Raw Force (1982)

Raw Force (1982)- * * *1\2

AKA: Kung Fu Cannibals

Directed by: Edward D. Murphy

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, John Locke, Geoffrey Binney, Jillian Kesner, Ralph Lombardi, Jewel Shepard, Camille Keaton, and Vic Diaz 








When Vietnam Vets and Martial Artists Gary Schwartz (Locke), and Mike O’Malley (Binney, not the guy who demanded to know if you had GUTS and went to Mo for the official standings) decide to go on a pleasure cruise captained by Harry Dodds (Cam), they can’t possibly know they would accidentally end up on a godforsaken place called Warriors’ Island, a tropical locale where “Martial Arts outcasts” haunt the place. Led by Monk (Diaz), the island is now the hub of a female white slavery ring/jade mine controlled by Speer (Lombardi) and his minions. 

The only problem for our stranded heroes (which also includes Jillian Kesner of Firecracker fame) is that the island also contains zombie-like Kung Fu cannibals who are thirsty for their blood. What a predicament. It’s not exactly a Carnival cruise...or is it? Our heroes will have to use all their wits and fighting abilities to get out of this jam...can they do it?

You might as well just project this movie on the side of your house and sit in your car and watch it, because this is perhaps the ultimate example of Drive-In exploitation from the early 80’s. It has elements from just about every genre of 42nd street-style filmmaking: Action, Martial Arts, exploitation, comedy, horror, and just plain old fashioned adventure. 

This nutty melange throws a lot at the viewer in its brief running time, and it never gets boring and always stays entertaining and fun. From the time-honored barfight (complete with disco soundtrack), to the Romp-style elements, to the nudity, to the “Fan Favorite Deaths”, Raw Force is the complete package.

Led by fan favorite Cam Mitchell, the cast of B-movie regulars like Vic Diaz, Jillian Kesner, Camille Keaton, Jewel Shepard and others turn this oddball outing into a gem. Director Edward Murphy, not to be confused with a certain comedic actor who has made certain gender-based misjudgments in his offscreen time, seems to have stumbled into a minor classic here. He later became an actor, and his only writing/directing/producing credits remain this, and the lackluster Heated Vengeance (1985). After that turkey, it’s easy to see why he turned to a different side of the entertainment business. Especially compared with Raw Force, which is a far more satisfying effort.

Originally released on VHS in the U.S. by Media (and this is truly a standout in their already-impressive catalog), and now out on DVD/Blu-Ray combo by Vinegar Syndrome, Raw Force can’t fail to entertain. To be continued...

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, Outpost Zeta and The Unknown Movies!

Scanner Cop II (1995)

Scanner Cop II (1995)-* * *

Directed by: Steve Barnett

Starring: Daniel Quinn, Patrick Kilpatrick, Julian Neil, Jewel Shepard, Kane Hodder, and Robert Forster

 
***700th Review***








Det. Sam Staziak (Quinn) is not simply a Cop On the Edge, he’s a scanner Cop On the Edge. As a member of the L.A.P.D., he’s used his scanning abilities to thwart bad guys city-wide. His Captain, Jack Bitters (Forster), supports him, but Staziak is having some personal issues, as he’s trying to find his mother. Towards this end, he’s enlisted the help of fellow scanner Carrie Goodart, who runs the Trans-Neural Resource Center, sort of a non-profit group by and for scanners. But a new threat looms in the form of Karl Volkin, an evil, malevolent scanner who’s going around the city killing other scanners in his quest to be the ultimate scanner. Like a vampire, he feeds off their power and is growing more and more strong by the day. Looks like it’s time for the ultimate showdown: Staziak vs. Volkin in a mind-melting duel to the death. Who will prevail?

We liked Scanner Cop II (or Scanners: The Showdown, as the VHS we viewed has it). As a sci-fi sequel, we went in expecting the worst. But it’s really not bad. There are a lot of interesting scanner-based ideas, such as using scanning power for good or evil, the vampiric scanner, and the scanner killing other scanners for scanner domination. Did we use the word “scanner” enough yet? There are other ideas woven into the plot as well, which helped immensely. If there are ideas that are reasonably well-thought-out, it’s hard to go totally wrong, and thankfully the writers knew that so they developed certain thoughts. It’s all perfect for the video stores and pay cable outfits of the 90’s. On top of that, there are some cool and gory effects, making Scanner Cop II better than expected.

Patrick Kilpatrick usually plays a baddie and here you get to see him at the height of his evil powers. Robert Forster does almost a sit-down role but he adds color and professionalism to the proceedings. Kane Hodder and Jewel Shepard appear in small roles, but the true star of the show isn’t Quinn, it’s a man we think is named Julian Neil (but we’re not sure) who plays “Kidnapper Leader”. This bad guy who is not important to the plot at all, gives an insanely over the top performance. He has a highly comical Muppet voice and he just about steals the movie with his brief screen time. This guy should have gone far.

We have a screener copy (not to be confused with a scanner copy) of this on VHS from Republic Pictures. In a packaging move we haven’t seen anywhere else, there’s a gatefold flap that unfolds from the left hand side of the box. We don’t know if it reached stores with this added value piece. It might be just for the screener, or perhaps just for the Canada VHS, which is where it was released as Scanners: The Showdown. We thought this was worth mentioning because it was so unusual.

In all, Scanner Cop II was way better than we thought it would be.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett