Seized (2020)

 Seized (2020)- * * *

Directed by: Issac Florentine

Starring: Scott Adkins, Matthew Garbacz and Mario Van Peeples 

In his former life, he was a Special Ops professional badass known only by the code name Nero (Adkins). But today, he is simply a well-meaning dad. Trying to raise a moody teen son named Taylor (Garbacz) who has angst and questions about the loss of his mother, "Nero" now works in Mexico as some sort of IT security consultant. But Nero's past comes back to haunt him in the form of Cartel head Mzamo (Van Peebles). Mzamo kidnaps Taylor, secrets him away in a room that apparently is too cold, and forces Nero to reawaken his old killer instincts and kill off Mzamo's rivals in the drug trade. Nero doesn't want to do it, of course, but he is forced to, now with Taylor's life hanging in the balance.

Given a series of increasingly difficult and dangerous assignments, Nero is coerced into wearing a bodycam so Mzamo and his goons can have a watch party as they sit around, drink muchos cervezas, and chant "Ner-o! Ner-o!" just like the Jerry Springer audience of yore. Soon, truths are revealed, conspiracies get to the top, and familial bonds may be rekindled. All thanks to the healing spirit of violence. Can Nero punch, kick, and shoot his way to the truth - and his son's love? SEIZE your remote control today!

Seized, the eighth collaboration between director Isaac Florentine and star Scott Adkins, is a fast-paced and entertaining action romp that delivers yet more goods to fans. The title Seized may put you in mind of Taken (2007), Abduction (2019, also with Adkins), Stolen (2012), Gone (2012), or perhaps a similar movie of this sort that we made up, Plucked. Some of which may include Liam Neeson, but all pretty much include a kidnapped young person that a man of action must retrieve. Hey, it was 2020 and that was the thing - as were very clear Trumpian references in some of the dialogue. Nero even works from home - very 2020.

But, plotwise, a very close parallel is Acceleration (2019). There, Natalie Burn had to drive around and do "action assignments" because Dolph was telling her to. Here, Scott Adkins must do the same because Mario Van Peebles was telling him to. We actually wouldn't recommend a double-bill of Acceleration and Seized because they're so darn similar. It would be like watching a three-hour version of the same thing.

Mario Van Peebles wears a pretty fantastic hat and his charismatic performance goes a long way, as it usually does. He's a solid foil for Adkins and they pit well against each other. In a big budget Hollywood movie, Dennis Hopper would have, could have, and should have played this role. But as Van Peebles fans we were certainly happy.

Adkins, of course, is no slouch, and in the nightclub scene we get a glimpse of what a John Wick sequel might look like if Adkins played Wick (as opposed to Killa). He's referred to as "The Best" - a classic cliche we all love - and watching him take down baddies is a joy. It was also nice to see him back in Mexico, but this time in a far better film than El Gringo (2012). He even gets his own Mel Gibson Ransom (1996) moment as he demands Mzamo give him back his son.

It's all over quite briskly at the 82-minute mark, as it should be. The audience is never even remotely close to being bored, and the photography is crisp and clear, with everything visible and vibrant.

For another Adkins/Florentine winner - we should all be thankful that they're working so well together still - be sure to check out Seized.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Sharpshooter (2007)

 

Sharpshooter (2007)- * *

Directed by: Armand Mastroianni

Starring: Mario Van Peebles, Al Sapienza, Bruce Boxleitner, Catherine Mary Stewart, Lee Reherman, and James Remar 

Dillon (Remar) is a professional assassin. After a lifetime of traveling around the world killing people for the CIA, he finally wants to hang up his sniper rifle and retire. But, wouldn't you just know it, he's convinced to do the classic and time-honored "One Last Job". Flick (Van Peebles), his boss, convinces him to travel to Julian, California, a rural fishing village. It's there he's supposed to pose as a Los Angeles lawyer just out to get some "R n' R". However, his true mission is to assassinate an evil baddie named Richard Phillips (Sapienza).

Of course, Phillips has a large mansion and a respectable amount of goons at his disposal. As Dillon is figuring out his mission, he meets a magazine writer named Amy (Stewart), as well as Sheriff Graham (Boxleitner), the law in that small town. However, as you might expect, after some double-crosses, back-stabs, and general intrigue, the hunter becomes the hunted and now Dillon has to use his lifetime of survival and killing skills to defend himself against the organization that trained him and that he's worked for for years: the U.S. government. Can he do it? Will he live to be the ultimate SHARPSHOOTER?


Sharpshooter is a made-for-cable outing that should have been much better than it is, based on the people involved. Not only does it feature fan favorites Remar - last seen around these parts with Quiet Cool (1986) - and Mario Van Peebles, it also has Boxleitner and two other people with 80's cult pedigrees - Catherine Mary Stewart from The Apple (1980) and Night of the Comet (1984), and it was directed by Armand Mastroianni of He Knows You're Alone (1980) fame. There's even a small part from Lee Reherman as Ziggy (of course his name is Ziggy) - the guy from Champions (1997) who looks like David Letterman and has a similar name.

So you'd think, with all that talent involved, the end product would be something other than the standard fare that we get. It has many, many cliches that we're all used to seeing by now: One Last Mission, the baddie mansion, Prerequisite Torture, the double-crosses, etc. Remar is good as always and his narration adds something, but it's not enough. It slows down a lot around the mid-point and never really recovers. There's also some very silly green screen during a chase sequence that did not need to be there. It didn't help matters.


It's not that the movie overall is bad, but it's nothing you haven't seen before, and done better elsewhere. There's not a lot of reason to go out of your way to seek out Sharpshooter. It seems like the brief given to Mastroianni was to make a telefilm version of Sniper (1993) mixed with Shooter (2007), and give it a similar title. As we said before, Remar, Stewart, Van Peebles, and Boxleitner are all fine in the film and none of this is their fault, but there's not a lot for the audience to hang on to. We were never given the red meat that we want. It's just a movie on a screen.


As much as we'd like to, we can't really recommend Sharpshooter. It delivers absolutely nothing new to the One Last Mission genre, which really is a genre unto itself at this point. Unless you're a completist as far as any of the talent involved goes, we can safely say you're not missing out on much if you never see it.

They should rename it “Dullshooter”.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

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

Full Eclipse (1993)

Full Eclipse (1993)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Anthony Hickox

Starring: Mario Van Peebles, Patsy Kensit, Jason Beghe, and Dean Norris












Max Dire (Van Peebles) is one of the best and bravest officers on the LAPD. You might even say he has a talent for getting out of DIRE situations with MAXIMUM firepower (see, that’s why they pay us the big bucks, heh heh). 

Because of his stellar track record as a crimefighter on the mean streets, he attracts the attention of Adam Garou (Payne), a mysterious man who wants Max to join his gang of underground vigilantes to clean up the streets in their own way. They even use a mysterious drug to give them superhuman powers. At first, Max is reluctant, but the clever Adam has Casey Spencer (Kensit) seduce Max onto his squad. The conflicted Max tries to make the best of the team of unkillable vigilante werewolves (how often do you get to say that phrase?), but in the end must face his demons on his own terms. Can he do it before the FULL ECLIPSE?

We thoroughly enjoyed Full Eclipse. It’s a lot of fun, and delivers everything you want. There’s a lot to love and appreciate about this movie - not only is it a solid action movie in its own right, but it puts a nice spin on the cop/action drama. It even puts a spin on the vigilante movie, which we especially liked, because we love those, generally speaking, and if you add in werewolves, it’s hard to lose. Another plus was the use of real, practical effects, no CGI garbage. And the great cast ties it all together, along with the fast-paced direction of Hickox.

Mario Van Peebles was terrific as Dire: not only is he a quality 90’s coolguy with his ever-changing beard stubble, loose ties and sunglasses, but you can feel his conflict as it relates to the unfolding werewolf situation. On top of that, he shines in the action sequences, as he fires two guns while diving through the air in slow motion, in true John Woo style. The opening “punks take over the dance club” sequence was indeed a movie highlight. Fan favorite Bruce Payne matches him, giving a totally committed performance. Sadly, only fans like us (and by us I mean not just US, but you reading this as well) will appreciate this - Payne receives no awards, never gets to chat on the late night shows, but is far more competent than many that do.

The whole thing is classic 90’s; just the type of thing you’d see on the pay-cable channels or in the video stores of the day. So while this even has a dash of the then-current “homie movie” (there is a drive-by shooting and Van Peebles has a tendency to say “yo yo yo”), Full Eclipse, in general, is a cut above the average DTV film, in our opinion. The only bad thing is that this was a point in time when annoying pop-culture references were starting to pop up in characters’ dialogue.

But the 80’s weren’t that far behind, as you know that Dire’s partner, who says he’s “getting married”, is “too old”, and is nervous and complaining a lot, that he’s not long for this world. Full Eclipse, in general, is the next logical step up from Wolfen (1981), and the outing in general is never dull. It sports a killer concept, and a nice execution that lives up to it. We recommend it.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Exterminator 2 (1984)

Exterminator 2 (1984)-* * *

Directed by: Mark Buntzman

Starring: Robert Ginty, Mario Van Peebles, Deborah Gaffner, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Arye Gross, and Frankie Faison












Troubled Vietnam vet John Eastland (Ginty) returns in this Cannon-made sequel. For those that don’t know, Eastland has been dubbed by the media as “The Exterminator” because he goes around the streets of New York City with a flamethrower, taking the law into his own hands and roasting street punks into a pile of ash. His friend Be Gee (Faison) drives a garbage truck for Knight Waste Removal and offers John a job. Plus he and his dancer girlfriend Caroline have a budding romance. It seems all is looking up for the Termina...er...I mean EXTERMINATOR, but there’s a problem: the charismatic leader of a criminal underworld named simply X (Van Peebles). This guy has messiah-like delusions and is a ruthless commander of seemingly every punk in the city. X doesn’t take kindly to Eastland barbecuing his compatriots, so all-out war is declared. Eastland is putting a serious dent in X’s ambitions to control the city entirely, a lot of which is dependent on his drug dealing involving the local Mafia. When Caroline is assaulted by X’s gang, shattering her dreams of dancing on Broadway, John and Be Gee soup up the garbage truck Gauntlet (1977)-style and go for the ultimate revenge yet: X himself.

Exterminator 2 is the only directorial credit for Mark Buntzman, and there is a certain lack of confidence behind the camera that that would imply. Plus different countries have different cuts, many have the more violent scenes trimmed. It is said the Greek VHS is the most intact to date. But despite some of its technical flaws, the movie has great 80’s atmosphere and music that cannot be duplicated today. X and his gang wear some of the best outfits since Knights of the City (1985). Interestingly, there are some great breakdancing scenes in the movie too, which bring up the level of interest for the viewer.

Faison as Be Gee is lovable and sympathetic, especially for this down-and-dirty type of exploitation film.
The name of his truck, “Knight Waste Removal” is a not-too-subtle representation of the movie itself: He and/or Ginty is the “Knight” in shining armor (or some kind of armor) that will save the day, and “Waste Removal” clearly implies X’s gang of no-good-niks. They even put one in the trash compactor, and at one point while they are cruising around in the truck, and they spy some baddies, Be Gee says “looks like there’s some trash right there”.

Ginty is as taciturn as ever but that’s why we love him. Plus his alter-ego “The Exterminator” is just too awesome for words. You want to stand up and cheer every time he appears on screen with his metal mask, brandishing his flames of death. Playing a complementary opposite to Ginty’s phlegmatic nature is the bombastic, over-the-top Van Peebles as X. His big line, which he says more than once, is “I am the streets!” He makes a great bad guy because of his energetic performance.

Pretty gritty, fans of revenge movies or 80’s nostalgia will like Exterminator 2, and if you are a big fan of both, like me, any flaws the film may have are glossed over nicely.

NOTE: It was released on VHS in the U.S. on one of those silver MGM-Cannon big boxes, with a stated running time of 88 minutes. Presumably due to the aforementioned cuts, it just barely reaches that time even after the slow-moving end credits.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992)

In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992)-* * *

AKA: Urban Crossfire

Directed by: Dick Lowry

Starring: Mario Van Peebles, Courtney B. Vance, Peter Boyle, Ray Sharkey, Michael Boatman, and Morris Chestnut






This review does contain spoilers!

In The Line of Duty: Street War or "Urban Crossfire" is a well-made TV movie.

Officers Raymond and Robert (Van Peebles and Boatman) are going after Justice Butler (Vance), an evil drug dealer. Unfortunately, Raymond gets killed by him. Now Robert wants revenge. Butler escapes and now Robert and Detective Reilly (Boyle) have to catch him before he commits more crimes.

The acting is good with Peter Boyle and Courtney B. Vance standing out. The writing and directing is standard. No surprises in this story. Overall, it's worth seeing for the acting. One of  Lowry's other movies is  The FBI Murders (1988) which  is also recommended.

Comeuppance review by: Ty

Hard Luck (2006)

Hard Luck (2006) -* *1\2

Directed By: Mario Van Peebles

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, Cybill Shepherd, Jackie Quinones, and Luis Guzman











Hard Luck tries to be different but fails. Lucky (Snipes) is an ex-con who (as usual) wants to go straight. After a botched stakeout, Lucky finds himself with $500,000 and an accomplice named Angela (Quinones). Now they are on the run from corrupt cops and Captain Davis (Van Peebles), who has an old score to settle with Lucky. If that's not enough plot, Cass (Shepherd) is a totally unrelated character who likes to torture people. Everything makes sense in the end.... or does it?



When the Shepherd character is introduced, the movie goes off the rails. Even though it's a different idea to throw a serial killer into an "ex-con goes straight" story, it doesn't work at all. Snipes has a lot of energy this time around, after glumming it up in Blade: Trinity (2004) and The Detonator (2006). Van Peebles' character has a great intro, but his story with Lucky isn't explained too well. One other problem is the constant pop culture references. They mention Super Size Me (2004), Catwoman (2004), and even Abu Ghraib prison. It gets tiring fast.

Overall, Hard Luck is decent, don't expect it be another Snipes action movie though.