The Expert (1995)

The Expert (1995)- * *

Directed by: Rick Avery

Starring: Jeff Speakman, James Brolin, Michael Shaner, Alex Datcher, Elizabeth Gracen, and Jim Varney











John Lomax (Speakman) is a civilian military CQB, or, “Close Quarter Battle” instructor. When his beloved sister Jenny (Nagy) is tragically murdered by a serial killer named Martin Kagan (Shaner), initially Lomax is satisfied when Kagan is sentenced to die by going to the electric chair. 

When an inexplicably sympathetic doctor, Alice Barnes (Datcher) insists that Kagan is schizophrenic and that any and all murders were committed by his alter ego Martin Mirman, the dangerous psychopath is granted a stay of execution. But not for long, as an incensed Lomax decides to put his CQB skills to work to finally erase Kagan from the planet. But first he needs to get weaponry from his old buddy Snake (Varney) and find time for romance with reporter Liz Pierce (Gracen). Will Lomax’s Expertise be enough to get the proper revenge?

The Expert starts off in classic Martial Arts movie style, with a shadowy figure displaying his moves as the opening credits roll. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t live up to this promising intro. The actual action scenes are minimal, and Speakman only Kenpo’s it up on the baddies a scant few times. The first major action scene feels strangely slow and confused. A lot of the running time is spent as a Prison Slog, with no action whatsoever. Despite the presence of James Brolin as the warden, these scenes are ultimately pointless. We liked the moment when Brolin becomes unhinged, but overall neither he, Speakman, or the rest of the cast can overcome the mediocrity within.

Michael Shaner, who we remembered from Bloodfist (1989) where he played the infamous “Baby”, and Angelfist (1993), or possibly other movies with the word “fist” in the title, portrays the main baddie in a  boo-hiss hateable style. His resemblance to a young Robert Davi made us believe fan favorite Davi also could have assayed the role. 

Because of the fact that when we first see Martin Kagan he’s fixing a copying machine and has ink on his face (and because the camera keeps cutting closer and closer on to his leering face with each successive loud musical stab), we were prepared for a first, an evil copying machine repairman. Sadly, despite the hilariously ham-fisted telegraphing of his evilness, he was just your standard baddie.

Let’s not forget that Jim Varney is also onboard as a Vietnam vet who works at a store called Gun City USA. Now that’s what I call shop ‘til you drop. Even though it’s a glorified cameo, it was nice to see Ernest himself call Speakman “The Best” and act as this movie’s Machine Gun Joe. 

Elizabeth Gracen played the typical female reporter, this time resembling Teri Hatcher, not to be confused with fellow cast member Alex Datcher. The main problem with The Expert is that it ceases to be an action movie for vast portions of the running time. 

And anyone renting or buying a Jeff Speakman movie called The Expert isn’t expecting that, and it’s a disappointment. Supposedly the great Larry Cohen and the equally-great William Lustig had something to do with this production, but went uncredited. We can see why.

A prime example of 1995 video store shelf-filler, regrettably, we were not impressed with The Expert.

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

The Hunted (1995)

The Hunted (1995)- * *1\2

Directed by: J.F. Lawton

Starring: Christopher Lambert, John Lone and  Joan Chen











Paul Racine (Lambert) is a New York businessman on a business trip to Tokyo. After getting involved with the beautiful Kirina (Chen), he finds himself inadvertently drawn into the shadowy world of Ninjas. When he tries to stop her murder, it’s “Businessman to the rescue!” but he doesn’t realize what he’s up against. None of the Tokyo authorities believe Ninjas still exist in modern-day Japan. 

Obviously they’re not aware of the highly-trained, yet evil Kinjo (Lone) who now takes Paul as his main enemy because he knows too much. So Paul trains in the ways of the Ninja to face off in the eventual final confrontation with Kinjo. Who will win?

The Hunted comes from a not-so-distant past when Christopher Lambert movies came to the movie theater. And ones about Ninjas no less. Ah yes, it was a different time in our nation’s history indeed. Part of the interest of a Christopher Lambert movie is attempting to decipher and determine if it’s a Christopher Lambert movie or a Christopher Lambair film. The jury may still be out on The Hunted, because it is a fairly glossy, professionally made product with an almost two-hour running time and a pretty slow pace by today’s standards. But because it’s a movie about Ninjas with a lot of “Sword Violence”, it’s probably an “Ert” title, not an “Air” film.

We give the movie credit for the fact that when the Japanese locals talk, it’s in Japanese with subtitles. So many movies have locals in foreign countries speaking English to each other. Speaking of voices, Lambert’s is kind of odd. It’s accented, of course, but the real problem is that it’s a bit thin and quiet to boot. With a more powerful voice, his screen presence could have been improved. 

The Hunted is at its best when it’s executing its action setpieces, and the scene on the train is a movie highlight. But on the whole the movie seems bloated, and some trimming could have helped. Plus the movie takes itself so seriously. During the Ninja scenes in the woods, it made us miss Godfrey Ho and the fact that Ho’s Ninjas have headbands that say “Ninja” on them. Well, maybe they don’t have to be that silly, but a happy medium would be nice.

We appreciate the professionalism and the obvious care that was put into the action/stunt sequences of The Hunted, but the hard fact is that this is not an essential movie. You could probably miss this one and not feel too bad about it. But if you do see it, you’ll see a competently-made and pretty slick time-filler.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett