Outside The Law (2002)

 

Outside The Law (2002)- * *

Directed by: Jorge Montesi

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Jeff Wincott, James Lew, Stephen Macht, and Dan Lauria 

Julie Cosgrove (Rothrock) is a U.S. Government Secret Agent - so secret, in fact, that no one knows her exact job title with the feds. When an op in Cartagena, Colombia, goes horribly wrong, Julie decides to quit the force (if she were a police officer, presumably she'd have handed in her badge and gun). She then decides to pursue a quiet life somewhere in central Florida. As part of her plan, she changes her hair so she looks exactly like Reba McEntire. But, as tends to be the case with Reba, er, Julie Cosgrove, trouble finds her wherever she goes.



Her old boss who sent her on her fateful Colombian misadventure, Dick Dawson (Macht), is after her, so he sends federal goons after her. Then the local law enforcement, Detective Froman (Lauria), is after her. Not to be outdone, local head honcho/kingpin-type baddie Michael Peyton (Wincott) is also after her, and he has his own, mafia-connected goons such as a baddie named Ramon and another one named Cho Sung (Lew). With seemingly everyone gunning for Julie, what will she do? She may have to go OUTSIDE THE LAW.



There's nothing terribly wrong with Outside The Law, per se, but it is a bit on the duller side of things. Even Rothrock herself says it isn't one of her best. It's no surprise director Montesi went on to do mostly TV show episodes and telefilms. OTL has that flat, "Why Try Harder?" look to it that doesn't evince a ton of creativity behind the camera. Also, it seems that the film is building up to a big fight between Jeff Wincott and Cynthia Rothrock, which never happens. That was a disappointment. James Lew is not used anywhere near his full potential, and Jeff Moldovan plays only "Bearded Thug". The gathered cast is an impressive one, but overall we as the viewer are constantly reminded that we're in the 2002 DTV doldrums.


Besides Rothrock, who is always watchable no matter what, only Dan Lauria - somewhat of a hometown hero for us - stands out as Detective Froman. He wears Hawaiian-type shirts and speaks in a Huey Long "Kingfish"-style Southern drawl. It was a treat to see him do a role like this and we really enjoyed that. Stephen Macht was bland as Dick Dawson - Eric Roberts would have been perfect for that part, and he may have livened it up a bit more. Overall, there are some shootouts and beat-em-up scenes that keep things moving, but it's not exactly thrill-a-minute stuff here.


There's a Zack Morris-style pretty-boy character for Julie Cosgrove to fall in love with, which sets him apart from the constant cadres of creeps that are constantly harassing Julie in this small town. Everywhere she goes, she has to employ her Martial Arts on them, it seems. Bad for her, lucky for us, the viewer. Talk radio was a big thing back then and there are some scenes with talk radio on in the background, which puts us in a very definable time and place. Julie Cosgrove ends up adopting a dog she simply calls "Dog" because she's too much of a badass to come up with a frou-frou name like Fluffy or Twinkles.


While the film was set mostly in "Central Florida", it was shot in Puerto Rico. The director, Montesi, is Chilean, so maybe it was easy for him to communicate in Spanish-speaking countries. Maybe it wasn't so easy for everybody else. Montesi's most notable film to date is Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal (2001), which is a highly entertaining romp, moreso than this one.


So, if you've ever wanted to see a Reba McEntire action film, Outside The Law is probably as close as you're ever going to get.

Comeuppance Review by Brett and Ty

Also check out a write up from our buddy DTVC!

Tunnel (2002)

 

Tunnel (2002)- * *

Directed by: Daniel Baldwin

Starring: Daniel Baldwin, Kim Coates, and Jeanine Theriault 

Usually when a prisoner has to be transported somewhere, something bad happens. As we always say, never transport prisoners. Just leave them where they are. Unfortunately, when a baddie named Geary (Coates) has to be moved from one place to another by train, his criminal compatriots come to his rescue and they all escape into an underground tunnel. They're looking for some stolen diamonds, and only a man named Seale (Baldwin) can flush them all out. He's trapped down there with a woman named Sarah (Theriault), and together they have to stop the bad guys, find the diamonds, and get out alive. Who will escape THE TUNNEL?


Oh, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), what have you wrought? While a lot of The Tunnel, naturally enough, takes place in a dimly (i.e. poorly) lit tunnel, a large section also takes place on the train which is transporting the Geary character. Every time we watch a movie like Death Train (2003), Hijack (1998), Derailed (2002), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), or Evasive Action (1998), we have to wonder why filmmakers, low budget action filmmakers especially, thought trains were so awesome hot and cool. This isn't the 1830's anymore. Most people over the age of three aren't wowed by choo-choos. So why fully-grown adults are continually making these train movies, presumably with the intention that audiences are, yet again, going to breathlessly exclaim, "Whoa, Cooooolll!" when they see a film set on a train, we have no freakin' clue.


So, with that said, we have to conclude that star and director Daniel Baldwin can do better than this. We know - or, at least we suspect - that he's capable of directing stronger material than The Tunnel. So that's why it's so disappointing that The Tunnel is comprised of more mediocre Die Hard-isms that bring nothing new, interesting, or exciting to the table.


It all starts off promisingly enough, with a car chase/blowup and some impressive stunt work. We get a fairly interesting back story to Dan's character at the outset but it never pays off or maintains its initial promise. Just when you think the movie is going to continue in this direction, it quickly devolves into a boring, cliche-ridden slog.


While Kim Coates always puts a lot of energy into his baddie roles, which are most of them, and Baldwin has a few charismatic moments, most of the tunnel sequences are very poorly lit. If you can't see what's going on, the dialogue descends into the sort of stuff you've heard a million times before, and the plot does likewise, things become real dull real fast. One might see the box for The Tunnel at their local video store and then just pass it right on by.


There's a certain bleak Canadian-ness to it and by the end of the ninety-five minute running time (gotta make sure you have those extra five minutes), this tunnel has collapsed.


So, as excited as we were to see the second film Daniel Baldwin directed after Fall: The Price of Silence (2001), we have to say it was a letdown. The Tunnel is inessential viewing, but you're unlikely to come across it anyway. If you do, there's really no need to see it. You'll feel like you've seen it all before, and done better.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Lone Hero (2002)

 Lone Hero (2002)- * *

Directed by: Ken Sanzel

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Sean Patrick Flanery, Mark Metcalf, Hugh Dillon, and Robert Forster 

In the small town of Profit, Montana, a group of guys - John (Flanery), Gus (Forster), Harris (Metcalf), and others are actors who put on Wild West shows for the viewing public. Amongst an old-fashioned Western town, they have shootouts and brawls, and the assembled crowds applaud when the no-good varmints fall down in the street. Intruding upon their little world is a gang of biker baddies, led by the evil Bart (LDP). They invade the town and proceed to cause all sorts of havoc. While merely an actor in the live shows, John takes it upon himself to transcend his role as the lawman, and become a LONE HERO in real life. Naturally, the stage is set for the final showdown between John and Bart. Who will be the real quick-draw man when the game is played for keeps?


Lone Hero is a humble, well-meaning throwback to the westerns of yore. It's immediately apparent that it's a low budget, shot-in-Canada affair, which certainly aren't bad things. But it is a bit surprising that with some real names in the cast - Forster, LDP, Flanery, and, to a certain extent, Metcalf - that is has such a cheapjack look to it. But the real problem is that it's all a bit pedestrian - there are moments when it slows to a crawl and becomes quite dull. There are a couple of action scenes peppered throughout, but the ending is pretty lame. It's almost like the movie can't get out of its own way.

If you're going to see one movie directed by Ken Sanzel, see Scarred City (1998), his directorial debut. It has a bit more pep in its step. Just as how he got Chazz Palminteri and Stephen Baldwin fresh off their The Usual Suspects (1995) success for that film, here he got Robert Forster after Jackie Brown (1997). That must be Sanzel's thing: get actors who are just coming off some surprise success to be in his DTV productions. Well, it worked for us.


The box art is pretty misleading. It leads potential renters or owners - or, in any case, viewers - to believe that LDP is going to be the Lone Hero. He's not; Flanery is. It was nice to see Phillips revel in his baddie role, and as much as we are devoted Robert Forster fans, without Phillips's performance, this would be dullsville, man.


That being said, if at any point in the proceedings Mark Metcalf got in Phillips's face and screamed, "What do you want to DO with your life!!??!!!!!", we'd give the movie five stars. And we're only on a four-star ratings system.


Because it's a City Heat production, Lone Hero was likely found languishing on the shelves at Blockbusters across the nation.

Despite everyone's best intentions, Lone Hero never really ignites into anything that inspires the viewer.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

The President's Man: A Line In The Sand (2002)

 The President's Man: A Line In The Sand (2002)- * * *

Directed by: Eric Norris

Starring: Chuck Norris, Jennifer Tung, Judson Mills, Maz Jobrani, Robert Urich and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson

If you've been following the adventures of Joshua McCord, Que, and Deke Slater (Chuck, Tung, and Mills respectively), you'll know that they now face the greatest threat yet posed to them: international Islamic terrorism! For those that may not know, McCord is a college professor by day and secret warrior by night who is dispatched to solve the President's toughest problems. His daughter Que and his protege Deke round out the team. When terrorists start planting bombs, as they're wont to do, and president Adam Mayfield (Urich) summons them, our triumvirate of heroes snap into action. But will it be too late? Will Chuck Norris stamp out the scourge of terrorism once and for all? He's already drawn A LINE IN THE SAND....

Chuck Norris's TV Movie career ends on a high with A Line in the Sand. It's a lot of fun, very silly, and delivers what you want. I have to say that when we picked up the 3-movie collection of Logan's War: Bound By Honor (1998), The President's Man (2000) and President's Man 2 for two dollars at Goodwill, we were not expecting much. But this trilogy proved to be far more entertaining than we thought it would be. This set exceeded our expectations and A Line in the Sand might be the best of the bunch, because it features Chuck doing what you think Chuck should be doing: killing terrorists. It's a great formula, and it really works here. Like the other entries in the set, it's surprisingly violent for a CBS telefilm, but it also has plenty of laughs along the way. This is what Body Armor (AKA Conway) (1997) should have been. 

Now, since he's the guy Joshua McCord is training because Josh is getting on in years, Deke Slater gets in on most of the action. But that's okay, because he does a great job. But don't go expecting Chuck to be on screen the entire time. A different actor plays Deke this time out, which means in total, they're up to their third hunk. The first was Eddie Cibrian, then Dylan Neal, now Judson Mills. They just can't keep their hunks from running away. As you might expect, this new Deke Slater is the Zack Morris of Dallas. He may crack wise, but he always makes good in the end.

Besides the casting change from Neal to Mills, there are some other noteworthy cast members. Firstly, Robert Urich as the President was a fantastic choice. He looks presidential, that's for sure. I'd vote for him any day. But the Norris brothers snagged yet another casting coup: real-life Republican Senator from Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison. While she was in an episode of Walker: Texas Ranger, this is her - to date - only acting role in a film, albeit a TV film. She's better than Gloria Allred, we'll say that for sure. Leave it to the Norrises to always keep us on our toes with surprises like this. It's what keeps you watching. 

In this particular sequel, they took what worked from the first installment and just did it again: a funny opening to to kick things off in grand style, the use of recycled footage, an extensive training sequence, and a slam-bang ending. Hey, if it works, why rock the boat? The training this time around features a very amusing song with lyrics that reference then-hot CBS TV show Survivor among other funny lyrics. 

While this is going on, there is a very Eternal Champions-esque method of whipping Deke Slater into shape. Much like what happened to Rax in that classic Genesis game, red balls come shooting out of holes in the wall and Deke must defend himself against them. When he protests that it's too easy, Que makes him do it blindfolded. And shirtless. But he might already have been shirtless. It's tough to say because he was always shirtless.

In the end, The President's Man: A Line in the Sand (get it? Because they're fighting middle-eastern terrorists?) delivers the goods. While this may have been Chuck's attempt at being topical and serious, it is indeed topical but it's not so serious. But it does have Deke and Joshua shooting terrorists in slow motion while cars are on fire in the background. I'm sure Senator Hutchison enjoyed watching that, as we all did.



For an enjoyable romp with the Chuckster, do check out The President's Man: A Line in the Sand.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Phase IV (2002)

 

Phase IV (2002)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Bryan Goeres

Starring: Dean Cain, Brian Bosworth, Stephen Coats, Richard Donat, Heather Mathieson, Hannah Sampson, 

"No more Pop Tarts!" - Kaitlyn and Simon Tate

Simon Tate (Cain) is a former Navy SEAL and football player who, at the age of 30, decides to enroll himself at New England University with the aim of getting a degree in journalism. But Simon Tate gets more than he bargained for when he accidentally stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens many people's lives. Noticing a pattern among the mysterious deaths of some students of NEU (which is not to be confused with the German Krautrock band of the same name), he reaches out to Dr. Ben Roanic (Coats) for some possible answers. However, it seems Roanic knows too much about the mysterious "Phases" that a company called Stroyker Pharmaceuticals desperately wants covered up - at all costs.

Enter a team of goons and thugs headed by the scary Steven Birnam (The Boz). They're more than willing to silence anyone when it comes to Phases II-IV. When Tate gets too close to the truth, and it involves Senators and Senatorial candidates, the head of Stroyker, Karl Dean (Donat) demands that Tate be eliminated. His goons then kidnap Tate's wife Carla (Mathieson) and his young daughter Kaitlyn (Sampson), which leads to the ultimate showdown. Will we ever discover what's so important about...PHASE IV?

Not to be confused with the killer ant movie of the same name from 1974, this particular Phase IV offers up its own brand of enjoyment. There's a lot to love about Phase IV. It somehow manages to combine extreme silliness with a plot that's actually really good. The conspiracy at issue here is genuinely involving, and the film overall makes some very valid points about society. We don't want to give too much away, of course, but let's just say there's some real meat on the bone here and it's not your run of the mill empty-headed action. The filmmakers have a point to make, and they make it well. 

On top of that, we get some really entertaining action sequences, and two fan favorites in Boz and Dean Cain. Phase IV really features the Dean Cain we all want to see. He's likable, he's beating people up, and he really gets in on the action. He doesn't pull any punches this time. He fires off some classic wisecracks as the icing on the cake. The idea that the former Navy SEAL is not your classic news reporter that we often see, but is a journalism student on the campus newspaper was an off-kilter choice that we really liked. The backyard fight with Cain and the goons was a movie highlight, but all the action scenes and blow-ups were fun to watch.

As soon as the film starts, we're immediately thrown into the action as our goons are chasing down a very agitated man. This sets the tone of action, conspiracy, and humor pitch-perfectly, and it doesn't deviate for the rest of the film's running time. Normally we'd balk at 100 minutes, but this time around it's painless because it's pretty well justified. In that opening scene we're "treated" to some CGI snow and water, and we thought "uh oh". But hang in there and you'll see some massive improvements from there on in. Why they thought they needed CGI snow in the beginning, but nowhere else, remains a mystery. Much like the mystery behind Phase IV itself. 

It seems worth noting that the gaffer on the film was a dude named Dan "Bran Muffin" Grady. He seems like a cool guy that you'd want as your pal. Maybe if we lived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Phase IV was shot, he would be. I bet the people are friendly there.

While it may seem improbable, we really loved Phase IV. All the ingredients really came together this time around. As of this writing, it's on Amazon Prime, so feel free to go check it out.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

U.S. Seals 3 (2002)

U.S. Seals 3 (2002)- * *

Directed by: Franklin A. Vallette

Starring: Tyler Christopher and Bentley Mitchum

Rick (Christopher) is the leader of a SEAL team in Albania. He and the rest of his crew have to take along a mysterious man named Andreas (Mitchum) with them as a guide. But what is Andreas’s real purpose for being involved with the mission? After a lot of shooting and blow-ups, we finally get to the truth…but what will be the real cost to these FROGMEN?

U.S. SEALS 3 is very standard fare. It doesn’t have the unusual plot turnaround of the first outing, or the energy and entertainment of the Isaac Florentine-directed second installment. It’s just kinda there. It’s not bad, per se, but it does get quite boring and is fairly typical Nu-Image muck. It could’ve used a name, any name, to pep things up…Tom Sizemore, Jay Roberts, Jr., Kellan Lutz…somebody.

Probably because we’re dealing with Navy SEALS, there are plenty of underwater scenes and it does bring something new to the table: underwater grunting. You haven’t heard grunting until you’ve heard underwater grunting. Granted, the characters involved probably wouldn’t have heard themselves grunt, but, in the pioneering spirit of the film, we, the audience, get to hear this sonic marvel. Also there’s a classic “NOOOOOOoooo!!!”, as we frequently hear, but, you guessed it: It’s underwater this time. Pretty sweet. I guess.

As is often the case with these military-based outings, much-needed character development is thrown by the wayside. Adding insult to injury, a lot of the characters, especially the SEAL team, look a lot alike. So it’s hard to tell – or care – who is speaking or what’s really going on. But there is a lot of silly and nonthreatening violence papered over it all. Additionally, when they were trying to explain where they were, they misspelled “Aegean” on the screen. Where was the quality control?

In 1994, before his murder troubles, O.J. Simpson was set to star in a series called Frogmen. Also, Deep Purple has an album called Stormbringer. No doubt inspired by these series of events, Nu-Image concocted this, U.S. Seals 3 AKA Frogmen Operation Stormbringer. It’s a 90-minute film released in 2002. It probably runs at 24 frames per second. You can watch it on a screen. We think that pretty much covers all there is to say.

We were not moved in one direction or another by this film. We didn’t love it, and it’s not nearly bad enough to hate. It simply exists in our world, like rocks and trees and mountains and sand. If that sounds like a ringing endorsement, you can watch it on Amazon Prime. But we think you may have better things to do.




Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Las Vegas Warrior (2002)

Las Vegas Warrior (2002)- *

Directed by: Natasha Baron

Starring: Suk Woo Nam, Laurie Hanley, Jason Simpson, Nic Amoroso, and Earl Wadden

Suk (Suk Woo Nam as himself?) was not named after this movie. Rather, he is the best fighter on the underground Punchfighting scene in “Vegas”. Whenever the corrupt bosses who run the fights need a win, they call in Suk. A reporter for a TV station named SVS (are we sure it’s not the CBC?) named Chase Somete – and because the audio quality of this movie is so bad, it sounds like everyone is calling her Jason X – brings along her cameraman, the lovable Andre (Simpson) and the prissy and annoying soundman Jimmy Olsen (presumably no relation to the Daily Planet reporter) (Wadden), and off the three of them go to initiate their investigative reportage about Suk. However, the three get more than they bargained for as they go deeper and deeper into the shady world of Punchfighting. With the help of a local fish salesman named Gill (get it?) (Amoroso), will Chase and her compadres get to the truth about Suk and the Las Vegas underground fight scene?

Las Vegas Warrior is a dreary outing that has about as much fun and excitement as an overcast Canadian winter. Just because a movie has the words “Las” and/or “Vegas” in the title, it does not necessarily mean said movie was shot there. It could be Canadian, for instance. To be fair, this also goes by the name Fightclub Warrior, although that title has its own problems. But why not call it “New Brunswick Warrior” or something like that and stay true to your Canadian roots?

Anyway, this movie makes the similarly-themed The Circuit (2002) look like a masterpiece. In addition to the aforementioned poor sound quality, we also have equally dingy, video camera-esque picture quality. The whole thing is extremely low-rent and the rock-bottom budget is evident in every scene. Not that the latter is in itself a bad thing, but director Baron seemingly didn’t know how to use what she had to her advantage.

For example, most of the characters (except for the jovial Andre) are whiny. This includes our heroes Chase and Suk. For no reason whatsoever, there are these two-second flashes in between some random scenes. Maybe they thought they would liven things up or make it seem hip and cool. Irritating the already-tired eyes of the viewers is not cool, people. These unnecessary flashes were also used in The Circuit. Coincidence? Well, probably. But it’s not a good sign of confidence in the strength of your movie.


Plotwise, there’s no big, final villain. No one to build up to. No Matthias Hues, Ralf Moeller, or Wolf Larson for Suk to fight. Just…nobody. The soundtrack to all this is almost as whiny as the characters themselves. Early 2000’s-style crud-rock by bands called Dog Eat Dogma, Universal Freak, and Les Respectables pollute our ears the entire time. To be fair yet again, the other music on the soundtrack is credited to a Ferocious LeFonque. This may be a character on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but we’re too busy watching Las Vegas Warrior to know for sure.

Another problem is that this movie needed a name. ANY name. In our review for Expert Weapon, we lamented the dearth of Joe Estevez in that film. If we may quote ourselves, “When your movie NEEDS MORE JOE ESTEVEZ, you have a problem.” To update that for today’s proceedings, we would say forget more Joe Estevez, when your movie needs any Joe Estevez, you’ve got a problem. Hell, get any Estevez. Get Phil Estevez. Get anybody! Just…help!

In the end, the low budget of Las Vegas Warrior could have been transcended with a better script, more exciting and diverse fight scenes, and less amateurish technical qualities. Unfortunately, none of that happens, and the result is flat and dull.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty 

The Transporter (2002)

The Transporter (2002)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Louis Leterrier and Cory Yuen

Starring: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Francois Berleand, Ric Young, and Matt Schulze

Frank Martin (Statham) is an ex-Special Forces soldier who now lives alone in a picturesque region of France. When his friend Inspector Tarconi (Berleand) makes occasional visits to his fortress-like home, Martin maintains that he’s left the fighting life behind him and now lives on his Army pension alone. The truth is that Martin is a master Martial Artist and expert driver who employs his prodigious skills for whoever pays his price, and whoever agrees to follow his strict set of rules. Things get complicated when a super-evil businessman known only as Wall Street (Schulze) hires Martin – and then Martin realizes that he’s transporting a live human in a bag – a woman named Lai (Qi). Together, Martin and Lai uncover a smuggling ring and a conspiracy that will hit everyone very close to home. Battling many goons to get close to the truth, will Frank Martin be the TRANSPORTER of justice? Find out today!

Top fan favorite Jason Statham in a movie co-written by Luc Besson and co-directed by Corey Yuen? Sign us up! Indeed, The Transporter lives up to the promise inherent in these names – it’s a fast paced, professionally-shot, and totally enjoyable action outing that’s easy to love. The French locations are beautiful and make a nice change of pace for the setting for an action movie, and the car chase and driving scenes are all the better for occurring in these locales. This was the first feature film for co-director Leterrier, and he and Yuen show they know how to deliver the action goods. Between the car action, the gun-shooting, missile-shooting, and Hong Kong-style Martial Arts, the movie breezes by in a blur of entertaining goodness.

It’s easy to see why this garnered two more sequels and a TV spin-off – it’s a simple, enjoyable premise and the end result lives up to, and exceeds, audience expectations. While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend the sequels, especially the second installment, what we would recommend is the Japanese DVD, if you can find it. It’s an uncut version that contains more violence than other DVD issues to date. However, it’s certainly not mandatory you find that in order to fully enjoy The Transporter – from action newbies to die-hard fans, it delivers the goods and surely a great time will be had by all who see it. 

Featuring a notable score by Stanley Clarke, and action scenes galore (the garage oil slick scene is a particular highlight), The Transporter is a gem. 

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

The Circuit (2002)

The Circuit (2002)- * *

Directed by: Jalal Merhi

Starring: Olivier Gruner, Ilya Morelle, Jalal Merhi, Loren Avedon, Gail Harris, Michael Blanks, Bruce Buffer, Bryan Genesse, and Billy Drago











Dirk Longstreet (Gruner) truly has it all. A great job as a college track and field coach, a great first name, a great last name, and an overall vibe that tells the world, “I’m Dirk Longstreet”. Trouble arises when his younger brother Jeremy Longstreet (Morelle) begins attending illegal underground Punchfighting matches known as “The Circuit”. Deeply in debt to Circuit ringleader Vixton Hack (Genesse), who really gives Dirk Longstreet a run for his money in the awesome name sweepstakes, Hack tells Jeremy he can work off his debt by fighting in the ring. The problem is, Dirk was an undefeated champion of the Circuit in his past, but he walked away and started a new and better life for himself, and he wants to forget the old days. 

So even though he’s in top physical shape, he begins training with Circuit boss Lenny (Drago) so he can defeat current reigning champs the Kwan twins (Simon Kim and James Kim). Meanwhile, a typical female reporter, Nicole (Harris) has been tracking the Circuit and even gets close to Dirk on false pretenses. Her editor, Editor Bill (Merhi) (That’s how he’s credited) wants to pull her off the story, but her connections with cop Det. Sykes (Avedon) have her closer than ever to exposing The Circuit to the public. What in the world is going to happen?

So many shirtless men punching each other, so little time. Fascinatingly, the main thing about The Circuit that would seem to anger most people, was, to us, one of its greatest strengths. That being the dialogue, which is written insipidly, delivered stupidly, and recorded unintelligibly. Half the time you’re yelling “WHAT?!” at the screen. When you get some dialogue spoken clearly, as ring announcer Bruce Buffer does (yes, Michael’s brother - ring announcing must be in the Buffer family DNA) we get such gems as: “a warrior for many years, the Ninja Warrior.” Hm. How inspiring. Another example is said by a random goon: “Dirk Longstreet’s in the house!” Maybe when Dirk Longstreet starts his rap career as MC Dirk Longstreet, he can sample that and put it on his album. He can always team up with Chino XL, who appears in the Circuit 2 (2002).

Of course, there are the time-honored training sequences, shots of audiences screaming while clutching their cash, and the prerequisite barfight (s). But thanks to his past that he’s trying to escape, Dirk suffers from “punchdreams”, where he has nightmares of being punched. Truly that’s the next frontier of Punchfighting movies. A cross between Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Fist Fighter (1989). Producers out there, take notice. The Circuit doesn’t go that direction, of course, but viewers may suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome. It doesn’t help that the movie has these annoying, eye-singing flashes that unnecessarily appear between scenes. Unless Jalal Merhi has some sort of deal going with LensCrafters to surreptitiously drive business their way from eyeball-damaged Punchfighting fans, there’s no need for this.

Speaking of Merhi, he has a sit-down role (as he does in The Circuit 2) as Editor Bill. Thankfully, when his parents named him, they knew he would be a newspaper editor. That was fortuitous. Kind of like how fish grow to fit the bowl, or subconsciously, people come to fit their name, like Jay Woelfel, the director of the horrendously awful Iron Thunder (1998), which is indeed woeful (as we pointed out in our review). Thankfully, Merhi doesn’t do much (though even what he does do is unlikable), and neither does his buddy Loren Avedon. Apparently these two guys are so hard to work with, they can only work with each other. They’ve been exiled to the outer reaches of DTV slop, as has Bryan Genesse, who here resembles a card-carrying member of the Trenchcoat Mafia. A general rule of thumb is, if Genesse is involved, you’ve hit rock bottom. 

Fan favorite Billy Drago is...here...and Michael Blanks plays a guy named- wait for it - LL Cool J! Isn’t that against copyright law? How are they able to get away with that? Regardless, his name in the movie is LL Cool J. Clearly the writers of this movie were doin’ it, and doin’ it, and doin’ it, but not so well.

No one alive knows why, but there are THREE The Circuit movies. Now we just need to track down the hard-to-find third entry. For the sillier and less-substantial end of the Punchfighting genre, there’s always The Circuit.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, DTVC and The Video Vacuum! 

The Circuit 2: The Final Punch (2002)

The Circuit 2: The Final Punch (2002)-* *

Directed by: Jalal Merhi

Starring: Olivier Gruner, Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Blanks, Jim Shagen, Jalal Merhi, Chino XL, Gail Harris, and Gary Hudson











 Dirk Longstreet (Gruner) is a school athletic coach and dog lover, and has the pride of knowing he has the most awesome name in town. His girlfriend Nicole (Harris) is a newspaper reporter, and her latest assignment is to find out the dark secrets of Ogden Correctional Institution. While there, she is attacked so badly she’s put into a coma. 

Dirk, with the help of  Nicole’s editor Max (Lamas), 
working as his contact on the outside, decides to enter Ogden and get to the truth. But the corrupt guards are running Punchfighting matches, known as “The Circuit” - they even compete against other prisons’ illegal underground Punchfighting Circuits like it’s some kind of NCAA seed. But Dirk is an able fighter, and he’s going to have to be to take on the reigning champ, the evil Pike (Shagen). What will happen to Dirk - and what will happen to Nicole? We may never know!

The Circuit 2: The Final Punch, whose subtitle contains the word “punch”  which is a surprisingly rare thing, even for Punchfighters. It’s also surprising that there are actually THREE Circuit movies. Why? Can anyone answer this? Anyway, as you’ve already surmised, it’s a combination prison movie/Punchfighter, but it’s no In Hell (2003). 

Olivier Gruner (or is it Daniel Bernhardt, we can’t really tell anymore...) is fairly solid in the immortal role of Dirk Longstreet, but Lamas is underused here, even wasted. You can tell he doesn’t really care, but, in his defense, would you? But his “I don’t care” performance is actually appropriate and one of the better aspects of this movie.

Besides the cheapness, unintentional “laffs” and out-and-out stupidity, which gets pretty grating after a while, there’s a certain dullness about the movie. Sure, it has a cool training sequence, but that’s just not enough. Even the scene where Chino XL and a bunch of his homies show up at the offices where Lamas works to say “we don’t like what you wrote about us” (hey, it’s plausible...doesn’t it happen all the time?) is funny, but we can’t really tell if it’s on purpose or not.

Jalal Merhi, who’s in the movie for a few minutes (and literally phones in his performance) delivers, as a director, a movie with an amateurish structure. Plus you can’t really tell when the movie is from. Apparently it came out in 2002, but it seems mid-90’s. The second half of the movie is largely back-to-back fighting on the beach, strongly reminiscent of The Ultimate Game (2001). When J.D. Rifkin is your role model, there are some serious problems.

As far as the “seedy jail” sequences, most of the major cliches are on show, such as the classic “prison speech” when the inmates first get to Ogden. The prison T-shirts have the name and number seemingly written-on in marker, and Michael Blanks, Billy’s brother who also appeared in Expect No Mercy (1995), plays the sympathetic friend to Dirk. But, Dirk doesn’t use his own name while in prison, presumably not to sully it, much like how a hand model always wears gloves. He goes by the name “Jim Morrison”. Presumably his first choice for a jailhouse moniker, Engelbert Humperdinck, was already taken.

In all, even though the cast is solid, the dumb and dingy Circuit 2 is not. It’s not offensively horrible, but we still felt kind of bad for Lamas and Gruner (and pretty much everyone else), because they should be involved with better projects. Did we mention Gruner’s name in the movie is Dirk Longstreet?

Also check out reviews by our buddies, The Video Vacuum and DTVC!

Comeuppance Review by Ty and Brett

Black Mask 2: City Of Masks (2002)

Black Mask 2: City Of Masks (2002)-* * *

Directed by: Tsui Hark

Starring: Andy On, Traci Lords, Jon Polito, Andrew Byrniarski, Rob Van Dam, Tyler Mane, Tobin Bell, and Scott Adkins











Moloch (Bell) and King (Polito) run a wrestling federation with a stable of “wrestling superstars” that include Thorn (Mane), Iguana (Bryniarski), Claw (Van Dam), Wolf (Erhuero), Snake (Mukes), and Chameleon (Lords). However, thanks to some DNA modification, he’s giving them the power their character might really have, but in a wildly mutated fashion. But now they’re running wild. Black Mask (On) not only has to stop them, he’s got to race against time to correct his own genetically-related problems. He’s going to need the help of Dr. Marco Leung (Herrera), and a young boy, Raymond (Marquette) that looks up to Black Mask because he saved his life from a rampaging evil wrestler. Pulling all the strings is evil puppet master Dr. Lang (Adkins). Black Mask sure has his hands full this time!

Okay. Anyone who reads this site knows how we feel about CGI. We think it’s the scourge of the movie industry and all traces of it should be wiped from the earth. It does nothing but ruin movies and make them look bad, only serving as a crutch to lazy filmmakers. Meanwhile the arts of makeup, monster effects, stunts, and Martial Arts - typically the things CGI is replacing - fade further into the distance. And while we’re not changing our stance anytime soon, we still liked Black Mask 2. It has CGI in seemingly every scene, but this movie is so wildly silly, we don’t really care.

What the filmmakers were obviously trying to do was make a live-action comic book. In 2002, CGI was still relatively new, so the adventurous Chinese makers of this movie decided to try to use this new technology to advance their vision. While it doesn’t always gel, it’s done so un-cynically and with such verve, we’re willing to give them a pass.  Director Tsui Hark, who we’re a fan of, brings that off-kilter, kinetic style and plenty of cockeyed angles, as well as a zooming, constantly in-motion feel to complete the comic-booky fun. We liked the idea of combining ideas from the worlds of wrestling, comic books and genetic engineering (!)  - we felt that was creative and original so we’ll look the other way at some of the dodgier aspects of this movie.

On top of that, there are actual Martial Arts fights, as well as wire-fu and more traditional stunts, all overseen by the great Yuen Wo-Ping. And though this was Andy On’s debut film, you’d never know it. He completely holds his own with the cast of more experienced actors. Joining him as the Kato-like Black Mask are fan favorites such as Rob Van Dam (Bloodmoon, 1997), Tobin Bell (Best Of the Best 4, 1998), and Traci Lords who looks...odd...and we prefer her in things from her classic non-porn DTV era such as A Time To Die (1991), Raw Nerve (1991), and Intent To Kill (1992), but she did liven things up in an already pretty lively movie. Super fan favorite Scott Adkins is unrecognizable as Dr. Lang, a character that looks like it wandered off the set of a Jeunet & Caro movie. But we did appreciate the presence of Adkins, as we usually do.

In all, if you’re charitable enough to forgive its trespasses, Black Mask 2 is a silly good time.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Malevolent (2002)

Malevolent (2002)-* * *

Directed by: John Terlesky

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Kari Wuhrer, Jack McGee, Edoardo Ballerini, Carmen Argenziano, and Steven Bauer











Jack Lucas (LDP) is an LAPD cop on the edge. Putting him even closer to the edge of the edge is the fact that a psychotic criminal mastermind is trying to frame him for a series of murders. The obnoxious and annoying Oliver “Ollie” Chadwicke (Ballerini) has it in for Lucas and is going to slyly and shrewdly send him up the river. Fighting for his life against the bogus charges actually perpetrated by Chadwicke, Lucas must use his wits to defeat him at his own game. Teaming up with a stripper with a heart of gold, Jessica (Wuhrer), as well as his father, Warren (Argenziano), Lucas must not only defend himself against Chadwicke, but from the mistrust growing amongst his co-workers. Especially with Captain Pruitt (Bauer) breathing down his neck. Will Lucas get justice?

Malevolent is a surprisingly solid and entertaining cop drama/thriller. It was smart putting LDP in the lead role, because he can easily carry a movie like this with his charm, charisma and acting ability. You could even say this is the continuing story of Jeff Powers from Extreme Justice. This isn’t really an action movie, in fact all of the action was edited in from The Corruptor (1999) and Marked For Death (1990). Anyone who has seen those movies will surely recognize the footage. But at least Malevolent is open and honest about it, in its own way: both footage sources get large, easy-to-read screen credits at the end of the movie. Other DTV items don’t do that. They try to hide their patchwork nature. So we give the movie credit for its openness.

You have to take this movie for what it is, it’s not going to change the world but it’s really not bad either. In its quest to be gritty, or perhaps different, there are some horribly (intentionally horribly) edited sequences that are trying to be “cool”. If the movie was just edited normally, that would have helped. Plus there are some highly cliched, even stereotypical characters, such as Lucas’ partner Carla, played by Gwen McGee. But Ballerini did a great job as the baddie, he really makes you hate him. It’s always nice to see Kari Wuhrer, we were happy she was on board. It was also cool to see Jack McGee, of The Quest (1996) fame as the bartender. Steven Bauer should have had more screen time as the captain. Also, Simon Rhee is credited as one of the stunt players.

LDP even wrote the lyrics for the movie’s most memorable song, “Pray For Dawn”, a bluesy-type number. He should get more credit for being multi-talented. Fans of any of the cast members involved, DTV cop dramas, or fans of stock footage (we know you’re out there), or anyone with some spare time on their hands might want to check out Malevolent.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Lethal Force (2002)

Lethal Force (2002)-*

Directed by: James Dalthorp

Starring: Richard Tyson, Steven Owsley, Michelle Stafford, Willie Gault, and Robert Vaughn













Thomas Carruth (Tyson) is a Texas cop who laments the “old days” when law enforcement didn’t have so much red tape involved and there were less confining rules. So he goes rogue, becoming the judge, jury and executioner all on his own terms. Apparently this doesn’t sit right with go-getting attorney Renee Alexander (Stafford), who approaches fellow lawyer J.B. Thornton (Owsley) about building a case against Carruth. Even with the help of Eddie Mills (Gault), catching Carruth is not going to be easy. So they slowly, meticulously do it anyway. Will they catch this Carruthless character? Can they fight through the Carruption? Find out today! (Actually, don’t...)

You’d think a Direct-to-Video movie starring Richard Tyson and Robert Vaughn called Lethal Force would be a surefire winner. However, it’s not very lethal and has minimal force. However, that’s the Corman-released title (others were Cottonmouth and Silent Justice) - and it seems to be a cynically misleading ploy to get suckers like us to think this is an action movie. It’s actually a TV-style drama about two lawyers building their case against someone. It’s nothing you wouldn’t see on an episode of Law & Order - and it would probably be done better on a Law & Order episode. The main problem is, by far the best and most interesting character is Carruth, and there are huge stretches where he’s nowhere in sight. And they could have made him a lot more evil. The non-Carruth scenes have no edge or bite to them.

Carruth is a good role for Tyson, and we were wishing he would come back in a better movie. Incidentally, he resembles a cross between Martin Kove and Steven Bauer. Amazingly, this movie came out in 2002, but it looks like it’s from 1992. And seeing as how we were on Robert Vaughn watch, we noted how he doesn’t appear until 69 minutes into the movie. At that point it’s just a salvage job and it’s far beyond the powers of any actor to save the wreckage, but it seems Vaughn at least tried his best.

Sadly, Lethal Force is a dull, uninvolving legal drama that was cruelly mis-marketed as some kind of action movie. If you ever see this movie in any store, don’t take the bait. (Ty paid fifty cents at The Salvation Army for this on VHS - and that’s exactly where it’s going back). Let us act as guinea pigs for you. If you’re expecting action, avoid Lethal Force.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Sniper 2 (2002)

Sniper 2 (2002)-* *

Directed by: Craig R. Baxley

Starring: Tom Berenger and Bokeem Woodbine



“We’re the ones that unscrew the problems the diplomats make”.








Thomas Beckett (Berenger) is called back into action because not only was he “The Best”, but he’s still “The Best” all these years later. He thought he left his sniping days behind, now that he’s taking yahoos on hunting trips. But the government offers him anything he wants to go to Serbia and assassinate Valstoria, an official who has been behind some sort of ethnic cleansing. Sensing a trick, because if the government is offering him anything, they think he won’t return alive, Beckett simply asks for a restoration of his rank. So they team up Master Gunnery Sergeant Beckett with a prisoner, Cole (Woodbine), who has a chance to earn his freedom if he backs up Beckett on this mission. But as we know, Beckett has a history of losing partners. Can they execute their mission...and their target?

It’s easy to think this installment in the Sniper series was made sometime in the 90’s, right after the first movie. It seems very 90’s. But surprisingly, it was released in 2002. Seeing as the first Sniper was released in 1993, why the filmmakers thought that fans were clamoring for a new Sniper vehicle nine years after the fact remains a mystery. And thus, Sniper 2 does have a “this never needed to be made” kind of feeling throughout. They probably thought it would be worthwhile to have Beckett talk about such things as al-Qaida and Guantanamo Bay, and say things like “Freedom isn’t free”, thus dating the proceedings to the Bush administration. By comparison, the first Sniper movie has more of a timeless feel, not dating to any one era.

It seems like a Nu-Image movie, and it was shot in Hungary instead of Bulgaria. Not helping matters is the awful CGI, which was worse - if such a thing is possible - in 2002 than it is today. So points have to be detracted for that. Come on, that’s a betrayal of everything Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett stands for! He shouldn’t have to tolerate CGI stupidity. It should be only the real deal for him. He has enough problems as it is (there’s some good continuity from the first movie regarding his injuries from torture he suffered). Woodbine, as the backup this time around, makes a worthy foil for Beckett, and he has a very distinctive voice. He should really do voice-overs and cartoons and such. His voice carries his performance here.

Director Baxley, who we’re normally a fan of, because of Action Jackson (1988), I Come In Peace (1990) and Stone Cold (1991), seems to be taking kind of a paycheck assignment here. He’s a competent director, and that shows, but he should have brought the same verve he brought to the aforementioned three movies to this one. He should have made Beckett be able to stand alongside Jackson , Jack Caine, and John Stone as some of his more memorable men of action. Berenger does do his normal high-quality job, but something seems to be missing.

As it stands, Sniper 2 is okay. For a movie that doesn’t need to exist, it’s decent. It’s not offensively bad, it’s just a bit dull and unnecessary. It’s good that it isn’t jokey, and we appreciate that, but there’s no need to run out and see this.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Derailed (2002)

Derailed (2002)-*1\2

Directed by: Bob Misiorowski 

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Laura Harring and Tomas Arana












Jacques Kristoff (Van Damme) is a family man with a wife, a son and a daughter. He is given a mission by his superiors to track down a mysterious woman named Galina Konstantin (Harring). As it turns out, Galina is hiding a deadly bio-weapon - a mutated form of smallpox enhanced with other, newer pathogens. This is discovered while Jacques is escorting Galina on a train from Bratislava to Munich. Things really get complicated when a gang of terrorists headed by Mason Cole (Arana) hijack the train and attempt to steal the smallpox. In the ensuing confusion, a vial is broken and it goes into the ventilation system of the train, making a lot of people sick. Not the least of which is Jacques’ family, who surprised him by showing up on the train. Can Jacques save his family, stop the bio-terror from spreading, combat the terrorists, convince his wife he’s not cheating on her with Galina, and save the train from getting DERAILED?

Unfortunately, Derailed is stupid, junky, and is just plain filler in the career of Van Damme. Sadly, despite the presence of Van Damme, this movie isn’t really much different from any other Nu-Image or Millennium production. It has loathsome CGI, including CGI sparks, and is edited from probably countless other sources (which would explain why certain things may seem familiar if you‘ve seen Direct Contact). Speaking of editing, there are a lot of dumb, unnecessary editing effects that call attention to the cruddiness of this production, instead of covering it up, which we assume was the original intention.

Basically this movie is a ripoff/mishmash of movies such as Die Hard (1988), Speed (1994), The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974), and even Strategic Command (1997). But the most obvious “influence” is surely Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). Clearly messing with perfection, the filmmakers must have watched that and said, “the only thing that would make this better is if Van Damme was in it and not Seagal!” And while Derailed doesn’t add much new to the formula, it does have a cool scene where Van Damme rides a motorbike on top of the speeding train. But even this movie highlight didn’t live up to its potential.

Stunt coordinator Mike Kirton, who also worked with Van Damme on The Quest (1996), probably wished he was back working on Heat (1986) and Malone (1987) with Burt Reynolds in the good old days.

Also featuring a guy who looks exactly like Joe Don Baker as the stereotypical Texan, and the baddies in red berets and fatigues that are more common in Nu-Image movies than Star Wars stormtroopers, we can’t forget the main title rap song, which is catchy and it seems like the uncredited rappers must have watched the movie to formulate their lyrics. I wonder if they found it challenging to fulfill their mandate to write a rap about a movie that has more obvious miniatures than most kids’ train sets.

Derailed is not a standout moment in the storied Van Damme career.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Air Strike (2002)

Air Strike (2002)-* *

Directed by: David Worth

Starring: Robert Rusler, Jennifer Gareis, Benjamin Burdick, Fredric Lehne, Pepper Sweeney, and Ivaylo Geraskov




"The Spirit Of This Country Will Not Be Defeated!"









The second-best of the "American Heroes" series (the best being Special Forces), Air Strike is a cliche-ridden mess, but it's not boring. At least not most of the time.

When evil drug lord Ivan Stefanovich (Geraskov) and his nefarious army, the Tiger Guard, start causing trouble in the Eastern European country of Petrovia, the American helicopter pilots are called in to start shooting and missile-ing everything in sight. Ben Garret (Rusler) is called out of retirement to handle the situation because apparently his brother Jack was a legendary soldier. When Charlie (Gareis) (who turns out to be a...woman *gasp!*) joins the squadron, Top Gun-style sparks fly. Just because she is General Cornelius Jones' daughter, she doesn't want any special treatment. Garret is eventually captured and tortured by the baddies, but then he rejoins his team to exact an explosive revenge.

Now, I'm all for patriotism. We probably love America more than anyone you'll ever meet, but this is just ridiculous. It's like director David Worth was given the mandate "make it patriotic", and he went so far over the top it almost seems snide. It's as if he saying "Oh, they want patriotism, I'll give 'em patriotism..." There's an American flag in almost every scene in the movie, and the characters chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!" so much it's actually embarrassing. Interestingly, if you look at the end credits, the films in the American Heroes series are not made by Americans so I wonder what they thought about all this. But then again, I suppose no one's stopping them from making their own movie about Bulgarian pride.

It's hard to tell what's worse: the CGI missiles and helicopters, or the fact that they were mixed with actual explosions and stunts in an attempt to fool the audience into thinking it's all seamless. And while the character of Walker (Burdick) is constantly reading Lord of the Rings, and the character of Perez (Ivo Tonchev) is simply cliche-fodder, our hats should go off to Robert Rusler as Garret. We all know (or should know) Rusler from 80's classics like personal favorite Thrashin' (1986). Even though the one-liners he says to himself are not clever in any way, shape or form, his charm and charisma almost saves Air Strike. That's paying the man a great compliment. He all but triumphs over impossible odds. He deserves a lot of credit for making the film less of a slog of CGI doom. But saying any one actor or performance could transcend, and make Air Strike a good movie is like asking someone to go up Niagara Falls in a barrel. But kudos for Rusler for almost pulling it off.

Other things worth noting are the funny, overly deep and gravelly overdubbed "bad guy voice" Ivan Stefanovich has, the TV monitor that the military brass are constantly watching that says in giant letters taped to the screen "DRONE SCREEN" (maybe the film of Air Strike was playing on it...ha!), and the fact that Garret's team in the film is called "Blue Thunder". Why would they make the audience recall in their minds a good helicopter movie, thus making the one they are currently watching seem even worse by comparison?

But the bottom line is that Air Strike has every cliche in the book and a lot of flaws, but Robert Rusler does his best.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

On The Edge (2002)

On The Edge (2002)-*1\2

Directed by: Fred Williamson

Starring: Fred Williamson, Ice-T, Gary Busey, Ron O'Neal, Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, and Gloria Allred



"Nobody Escapes The Streets."









 Willie Jo Harris (Derrick Franklin) is a young, star basketball player on the rise. His dad Frank (O'Neal) is very proud of him. But he did a stupid thing. He bought some drugs from local hood Slim Jim (Ice-T). Now he owes him a lot of money. But some goons dispatched to kill him accidentally got the wrong house and kill the wife and son of Rex Stevens (Casey). Harris asks Dakota "Dak" Smith (Williamson), an ex-cop, golf enthusiast, and private eye, for help. Now old buddies Frank, Rex and Dak have to team up to fight the gangsters and corrupt cops. One of the main targets is the ruthless assassin Felix (Busey). Will these "Original Gangsters" be able to take down the baddies and win the day?

Also it is worth mentioning that Jim Brown is on hand as Chad Grant (doesn't he just look like someone named "Chad"? Come to think of it, Bernie Casey doesn't scream a guy named "Rex", so there you go), an ex-football player who runs "Challenges" Community Center. Not typecasting at all. And none other than Gloria Allred has a small role as "Councilwoman Gloria Johnson". I guess she has to get herself in front of a camera at all costs. ALL costs. Where else would Dakota go for info about the streets?

Director/Star/Co-Writer Williamson corraled his old pals to appear in one last blast, and sadly, it was the last appearance of Ron O'Neal. As we've mentioned before on this site, "never have a last movie". Williamson has a nice anti-crime/drugs message here, in what can only be described as a "neo-blaxploitation" (or neoblax, for short) film. It seems to be an attempt to marry the old-school blaxploitation style of the 70's, with the newer, direct-to-video brand, represented by such titles as Dead Homiez (1993), State Property (2002), Paper Soldiers (2002), etc. Unfortunately, it has a cheap, junky feel to it, and in many scenes, the dialogue is nigh-impossible to hear because there is also some rap music blaring on the soundtrack, and it actually drowns out the actors. And don't try to turn up the volume, because the overly-loud music comes with it. So while we want to hear what The Hammer is saying, instead we hear the jam "Everybody Wants To Be A Gangsta". Luckily, it is my jam. But it just seems like a blatant attempt to "be cool" and stay hip with the kids. We, the audience, know Williamson, Casey, Brown and O'Neal don't listen to this "rap-music noise".

There are some entertaining and funny things about On the Edge, not the least of which are Willie Jo Harris' hair, Ice-T's absurd suit, the usage of the (years-old by this time) "Whhaaazzzzuuuupppp?" - I assume that's how you spell it, and the presence of Gary Busey. Sure, he's not using his classic word he pioneered in Bulletproof (1988), "Butthorn", but luckily he has a great mixed-metaphor line with: "This has all the makings of a setup...but I'm holding the ace." And if you've ever wanted to see Busey do a drive-by shooting in the same movie as Williamson's classic "Fred-Fu", this is the movie for you.

But the true headline for On the Edge should be "Bernie Casey with a rocket launcher". 'Nuff said.

Inexplicably ending with the word "Gone!", On the Edge is notable for its cast of lovable favorites, but it might be wise to stick with the more classic-era Fred Williamson titles.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Speakeasy (2002)

Speakeasy (2002)-* * *

Directed by: Brendan Murphy

Starring: David Strathairn, Nicky Katt, Christopher McDonald, Lake Bell, and Arthur Hiller










Speakeasy is an engaging drama. It's being dumped on video with little fanfare. The other "Project Greenlight" film: Battle of Shaker Heights is complete garbage. That film got the Greenlight treatment. Speakeasy was the runner up in that contest.

Everybody in this film gives excellent performances. It's great to see David Strathairn in a starring role. He gives a calm and interesting performance as Bruce Hickman. Stacy Edwards does a good job as his wife, Sophie. There really is no plot because this is a character study. It's really irritating that Miramax gives Speakeasy no chance for awards (or an audience), but begs for them for Cold Mountain.

 It's definitely worth seeing and if you see it in a video store, don't pass it by.

Comeuppance review by: Ty

Dark Blue (2002)

Dark Blue (2002)-* * *1\2
 
Directed by: Ron Shelton

Starring: Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, and Kurupt














This movie is excellent and has a lot of quotable lines.

Kurt Russell does a really great job as Eldon Perry. His character is interesting.

The action scenes are well-filmed. The movie is a cross between gritty and glossy like Training Day (2001). Narc (2003) is grittier by comparison.

Kurt's and Ving Rhames dialogue is so funny it's brilliant. Example: Eldon: "WE BUILT THIS TOWN... WITH BULLETS!" and this classic: "I know all the deep dark secrets." Ving plays a cop named Arthur Holland. When he explains his back story with his church, this line made me laugh: "My badge doesn't seem to glow anymore." The speech at the end by Kurt is convincing. Dark Blue is definitely worth watching.



Comeuppance review by: Ty

Civil Brand (2002)

Civil Brand (2002)-* *

Directed by: Neema Barnette

Starring: Lark Voorhies, Da Brat, Mos Def, MC Lyte, and Clifton Powell














Civil Brand is a mediocre prison film. it is trying to class up the much-maligned, so- called "Women in Prison" flick. This isn't like Caged Heat (1974) and Chained Heat (1983). Rather, this is a drama about changing your life for the better.



The redeeming parts of this film are: any scene with Warden Alan Deese (Powell) and Mos Def's character. Everything else is very clichéd and has no originality. All the prison stereotypes are in force. Also there are too many jump cuts and editing tricks. The acting for the most part is just a lot of yelling. On the downside, the ending feels a bit tacked-on. On the upside, Lark Voorhies of "Saved By the Bell" fame is in it.





Comeuppance review by: Ty