulverises the goons in a marvellous arm-breaking beatdown!</p>
<p><strong>Movie:</strong></p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xK1XFRuVheo?si=ugIUxx-pTee5jte8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Explosive Actionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07443543631273036178noreply@blogger.com1