Three Days To A Kill (1992)

Three Days To A Kill (1992)- * *1\2

Directed by: Fred Williamson

Starring: Fred Williamson, Bo Svenson, Henry Silva, Van Johnson, Sonny Landham, Kim Dakor, Karol Brown, Tom Joyner, Kellie Rochelle, and Chuck Connors








When Ambassador Barnes (Brown) is kidnapped by a Colombian drug lord named Perez (Silva) and his sidekick Pepe (Landham), Captain Wright (Connors) calls a man named Cal (Williamson). Why did he call Cal? Because Cal is "The Best", of course. Tasked with going to Colombia to rescue the ambassador, Cal enlists the help of Rick Masters (Svenson), an explosives expert. 

It just so happens that Rick is in prison, but Cal promises him an early release, along with some bonus cash, if he can help execute the mission. The last member of the team arrives in the form of Yolanda (Dakour), a military contact masquerading as a stripper. While dealing with the troublemaking Rick Masters is going to be a handful, Cal and Yolanda forge ahead. Naturally, there are many pitfalls (i.e. shootouts) along the way, and maybe a conspiracy or two that will go all the way to...well, you know where. Will our trio save the ambassador? Or will it be THREE DAYS TO A KILL...for him?



Three Days To A Kill (which sounds a bit like a Seagal title, don't you think?) is a film of firsts and lasts. It was Van Johnson's last feature film, Chuck Connors's last feature film, the first - and last - Fred Williamson made-for-HBO film, and, perhaps most importantly, it's both the first and last production of Snizzlefritz Productions. When we first started this site, we made a vow to see every Snizzlefritz production. And now we have. 

With that triumph under our belts, we can now talk about the film itself. As we never tire of saying, Fred Williamson is one cool customer. Everything he does, says, and wears is just cool. He has a lot of charisma and it's a joy to watch him onscreen. When he's paired with Bo Svenson - who has his own unique brand of charisma - they make a great team. An original odd couple, you might say.

While 'Three Days gets off to a bang-up start - with fan-favorite Connors using a smaller weapon than most viewers are used to seeing him with; he went from being the Rifleman to being the Pistolman - it does tend to lose steam in many spots. There will be a shootout or some sort of action scene, and then it'll settle back down.

The proceedings get a huge shot in the arm when the characters of Slick (Joyner) and his associate Godzilla (Rochelle) show up. These two almost singlehandedly (if it's possible for two people to do something singlehandedly) steal the movie. Heck, they should have gotten their own movie! To think that they stole the show when classic/veteran actors like Connors, Johnson, Williamson, Silva, Landham and Svenson are all here is truly saying something.

 

The cast is clearly a strong one, but the material surrounding them is not befitting of their talents. Sure, the Van Johnson role is of the sit-down variety, but in this case it's understandable as he passed away shortly thereafter. While Johnson did indeed go to that big Priority Red One in the sky, his co-star from that outing, Fred Williamson, carried on. He inevitably faces off against Silva, forever a baddie, and Landham, who really does the evil underling role with gusto this time around.

Of course, someone says "We got company!" and it's rather obvious that the whole thing is just a made-for-cable version of 48 Hrs. (1982) but with the races reversed. It's all just entertaining enough - especially if you're a fan of any of the personalities involved - but there are definitely some dead spots (or at least slower spots) along the way.

At the very least, it's a one-time watch. It's not bad, it's not great, but Three Days To A Kill has one thing that literally no other movie in existence has. In a word: Snizzlefritz.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Thunder (1983)

Thunder (1983)- * * *

Directed by: Fabrizio De Angelis

Starring: Mark Gregory, Raimund Harmstorf, Paolo Malco, and Bo Svenson

"Thunder will never die!!!"-Kid Running Away

Thunder (Gregory) is a mild-mannered Native American minding his own business and just trying to live his life in Page, Arizona. That is, until a crew of construction workers attempt to bulldoze an ancient Navajo burial site. He goes to the local police station, but Sheriff Bill Cook (Svenson) is no help, and his crew of angry, racist deputies, led by Barry Henson (Harmstorf) only seem to want to harass and torment Thunder. 

After yet another gang of redneck attackers assaults Thunder, he finally snaps – into action, that is. Armed with a bow and arrow, a bazooka, and several bits of stolen construction equipment, Thunder gets in touch with his warrior roots and goes to war with the entire town! Luckily, on his side is the local DJ, who sends out encouraging messages, and a reporter named Brian Sherman (Malco) also gets behind Thunder’s mission. What will be left in the wreckage after THUNDER rolls in?

Here we have the first entry in the Thunder trilogy, all of which are directed by Fabrizio De Angelis (as Larry Ludman of course), and starring Mark Gregory, AKA Marco Di Gregorio. As has been noted before, Thunder is very closely modeled after First Blood (1982), down to the veritable re-creation of certain scenes. That doesn’t detract from its appeal, however. In fact, it only adds to it. Thunder boasts some fantastic location scenery, fights, car chases, and blow-ups. It’s all set to a typically-great Francesco De Masi score and has some familiar B-Movie names we all know and love (though, to be fair, there should have been just a bit more Bo Svenson). 

We really don’t want to repeat what we said in our reviews for the other Thunder movies, especially part two, because much of that could apply here as well. A lot of the same stuff happens in all three movies in the trilogy. For example, the local redneck population call Thunder a barrage of racial slurs, including “redskin” many, many times. The fact that Thunder is played by Marco Di Gregorio, who was born in Rome and is about as Native American as Pope John Paul II, is very amusing. 

The grandfather in the Thunder family steals the movie, or maybe it’s just his dubbing. But we really enjoyed every scene this elderly gentleman was in, and the final third is a satisfying destruction spree you can’t help but love. If you really do love it, you can watch it two more times in the sequels. Everything catches fire (literally) when Thunder hits his Breaking Point – not unlike Bo Svenson himself in the 1976 film of that name. 

Thunder is B-Movie action fun as only the Italians can serve it up. It was perfect for the video stores of the day (even if, let’s be fair, the minimal plot of the deputies chasing Thunder for almost the entire running time does wear a bit thin after a while). But it all ends on an encouraging note with a memorable final line. As an example of classic Rambosploitation, it’s hard to do much better than Thunder.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Steele's Law (1991)

Steele's Law (1991)- * * *

Directed by: Fred Williamson

Starring: Fred Williamson, Doran Ingram, and Bo Svenson

Lt. John Steele (Fred) - not to be confused with the John Steele from Steele Justice (1987), who is a different person that you unleash - is a Chicago cop with a bad attitude. Surprisingly, he also plays by his own rules. When some FBI suits recruit Steele to foil a terrorist plot, he travels to Dallas to stop an assassination attempt. In this case, a maniacal baddie named Joe Keno (Ingram, whose name may be spelled incorrectly in the credits) is planning on killing the Iraqi ambassador. 

Once in the Lone Star state, Steele makes fast friends with Sheriff Barnes (Svenson) and the mission begins. Along the way, Steele, Barnes, and his contact, "Peacekeeper" face all sorts of trials and tribulations, usually ending with Steele's coolness saving the day. But will Steele be able to change the course of the first Gulf War? Find out today...

Released the year before Three Days to a Kill (1992), Steele's Law is likely the first Snizzlefritz production. Three Days is the second Snizzlefritz production. Now that that's cleared up, we can say that Steele's Law faithfully follows the Fred formula. It's far from fantastic, but it's fine for his followers. In fact, the film is fairly fun. If you have seen and liked other Fred Williamson movies, you will know what to expect and you'll probably dig what he's layin' down.

Certain ideas, themes, and even scenes and character types appear again and again in the Fred canon. He won't get much credit in the snooty circles for being an auteur, but that's what he truly was, if I understand the definition of auteur correctly. Maybe it's because certain gay-stereotype characters and/or prostitutes are played for laughs, which is un-PC these days. 

But so is Steele's rogue cowboy ways and tough-guy masculinity. That's why people are re-discovering these movies. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Or maybe it's because all of his movies have scenes with loud incidental music that drowns out the dialogue. Either way, Fred is an American Original. Even his films that aren't top-flight have something worth watching going on. Steele's Law is no exception.

For example, Steele's Law gets going instantly with a slam-bang opening scene. He's tough and cool right from the jump, and is a master of weaponry, as we soon see. But, inevitably, he has to go from street action to the office of his Chief, just as night follows day. He isn't quite a BYC, but he teeters on the edge. He also has questionable hair. Steele displays more of his classic bad attitude, but he agrees to go after his former nemesis, Keno. 

Once in Dallas he gets into a classic Barfight, but probably the trainyard fight trumps it as a movie highlight. As is typically the case, there are some doldrums in the film during the course of the reasonable 90-minute running time. Perhaps this is best exemplified when we see Steele casually cross a street - the whole street - while the 'Don't Walk' sign is lit. What a badass. We then see him walk back from where he came from. Every step. We're not sure why this was necessary, as scenes like this tend to lessen the overall intensity of the film, but perhaps it was there to build character. We now know Steele has a cool walk. Wait, didn't we already know that? Well, anyway...

Other highlights include the Mike Logan score (presumably not the character from Law & Order), even if it does blare while characters are talking. But that's not Logan's fault. 

Also, when Steele is teamed up with Peacekeeper - which was the working title for the film but they must have been familiar with Dolph's The Peacekeeper from 1997 - we get a classic "cool guy meets nerd and they're the Original Odd Couple" scenario, recently seen between Matt McColm and Clint Howard in Body Armor, also from 1997. And you've got to see the cell phones used in this movie. They're awesome. If anyone ever starts a cell phone museum, they should consult Steele's Law as a reference point. It almost makes the whole thing worth seeing right there. 

It appears that Steele's Law is one of the rarer Fred movies, at least here in the U.S. However, you can still find those cheaply-produced "gas station" DVDs that are floating around out there. That's what we stumbled across at the Salvation Army. If you do see one, pick it up. It won't kill ya. Especially if you're a Fred fan. And if you're not...why not?

Comeuppance Review by Ty and Brett

Also check out a write-up from our buddy, The Video Vacuum! 

Double Target (1987)

Double Target (1987)- * * *

Directed by: Bruno Mattei

Starring: Miles O'Keefe, Donald Pleasence, David Anderson, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Luciano Pigozzi, Kristine Erlandson, and Bo Svenson









When Major General Howard Stern is assassinated in Hong Kong (apparently someone’s not a fan), and further suicide attacks occur in Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines, the U.S. government calls in American commando/American hero/American badass Robert “Bob” Ross (O’Keeffe). This guy isn’t painting fluffy little clouds anymore. All Ross wants to do is get legal custody of the son he had in Vietnam with his now-deceased wife, and bring him back to the good old U.S. of A. But the questionable Senator Blaster (Pleasance) (shouldn’t that have been O’Keeffe’s name in the movie?) forces him to go on a dangerous mission in order to find his son - track down the evil russkies 

Col. Galckin (Svenson) and his henchman Talbukin (Anderson) and their never-ending army of goons, and eliminate them. In order to do this, Ross teams up with an in-country contact, Toro (Dell’Acqua), as well as those sympathetic to his cause, McDouglas (Pigozzi) and his daughter Mary (Erlandson, who has an impressive resume of these types of movies). Ross even offers to take Mary back to America along with him and his son...but under such heavy fire, will they all make it?

Blow-ups, shooting, O’Keeffe punching people, exploding huts, exploding guard towers, guard tower falls, exploding helicopters. It truly never gets old, unless it’s done wrong. And as we always say, the Italians made the best jungle-set exploding hutters, and here is no exception. Bruno Mattei is at the helm for this particular leafy-green violence fest, and he doesn’t disappoint. His work can be hit or miss, to say the least, but this is a minor hit. Minor because fellow O’Keeffe-starred Italian jungle epic The Hard Way is better, but Double Target hits the mark, if I may keep the shooting theme going.  The only real flaw is that it’s about eleven minutes too long. Yes, eleven.

Probably because they tried to develop certain dramatic themes, and that takes time. We’re always crying out for more character development, so it would be hypocritical of us to criticize the filmmakers for that, and we won’t. But there’s only so much of Donald Pleasance sitting at a desk coughing into his inhaler that any audience can reasonably stand. To be fair, though, his scenes with Mike Monty are perfectly fine, and when Pleasance, Monty, and O’Keeffe are all together, it’s a B-Movie action fan’s dream come true.

O’Keeffe has never been cooler, and that’s saying something because he’s usually pretty darn cool. It’s a joy to watch him mow down evil Russians, charge through fruit cart chases, and ignite entire villages with his rocket launcher. 

He even takes on a shark in an amazing bit of man-to-shark combat. That was definitely a movie highlight. It’s all set to an ace Stefano Mainetti score, which helps a lot. Mainetti also did the music for the closing song, “Losing You”, sung by Rosanna Napoli. It’s always funny when, after a viewer is subjected to 102 minutes of violence and bloodshed, a tender, romantic ballad plays over the credits. It’s all part of the anti-mainstream, illogical fun that comes with these pre-CGI-era blow-up movies.

In misspelled credits news, we are informed of the many people that worked hard on the Philippine Crow. They must have meant “crew”. When English isn’t your first language, unpredictable things can happen when you try to print it on screen. Once again, it’s part of the unique experience. Either that or they employed a Philippine crow to relay messages back and forth amongst the crewmembers on the set. Seems economical.

Never released in the U.S., Double Target represents the exploding hut era well, with some really nice explosions and some other fine attributes. Really only because of its slightly overlong running time does it not reach the heights achieved by some of its competitors, but it is a more than worthy addition to the ‘cannon’, if you will.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a write-up by our buddy, Cool Target!

Thunder Warrior 2 (1987)

Thunder Warrior 2 (1987)- * * *

Directed by: Fabrizio DeAngelis

Starring: Mark Gregory, Raimund Harmstorf, and Bo Svenson












Yavapai County, Arizona, is a dusty ol’ hamlet inhabited by a lot of Native Americans. A Police Deputy named Rusty (Harmstorf) is an angry, corrupt racist who is working with drug-dealing biker gangs when he’s not verbally abusing the local Indian population. So he really doesn’t approve when Thunder (Gregory), a big, muscular, and incorruptible local Indian joins the police force. 

Now caught between Thunder and Sheriff Roger (Svenson), Rusty plants some drugs in Thunder’s locker at the police station. Thunder then undergoes some brutal hardships at the local prison, biding his time until he can get out and take revenge on those who wronged him. Rusty and his cronies better prepare for the oncoming THUNDER STORM!

In the grand tradition of “persecuted Indians on the run but with some revenge” movies such as Johnny Firecloud (1975) and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969) comes Thunder Warrior 2 - or, to make things a bit more simple, just take First Blood (1982) and make Rambo an Indian.

The fact that there are THREE Thunder Warrior movies is a testament to the video store era, when stores clamored for product to fill its shelves, and Italian companies (and so many others) were more than happy to oblige. Shot in the American west by a team of Italians, led by Fabrizio DeAngelis (under his normal pseudonym Larry Ludman), It has that certain Italian feel we all know and love. Maybe it’s the dubbing, maybe it’s hiring Mark Gregory - Trash himself - as an American Indian, or maybe some other indefinable quality, but a work like Thunder Warrior 2 could only have come from those mad Italian geniuses.

They get very impressive scenery on film, maybe it’s the outsider’s view of America. We can’t be sure it’s an in-joke, but at one point a character says to Thunder, “This ain’t no place for trash like you!” - could that be a reference video junkies at the time (and today) are meant to recognize? 

Also in the noteworthy dialogue department, Rusty is blatantly called “The most corrupt in Arizona”! Well at least he isn’t trying to hide it. Raimund Harmstorf, who plays Rusty, was an actor the Italians used often when they needed a blonde, blue-eyed guy for a change. He was a shoe-in to play the evil racist. Maybe it’s his name, “Rusty”, but in this movie at least, he has a certain Chuck Norris-esque quality.

Thunder Warrior 2 has a good amount of action scenes, and most of them, including the stunts and car chases/crashes, are in slow motion. This predating Hard Target (1993) by many years. 

Plus who can forget the heart-stopping “Thunder on a rope” sequence? And like how many people, when they’re about to get revenge, put on a special “revenge outfit” (the best example being Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs in Quietfire), Thunder goes full-on Indian regalia before he breaks out the bow and arrow with missile-tipped arrows! Granted, they look a lot like lipstick tubes, but so what?  Plus, other characters just casually call this hulking brute “Thunder”, as in, “hey Thunder, what’s goin’ on?” - his name is THUNDER, okay? THUNDER. Show the proper amount of awe.

Released by TransWorld in one of their standard big-boxes (you gotta love the original retail price of $79.95 printed on the sleeve), Thunder Warrior 2 was the middle half of a Thunder sandwich (also a great name for this movie) and we think you pretty much know what to expect.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Also check out a write-up from our buddy, The Video Vacuum!

The Delta Force (1986)

The Delta Force (1986)- * * *

Directed by: Menahem Golan

Starring: Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Shelley Winters, Robert Forster, Martin Balsam, George Kennedy, Joey Bishop, Hanna Schygulla, and Bo Svenson 










When a group of evil terrorists (is there any other kind?) led by Abdul Rafai (the interestingly-cast Forster), hijack an airplane and start making demands, there’s only one group of men that can stop the madness...The Delta Force! And who is the elite of the elite, there is no question: American Superdude Major Scott McCoy (Norris) who will get the job done with his bare hands if necessary. He came out of retirement just to kill bad guys and rescue hostages. Those baddies better watch out.

This was a huge hit for Cannon and really put them on the map. The stellar cast is literally all-star, and the two hour-plus running time must accommodate that. But that gives the movie a big, Hollywood feel.  The first half of the movie is surprisingly powerful and intense. It tries to put a human face on the victims of terror, and the old guard of Hollywood actors such as Martin Balsam, Shelley Winters and Joey Bishop help to convey this, as do George Kennedy in another role as a priest, and an actress most people know from the films of Fassbinder, Hanna Schygulla. Bo Svenson shows up as the pilot, and he’s always nice to see.

Then the Delta Force shows up, led by Lee Marvin, and featuring not just Chuck, but the underrated Steve James, and Robert Vaughn as a General. The action begins in earnest about halfway through the movie and it doesn’t disappoint, especially Chuck’s motorcycle with missile launchers built in. This thing is possibly the most awesome thing ever. Chuck will stop at nothing to find and kill all the terrorists involved, and maybe a few who weren’t involved. Some of the Chuck stuff is amusing, and the fruit cart chases and shooting help that.

Luckily, the movie is written and directed in a way that all makes sense, even if it is a bit on the long side, and director Golan tried to do pretty much the same thing but on a smaller scale with Deadly Heroes. But that movie really ramps up the silliness factor.

For a drama (1st half) and action extravaganza (2nd half) that’s a bit more well-known, The Delta Force fits the bill very well, and the plot is still very relevant today.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a write-up by our buddies at Ruthless Reviews! 

Soldier Of Fortune (1990)

Soldier Of Fortune (1990)-* * *

Directed by: Pierluigi Ciriaci

Starring: Daniel Greene, Savina Gersak, Danuta Lato, and Bo Svenson









Vincent Miles (Greene) is a former Green Beret who is an excellent soldier, but has suffered some form of amnesia. Sections of his memory are lost, but occasionally tiny portions flash back into his mind. He doesn’t want to give up his military skills, so he answers an ad in, you guessed it, Soldier of Fortune magazine. 

He travels to the border of Afghanistan, and this chance occurrence reunites him with his former Commanding Officer, Col. Preston (Svenson). The eyepatchioed Preston teams him up with a nerdy guy named Rossi, who naturally is acting as the brains of the mission, as well as a British guy and the token chick (played by Italo Disco singer Danuta). 

Their mission is to recover a Soviet plane, an ultra-modern MiG, before it falls into the hands of the enemy. With Miles’ memories of a mysterious dancer (Gersak), and his having to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to this dangerous assignment, will the team make it out alive?

It’s nice to see fan favorite Daniel Greene in the lead role, normally he’s relegated to smaller parts. And he does have the classic late 80’s/early 90’s cool hair if all else fails. Soldier Of Fortune is a bit more competent than you might think - yes, it is your standard machine gun-shooting/blow-ups galore/guy-diving-out-of-a-guard-tower movie, but the desolate location shooting and the presences of Greene, Danuta, Gersak (however limited that may be) and of course Bo Svenson raise the level a bit. Svenson is always nice to see, and his eyepatch looks more like a discarded watchband. So, there’s that.

Miles’ sidekick in the movie, Rossi, provides some comic relief as he traipses around the battle zone with cargo shorts and socks pulled up to his knees. Another facet of his character is that he “likes music” and always has a Walkman. This as they’re fighting the Spetznaz and various evil Russkies. Not to mention plenty of mustachioed locals. 

This movie was directed by Pierluigi Ciriaci, the man responsible for Delta Force Commando (1988) and Delta Force Commando II: Priority Red One (1990) - so there’s going to be some wackiness, inadvertent or otherwise. For example, the base of the heroes uses Disney code names. So we get dialogue, with the most unsmiling seriousness imaginable, such as: “Goofy 6 has been compromised”, “Disneyland’s in trouble” and personal favorite: “Donald Duck’s been replaced”.

But just when you think things are slowing down towards the end of the movie, there’s a nice little surprise which raises things up. We won’t give any spoilers, but let’s just say that if you have enjoyed movies such as White Fire (1984) or In Gold We Trust (1991), you’ll appreciate the development. It’s just too bad this idea wasn’t utilized earlier on in the movie. Great things could have happened. We’re grateful that it did happen, but in the end, Soldier Of Fortune really isn’t super-awesome, nor is it bad. It’s kind of run-of-the-mill. 


FINAL TECHNICAL NOTE:
Unfortunately, the only way to see this movie is the poor-quality DVD, unless you can miraculously find the Japanese VHS. Let’s hope a better edition makes it to DVD soon, the one currently available is a barely-watchable disgrace.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Delta Force Commando (1988)

Delta Force Commando (1988)-* * *

Directed by: Pierluigi Ciriaci

Starring: Brett Baxter Clark, Fred Williamson, Mark Gregory, and Bo Svenson













Lt. Tony Turner (Clark) is a highly respected member of the elite team known as the Delta Force. While stationed on a military base in Puerto Rico, evil Sandinistas (?) break into the base and steal a nuclear bomb. During their raid, they maliciously kill Turner’s pregnant wife. BIG MISTAKE. Crazy with revenge, Turner begins tracking their every move (and killing everyone in sight), and along the way he ends up dragging ace pilot Capt. Samuel Beck (Williamson) along for the ride. While they don’t always get along (the main theme of the soundtrack sounds like a disco version of the theme from “The Odd Couple” - coincidence?), they must fight for their lives as they face a barrage of attacks from their enemies. Once they make it to the hideout of the baddies in Nicaragua, Col. Keitel (Svenson) injects himself into the final outcome. What will happen to Turner and Beck?

Here we have some Italian-made silliness that’s enjoyable to watch mainly because of Fred Williamson, the endless violence (which is more amusing and cartoon-like than dark) and the funny dubbing. It has enough standout moments to keep the viewer interested. Sure, the editing is choppy and abrupt a lot of the time, but that just adds to the charm and uniqueness.  Every movie you see in the theater nowadays is perfectly edited, and it’s just plain boring! Don’t be afraid to let the magic of Delta Force Commando sweep over you. Don’t fight it. Just enjoy it.

Amidst the constant mindless shooting and rocket launcher blow-ups, we should point out that it’s said that as a pilot, Beck is “The Best”, and, of all the possible names they could have chosen as his handle, it’s “Black Eagle”. Nothing racist there. But why should Sam “Black Eagle” Beck be annoyed that Turner is following his every move like a puppy dog, when, despite the never-ending supply of machine guns, Turner breaks out the most effective weapon in war: a slingshot! It’s nice to know that in the thick of combat, Dennis The Menace could triumph in a firefight.

 

 Like any video game worth its salt in the 80’s, there’s an inexhaustible supply of enemy soldiers to dispatch who all wear the same clothes (and in this case, all have Nazi-like black helmets). During the Prerequisite Torture Scene, Beck’s interrogator wants to know if he’s “working for the Contras”. Not only was this very topical, but it will put you in mind of a certain video game with a constant stream of baddies you must kill with your machine gun: Contra! But unlike Contra, Delta Force Commando has extremely inane dialogue, stock footage, and our personal favorite, REPEATED footage.  But you could never accuse this movie of skimping on the action. There’s actually some filler, and the movie starts to lose focus after a time - but it’s going to take a WHOLE ARMY to stop our two heroes. Including tanks!

Mark Gregory (who’s had an amazing career in the Italian film industry, most notably with some of the post-apocalyptic movies) is the main baddie with the ill-fitting, ridiculous women’s shirt. Naturally, unanswered questions about this led to a sequel, the long and confusing title of: Delta Force Commando 2: Priority Red One (1990). Nothing else could possibly explain why there’s a SEQUEL to this movie. Was this financially successful? But in the sequel, which was also directed by Ciriaci, Bo Svenson and Brett Clark did not return. Who would be the best replacement for Brett Clark? Van Johnson, naturally. And instead of Svenson (who wears the same kimono here that he does in The Kill Reflex, 1989), Ciriaci got Richard Hatch (booooo.) Fred returned, of course.

As long as you don’t take it too seriously, you’ll probably get a kick out of Delta Force Commando.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Deadly Impact (1984)

Deadly Impact (1984)-* *

Directed by: Fabrizio De Angelis

Starring: Fred Williamson, Bo Svenson, Marcia Clingan, John Morghen, and Vincent Conte












Computer nerd Harry J. Vincent ( ???) and his girlfriend Kathy (Marcia Clingan) have developed a system to manipulate slot machines and other games in Las Vegas. They make a bundle of money, and escape before they can be caught. But there’s a problem. The sadistic thugs Al (Morghen) and Kurt (Conte) also want their earnings. So it’s up to the cop Ryan (Svenson) and his helicopter-driver buddy Lou (Williamson) to track down the baddies and save the day.

The Italian film industry is noted for its “homages” to more popular films of the time (less charitable people would say “knockoffs” but in their creation they seem to become something altogether new - check out the Italian post-apocalypse films), and Deadly Impact seems to be cut from the same cloth as 48 Hrs. (1982). Instead of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, it’s Fred Williamson and Bo Svenson (who we would rather see anyway). Fred once again brings his magnetic personality, and he has good chemistry with the more hard-nosed Bo. They play ‘Nam buddies who will destroy any car to get the job done.

The car stunts are the highlight of this film. There are some definitely cool chases, jumps, flips and wrecks. But there isn’t really much in the plot department, and the film lacks one big, major bad guy. It could have used more goons for them to beat up/kill, or even some plot twists. Somewhat disappointingly, it’s a standard, down-the-line cops chasing baddies movie. Fabrizio DeAngelis AKA Larry Ludman, the legendary producer/director and the man behind Operation Nam (1986), delivers a competent, if a tad bland movie but with some standout stuntwork.

Let’s not forget the great John Morghen AKA Giovanni Lombardo Radice as one of the thugs. In real life a very cultured, educated man, he’s known for his thug roles and his appearances in Italian 80’s horror-boom movies. The silly dubbing washes away a lot of his - and others’- performances, but add a charm of their own at the same time. The same can be said of the music, which is enjoyable and catchy, but perhaps inappropriate to the scenes it is accompanying.

Though it was largely shot in Las Vegas and Phoenix, it still retains its Italian feel, and while it’s not exactly a must-see, fans of Italian action or the stars involved might want to check it out.

Released on VHS in the U.S. on the great Vestron label, Deadly Impact might not be the best example of Italian action, but as a way to while away an hour and a half, you could certainly do worse.

Also check out a write-up by our buddy, The Video Vacuum!

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Steel Frontier (1995)

Steel Frontier (1995)-* * *

Directed by: Paul G. Volk

Starring: Joe Lara, Bo Svenson, Brion James, Kane Hodder, James Victor, Stacie Foster, Brian Huckeba as Chicken Boy and Adolfo "Shabba Doo" Quinones





In a post-apocalyptic future, survivors live in a dirty makeshift town named New Hope. It seems tires are valuable so workers toil away in the tire yards. One day, a band of marauders known as “The Deathriders” roll into town. Through violent tactics, they sack the town of New Hope and institute J.W. Quantrell (James) as leader. Quantrell then makes his son, Julius (Victor) Mayor. Their plan is to institute what they call the “United Regime”. But a savior arrives in the form of a gunfighter named Yuma (Lara). 

He pits various factions against each other (not forgetting about Bo Svenson as Ackett, Kane Hodder as Kinton and Brian Huckeba as the immortal and show-stealing “Chickenboy”). Yuma attempts to save the lives of Sarah (Foster) and her young son as she is a widow trying to make it in this tough world. But there are many pitfalls along the way, not the least of which are desert-dwelling cannibals named “Roach Eaters”. Will Yuma save the day and ride off into the sunset?

PM attempts to marry two genres here: the post-apocalyptic actioner (in the vein of the Mad Max series but perfected by the Italians) and the Spaghetti Western (started and perfected by the Italians) with generally entertaining results. 

Like in the Italian post-ap’s, cars have wacky contraptions glued to them and people wear wacky outfits. But because this is a PM, it has much more action than the usual slog. There’s pretty much non-stop shooting, chases, stunts, fights and blow-ups. There’s even minimal dialogue at the outset of the movie, telling the story mainly visually, which is difficult to do. But this is a PM synthesis of Yojimbo (1961), hence For A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For A Few Dollars More (1965) (and any number of Clint Eastwood’s 60’s/70’s output - including a bus chase reminiscent of The Gauntlet, 1977) along with a futuristic twist. So you get what’s going on here.

Even the name “Steel Frontier” indicates what you’re in for: “Steel” indicating the future and “Frontier” indicating the Western. There’s also some biblical symbolism worked into the storyline, a lot of which revolves around Joe Lara looking especially like Jesus this time around. He puts in an especially charming performance - this really is Lara at his absolute best. A location in the movie is even reminiscent of fellow Lara vehicle American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993). Maybe he lives in that industrial wasteland for real. You know Kane Hodder because he wears a hat with a Jason logo on it, and the guy who plays Julius has orange hair, making him, naturally, “Orange Julius”. Svenson puts in a standard performance. Brion James should have been more involved.

Because there is terminology such as “The Drylands” and the tire farmers are derisively known as “tire suckers”, this would seem to be PM’s Neon City (1991). But Steel Frontier is far better than that movie. 

To see PM’s take on not one, but two classic genres together in one film, don’t hesitate to see Steel Frontier. And did we mention Chickenboy?

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

The Killing Machine (2010)

The Killing Machine (2010)-* * *

AKA: Icarus 

Directed by: Dolph Lundgren

Starring: Dolph Lundgren and Bo Svenson 




"No One Is Safe."








Edward Genn (Lundgren) is a family man and loving husband and father - but he’s also a secret assassin trained in the former Soviet Union and working for the Russian Mob. His code name is Icarus. After certain events go sideways, all manner of bad guys - goons, hired killers, Russian mob, other mobs, etc. are after him. All Genn wants to do is protect his family. But he’ll have to face the demons of his past first, personified by the evil gangster Vadim (Svenson). Will his double life come crashing down?

It’s very cool to see Dolph as a hitman and he looks quite dapper in his suits and ties here. As seems to be the trend of late, some scenes are underlit and too dark to see, but what we did see, we liked very much. Except for the film quality and the soundtrack, this film could have been made in the 80’s, which is definitely a good thing in our book. Dolph, as star and director, obviously knows what his fans want, and he delivers yet again. It helps that the writer, Raul Inglis, is also the uncredited writer on White Tiger (1996) as well as the writer of Breach of Trust (1995).

 There’s plenty of action, good violence, and Bo Svenson as well. He doesn’t show up until the very last portion of the film, but it was cool to see Dolph and Bo together, especially in a showdown as mortal enemies. Interestingly, the plot of “guy was a hitman and now has a wife and daughter who are now in danger because of his past life and he now must use his violent training to protect them” was also used for Hitman’s Run (1999). Thankfully, neither Esteban Powell, nor any other annoying sidekick is on display. As said earlier, Dolph knows what his fans want. Annoying sidekicks are not one of them.

So thanks to the action, violence, presence of two of our favorite stars (Dolph and Bo) and the undemanding running time of 88 minutes, not to mention the 80’s throwback feel and Dolph’s direction, The Killing Machine is a solid winner.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

The Kill Reflex (1989)

The Kill Reflex (1989)-* *1\2

AKA: Soda Cracker

Directed by: Fred Williamson

Starring: Fred Williamson, Maud Adams, D.R. Jones and Bo Svenson





"When the system fails...you make your own justice."







Based on the novel "The Soda Cracker" by Jaron Summers, "The Kill Reflex" stars fan favorite Fred Willamson as title character Detective Soda Cracker, or "Soda" for short. When his partner Phil Gillespe is mysteriously killed by a sniper, Soda runs through all of Chicago trying to get answers, whether that means infiltrating the criminal underworld or discovering corruption in his own department.

Soda suspects his old nemesis Ivan Moss (Svenson) of being behind it all. Meanwhile, Soda develops a relationship with fellow detective Crystal Tarver (Adams) and also spends time with Phil's 14-year old son, Cameron. Will Soda fizzle in his investigation or will he be snappy and refreshing in his take on crime?

The original title of this movie is "Soda Cracker". The title "The Kill Reflex" is one of those superimposed video titles. However, before it comes on, the credit before it is "Fred Williamson is..." "Fred Williamson is the Kill Reflex"? That doesn't make any sense. They didn't bother to change it. The end credits say "Soda Cracker" and they didn't change that either.


 But that aside, Williamson brings his usual energy and likability to the project. Without Fred, it would've been dire. Like The Big Score (1983), there is an extended nightclub\singing sequence and if you are familiar with Williamson's other cop movies, this one fits right in.

It is humorous when Soda takes Cameron, who is this little white kid, to a shooting range and we don't know who the kid is at first. Soda refers to all criminals and baddies as "pukes". Ivan Moss is one of the worst pukes of the bunch. He is a drug dealer, and when he is not wearing a full Olympic track suit with sandals or numerous different Cosby Sweaters, he is wearing a kimono. Maybe Svenson got it when he filmed White Phantom (1987).




Moss, as an evildoer, has an Ace up his sleeve. His brother Ace (D.R. Jones). He is a big lummox and is the muscle for Moss's organization. He is supposedly bigger in size than Soda and besides this, Ivan Moss has the most deadly weapon of all time: two remote-control toy helicopters. He must have seen those late night commercials for "Air Hogs" because he sends them after Soda with a vengeance. Soda even has a Sergio Leone-style showdown with one of them.

In other movie references, Soda's partner Tarver shoots a VHS copy of Evil Dead II (1987) with a gun.

When Soda is finally closing in on Ivan, one of the baddies says: "Now you got Soda on your ass!" How did they say that with a straight face? Also during the climax, there is a funny "swatting" noise on the soundtrack. Watch out for it.

If you don't love Fred Williamson, you are a bad American and his personality carries The Kill Reflex.

Beware the remote-control helicopters!


Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

White Phantom (1987)

White Phantom (1987)-* *1\2

Directed by: Dusty Nelson

Starring: Jay Roberts Jr. and Bo Svenson














When a bunch of ninjas in camouflage steal a box of weapons-grade plutonium, capable of a 5 megaton blast, from a truck driven by a slob eating a sloppy burger, the evil Sakura family goes from asking protection money from bookstores and nightclubs to the big leagues of international crime. Colonel Slater (Svenson) is on the case, chasing the nefarious family all over what we think is Japan (?) - and is using dancer Mei Lin as the undercover operative trying to get all the secrets she can from head of the family Hanzo (Jimmy Lee). Things get shaken up big time when a mysterious American stranger enters the picture...

Willi (Roberts Jr.) is an awesome dude with an attitude. He's the ultimate 80's coolguy, an unshaven cross between Keanu Reeves, Don Johnson and Bruce Willis. He even has a harmonica that he carries with him at all times. Talk about "The Return of Bruno"! He's charming, but kind of a jerk. He wears a Yankees baseball cap and a Sergio Leone-style duster coat. When he's not fighting Hanzo's stable of goons, he wants nothing more than to do some radically tubular slam dunks on the b-ball court and go to the local brothel. Is he just an American party animal? Or is there something more going on? He falls in love with Mei, which complicates matters between her, Hanzo and Slater. What is the secret of the mysterious Jay Roberts Jr.? Find out tonight!

Hanzo's goons are constantly playing rock paper scissors. One has a James Dean shirt, one resembles Oates, of Hall & Oates fame, and of course there is "Ears", a guy with not only a Hawaiian shirt, but also matching Hawaiian shorts who always has a Walkman on him. Hanzo has an interesting relationship with his controlling father, who we never actually see. He is the "White Phantom" equivalent of "Wilson" from "Home Improvement".

Willi (where's the final "e"?) even gets to say a great zinger to Hanzo when he shouts "Your triumph is your funeral, ninja!" And you thought English was his first language, unlike the rest of the cast (except Svenson).

As Mei Lin is a professional dancer, there are plenty of 80's dance sequences in the film. In fact, they pretty much replace action sequences until the climax, when the ninja action reaches its full capacity. In fact, "White Phantom" was released right smack dab in the middle of the famed 1980's Ninja Boom, where VHS boxes with the word "NINJA" emblazoned on them filled those beautiful video store shelves. Maybe they were trying for some kind of twist in the formula by including Roberts Jr. and not using the word "Ninja" in the title.

Go back to a time when the bad guys wear black and the good guys wear white in this (proudly stated on the box) 1987 release on Vidmark. Is Jay Roberts Jr. "The New American Hero"? Only you can be the judge.

Jay Roberts Jr. was clearly a national treasure and he, like so many others, should have gone on to be more well known. Find the Phantom tonight!

Comeuppance review by: Brett and Ty