Driving Force (1989)

Driving Force (1989)-* * *

Directed by: Andrew Prowse

Starring: Sam Jones, Stephanie Mason, Catherine Bach, Don Swayze, Ancel Cook, Robert Marius, and Billy Blanks











Steve O’Neill (Jones) is a down-on-his luck father. He has a great relationship with his seven-and-a-half-year old daughter Becky (Stephanie Mason, in sadly her only credited role) and they’re kind of seeing each other through the hard times. Steve manages to find a job as a tow truck driver for No Risk Repair, whose motto is “a wreck a day, or you’re outta the way”. So while the hard-working Steve is out there busting his hump, he discovers a cabal of evil, rival tow-truck drivers who work for Black Knight Towing. Why you’d want your towing service to sound sinister remains unknown. 

Led by the diabolical hauler Nelson (Swayze), he and his compatriots Surf (Marius)and Pool (Blanks) use the most underhanded and illegal tactics to bring in their wrecks.  While Steve is just trying to defend himself and his daughter from the escalating towing wars, he gets even more on his plate as he constantly battles Becky’s deceased mother’s parents for custody rights. But he has allies in his fight: the pretty and capable (and female) Harry (Bach) and his old buddy Pete (Cook) are helping him out. When it comes to protecting his beloved daughter, what will be Steve’s DRIVING FORCE?

We very much enjoyed Driving Force. We thought the concept of evil tow truck drivers fighting a likable rival driver was pretty original, and Sam Jones has a lot of charisma and screen presence. His onscreen chemistry with his daughter was winning, and the daughter herself was a classic precocious kid of the time, but not annoying. 

Plus it was all ahead of its time: now there are many towing-based reality shows on TV. And surely Robert Marius - who has a very impressive action movie pedigree, including Cop Game (1988) - pioneered the concept of “guyliner”. While at first the unusual pace may take some initial getting-used to, once the movie kicks in, going along for the ride is definitely enjoyable.

The tow trucks both companies drive seem kind of futuristic, but nothing else in the movie would indicate that it takes place in the future. Don Swayze does a menacing job as the scuzzball Nelson, the baddie with an interesting secret. He and his fellow “tow-goodniks” (I’m REALLY sorry about that) definitely should win employees of the month. They truly care about their job. They really give their all at the workplace. 

When most people speak about the works of Billy Blanks, Driving Force rarely, if ever, comes up in conversation. His voice seems about an octave lower than usual, and as one of the main trio of bad guys, he’s not exactly front and center, but let’s not forget about this movie when talking about Billy.

The VHS was released on Academy in the U.S., and a quick glance at the box art shows some seriously pasted-on heads to some seriously unwitting bodies. What was wrong with the original bodies? It’s perhaps even more egregious than the paste job used for Liberty and Bash (1989) - 1989 was a banner year for many things, presumably that would also include incorrect head-body ratios. It’s certainly funny, as funny as some of the dialogue in the movie itself. 

The movie - we believe - was shot in the Philippines, but with a largely American main cast. But at least some of the production team was Australian, including the well-known Antony Ginnane, leading to the fact that the legendary, awesome stuntman Grant Page was involved. It’s all behind the scenes stuff, but whenever he’s on board, we’re going to try to mention it, we’re such fans of his.

In the end, we believe Driving Force is a diamond in the rough, whose day of reappraisal has finally arrived.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a review by our buddy, Cool Target!

Rage and Honor (1992)

Rage and Honor (1992)-* * *

Directed by: Terence H. Winkless

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Brian Thompson, Terri Treas, Stephen Davies, Alex Datcher, Patrick Malone, and Catherine Bach










Preston Michaels (Norton) is a cop from Australia who is in L.A. as an “observer”. Unfortunately, he observes a murder involving corrupt cops in his precinct. This leads to the evil Conrad Drago (Thompson) and his assistant Rita (Treas), the most dastardly drug runners in town. You know Conrad Drago is evil because his name is Conrad Drago. Framed for the murder, Michaels goes on the run to clear his good name, and while doing that, must team up with Kris Fairfield (Rothrock) (not “Fairchild” as is stated in some sources). Forging an uneasy trust, the two team up to beat up a ton of baddies and get to the truth, which isn’t always easy, as both Kris and Michaels have complex backgrounds.

Norton and Rothrock are two of our favorite action stars, and we always try to find the movies they’re in, both separately and together. They’re both likable and quality martial artists. Here, Norton’s Australian identity is actually part of the plot, not something no one ever mentions, as is usually the case. He plays the “fish out of water” nicely, and his personality goes well with Rothrock’s, and they have some good chemistry, which makes the film fun to watch. Most of the movie is set amongst decrepit, graffiti’d buildings, which, visually, makes a nice backdrop for movies like this, but can be a bit depressing at times.

Along their journey, Kris and Michaels meet an array of colorful characters, which serves to liven up the movie. As in life, the more characters you meet, the higher the odds that a lot of them are going to be annoying, and Baby (Davies) and Hannah (Datcher) tend to grate on the nerves,  while the mysterious Chan Lu (Obata) and Norton’s chief, Capt. Murdock (Bach) show us another side. As in Quietfire (1991), our heroes must fight a team of transvestites, or something close to transvestites. It must be a 90’s thing. Brian Thompson of Cobra (1986) and Perfect Target (1997) fame makes an ideal baddie. Just look at his face. It’s almost like he was born to be a bad guy. He even has an evil mullet. It’s the type of mullet that screams “I’m evil”.

On the down side, the plot gets a bit too complex and twisty for its own good, continually piling on new characters. Director Winkless also directed the first Bloodfist (1989) movie, so his aims were probably to step away from some of the more traditional plotting of these action yarns. Luckily, there is some good fighting, and the two leads are likable as ever. There are some good one-liners and humor, and the movie as a whole gives you what you want. Moreso than previous Norton/Rothrock vehicles such as China O’Brien (1990).

For a solid action movie featuring two leading lights of the genre Rage and Honor (not to be confused with the Sho movie Rage OF Honor, 1987) is well worth seeking out.

Street Justice (1989)

Street Justice (1989)-* * *

Directed by: Richard Sarafian

Starring: Michael Ontkean, Joanna Kerns, and Catherine Bach











Street Justice is a dark drama. Michael Ontkean stars as Curt, who is a CIA agent. He goes back to his old town to realize it's corrupt.

The writing and directing is offbeat for a cop thriller.

The acting by Michael Ontkean is very good and Joanna Kerns was tolerable. There's not much action except for the climax.

If you looking for another Michael Ontkean movie, Legacy Of Lies (1992) co-starring Martin Landau and Eli Wallach is a fine one. Ontkean is just as underrated as Eric Roberts or Treat Williams.

Comeuppance review by: Ty