Final Score (1986)

Final Score (1986)- * * * *

Directed by: Arizal

Starring: Chris Mitchum, Andre Mathias and Mike Abbott











Richard Brown (Mitchum) is a Vietnam vet who learned well how to blow up guard towers and huts during his military service. Once in civilian life, he settles with his wife and young son Bobby (Mathias) in Indonesia, ironically believing it superior to America, at least in terms of it being safe and welcoming. 

His dreams of a happy home life are shattered when thugs under the command of wildly evil baddie Mr. Hawk (Abbott) rape and kill his wife, then cruelly and unnecessarily murder Bobby as well. Brown immediately snaps into action, tracking down the perpetrators one by one, and he even has an awesome “to kill” list, where he crosses off bad guy names as they die. You do NOT want to upset Richard Brown. Because even if all of Indonesia has to be annihilated in the process, he’s going to get the FINAL SCORE.

Well, we found it. Final Score is undoubtedly one of the most badass movies on the planet. It’s a crime that it never got a U.S. VHS release in the golden age of the video store, or, to date, even a stateside DVD release. Had that happened, the course of movie history would have changed. We’re quite confident this would be widely regarded as an all-time action classic. As it stands now, it’s an action cult classic, not unlike No Dead Heroes (1986) or Phantom Soldiers (1987).

Take a solid Death Wish (1974) scenario, set it in Indonesia, have it star Chris Mitchum instead of Charles Bronson, and ramp it all up to the nth degree, and you have something of an idea of the charm of Final Score. Everything works like a well-oiled machine, even the opening credits perfectly do their job. 

They’re an ominous (and cool) shade of red on black, and with not just music behind them, but violence sounds such as guns firing and bombs exploding. This gives the viewer a heart-pounding sense of anticipation for what they’re about to see, and expertly and subtly puts the viewer’s mind in a tough, gritty mode that comes with a world of conflict and fighting. Even the young Bobby dresses like a little soldier and plays with toy guns. His dad even buys him a toy gun set for his ill-fated birthday.

Finally, FINALLY, we have been blessed with a movie that truly delivers the goods on every level. Brown is a hero that has no mercy, no remorse, and nothing to lose. Just as they have to be, and are at their best. He has a variety of ways of offing his assailants (so nothing ever gets boring), including a rocket launcher, which was refreshing to see because it’s rare a hero gets one, most times it’s a baddie thing. But not in the take-no-prisoners world of Final Score. Brown even has the world’s most rockin’ motorbike. Just when you think “this can’t get any better”, the awesomeness level just keeps rising and rising until it breaks through the roof.

Of course, some classic cliches are here, such as the aforementioned exploding huts and guard towers, the Prerequisite Torture of the hero, the fruit cart car chase, the “discs” with evidence, and the silly one-liners. 

And Indonesia must be the most flammable country on earth, as things ignite at the drop of a hat, thankfully, and it’s blow-ups, blow-ups, blow-ups. The movie is indeed a blast, with actual non-stop action. Revenge movies are among our most favorite genres, and this is as satisfying as they come, with many goons for the hero to kill and a Christoph-like villain in the form of Mr. Hawk. The brilliant Arizal definitely has a formula for his baddies, as Hawk could be brothers with Craig Rainmaker. With this film, not to mention his others, Arizal has ascended into godlike status in the cinematic firmament.

This is one of those rare movies you don’t want to end. Whatever you do, just see Final Score. This movie rules.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

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

Felony (1995)

Felony (1995)- * * *

Directed by: David A. Prior

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Leo Rossi, Charles Napier, David Warner, Jeffrey Combs, Cory Everson, Ashley Laurence, and Joe Don Baker












When a “Cops”-like reality show films a drug bust, and said bust goes sideways, everyone in town wants the tape it was filmed on. The heinous massacre of twelve police officers caught on video was masterminded by arch-baddie Cooper (Warner), and the cameraman who barely made it out of there alive, a guy named Bill Knight (Combs) finds the next couple of days quite trying indeed. 

Everyone from Cooper’s right-hand man Taft (Henriksen) to the mysterious Donovan (Baker) wants a piece of Knight. Meanwhile, Detectives Duke (Napier) and Kincade (Rossi) are working the case and trying to get to the truth of this tangled web. But when Knight meets an attractive nurse named Laura (Laurence), things seem to be looking up for Mr. Knight...but in this complicated web of twists, turns, and constantly changing allegiances, who can really tell? And who is going to commit the ultimate FELONY?

David A. Prior, known to action fans all over as the AIP guy, here corrals an amazing B-movie cast for this non-AIP outing. It was 1995, video stores were booming, and with the right cast, they had a place for Felony on their shelves. With Jeffrey Combs as the main character, Ashley Laurence as the female lead and sidekick, and Lance Henriksen with an impressive array of multi-colored shirts, that was just the beginning. 

We get Joe Don Baker with a triumphant introduction to his character, with an alley rescue scene that is really a lot like the one in Ring of Steel (1994), also with Baker. Maybe rescuing people in alleys is his “thing”. And with his fringed jacket that he no doubt bought at the local buckskinnery, he gives Seagal a run for his money. Then there’s Napier playing a guy named Duke, as he would right around the same time on The Critic, and Leo Rossi doing his best southern accent. Add to that David Warner with a grenade launcher and a small role from Cory Everson, and you have a recipe that raises Felony above the average dreck.

Prior was surely going big-time with this one, indicated by not just the cast, and the fact that it was released by New Line, but also the level of stunt work, with PM-style car-flipping and blow-ups. Cooper even kills off a lot of cops just like baddies do in PM movies. And of course there is the standard pew-pew bullet shooting. He was aiming high, and it works for the most part. At least it’s better-acted than usual, thanks to the experienced cast of familiar names. 

It’s basically as dumb as an AIP movie (and we mean that in the best possible way, of course), with plot holes so big, Stephen Hawking has warned us all that they could potentially slow down the space-time continuum. But this time Mr. Prior has more resources at his disposal than usual. There are even some interesting contemporary references, like to the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan hoo-hah that everyone was talking about at the time. If only we could have heard David Warner utter the name “Gillooly”, Felony would have shot up a few points.

So go back to a time when strippers stripped to sleazy heavy metal (presumably this is the song “Dynamite” by a band called Psychic Underground listed in the end credits), and to a time when an array of B-movie stars such as this could assemble for a project like this.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett