Ultimax Force (1987)

 

Ultimax Force (1987)- * * *

Directed by: Willy Milan

Starring: Kermith Simpson, Ray Uhen, Audrey Miller, Vivian Cheung, Eric Hahn, Arnold Nicolas, Henry Strzalkowski, Jeremy Ladd, Vincent Giffin, and Patrick Scott

After an opening onscreen crawl informing us of the sad situation involving POW's in Vietnam, we then cut to the Ninja Society of California, where there is a ninja showdown involving extensive sword battles. After the ninja fight, the sensei, Hiroshi, informs the ninja school that a particular POW, Captain Dave Morgan (Simpson), is being held in 'Nam by the evil Col. Minh (Uhen). Morgan's sister Audrey (Miller) has, in their parlance, "invoked the code". In other words, the unbreakable bond between ninja warriors to never leave a brother behind.




So these 'American Ninjas', led by Chris Burton (Nicholas), but including Dick Foster (Ladd), Mike Dobson (Giffin), and Bill Norton (Scott) - the last of which has a thick New York accent not entirely befitting of a ninja as we know them - fly to Laos to link up with local contact Lloyd Mitchum (Hahn). Then our heroes are off to Vietnam to fight the baddies and rescue the POW's. Along the way, they meet a helpful woman named Phoung (Cheung), the daughter of a local woman and an American serviceman. She wants our ninjas to help her escape the hellhole she's living in now and escape to America. Will our group of heroes - presumably the ULTIMAX FORCE we've been hearing so much about - complete their mission?

Ultimax Force is a film that poses a question to the audience. That question is: what is Ultimax? And, secondarily, how much Ultimax can you stand? It doesn't have to be much, as the film is only about 80 minutes long, as most movies should be.

During that time, we get a lot of jungle action, as this is a solid entry in the Philippines-shot jungle genre. Huts will explode, but the coolest aspect of Ultimax Force is that our heroes are in full ninja regalia as they mow down baddies with Uzis. You don't see that every day. They also make full use of their ninja abilities to hide and remain unseen until just the right moment. And then more baddies wearing triangular rice paddy hats get blown away with ninjas firing their machine guns. It works.

What would a film of this sort be without the time-honored barfight, at least one scene of Prerequisite Torture, and a synth-based soundtrack? Also like a lot of movies of this kind, it slows down right before the climax and there are some doldrums right before the explosive finale. You wouldn't think something with this brief a running time could actually slow down too much, but it does.

Maybe because there's not much plot to speak of, and what plot there is happens to be a "go to Vietnam and rescue the hostages" scenario we've seen countless times before. But we don't watch these movies for new and different plot innovations. We watch them to see huts explode, and, if time allows, to watch white guys in ninja getups blast people with automatic weapons. Which happens in spades here, so we're more than satisfied.

It does have a very cool ending, and, speaking of cool, our ninja team leader Chris Burton (Arnold Nicholas's only screen credit to date) wears a ninja headband in his casual, off hours, even when he's out of ninja uniform. Additionally, you know this is a Philippines-shot film because it features Henry Strzalkowski, and it was written by Joe Mari Avellana.

We weren't familiar with director Willy Milan, but hopefully we'll come across more of his work in the future. However, we should count ourselves as lucky we've seen this movie. It was on our must-see rare movie list for many years, because its release history has been spotty. In America, it was nonexistent, as it never received a VHS or DVD release. Sometime in the early 2000's it received a release on the Pegasus label in Europe, and another release as its German title Ruckus 2.


In the end, despite some slow moments, Ultimax Force is well worth seeing. It mixes the sillier aspects with the more explosive bits in a pleasing way. Fans of the jungle genre will most likely get the most out of it.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Angel Of Destruction (1994)

Angel Of Destruction (1994)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Charles Phillip Moore

Starring: Maria Ford, Charlie Spradling, Chanda, Jimmy Broome, Jim Moss, Henry Strzalowski, Jessica Mark, and Nick Nicolson



"More Peggy Lee, less Marquis De Sade"- Sonny Luso

Delilah (Mark) and her sidekick Reena (Chanda) are the hottest act on the Hawaiian pop scene. They combine the female togetherness of T.a.T.u with the 80's-esque rock stylings of Pat Benatar. And they both perform live and in their music videos topless. Naturally this makes unhinged stalker/former mercenary Robert Kell (Broome) even more nutso. Not only does he kill prostitutes for sport while enacting a bizarre wedding ceremony with them, he also offs Brit Allwood (Spradling), a police officer tasked with protecting the duo.



When Brit's sister Jo (Ford) finds out what's going on, she's none too pleased. Not only does she take up Brit's former role of protecting the gals, she also goes on a one-woman rampage to find and stop Kell. After he kidnaps Reena, all bets are off. Jo then pulls out all the stops to save Reena and save the day. For Kell, will Jo be his ANGEL OF DESTRUCTION?

I want to live in a world where extremely attractive cops wear sleeveless half-shirts as their normal work attire. Even the female ones. Anyone who has ever seen any Roger Corman-produced action movies, from TNT Jackson (1974) to Firecracker (1981) to Silk (1986) to Angelfist (1993) to Black Belt (1992) and beyond will be very familiar with the formula used here, again, for Angel of Destruction. At this point it's basically comfort food. It adheres to the Corman-mandated 85-minute running time and meets or exceeds the nudity requirements. Most importantly, however, it's very entertaining. 

We could all use more Maria Ford in our lives and here is a chance to see her as the tough chick who gets results. She fights in the time-honored barfight, among other beat-em-up moments (including the classic almost-naked fight scene Corman has used before, but once you've struck gold there's no need to mess with the formula).



The first song performed by Delilah and Reena, which is either called "Are You Changed" or "Are You Chained" is a catchy one, and is a clever way for director Moore to improve upon the rather boring stripping scenes Corman insisted upon around this time. Yes, there is stripping during the song, but it's an original song and a live concert performance, not just a strip act (although Maria Ford as Jo, who does mention she was a former stripper, also strips in a later scene. Apparently even though she's now a highly-capable cop, the lure of the old ways is just too strong).



Jessica Mark as Delilah is a mystery. Despite her - dare I say - exquisite, model-esque beauty, this is her only credited acting role and she doesn't have a Wikipedia page. Her career could have been massive, but it seems she just dropped completely off the map. Chanda is less of a puzzle - she appeared in a decent amount of 90's erotic thrillers before disappearing herself (more than likely marriage and kids with a producer, but that's just a guess). Oddly, legendary adult actress Georgina Spelvin is credited as Foley Supervisor. And yes, it is the same Georgina Spelvin, even though her credit is spelled as Spellvin. Can anyone explain this? Just another mystery, evidently.



Because it was shot in the Philippines, some familiar faces are on display - Jim Moss, Nick Nicholson, and Henry Strzalkowski, among others, but Ford's love interest looks like John Stossel. Well, he has a mustache like Stossel. Angel of Destruction is as close as you'll get to seeing Stossel-Fu. For now.

Naturally, it all ends in a Final Warehouse Fight. This ticks off the final box required, so now we can officially say that Angel of Destruction delivers the goods. It's good old fashioned, Cinemax-style, brainless fun. There's bullets, beat-em-ups, and babes. It's a nice fantasy and it won't take up much of your time. 

It's probably one of the last true exploitation pictures in the grindhouse style, and we applaud that to the utmost. Would that more movies had the guts to be this shamelessly entertaining and have such dedication to nudity.

With that, how could we not recommend Angel of Destruction? See it tonight!

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, The Video Vacuum and Fist Of B-List! 

Mission Manila (1988)

Mission Manila (1988)- * * 

Directed by: Peter Mackenzie

Starring: Larry Wilcox, Robin Eisenman, Sam Hennings, Al Mancini, Tetchie Agbayani, Jack S. Daniels, Henry Strzalkowski, and Willie Williams

“Web” Webster (Wilcox) is a mustachioed American gentleman who travels to – you guessed it – Manila to try to find his missing brother. Evidently, a mob boss named Harry Costelo (Mancini) doesn’t appreciate all of Web’s poking around his turf, so he makes Web’s life harder while he’s there. Harry is a heroin runner and Web’s brother Tony (Hennings) is somehow involved. Web has help in his quest in the form of Susie (Eisenman), but what’s his true relationship to the other woman in his life, Maria (Agbayani)? Will Web be able to weave his way out of the sticky situation he’s found himself in? What will be the final result of MISSION MANILA?

Unfortunately, Mission Manila, despite all of the promise inherent in the presence of Larry Wilcox, is weak. Its dearth of action reminded us of other nigh-on actionless movies such as Best Revenge (1984) and Sweet Revenge (1987). Just try to imagine Cocaine Wars (1985) without the majesty of John Schneider, and that’s pretty much what we’ve got here. Director Mackenzie even worked with Schneider much later in his career with a film called Doonby (2013), so he must have a type. Mackenzie also directed the Asher Brauner vehicle Merchants of War (1989), and astute viewers will note some similarities between that and Mission Manila, if they care to put in the effort to do so. Interestingly, the aforementioned two movies - plus ‘Manila - are the only ones Mackenzie has directed in his career. 

‘Manila had all the ingredients for a winner: it was shot in the Philippines, it featured regulars of the action movies shot there such as Willie Williams, Henry Strzalkowski, and a rare appearance from the great Jack S. Daniels, a simple plot that could have allowed for a lot of action, and Larry Wilcox unmoored from the ball and chain that was Erik Estrada.

What we do get is a silly alley fight that lasts a few seconds, a brief shootout, the world’s stupidest (and most laugh-inducing) neck snap, and maybe a blow-up at the end. What about the other 90 minutes? Larry Wilcox’s big weapon (as featured in the trailer, leading us to believe he will be using it a lot, which he doesn’t) is a slingshot. Like some overgrown Dennis the Menace, Larry Wilcox has blonde hair and a slingshot. All of this could have been so easy to fix, it’s criminal. Wilcox and Eisenman should have rampaged all through Manila, shooting, beating up, and rocket launcher-ing many baddies. Would that have been so hard? Instead, Mancini insists on calling everyone a “ratbag” and Eisenman gets tied to train tracks like in the days of yore. Yawn. 

While it does have some interesting cinematography at times, that wouldn’t have caused anyone to pick Mission Manila off the shelf of their local video store back in the good old days. With all the choices we as patrons had at our fingertips, it’s hard to imagine anyone purposefully choosing Mission Manila. What ‘Manila really seems to be is a bellwether – a sign that the golden age of the 80’s was gone and the 90’s were here. In the very near future, action movies – in the Philippines and elsewhere – would become watered down.

Also Larry Wilcox goes to a bar called The Hobbit House with an all-midget staff. This must have been a real place, because a diminutive bartender named Goliath is credited as himself. So maybe this movie has some bright points after all.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Operation Rogue (2014)

Operation Rogue (2014)- * * *

Directed by: Brian Clyde

Starring: Mark Dacascos, Sofia Pernas, Henry Strzalkowski, and Treat Williams













  In the jungles of the Philippines, General Hank Wallace (Treat) and Captain Max Randall (Dacascos) are fighting terrorists. The baddies finally go too far when they kidnap Jenna Wallace (Pernas), the General’s daughter and Max’s love interest. Wallace tells Max and his team to find her at any cost - but it just may be their lives. Thankfully, Jenna is a “former Marine” (despite the fact that she looks far too young to be a former anything) so she can handle herself well under fire. 

Presumably this would be the case if Treat Williams was your father. In the immortal words of that movie we haven’t seen as of this writing, will our heroes GET THE TERRORISTS? Or will the forces of evil prevail? Find out today...

Did you know that the Philippines have Islamic extremist terrorists too? Well, they do, and that comes as quite a gift for the Roger Corman factory. For them, this is a win-win. They can stay topical as well as film movies there like they did in the old days. Clearly the baddies in this movie are based on a real Philippine terror group called MILF, which stands for Moro Islamic Liberation Front. 
Again, this is the name of a REAL terror group, and you can look it up if you don’t believe it. 

So, who better to fight these guys than fan favorites Treat Williams and Mark Dacascos? Speaking of the aforementioned old days, the past is clearly an inspiration to the filmmakers here, as the structure of this movie is very much like the Cirio Santiago-directed jungle epics of yore. It’s nice that they’re still making movies like this in 2014-2015, and we give everyone involved due credit for that. But it’s a double-edged sword...

Sure, we appreciate that this movie is after the fashion of so many we’ve watched on VHS, but the other side of the coin is that it can get very samey, like we’ve seen all this many times before. Even the casting of our heroes Treat Williams and Mark Dacascos  (as well as Philippine mainstay Henry Strzalkowski) serve to reinforce this fact. 

This is a movie that wishes it came out around 1994, give or take 5 years or so, and we say good on ya, but it does tend to get a bit run of the mill.  Director Brian Clyde also did the very, very similar The Hunt for Eagle One (2006), but in that case Dacascos’s General was Rutger Hauer, not Treat Williams. 

Naturally, the shooting, beat-ups, and blow-ups are all present and accounted for, with what looks like minimal CGI, to the movie’s eternal credit. A helicopter and a few huts even explode as well, reinforcing the old (ish) school vibe. But this is a movie that very much fits the standard, and is neither good nor bad. It just is.

Featuring an amusingly abrupt ending that seems like it was recycled from footage from something else, as if they didn’t have the time, money or inclination to bother with a denoument, Operation Rogue fits in well with others of its ilk. If you like them, you’ll like this. If you don’t, you won’t. It’s as simple as that, which is fitting, as simplicity seems to be the order of the day here.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

Mission Terminate (1987)

Mission Terminate (1987)- * * *

AKA: Revenge\Return Of The Kickfighter

Directed by: Anthony Maharaj

Starring: Richard Norton, Bruce Le, Henry Strzalkowski, Nick Nicholson, Dick Wei, Willie Williams, and Rex Cutter











Col. Brad Cooper (Norton) is sent by Col. Ted Ryan (Cutter) to investigate the shady doings of a military unit who served in North Vietnam in 1970. It seems “Recon Team Charlie” were some very bad boys. They killed a bunch of innocent people and stole some gold. Now, in “Southeast Asia 1986” - naturally, some ninjas are upset about the missing gold. 

The head ninja is Quan Nhien (Le), and he’s not happy. He begins systematically killing members of Recon Team Charlie to get revenge. So, with a hearty “Anything for the Corps!”, Cooper embarks on his mission to stop the murders, stop the ninjas, and also get to the bottom of the story of the corrupt soldiers and the inevitable cover-up. Can he possibly do it?


The role of Col. Ryan is played by a man named Rex Cutter. This might be the greatest name of all time. Evidently, he was in Silk (1986), but why change his name to Ted Ryan, when he was born with the gold? The nameplate on his desk doesn’t want you to forget the name Ted Ryan, however. It’s unnaturally huge. Moving on, Mission Terminate is the directorial debut of Anthony Maharaj, who went on to work with Richard Norton again, notably on the very similar Cross Fire (1988) the next year. The movie is also known as Return of the Kickfighter, which would be a strange name for a debut film, especially as it’s unrelated to the later Norton/Maharaj vehicle Kick Fighter (1989). We know, it’s all very confusing, but here’s the important stuff to know: 


Mission Terminate does have the exploding huts, exploding helicopters, other blow-ups, gun-shooting, flamethrow’d villages, neck snaps, and bar-(in this case strip club) fights in the jungle we’ve all come to know and love. There are some slow moments that bog things down at times, but there are some very cool moments as well which kind of mitigate the duller passages and make you forget them, and you’re willing to give the movie the benefit of the doubt. A bearded Norton rides down a zipline and shoots some people. When we first meet him, he’s competing at the “Ryder Invitational Full Contact Karate Meet”. It took them a long time to paint the sign.

Of course, there are the prerequisite overdubbed funny voices blaring out of the characters’ mouths, but when they’re shouting racial epithets about, and we quote, “pesky Charlies”, and of course, “gooks”, it seems especially ridiculous, if not entertaining in an anti-PC way you would never see today. Besides the time-honored racial slurs, we get tidbits like this description of the elite Thai army’s abilities: they’re “trained to stare down a cobra!” If that doesn’t spell victory in war, what does?


The cast and crew are chock-full of Philippine-shot movie mainstays: the movie was written by Joe Mari Avellana, and stars, besides Norton and the majestic Rex Cutter - who gives Wynn Irwin a run for his money - Bruce Le, Nick Nicholson, Dick Wei, Willie Williams, and Henry Strzalkowski. And, as it was the 80’s after all, there is, of course, a ninja training camp. 


So, for a first go-round for Maharaj, Mission Terminate is pretty good, and Norton fans will want to see it, because he raises the level of pretty much everything he’s in. Outside of the slow moments, the movie is  solid and respectable, but most likely one-time watch for most.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

Naked Vengeance (1985)

Naked Vengeance (1985)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Cirio H. Santiago

Starring: Deborah Tranelli, Henry Strzalkowski, Kaz Garas, Steve Roderick, Nick Nicholson, Carmen Argenziano, and Bill McLaughlin








Carla Harris (Tranelli) is a woman who seemingly has it all: a rich and luxurious life as an actress with a successful lawyer for a husband. When her beloved hubby is killed by a common street thug, she travels back to her rural home town of Silver Lake, California, to live with her parents and re-evaluate her life. 

However, far from the serene environment she was hoping for, she has to deal with constant harassment from the local gang of good ol’ boys. Led by local butcher Fletch (Garas) and including gas station attendant Sparky (Nicholson), among others, their rude and lewd behavior eventually escalates into a full-on gang rape. When the disgusting thugs end up murdering her parents, as well as Timmy (Roderick), Carla has an emotional breakdown that leaves her in a near-catatonic state. While being observed for shock and other symptoms at the local hospital, Carla decides to bypass the seemingly ineffectual Sheriff, John Cates (McLaughlin) and dispense her own brand of justice. Violent vigilante justice, the only kind that gets results. But will she eliminate her attackers before it’s too late? Find out today!

While Naked Vengeance has a similar look, structure and feel to other Cirio movies, this ranks as one of his best, thanks to the intense, no-nonsense storyline and pace. It can proudly rank among other female-fronted revenge movies such as Ms. 45 (1981), Savage Streets (1984), Sudden Death (1985), and of course the movie it most closely models itself after, I Spit On Your Grave (1978). 

A lot of Cirio regulars are on show as well, mainly as the lecherous townsfolk - his stock company of actors, as it were, such as Kaz Garas (who resembles Powers Boothe), fan favorite Nick Nicholson, and Henry Strzalkowski, among others.  Cirio was kicked into high gear for this one, and, especially compared to his more standard outings, here he was surely in a state of grace.

Naked Vengeance is the time when the “Cirio Formula”, if there is such a thing as one, finally clicks and everything totally works. His method of repeating the theme song numerous times throughout the movie is employed  here, and thankfully it’s the driving anthem “Still Got A Love”, by Michael Cruz and sung by the main star, Deborah Tranelli. 

The cameraderie of the baddies is interesting: they all bowl together (and have nifty personalized bowling shirts to boot), and they even work out together on the same schedule in a place that can only be described as a “Villain’s Gym”. The day after their atrocity, one of them even says to his buddies, “Eh, I don’t feel like working out today.” There were no other patrons in the gym, either. Maybe you get 10% off your membership if you’re an evil scumbag. One of their beefs against Carla is that she changed her name from Olson to Harris, which in their view is true diva behavior that they cannot abide. Why Harris is a more glamorous name than Olson is not explained. Also of note is a movie marquee which is playing Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984).

Important note: the version released on Vestron is cut. The version released on Lightning is uncut. So for anyone planning on collecting this movie, make sure you get the Lightning version.

We love revenge movies here - hence the name COMEUPPANCE reviews - and Naked Vengeance is a gem.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty 
 

Beyond The Call Of Duty (1992)

Beyond The Call Of Duty (1992)-* *

Directed by: Cirio H. Santiago

Starring: Jan-Michael Vincent, Eb Lottimer, Henry Strzalkowski, Nick Nicholson, and Jillian McWhirter












In South Vietnam, 1975, the war is winding down. However, ex-military man Len Jordan (Vincent) is “waging his own war in the Mekong Delta!” (to take a quote from the movie). Along with Lt. Henderson (Lottimer), and some other soldiers, Jordan heads a crew on a boat heading down the aforementioned Delta. To increase the danger and risk, the men are escorting a nun, a gaggle of orphans - including the precocious Mickey (Redillas) who warms the hearts of the hardened soldiers - and filmmaker Mary Jackson (McWhirter), who is making a documentary on Jordan. Will this boat trip dock successfully?

Cirio never seems to tire of the jungles of the Philippines, so here we are again with yet another shoot-fest with some exploding huts and helicopters on the side. We suppose this outing is a little different, because it involves a boat and is a little more aquatic than most other ‘Nam jungle epics, and the kid that plays Mickey is actually very good and steals the movie, but this doesn’t offer all that much new to the “jungle slog” genre.

The film features Philippines mainstays Henry Strzalkowski and fan favorite Nick Nicholson (in a criminally tiny part), as well as Jillian McWhirter, who’s no stranger to the DTV world, having starred the fellow Corman title Hard Way Out (1996) as well as PM’s Rage (1995) and the excellent Last Man Standing (1996). McWhirter puts in an especially P.J. Soles-like performance as the documentarian. What’s good about her role is that it’s not another stupid reporter, like so many of the token female roles we see. There’s actually a bit of substance to her character. So she was probably happy about that.

But the true star of the show is undoubtedly the one and only Jan-Michael Vincent. Here, he’s obviously the coolest and most badass 48 year old kid to ever brandish a machine gun. When he’s not rockin’ some awesome shades, he’s rockin’ some awesome eye-squints and some awesome hair. 

Even though he single-handedly takes on half the VC, and they all have machine guns, somehow NONE of them can hit the only dude out there with blonde hair and a blue tanktop. Sure, he wears the blue tanktop for 98% of the movie’s running time, but hey, once you’ve found perfection, why mess with it? Plus, JMV looks jaggedly - even randomly - cut into the footage of this movie. The fact that it was edited from Nam Angels (1989) might explain that.

Additionally, the sound quality of this movie is not good. Add to that a blurry-sounding VHS tape, and a drunken JMV slurring his speech, and most of what he says is not comprehendable. He’s about 10 times more unintelligible than Mako, but English is JMV’s first language, so what’s his excuse? And don’t say alcohol. But we don’t mean to beat up on the guy. We love seeing him, and we especially love his more besotted roles, which this one seems to be.  You cannot do today what JMV did. He truly is one of the last of the “man’s man” actors.

So while Beyond the Call of Duty lacks originality, a strong, central villain, or JMV parachuting out of an airplane on the box cover (couldn’t they at least have super-imposed his head on the cover model’s body?), there might be barely enough meat on the bone for fans of JMV or Cirio to check this one out, but don’t spend too much money doing so.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Blackbelt II: Fatal Force (1993)

Blackbelt II (1993)-* *
AKA: Spyder

Directed by: Joe Mari Avellena and Kevin Trent

Starring: Blake Bahner, Henry Strzalkowski, Vic Diaz, Paul Holme, Louie Del Castillo, and John Dulaney










Brad Spyder (Bahner) is an L.A. cop with an attitude problem. He must travel to Hawaii to investigate the death of a partner. His “punch first and ask questions later and then punch them again” style means he encounters resistance from the local cops, led by Akida (Diaz). There’s also some nonsensical mumbo-jumbo about Vietnam and POW’s that was only put in because of the piecemeal patchwork that this is...

Technically speaking, we’re not entirely sure this is even a movie. By any rational standard, editing, splicing, and re-ordering film footage doesn’t necessarily make a film, much less a coherent piece of entertainment. The editors here get an A for effort, as they try desperately to make disparate footage fit together, but it’s like trying to join two puzzle pieces together that clearly don’t fit.

Going from L.A. to Hawaii to Vietnam, to a Vietnam that’s supposed to be Hawaii, we get some narration about Vietnam, then some urban cop action with Bahner, then it reverts back to an Exploding Hut jungle movie, and on and on. There’s zero character development along the way, so you cannot become invested at all in what’s going on. Rather than introduce the slightest bit of character for Brad Spyder (aside from his awesome name), the movie just jumps into an overly-long, protracted punching sequence on top of a building. Then there’s the amazingly cliched Irish police chief O’Donnel (Dulaney) - actually a lot of this movie could be a parody.

Bahner yells all his lines, and resembles Andrew Dice Clay (who had a brief action movie career of his own). Presumably Roger Corman felt he could put out this mishmash as some sort of “sequel” to the Don the Dragon movie Blackbelt (1992), seeing as it follows the formula of being 80 minutes and having at least Bahner’s credit also include his kickboxing title underneath it. Firstly, Bahner is no Don the Dragon, but perhaps he’s not supposed to be. 

Corman caught lightning in a bottle with one action star, and he tried again and basically failed. Secondly, releasing this hodgepodge to the public is actually insulting to our intelligence. Did he, or anyone else, not think we would notice all the glaring Frankenstein-like parts to this?

Blackbelt 2 could have used another B-movie name in the cast (aside from the ubiquitous Vic Diaz), or a rockin’ song, or a scintilla of coherence or cohesion - anything except falling back on references to the First Blood series, which it does. But on the bright side it does have a rich businessman named Roderick Pendleton (Holme) and a character named Weasel (Louie Del Castillo), whose hair and mustache out-Oates-es Oates. His entire film career consists of this, the “movie” Spyder, from which the footage for this was taken, and Saigon Commandos (1988). Now that’s a career to be proud of. 

Now might also be an opportune time to mention that there’s always an annoying character named Squid, Spud, Baby, Weasel, or what-have-you. Feel free to write a comment if you can think of another example.

Seeing as this footage (is it really a movie?) consists of nothing, you can’t help but regard it as a waste of time. Sad really, as the name Brad Spyder deserves more.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty