Back to Back aka American Yakuza 2 (1996)

Tagline:

It’s time to clean house.

Movie Review:

Bob Malone (Michael Rooker) is having a bad day. His house is being repossessed by the bank, the ATM ate his card, and he’s caught up in a Yakuza war against the mafia. But let’s take a step back for a second.

We start with two Japanese business types arriving at the airport, one with a suitcase (Koji, Ryo Ishibashi of Rogue Assassin and The Grudge) and one obsessed with Elvis (Hideo, Kô Takasugi). Taking a limo to the stripper bar -this is at the 3 minute mark, folks - they have jovial conversation about the weight of Elvis’ coffin being inconsistent to that with a body inside it before taking their leave to an Italian restaurant. If this sounds like a Quentin Tarantino film already, strap yourself in because it’s a bumpy ride from here.

Crossing back to Bob Malone, fed up with his day he takes it out on an inconsiderate driver who parked his car in. It turns out this driver is the getaway driver for a bank robbery that has just gone down and now Malone is in the middle of a shootout - which ultimately leads to his arrest. One of the robbers escapes the bloodshed, and that just happens to be Bobcat Goldthwait (Police Academy 2, 3 and 4’s Zed!) hamming up an exceptional performance as a deranged robber - known only as Psycho - with a bomb strapped to his chest. Worlds collide as Psycho takes his last stand at the restaurant the Japanese guys are dining in, but his failure results in the loss of a hand and eventually an explosive death. 

Lieutenant Dussecq (John Laughlin of The Rock) on the scene arrests Koji, though he brutally escapes interrogation and during his escape kidnaps both Malone and his fed-up bailer daughter Chelsea (played by the lovely Danielle Harris from Halloween 4, Urban Legend and Stallone’s Daylight). Arriving back at Malone’s house, the tables quickly turn as both Malone and Koji have to defend themselves from the attacking Italian restaurant Mafia who are after the suitcase! You see how it’s all connected now people?

Wow, what a ride this is. The first two acts share a lot with Reservoir Dogs in the direction and the switching between character scenes. There’s even fades and wipes! Every few minutes there’s a car chase or a shoot-out and very little in the way of crummy talking scenes. Michael Rooker brings his A-game as the completely-over-it ex cop in the style of John McClane, and the buddy angle with Koji works well. As you’d expect, the two form a bond over bloodshed and similar goals. We do lose sight of Hideo as he chauffeurs the briefcase whilst wounded and makes his way back to the stripper club. That’s about the only character who felt a little wasted. The third and final act is a journey to a classic action showdown, and is played far more straight than the opening acts.

Back to Back aka American Yakuza 2 shares its name with American Yakuza but the similarities end there; although Ryo Ishibashi is in both films (albeit as different characters). Director Roger Nygard is not a name I was familiar with and checking his biography I can see why. Back to Back is literally his only genre film (if you discount the documentary Trekkies he helmed). That is unfortunate as he shows a flair for action direction here. The film was shot for cable TV and it definitely shows this, but the action is kinetic, the gunplay extensive and the car crashes numerous.

There are plenty of “hey, who’s that guy?” moments during the film to look out for: Vincent Schiavelli’s distinctive face shows up with the mafia fellas, Tim Thomerson (Jack Deth from Trancers aka Future Cop) makes an appearance and Leland Orser as the loony wheelchair beggar. These glorified cameos add an extra touch of fun to the film.

This feels just like a good mid 90’s Nu Image or PM Entertainment style action film does; think Executive Target for an appropriate comparison. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, has a rocking soundtrack, plenty of interesting characters and enough machine gun action to satisfy the readers of a site called Explosive Action. Back to Back is wall to wall fun!

Highlight:

Bobcat Goldthwait’s hilarious but short-lived Psycho is worth the price of entry alone. You’d easily mistake the film for a comedy when he’s on screen.

Trailer:

Undisputed (2002)

Tagline:

At Sweetwater Prison, The World Heavyweight Champion is about to meet his match.

Movie Review:

Undisputed is not an action movie, it is a boxing movie. The cover on the DVD (different to the poster above) has a helicopter flying through an explosion and the tag line "A smart action movie". It also has a comparison quote "the butt-kicker that XXX should have been". Nothing could be further from the truth here except the 'smart movie' part. I was expecting a prison action movie with shivs in the bathroom, brawls in the mess hall (although there were the beginnings of a riot), prison snitches being hung from their cells by their linen, corrupt wardens and beatings from officers. There was none of that and it was so, so refreshing.

As soon as I saw Michael Rooker playing A. J. Merker, second-in-charge to the warden, I expected him to be aligned with one of the prison gangs, taking money on the side and sneaking in drugs. In reality the man doesn't lay a hand on anyone and only upholds the prison law respectfully. The fights themselves are in the grey-area of legality but the warden allows it and no-one is forced to fight in any kind of Battle Royale; so in that regard it is quite different from any prison action movie you will normally find on Explosive Action. The only explosive action here is fists against fists and ego against ego.

The basic plot is George 'Iceman' Chambers (Ving Rhames), the heavyweight champion of the world, has been convicted of rape and sentenced to 6-8 years in a prison reserved for the worst of the worst. He denies the charge but as his lawyer so bluntly puts it, there is a difference between justice and the law. He demands specialty treatment and to an extent it is rewarded to him but he does try to play it cool with the other prisoners. That is, until he hears about the inter-jail twice-yearly bouts and the reigning "champion" Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes). He is the undisputed jail champion of 168 fights and Rhames is the undisputed champion of the world so of course there is tension. Snipes would happily go about his day and ignore the new arrival, however the gauntlet is thrown down by Rhames and the bear repeatedly poked until a match is set.

In the special features, Wesley Snipes says his character is "Reserved, Cerebral and Internal" which I think is very accurate and adds to the 'smart' tag used on the DVD cover. Snipes barely says any words throughout the movie and puts on a very strong performance as a man doing time for a crime he does not deny, keeping to himself and fighting only for his own respect. That's the key word to Undisputed - R.E.S.P.E.C.K, as ring announcer Marvin says. The movie also could have also descended into a crude display of thuggery - not that there is anything wrong with that, I enjoy an over-the-top beatings movie more than anyone - but instead it focussed on the mind and the preparation for one single fight, without resorting to montages (well, just one or two glimpses of the guys exercising). Snipes spends most of his time in solitary confinement for his own protection, building model Japanese buildings from match sticks and contemplating his past and his future.

The obvious comparison of Rocky is unavoidable; Snipes playing the Rocky Balboa character and Rhames playing a re-interpretation of Carl Weather's Apollo Creed. But really the only similarities are with the Iceman having a serious case of untouchable FIGJAM ("Fuck I'm good, just ask me") the same way Apollo Creed does and Snipes being portrayed as the 'people's hero' like Rocky is. The truth is both men have committed violent crimes (which Rhames disputes until the end) and are just trying to get by with what they've been handed. Snipes, it is revealed via flashbacks, killed a man by beating him to death in the course of protecting his girl. The only real flaw I found with the movie was that there was no resolution to Rhames' crime either way, aside from his early parole due to the agreements founded for the final bout. You never know if he actually raped that girl or if she was the gold digger that had been suggested. That, and Michael Rooker didn't have enough scenes.

Some of the other characters are worthy of mention; Mendy Ripstein is the partially senile mob equivalent of Rocky's Mickey Goldmill and is the organiser of the fights, having watched fights since the 50's, and commands a lot of respect in jail even from the warden. "Ratbag" is the manager of Snipes and get's winded by Rhame's in one of his show-off moments. Mingo is cellmates with Rhames and acts, quietly, as his eyes and ears. All serve their purpose admirably and do not take away from the main show of Snipes vs. Rhames.

It was an each way bet with me as to who would win in the end. Logically you think it would be Snipes as he is the bigger actor and has the title role, but Rhames' character Iceman does go on to be in the sequel (acted by Michael Jai White), which I haven't seen yet. Like Rocky before it, I was glued to the screen for the final bout to see how it would play out. A great movie and I really look forward to checking out the sequels. Highly recommended.

The Video:

Nice and sharp picture presented in scope, mainly dark and concentrating on the hues of a prison facility. Good clear sound that really drives home every bone-crunching punch to the chest. Runtime 94 minutes. Comes with two short interviews with the two stars that really separate actor from character; Ving Rhames is a very well spoken man.

Sourced From:

R1 Miramax DVD from eBay for a buck or two. Does not have an R4 release it seems (or it's out of print) which is strange as the two sequels do.

Trailer:

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