Soldier Boyz (1995)

Soldier Boyz (1995)-* * *

Directed: Louis Morneau

Starring: Michael Dudikoff, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tyrin Turner, Don Stroud, and Jacqueline Obradors












When Gabrielle Prescott (Hansen), daughter of rich white man Jameson Prescott (Brandt) is kidnapped by the National Liberation Front leader Vinh Moc (Tagawa) and held for ransom, Jameson enlists Major Howard Tolliver (Dudikoff) to rescue her. Thinking he can't do it alone, he enlists a ragtag team of prisoners, and together, they are the titular "Soldier Boyz" (even though one of them is female). They all travel to Vietnam and must train together - and they don't always get along. Will the Soldier Boyz be victorious?

Dudikoff puts in his usual good performance amidst the usual classic cliches, such as the exploding guard towers.  Imagine a Nam Angels (1989)-type situation with a bearded Dudikoff for part of the time. Add in some of The Walking Dead (1995) and there you have it. While this movie is a low-budget actioner with a "Z" in "Boyz" instead of an "S" (S's are just not cool. Z's are much cooler, clearly), this movie is actually well-made. Tagawa is fitting as the ruthless, evil leader, something he's surely familiar with playing.  You basically care about the characters - are they a youth group or prisoners - or a youth group of prisoners? Don't forget, the donation of ten million dollars to their youth group is "non-negotiable"!

The movie is fast paced, with some good action sequences. Tolliver has a bad attitude because his family was gunned down (shown in flashback and never mentioned again). During the extensive training, all the Soldier Boyz try to fight Tolliver and naturally they all lose. Probably because they're not as awesome.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but that's fairly common for these Direct To Video/Cable outings. There's something here for Dudikoff fans.

Watch out for the video game in 1997! (Yes, there is actually a Soldier Boyz game for your PC).


Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

The Method (1996)

The Method (1996)-* * *

Directed by: Kevin Lewis

Starring: Robert Forster, Sean Patrick Flanery, Tyrin Turner, Natasha Gregson Wagner





The Method is a good movie. It's about four actors who engage in "Method" acting. Their new play is about a bank robbery, and they want to be as realistic as possible and they go commit one. The bank robbery scene is very tense and exciting. Sean Patrick Flannery does a good job as Christian. He plays a jerk very well. Turner does a fine job as an ex-gangbanger trying to escape his past. Robert Forster is in the movie for a minute and does absolutely nothing as Christian's Dad.

Up until the bank robbery, It's just a lot of speeches about life, which can get pretty tedious. Overall, It's a different movie that has it's share of flaws, but it's worth seeing.

Comeuppance review by: Ty