High concept meets low budget in this bonkers mishmash of virtual reality, cyborg hunting, video games, and martial arts tournaments from director Andrew Stevens (whose mom, Stella, pops up as our hero's virtual assistant).
The charisma-free Don “The Dragon” Wilson stars as David Quarry, a “Grid Runner” who protects the borders in a slightly futuristic vision of the western United States. One of the fringe benefits of Quarry’s gig is unlimited use of a virtual reality system overseen by Dr. Cameron (old-time movie star Turhan Bey). But while Quarry’s partner John (Ken McCleod) enjoys the fruits of cyber-sex, the by-the-book Quarry prefers to battle martial arts opponents in a virtual reality tournament he can never quite win.
But things get real when Dr. Cameron discovers a way to use a tub full of neon slime to bring the virtual creations to life. When Cameron’s boss sees what the goo can do, he immediately has him create two of the cyber-babes in order to make a fortune selling obedient sex slaves to rich weirdoes. What Cameron doesn’t know is that the goo has also unleashed Dante (Michael Bernardo), Quarry’s unbeatable adversary from the dreaded Level 10, who has designs on bringing his fellow VR baddies into this world.
Will Quarry defeat Dante and his minions before its too late? Can a Grid Runner find true love with a virtual reality sex-bot? Why does slightly futuristic Las Vegas look just like it did in 1995, except everybody has an oversized flip phone? How come Dante sounds just like the Klingon from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION? And, wait, was that the disembodied head of Rip Taylor?
You’ll barely have time to ponder these questions as VIRTUAL COMBAT zips along from one ridiculous scene to the next and efficiently wraps itself up in 87 minutes. – Dan Taylor
ASIAN CONNECTION opens with a somber, sleepy voiceover from Avalon (Pim Bubear) as she wistfully recalls her first encounter with Jack (John Edward Lee who looks like the genetic car crash of Josh Duhamel, Steve Zahn and Walton Goggins), an American ex-pat living in Thailand who sports Asian tattoos, rides motorcycles, and robs banks with his trigger-happy Brit buddy,
Sam (Byron Gibson).
Unfortunately, Jack and Sam make the mistake of hitting a small Cambodian bank packed to the gills with marked bills from the cache of crime lord Gan Sirankiri (Seagal) and his brother. From there it doesn’t take long for Sirankiri’s henchman Niran (Sahajak Boonthanakit) to track Jack down and make him an offer he literally can’t refuse—rob the banks I tell you to rob and cut
me in for half or I spill the beans and do unspeakable things to your girl.
From there the D-grade blend of POINT BREAK and TRUE ROMANCE (with partial story credit to the late Tom Sizemore, who appeared in both of those better flicks) lurches from plot point to plot point as Sam does boneheaded things and Niran plots his ascent while Jack and Avalon find themselves caught between the cops and Seagal’s gang.
While not a waste of time like some post-prime Seagal outings (I’m looking at you AGAINST THE DARK), ASIAN CONNECTION suffers from material that feels a bit too familiar as well as flat acting from both Bubear and Lee. The script, credited to D. Glase Lomond, never establishes the deep connection Jack and Avalon are supposed to have, and saddling Bubear with lines like “Do me on this pile of cash…” only makes matters worse.
Kudos to the casting director and director Daniel Zirilli, though, for juicing the flick with guys like Gibson and Boonthanakit (HARD TARGET 2), both of whom bring an energy to their performances that keeps the leads from sinking the whole endeavor. Also watch for action icon Michael Jai White in a brief role as arms dealer “Greedy Greg” and then sit back and wonder, like I did, how he isn’t a big star. Better yet, track down White’s NEVER BACK DOWN: NO SURRENDER (2016) or FALCOLN RISING (2014).
Fellow Seagal completists will be happy to hear that our hero is used sparingly and never embarrasses himself. Oh sure, you’ll snicker at his blousy outfits, avert your eyes during a slow-motion martial arts foreplay session and audibly gasp when he gets really mad and flips over a food-filled table (I swear I saw a tear trickle down his cheek). But I’d like to see him play against type more often since he’s reached the point where his ever-increasing bulk, shoe-polish goatee and menacing wheeze make him far more suited to a villain than a vengeance-seeking hero. – Dan Taylor
This review previously appeared in Exploitation Retrospect #53, still available from Amazon.
After ending 2024 with BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, I wanted to start the new year with something a little more challenging. Something that would stimulate my inner cinephile.
Oh, who am I kidding? As soon as the Rose Bowl got out of reach, I trawled through the streaming junkpile until I settled on 2024’s Jean-Claude Van Damme revenge actioner KILL ‘EM ALL 2.
I was slightly worried that having either not seen or totally forgotten 2017’s KILL ‘EM ALL (regarded as one of JCVD’s worst direct-to-video efforts) I’d be lost by the plot intricacies (hah!), but that wasn’t the case.
Van Damme returns as Phillip, a retired spy who has settled down in a small Italian village after the events of the first film. Living a life off the grid with his daughter Vanessa (Jacqueline Fernandez), all is well until Vlad (the younger brother of the villain from KILL ‘EM ALL) locates him and pulls out all the stops to exact revenge. Our hero must save himself and his daughter from a bevy of evil Eastern European stereotypes while also protecting the village that he loves.
From there it’s all double crosses, shootouts, and fast-edit-fistfights as we head to the inevitable showdown. Unfortunately, JCVD is edging into The Seagal Zone, in which there’s lots of half-hearted stunt doubling and the occasional vocal impersonation because the star was probably off shooting something else and couldn’t be brought back for dubbing. Still, its miles ahead of most of the dreck Seagal has been cranking out for the last couple decades.
In its defense, KEA2 zips through its 85-minute running time and it’ll be over before you go “why am I watching this…”. Bonus points for bringing back the always-reliable Peter Stromare (as Agent Holman) and look for JCVD’s son Nicholas (billed as Nic Van Damme) in a small role. – Dan Taylor
After a botched museum heist, professional thief Jack Reese (Adam Copeland, better known for wrestling under the names Edge and Sexton Hardcastle) must accept an almost impossible job from mobster Darius “The Rumble” Grouch III (Kelsey Grammer). Reese and his crew must steal the cash and cryptocurrency aboard the infamous Money Plane, an airborne casino where notorious criminals wager on everything from a live game of Russian Roulette to how long it will take a man to die from a cobra bite.
Posing as human traffickers and a stewardess, Reese and his team commandeer the plane and set about stealing the loot, all while Reese’s pal (Thomas Jane) protects his family (Denise Richards) and gets to the bottom of the botched art heist.
Unfortunately, the fun concept is ruined by ham-fisted execution from writer/director Andrew Lawrence, who also co-stars as Iggy, Reese’s team member on the ground tasked with downloading the crypto. And, yes, Lawrence is the brother of Joey Lawrence (BLOSSOM), who plays the plane’s concierge, named “Concierge”. At least he’s not named Joe or Joey, like most of Lawrence’s acting roles. (A third Lawrence shows up in a ridiculous cowboy hat and fake mustache as, you guessed it, “The Cowboy”.)
If you make the mistake of renting this or better yet, finding it at your local library like I did, the whole thing lurches along quickly enough that it’s fairly painless but you’ll hate yourself—and the film—afterwards. Best enjoyed with an adult beverage or three as you contemplate which vacation home Grammer and Jane used this to make mortgage payments on. – Dan Taylor
When I think revenge-fueled vigilantes, George Kennedy (“Patroni” in the AIRPORT series) is not the first person who leaps to mind. But I’d always wondered about THE HUMAN FACTOR after stumbling upon the tie-in novel many years ago, so when I spotted it the DVD on a shelf at the local library, I knew I had to give it a holiday break spin.
Kennedy plays John Kinsdale, a NATO computer specialist who lives in Naples, Italy with his wife and two children. Unbeknownst to Kinsdale, terrorists have targeted Americans living in Italy and have vowed to kill them until the US President pays $10 million dollars and releases a group of political prisoners.
While at work on his son’s birthday, the Kinsdale clan is killed by the terrorists in a seemingly random attack, and Kinsdale contemplates suicide—until a television report about the crime snaps him out of it and ignites his rage. Working with his NATO pal McAllister (John Mills), the pair feed clues into their computer and track down the killers.
THE HUMAN FACTOR is about as odd a vigilante thriller gets.
There’s a lot of talking and looking at old-school green computer terminal text with the added bonus of Kennedy playing the doughiest vigilante on record, and the whole thing climaxes in a shootout between Kinsdale and the terrorists in a commissary.
A weird but interesting slice of 70s cinema. – Dan Taylor
I'm a sucker for Dolph Lundgren movies, so while trawling the DVD shelves at my library I couldn't help but pick this up (along with MONEY PLANE with pro wrestler Edge and Kelsey Grammer, THE HUMAN FACTOR with George Kennedy, and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP, which is considered one of the best British films ever made).
Dolph stars as Aiden, a mysterious dude whose wife and daughter are kidnapped in Italy. A ransom exchange goes wrong and the pair are killed. Aiden returns to the town years later after a detective contacts him with new information. Revenge follows.
Years of watching his flicks has earned Dolph a solid 87 minutes of my time whenever something he's in pops up on streaming or physical media. Sometimes you get CASTLE FALLS or that one where he's a heavy metal drummer who gets caught in a DIE HARD rip-off. Sometimes you get THE TRACKER.
This feels like a "recovery movie" for the hulking, but aging, action star. There's not much fighting or tracking but there IS a lot of Aiden lumbering up steps and shooting people at long range with a rifle. I would almost definitely fail a quiz about this flick, and I watched it less than 24 hours ago. – Dan Taylor
Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He pledges to write more movie reviews in 2025.
“You said I'm boring. My gun has two barrels. That's not boring.”
From the Better Than I Thought It Would Be Files comes the Seth Rogen/Michel Gondry adaptation of pulp hero The Green Hornet. Rogen (who co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg) stars as Britt Reid, a spoiled newspaper heir whose father (Tom Wilkinson) dies of an allergic reaction to a bee sting. While defacing his father’s gravesite, Reid and Kato (Jay Chou) – his father’s mechanic and assistant – break up a mugging and get mistaken as criminals by the cops. Reid convinces Kato that the two should use the newspaper to beef up the criminal profile of “The Green Hornet” while actually fighting crime and bringing Russian mobster Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) to justice. Along for the ride are a pre-STRANGER THINGS David Harbour, Edward James Olmos and Cameron Diaz as the older but wiser assistant who helps Reid and Kato in their exploits. Like other failed pulp adaptations – Alec Baldwin’s THE SHADOW (1994) and Billy Zane’s THE PHANTOM (1996) – it’s both fun and exhausting, ping-ponging between action, comedy and bromance without ever finding its footing. Chou is great as the resourceful sidekick while Rogen is tolerable if woefully miscast as the hero. Unfortunately, a bloated budget and needless 3-D effects (remember that era?) sabotaged plans for a sequel though talks of an unrelated reboot surface on occasion. Via HBO Max. GRADE: C+. – Dan Taylor
Scott Adkins headlines as Mike, a down on his luck MMA fighter who lacks the killer instinct needed for success. Living in his car and working a temporary demolition job at soon-to-be-imploded Castle Heights Hospital, Mike stumbles upon a stash of cash hidden by a gang member before he ended up in prison. Determined to grab the cash and change his life, Mike heads back into Castle Heights with just 90 minutes left before demolition – unaware that a desperate prison guard (Dolph Lundgren, who also directed) and a small army of money-hungry cons are also searching for the loot. Though it takes a little time to get started Adkins and Lundgren make the most of it, giving more depth to their characters than most straight-to-video action thrillers muster. GRADE: B. – Dan Taylor
Yet another bloated installment of a once-fun series that started as a POINT BREAK rip-off and peaked with 2011’s FAST FIVE. With no Rock (who clearly hates Vin Diesel more than he loves money) and no Paul Walker (RIP) the franchise brings in a surprisingly dull John Cena as Jakob, Dom’s estranged younger brother tuned mercenary. Lots of fan favorites and old faces pop up, two characters go to space (unfortunately, they return), there are ridiculous flashbacks to Young Dom and Young Jakob, etc. Unfortunately, it’s a largely unwatchable mess that somehow made me feel like the free rental from our local library was a rip-off. GRADE: D. – Dan Taylor
Been wanting to read this much-hyped debut novel all summer so when it finally came in at the library I snatched it up and looked for the perfect opportunity to crack it open. And, with the Phillies hosting the lowly Orioles in the first of a crucial three-game series, last night seemed perfect. (Spoiler, the Phillies made O’s starter John Means look like Cy Young as they fell three games back of the Braves in the race for a playoff spot.)
For those who don’t know, FALLING (285 pages, published by Avid Reader Press) has been getting plenty of advance praise and word-of-mouth since it got picked up for publishing, and for good reason. First time author TJ Newman is a former stewardess who concocted the “JAWS at 35,000 feet” storyline while in her seat during countless cross-country red eyes. Submitted to 40+ agents it finally found a home and has cover blurbs from the likes of Don Winslow and James Patterson.
In short, veteran pilot Bill Hoffman gets tapped for a last-minute flight from LA to NYC despite promising his wife, Claire, that he’d be around for their son’s little league opener. Shortly after takeoff he’s informed that his wife and two children have been taken hostage by a terrorist who presents Hoffman with a horrible choice: crash the plane killing 140+ passengers and crew or the madman offs the pilot’s family.
Naturally, the principled Hoffman vows not to crash the plane and must figure out a way to save his family, protect passengers and crew, and figure out who he can and cannot trust as he tries to avert the worst airplane disaster since 9/11.
I’ll be the first to admit that FALLING is a page-turner and I blew through it in a single sitting (with a brief stop for milk and brownies to drown my baseball sorrows). But it’s certainly not without its flaws. Newman convincingly writes the characters she knows best, namely Hoffman and his crew of attendants (veterans Jo and Big Daddy plus Kellie, the wide-eyed rookie), and the author deftly juggles myriad storylines in a style that seems tailor made for the big screen (no surprise that a dozen-plus studios and streamers battled for the film rights). But the villains – and some side characters – are strictly one-note stereotypes, the FBI agent/superior relationship is straight out of any one of a thousand cop shows/movies, some scenes are so hokey that I couldn’t help but chuckle, veterans of the action film genre will see most, if not all, of the book’s “twists” coming from a mile away, and you can tell the author watched SPEED and the AIRPORT and DIE HARD flicks a bit too much while prepping the manuscript.
Not surprisingly, Newman – who signed a seven-book deal on the strength of FALLING – is at work on a sequel, but FALLING is no TURBULENCE 3: HEAVY METAL (2001) starring Rutger Hauer, Craig Sheffer and Gabrielle Anwar (!) which revolves around a Satanic plot to crash an airliner into one of the Gates of Hell while millions watch a concert by the Marilyn Manson-esque Slade Craven that is being broadcast over the Internet from the plane.
Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He does not mind flying despite getting as sick as he's ever been in his life after a flight from Baltimore to Boston.
PANDEMIC LIBRARY - The Destroyer #13: ACID ROCK
When an open contract on the life of a witness in an upcoming federal trial draws the attention of mobsters and assassins, it's up to Remo and Chiun to find her and protect her. And find her again and protect her. And find her *again* and protect her, since the drugged-out teenage rock groupie proves to be an elusive quarry for both The Destroyer and her other pursuers.
An above average installment of the popular mens action series pokes at everything from the rock festival scene (complete with an Alice Cooper-esque megastar), professional football and disc jockeys, highlighted – as always – by the interplay between Remo and Chiun. While the first half of the book is just okay things pick up steam once the assassins start closing in and it's up to our heroes to save the day. – Dan Taylor ACID ROCK is available at Amazon. Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect. He smells like hamburgers and moves with the grace of a pregnant yak. He also has a soft spot in his heart for REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS.
Happy 72nd birthday to underrated genre helmer Jeff Lieberman who has written and directed a handful of offbeat classics like SQUIRM (1976), BLUE SUNSHINE (1977), JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981), and 2004's weird and wonderful SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER, which was discussed at length in the first episode of the late CINESLUDGE podcast (RIP). With today being a VHS Wednesday it seemed like a good opportunity to dig up this review of 1988's REMOTE CONTROL starring a pre-ENTOURAGE Kevin Dillon as a video store clerk. A slightly different version of this review appeared in Exploitation Retrospect #18 from September 1988.
Long before he was a critical darling on ENTOURAGE Kevin Dillon starred in this cable/videotape classic from Jeff Lieberman.
The story, such that it is, concerns a videotape from outer space that takes over people's minds and turns the viewers into homicidal maniacs. When two video store workers are accused of one of the murders they begin to unravel the mystery and take on the evil aliens bent on man's destruction.
Dillon plays "Cosmo", a video store clerk so-nicknamed because of his affinity for sci-fi flicks. Along the way he broods, smokes, wears a leather jacket and metal shinguards, and I'm pretty sure he sports an earring as well. In other words, he acts like he does in every single film he's been in. You have to admire someone who is so sure of their own ability that they refuse to alter their basic portrayal in any way!
Film starts out with a good weirdo-Yuppie S&M demise, and manages to throw a few fun-filled deaths into the proceedings (however, a fight at the videotape factory is beyond dull). Lieberman's not-so-subtle use of 50's kitsch set design and clothing reminiscent of old sci-fi flicks is cute at first, but ends up getting on your nerves after a while. The female lead is played by the lovely Deborah Goodrich (APRIL FOOL'S DAY, SURVIVAL GAME), a woman who could get on my nerves, or any part of my body whenever she wants!
To their credit, the filmmakers give the flick a fairly winning sense of humor and the proceedings aren't taken very seriously. In other words, REMOTE CONTROL is better than it has any right to be. Thumbs up for an entertaining premise, some good humor, and the welcome chance to look at Deborah Goodrich in tight costumes. – Dan Taylor After a long time out of print, director Jeff Lieberman released a 25th anniversary Blu-Ray back in 2013. It appears to still be available from his website in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats.
We're officially in the dog days of summer here in Maryland and this year that has meant a multi-week stretch of heat, humidity and rain of Biblical proportions that has kept us from doing fun stuff like drinking beer and reading men's action novels by the pool. Luckily it has not affected our ability to drink beer and watch movies.
Between streaming, rentals and the box of 400+ genre titles I recently picked up to sell on eBay (check our store for the latest offerings) viewing has been all over the place of late. Also happy to finally move past "PG only" flicks with my daughter, which certainly opens up our options.
"Are we having fun here?" I'm surprised it took me so long to catch up with AMSTERDAMNED (1988) from director Dick Maas (THE LIFT). An oddball blend of the slasher and aqua-horror genres I love so much, AMSTERDAMNED follows decorated but world-weary detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) as he investigates whatever is emerging from the canals of Amsterdam to hack and slash unsuspecting hookers, boaters and bikini-clad babes. There are plenty of suspects to go around – including a fellow cop still bristling because Visser stole his gal – and a meh subplot featuring Visser's daughter and her oddball pal who thinks he's psychic, but Maas packs the flick with enough blood and action to keep you guessing. Feels a bit rushed and anti-climactic but still an enjoyable enough genre mashup.
In ACTS OF VENGEANCE (2017) Antonio Banderas stars as a hot shot lawyer whose wife and kid are killed, leading to a so-so revenge flick from the usually reliable Isaac Florentine. There are some major plot holes and plain old gaffes along the way but it's a halfway decent time-waster and I'm enjoying Banderas' work as he joins the ranks of the Straight To Redbox All-Stars (including SECURITY [2017] which pits Banderas against the always reliable Ben Kingsley in a low-rent riff on DIE HARD.
RAMPAGE (2018 aka THE FAST AND THE CURIOUS) stars Dwayne The Rock Dwayne Johnson as The Rock... nope, wait, Hobbs... nope, uh, Davis? Yes, Davis, some sort of zoological expert who can sign language with a giant albino gorilla (and I don't mean Vin Diesel) named George who goes all ape shit after huffing the contents of a space experiment gone wrong. Unfortunately the space doobie also affected a wolf and gator so we get a loose approximation of the awesome multi-player video game that I dumped a zillion quarters into while waiting for movies to start. Totally worth the $2.12 rental and an instant Background Flick All-Star. Here's hoping the next Godzilla flick is this fun.
“And now my pig… you die!” After a Depression-era prologue we’re thrust into the early 1990s as Cory and the world’s most inexplicable group of “friends” travel to a cabin in the woods and encounter slimy demons in Charles Phillip Moore’s 1990 way out horror flick DEMON WIND. You’ll need more than a handful of beers to get through this blend of Raimi demon gore and dopey Craven dream shenanigans complete with a guy who does magic tricks and front spin kicks.
Other recent watches include: the incoherent AMERICAN STREETFIGHTER (1992) with Gary Daniels; Bruce Campbell and Angus Scrimm in BRAINSLASHER (1992 aka MINDWARP), which seemed sorta fun but the print made half the flick unwatchable; a busty Linda Blair in the frat horror HELL NIGHT (1981); and THE DARK (1979), which I missed at the latest Exhumed Horrorthon, tried watching three times and finally gave up on. – Dan Taylor Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. No new issues are in the works but he is hard at work getting ER 51 back in print and compiling a Hungover Gourmet omnibus featuring writings from the blog, zine and more.
While the first original Dirty Harry novel – DUEL FOR CANNONS – benefitted from the ghostwriting of Ric Meyers, the genre vet had to pass on certain installments due to his commitment to other "Men of Action" entries like The Ninja Master (written as Wade Barker). DIRTY HARRY #10: THE BLOOD OF STRANGERS is one of those installments and Meyers' deft touch with the material is definitely missed.
Even for a longtime fan of the original films, DUEL felt like an authentic Dirty Harry film adventure ported over to a pulpier environment, right down to Meyers' descriptions of fight scenes and our hero's sparse dialogue hissed through clenched teeth. STRANGERS – authored by Leslie Horvitz (THE DONORS, DOUBLE BLINDED, THE DYING) – feels more like a generic men's action novel whose main character just happens to be the beloved Dirty Harry. A suitably Eastwood-esque mug graces the cover but the man on the pages inside could be any random cop who gets mixed up in a terrorist plot funded by a Middle Eastern arms dealer.
In a terrifyingly lax pre-9/11 San Francisco, a couple of terrorist scumbags blow up part of an airport terminal and off some nosey patrolmen, which naturally draws the attention of Dirty Harry. But things get a little hard to swallow when our hero gets plucked off the streets to go undercover as "Dan Turner", a fill-in bodyguard for Gamal Abd'el Kayyim, a suspected arms dealer visiting California. After Harry/Turner foils an assassination attempt he finds himself moving in Kayyim's inner circle just as suspicion about him begins to boil over.
With every cop that could potentially ride shotgun either killed off or mortally wounded, Horvitz gives Harry a partner/love interest (of sorts) in Ellie Winston, anchorwoman-turned-reporter (Patricia Clarkson would play a similar role in 1988's THE DEAD POOL). Though it's hard to believe a seasoned San Francisco reporter wouldn't know who Callahan is, Winston finally realizes there might be a story in him and follows the cop from San Francisco to LA, Beirut and El Salvador as Harry's cover is blown and he finds himself matching wits and weapons with international arms dealers playing for both sides.
Brimming with head-exploding violence, THE BLOOD OF STRANGERS is a quick but instantly forgettable read. Whereas Meyers "gets" Callahan and the beats of the original films, Horvitz's attempts at harnessing their vibe fails and jamming Harry into international locales like Beirut and an Italian villa feels forced and more suited to an installment of Don Pendelton's Mack Bolan: The Executioner.
After twelve "Never before published or seen on screen" novels the Dirty Harry series (pulp division) ended with 1983's DIRTY HARRY #12: THE DEALER OF DEATH in which Harry's beloved .44 Magnum is stolen and used in a series of murders intended to frame the cop. After seven years away from the character, Eastwood agreed to once again strap on the badge of Inspector 71 for 1983's SUDDEN IMPACT and, coupled with the fizzling men's action market, that meant the end of the books.
Though I'd certainly recommend other men's action books of the era over this one, the couple Dirty Harry novels I've tackled have been quick reads and brought back fond memories of a character I spent many hours with over the years. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled at garage sales and thrift stores, hoping to grab installments where Harry battles filthy pirates, watches a family reunion go south, or has to clear his name. – Dan Taylor Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect. This review originally appeared in Exploitation Retrospect #52 available from Amazon and direct from the publisher.
After three flicks cementing Spaghetti Western vet Clint Eastwood in the role of San Francisco Homicide Inspector Harry “Dirty Harry” Callahan, the versatile actor/director declared that his relationship with the .44 Magnum-brandishing cop was over.
Looking for ways to wring more cash from one of their most bankable creations – and establish their own line of men’s action novels to rival Pinnacle’s stars like The Executioner and The Destroyer – Warner Bros. launched ‘Men of Action’ featuring original Dirty Harry novels alongside such pulpier
titles as The Ninja Master , S-Com, The Hook (a “gentleman detective with a talent for violence and a taste for sex”), and Ben Slayton: T-Man.
Ghost-written by pulp and non-fiction vet Ric Meyers under the pseudonym “Dean Hartman”, the first Dirty Harry adventure seamlessly flows from silver screen to printed page. Mimicking the beats and pacing of the original films, DUEL opens with a bloodbath at a cheap California amusement park as a hired gunman hunts down San Antonio sheriff – and Friend of Callahan – Boris Tucker. Though misguided officials would blame the deaths of Tucker and some local teens on the stressed Texas cop, Dirty Harry knows better and heads to the Lone Star State to settle the score.
Texas isn’t very welcoming to Harry, with corrupt cops, local businessmen, street gangs, muscle-bound hit men and two-bit hoods hassling him at every turn. The SOBs even go so far as to slice up Harry’s wardrobe and keep him from getting a cab. Soon, Callahan finds allies among Tucker’s few
remaining friends on the force – as well as a rival determined to kill him by book’s end – and they look to disrupt the corruption flowing through town.
It’s no surprise that Meyers nails what we’d come to love about the Dirty Harry flicks, from Eastwood’s mannerisms and fighting style to his minimalist dialogue. The book’s cover art does nothing to suggest Harry isn’t Eastwood and there’s little attempt to describe him from a physical standpoint, so Meyers takes every opportunity to make you think Clint is delivering each pistol blast and flying fist during DUEL’s many action scenes.
Though the tale veers dangerously close to going wildly over-the-top and is a bit too neatly wrapped up (a common problem with men’s action tales of the day), DUEL feels more like a legit Dirty Harry installment than SUDDEN IMPACT (1983) or THE DEAD POOL (1988) featuring Liam Neeson (as a horror film director) and a pre-stardom Jim Carrey. Meyers’ attention to detail and inclusion of characters and events from DIRTY HARRY (1971), MAGNUM FORCE (1973) and THE ENFORCER (1976) go a long way towards drawing us into this cinematic world.
DIRTY HARRY #1: DUEL FOR CANNONS landed on bookstore shelves in 1981, the first of a dozen entries in which “The Magnum Enforcer” would battle corrupt cops, serial killers, “dope-running sea pirates”, terrorists, arms dealers (look for our upcoming review of DIRTY HARRY #10: THE BLOOD OF STRANGERS), a renegade government scientist and a killer looking to frame Inspector 71. The books can currently be found on thrift store shelves, flea market tables and boxed up at garage sales near grandpop’s musty back issues of PLAYBOY (and the occasional OUI). – Dan Taylor Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and has way too many men's action novels on his bookshelf. This review originally appeared in Exploitation Retrospect #52 available from Amazon and direct from the publisher.
John Waters introduces 1972's PINK FLAMINGOS at exFest.
So, I can check "seeing PINK FLAMINGOS on the big screen with an introduction by John Waters" off my cinematic bucket list.
Spent Saturday up in Philadelphia hanging out with pals and catching the annual Exhumed Films exFest, a 12-hour celebration of all things exploitation.
While I still refer to their 24 Hour Horrorthon each October as "my Christmas", exFest is always a highlight of the spring thanks to its complete anything goes grab bag of chop sockey, spaghetti western, bikers, sexploitation and whatever else they foist upon attendees.
After a quick trip to the city from Maryland we gathered provisions and settled into the steamy theater (temperatures were pushing 90 outside making for a sweltering viewing experience) for seven slices of sinema:
DYNASTY (period martial arts mayhem with lots of gratuitous 3D action);
DEATH RIDES A HORSE (quality revenge-driven Spaghetti western with Van Cleef and John Philip Law);
NEW BARBARIANS (aka Enzo Castellari's WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND with Fred Williamson and "Timothy Brent" as they take on a band of gay post-apoc marauders led by George Eastman);
COMBAT COPS (aka ZEBRA KILLER which was like an odd DIRTY HARRY rip-off via blaxploitation with Austin Stoker from ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 as a no fucks given detective on the trail of a deranged killer);
Gregory Dark's STREET ASYLUM (a disappointing late 80s blend of action and sci-fi with Wings Hauser, G Gordon Liddy, Alex Cord and Sy Richardson that should have been MUCH better);
1972's LOVE ME DEADLY (slow moving but sorta intriguing movie about necrophilia from 1972 starring Mary Wilcox and Lyle Waggoner!);
and, finally, PINK FLAMINGOS with a surprise live intro from director John Waters.
Alas, the whole experience was a tad bittersweet as it was the first Exhumed event after the tragic, way-too-soon loss of our friend James "Doc Terror" Harris. Seeing James' smiling face in line always brightened my mood at these events and we'd catch up as we browsed the offerings from Diabolik or poured over the mysterious lineup (Exhumed doesn't share the titles for the exFest or Horrothon in advance). Between flicks we'd share quick opinions on what we just saw (often accompanied by friendly debate) and guesses about what we'd see next. I'd like to think that just some of Doc's enthusiasm and love for sinema rubbed off on me over the years and made me a more forgiving cinephile and a better person.
As a child of the 1970s, tales of Bigfoot and the search for D.B. Cooper were among my earliest pop culture memories, sparking lifelong interests in cryptozoology, urban legends and true crime tales. So, it would be only natural for me to zero in on the awesome-sounding BIGFOOT VS. D.B. COOPER while trawling for a quick watch while I made dinner. Plus, Eric Roberts!!
Set on the day before Thanksgiving in November of 1971, BIGFOOT VS... relates the tale of Bernie (Jordan Rodriguez), a young hunter who heads off into the woods to bag some turkeys for the family holiday feast. It must have been a hot November day as Bernie, decked out in shorts and little else, hikes through the Pacific Northwest, his chiseled features and tight abs glistening in the late autumn sun.
And he hikes... and hikes... and glistens... and hikes. As a hairy figure shadows his movements through the woods, Bernie eventually arrives at a "hunting lodge" he assumes will be abandoned, only to encounter a half-dozen or so shirtless dudes sitting around hoisting beers, toasting one pal's impending marriage. (Right.) And cue the "Directed by David DeCoteau" credit as Bernie gets invited in for a beer before they all head off for some shirtless turkey hunting.
It's at this point that you are more than welcome to fast forward through the next 45 minutes as the shirtless, shorts-clad dudes go to their respective rooms (complete with the flat screen TVs that were so popular in 1971), strip down to their boxer briefs and pose in front of the mirror with their guns, both the bicep and bang-bang variety.
Remembering that the name "D.B. Cooper" is in the title, DeCoteau occasionally weaves in details from Cooper's true tale of airline piracy, complete with the note to the stewardess (voiced by Linnea Quigley), a briefcase bomb and even the pilot informing the hijacker that the route from Seattle-Tacoma Airport toward Mexico City would require an additional fueling stop. (In other words, somebody read the Wikipedia page.) Alas, these dramatic retellings are but brief moments of exposition between more showering, hiking and talk of 'Nam from our barely-clad bachelors who appear to have traveled back in time from 2014 thanks to the "who gives a f**k?" attempts at wardrobe and, well, pretty much everything.
Eventually, our titular characters do collide, with DeCoteau and screenwriter Harvey Shaiman providing a wonderfully hysterical solution to both the riddle of Bigfoot and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of DB Cooper. If you like your exploitation flicks light on blood but heavy on boxer-clad hunks toting around rifles and doing sit-ups, well, head to Amazon posthaste. Personally, I demand a Jim Wynorski-lensed remake entitled HOT TUB BIGFOOT VS DOUBLE-D BEA COOPER.
As for the top-billed Roberts, his role is limited to narrating the tale as "Older Bernie", which I can only assume was done during catering breaks while filming DeCoteau's vastly superior MAGIC PUPPY (2012) aka THE GREAT HALLOWEEN PUPPY ADVENTURE. – Dan Taylor
I would normally be laying the blame on our Fearless Editor for allowing me to watch drivel. But I can't do that here. No sir: I'm personally accepting responsibility for my choosing to view MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986) – because I enjoyed it!
We already know the story: Earth passes through the tail of a comet which causes machines to go haywire (except for the ones in service to the plot). A group of mucho retardos, led by Billy (Emilio Estevez), take refuge in the Dixie Boy Truck Stop and try to survive.
Directed by a coked out Stephen King and featuring a bangin' soundtrack by AC/DC, MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE is very much, in King's own words, a "moron movie" in terms of plotting, writing and characters. Even by B-movie standards, the inconsistencies on display set the bar very high for incompetence. Why don't ALL the machines come to life? Why do spigots come to life? Why don't the trucks trash the truck stop in the first twenty minutes? Why don't the characters try and escape in the first twenty minutes? Why do some guns come to life but others don't?
Of course, the answer to all these is very simple: the plot demands it. With zero fucks given, the movie plows along in overdrive from one scene to the next, running down common sense like an innocent pedestrian – then backing over it to run it down again. But I'll be goddamned if that doesn't make MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE 98-minutes of pure, dumb fun. Watching this movie unfold, it's not hard to imagine King burying his face in a huge pile of cocaine (a la Tony Montana) and snorting it up like a Hoover vacuum each day before shooting, a wide coke-grin smeared across his face as he attempts to direct.
If I really had make one complaint – "Just one!?" I hear our Fearless Editor screaming – about this film, it would be the cuts demanded by the MPAA which threatened to slap the film with an X-rating. Reportedly, the original uncut version made George A. Romero sick. One famous scene to end up on the cutting room floor was a boy's head exploding as he's crushed by a steamroller. Fuck you, MPAA!
MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE might not have the best reputation, but it's highly recommended if you're in the mood for some mindless fun filled with explosions and stupid decisions. And here's to hoping Stephen King will release the uncut version, which he supposedly has in his possession, sometime in the near feature. – Evan Romero
Evan Romero is a regular contributor to the pages of ER (including our mammoth 30th anniversary issues available from Amazon) and spends much of his time reading morally questionable books and watching movies no sane person would touch. He is the vocalist/bassist for the punk band Porno Holocaust (you can find them on Facebook and listen to some demos if you’re inclined). His short story “Touch” was recently published in REJECTED FOR CONTENT 5: SANITARIUM. You can read more of his reviews at ReelAtrocities.com or at PopHorror.com. He last wrote about OVER THE TOP. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE is available from Amazon.
The Journal of Junk Culture and Fringe Media returns with a super-sized 30th anniversary issue clocking in at 130 pages!
This time out the ER Crew looks at the world of horror anthology films with a special review section featuring SLAUGHTER TALES (2012), TORTURE GARDEN (1967), THE UNCANNY (1977), TOMB OF TERROR (2004), HOLIDAYS (2016), GRIM PRAIRIE TALES (1990), ASYLUM (1972), THE BURNING MOON (1992), CRADLE OF FEAR (2007), SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT (1979) and many more. Plus, we look inside the world of 21st century anthology flicks with filmmaker Scarlet Fry.
We remember THE DESTROYER co-creator Warren Murphy with an interview by The Paperback Fanatic and examine the legacy of Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan (THE EXECUTIONER) and other men's action heroes via reviews, articles and an interview with author Mike Newton.
Obscure horror gets its due thanks to an interview with Gary Wallace (star of video store oddity THE JAR) while Evan Romero waxes nostalgic about Joe D'Amato's PORNO HOLOCAUST and breaks down the films of Jorg Buttgereit.
Longing for the sights, sounds and smells of old movie theaters? Take a trip through Kris Gilpin's theatrical scrapbook while Chris Poggiali examines the history of hot pants cinema.
And what would an issue of Exploitation Retrospect be without a bulging review section? Join Douglas Waltz, Mitch Lovell, John Grace, Devin Kelly, David Zuzelo, Jim Ivers, Evan Romero, Eric Miller, Neil Vokes, Robert Segedy, Mike Hauss and Dan Taylor as they dive deep into a video vortex of horror, action, exploitation and sleaze.
Recently named one of the Best DVD/Blu-Ray releases of 2016, the Blu-Ray of Takeshi Kitano's VIOLENT COP (1989) is now available for fans of Japanese cinema and gritty action flicks. Robert Segedy takes a look at this tale of a no nonsense detective taking the law into his own hands. WARNING: Review contains spoilers, so if you have not seen the film, take heed!
After reading many reviews comparing Takeshi Kitano's VIOLENT COP (1989) to Clint Eastwood and his Dirty Harry character, I soon grew tired of that analogy. VIOLENT COP is and isn't like Eastwood's famous character. Kitano puts his own trademark, but nevertheless odd, spin on a familiar theme: good/bad cop is angry and filled with scorn for today's criminals and fellow lawmen, so he decides to act accordingly and disobey the upper echelon of command, sets about delivering his own brand of justice and ultimately ends up being fired from the police force and goes it alone. And that's putting a very simple spin on a relatively complex character; Kitano's detective is an army of one, answering to no one, delivering justice with one slap, one kick, and one bullet at a time. At the same time, his character is multi-faceted; he's loyal to a fellow detective discovered selling drugs; he's protective of his sister, just released from the hospital; but, he's also tight with his money, engages in illegal betting, and constantly borrows money from his colleagues. He may resemble Dirty Harry in his policing techniques, but it's impossible to know what's happening inside his head.
VIOLENT COP was Kitano's directorial debate and the film (as written by Hisashi Nozawa) was initially planned as a comedy. When director Kinji Fukusaku had problems with Kitano's film schedule he dropped out, so Kitano rewrote the script and starred in and directed it. Kitano was well known to Japanese audiences, but his persona wasn't of a dramatic nature, he was seen as a fast-talking motor-mouth comedian. Japanese audiences were used to seeing Kitano as the host of various talk shows and part of a two-man comedy team named The Two Beats. He was also cast as a sadistic POW commander in Nagisa Oshima's MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE (1983) opposite David Bowie and Tom Conte.
Azuma (Kitano) is a no nonsense drug enforcement detective. In the introduction to his character, we witness a group of Japanese youths take advantage of a homeless man as they beat the poor man senseless. The youths leave the scene of the crime and the camera follows one boy as he rides a bicycle home; Detective Azuma knocks on the door and flashes a badge to the boy's mother. Promising the mother that he just wants to talk to her son, he barges into the boy's bedroom and violently bitch slaps the shit out of the offender, making him promise that he and his friends will come to the squad room and surrender themselves. We are immediately made aware of Azuma's style: silent, quick to anger, fast with his feet and fists. The Japanese title of this film is "Suno otoke, kyobo nit suki", which translates in English to "That man, being violent." Kitano is indeed a violent cop.
As a character study, VIOLENT COP is a fascinating examination of an individual who is not afraid to take a stand against the bad guys of the world. Not letting the authority of the new commander bother him, Azuma is coerced into writing a letter of apology to a man that attacked several police officers, including hitting one man in the head with a baseball bat. Azuma hits him with a car after a lengthy chase scene. A streak of black comedy runs throughout the film; when a bartender asks him and his partner what line of work are they in, Azuma replies "Mail order guns".
Azuma's facial expressions barely register; there is a stillness that is present before he explodes into an act of violence, his face a frozen mask, his eyes black and lifeless. Kitano as a director favors long takes with a still camera, his character usually looking directly into the lens. Instead of a pulsing rock soundtrack, Kitano prefers to use a light, almost classical score that acts as a counterpoint to the action on the screen. The piano theme heard several times during the movie is Erik Satie's "Gnossienne No.1".
Fans of violence will find much to enjoy here as Azuma meets his match in an ultra-violent criminal counterpart, Kiyohiro (Ryu Haku), a killer that is partial to sadistic acts and relishes seeing his opponent cower in fear. Azuma and Kiyohiro face off in a nasty scene that involves Azuma being stabbed repeatedly from behind, but for reasons unknown, he lets his adversary walk away from him, perhaps to leave him to fight another day. This reminded me of the relationship between Batman and The Joker; the men are twisted reflections of the other, identical except in which side of the law their allegiance lies. That may be a rather simple analogy, but this film is not that simple to decipher; each viewing brings another layer of understanding to these complex characters.
[WARNING: Spoilers Follow!]
After Azuma is fired from the police department, he finds himself free to completely embrace his bad side and he dedicates himself to ridding the world of the assassin Kiyohiro, his boss Nito (Ittoku Kishibe) and anyone else that is affiliated with the underworld. In a finale that mirrors the bloodbath ending of films like TAXI DRIVER (1976) and CHINATOWN (1974), Azuma coldly tracks down Kiyohiro and his motley gang to a warehouse where they have been busy amusing themselves by raping his sister (Maiko Kawakami) and consequently addicting her to heroin. Even before Azuma arrives Kiyohiro has offed three of his crew. Azuma fearlessly enters the warehouse and after a long take, steadily walks toward the assassin, who empties two revolvers at Azuma; but at this point nothing can stop the avenging ex-policeman, and even though badly wounded, he finishes the killer off with a shot to the forehead. His drug addicted sister, pleading for another fix, gets a bullet for her trouble while Azuma is killed by one of Nito's henchmen, who shakes his head in disgust at this waste of life.
In the final scene, we see Azuma's former partner Kikuchi (Maiko Kawakami), once a bumbling rookie, now a slick looking agent, taking the place of drug dealing detective Iwaki (Shigeru Hiraizumi). VIOLENT COP comes full circle as Kikuchi has become a composite of both Azuma and Iwaki. This was Kitano's directorial debut and the film still packs a punch 26 years later. Kitano would go on to direct several other films including SONATINE (1993) and OUTRAGE (2010).
VIOLENT COP arrives on a 50GB Blu-ray from Film Movement framed at 1.85.1 widescreen in an AVC encoded transfer. The Blu-ray is produced by Film Movement Classics and features the film, a documentary (That Man is Dangerous: The Birth of Takeshi Kitano Featurette), a Japanese preview of the film and a new HD re-release trailer, as well as six other Film Movement trailers. The package contains a booklet featuring an essay by Tom Vick as well as cast and crew credits. – Robert Segedy Robert Segedy is a published author who resides in North Carolina; his interests include intense films, esoteric writings, and true crime. He previously wrote about the film SESSION 9.
