Face The Evil (1996)

Face The Evil (1996)- * *

AKA: No Contest II

Directed by: Paul Lynch

Starring: Shannon Tweed, Jayne Heitmeyer, Bruce Payne, and Lance Henriksen

When actress Sharon Bell (Tweed) goes to visit her sister Bobbi (Heitmeyer), a curator at the Holman Gallery, at said art gallery, it’s not going to be a dejeuner sur l’herbe. Not at all. You see, a group of terrorist baddies under the command of Eric Dane (Henriksen) has – you guessed it – taken over the gallery. Part of their plan for world domination involves a highly potent and toxic nerve gas and the key to unlocking its potential lies in the art gallery. But rather than submit to these goons, Sharon and Bobbi – along with gallery worker Jack Terry (Payne) – decide to fight their way out of the situation. After all, Sharon is an action movie star, not to mention she’s been through all this before…

When the world cried out for a sequel to the Shannon Tweed-Andrew Dice Clay Die Hard knockoff No Contest, director Paul Lynch answered the call. Just why it’s called Face The Evil in the U.S. when in most other places it’s called No Contest II (its production company was named NCII Productions, not surprisingly) isn’t really known, but it doesn’t matter. Out of all the “DieHardInA” movies we’ve seen to date, we can honestly say this is the first one to take place in an art gallery. It’s easy to see why filmmakers used this formula so much in the 90’s – most of the action takes place in one location so it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to shoot one of these things. “Sequel to No Contest? Sure, what the heck, why not?”

One notable element this movie has that its predecessor did not is the employment of some horror elements. Perhaps that’s not surprising, as Lynch is the director of 80’s-horror fan favorites Prom Night (1980) and Humongous (1982). He tries to inject some style as well, and the fact that at least one person dies by a sculpture would seem to indicate Mr. Lynch has been watching his Dario Argento, especially The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Tenebre (1982). However, if this floats your boat, don’t get too excited. The vast majority of the movie is standard Die Hard stuff. Yes, there are some shootouts, fights, a throat slash, and the time-honored catfight between Shannon Tweed and some other chick. Even though some of the practical effects are well-executed, they’re not front and center here. 

The whole thing has a somewhat campy, “we’re not taking this entirely seriously” vibe. There’s also a lot of stupid/childish dialogue. And it’s really obvious it was shot in Canada. Even still, Shannon Tweed was probably psyched to not have to do yet another “erotic thriller”. She doesn’t take her clothes off and she’s the action heroine. She even gets to show off her comic timing. As crazy as it may sound, she probably wanted to do more movies like Face The Evil. As much as we enjoyed the team-up of Tweed and Heitmeyer, why has no one ever made a movie where both Shannon and Tracy Tweed are sisters who have to bust the heads of the bad guys? It’s too good of an idea. And in true Batman (1989) style, the baddies deface priceless works of art with spray paint. Perhaps they should have called the movie “Deface The Evil”? Groan. 

While it was nice to see Tweed, Heitmeyer, Henriksen, and Payne working together, is it really worth going out of your way to track down and watch Face The Evil if it isn’t readily at hand? Two words: No Dice.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

Double Edge (1986)

Double Edge (1986)- * * *

Directed by: John Lloyd

Starring: Rom Kristoff, Anthony East, David Anderson, Robert Marius, and Jim Moss



“This is where the law stops…and I come in.” – Mark Quinn






When the super-evil baddie Jack Maraccio (East) kills his parents, a young tot named Mark Quinn vows revenge. Now a tough, no-nonsense, doesn’t-play-by-the-rules cop, Mark (the awesome Rom Kristoff) is cleaning up baddie scum wherever he finds it. Along with his partner Ty Jackson (Moss), the two hero cops make sure no criminal in The Philippines is safe. While still on his mission to avenge his parents, a new and unforeseen element appears…a mysterious ninja. Will Quinn fulfill his destiny? Or will it be a DOUBLE EDGE-d sword? Find out today!


Fun and silliness reign supreme as unsung auteur John Lloyd delivers another gem. If nothing else, Double Edge just goes to show how massively popular Sylvester Stallone was in 1986. Lloyd even includes a Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)-style torture sequence and a Rocky-style training sequence just to prove the point, as if that was needed. And if that wasn’t funny enough, at some point the movie remembers that the Ninja Boom was in full flight at that time as well, and the whole thing blurs from a pastiche of Stallone films into a full-fledged ninja extravaganza. You don’t see that every day.

As would seem to be obvious from the box art, the main influence (or should we say reason for this movie’s existence in the first place) is the great classic Cobra (1986). Double Edge even beat the similarly-inspired Black Cobra (1987) to the punch. And if you’re going to make a so-called “rip-off”, you might as well rip off the best. While some scenes are lifted wholesale from Cobra – and if you’ve ever wanted to see a low-budget remake of Cobra from the Philippines, now’s your chance – when all the elements are mixed together, it’s plain that a new, mutant beast is formed that transcends its humble origins. In other words, Cobra doesn’t have a ninja.

Another hilarious thing about this movie is how hysterical everyone is. Outside of Mark Quinn and Ty Jackson (who are much too cool to ever fly off the handle), just about everyone else launches into fits of histrionics at the drop of a hat. While no one could ever supplant the masterful John Miller, some incidental characters here are in the same ballpark. Consequently, we get one of the best WYC’s (White Yelling Chiefs) ever in Donahue (Anderson).

Mark Quinn (or perhaps Rom Kristoff) wears his sunglasses most of the time, even at night in true Corey Hart fashion. Perhaps because it was decided that the shades make him look more like the poster for Cobra. Not Stallone, the Cobra poster. The great Jim Gaines takes on a rare baddie role here as a pimp named…you guessed it, Sly. It’s hard to imagine a movie not connected in any way to the real Stallone featuring this much Stallone worship. For that reason alone, this movie is a ton of fun to watch, and then you add in the histrionics and the ninja, and you’ve got something truly special.

Prepare yourself for the ultimate – and original – ROM COM as Rom Kristoff blows you away!

FINAL NOTE: Footage from this movie was later interpolated into the later Rom vehicle Lethal Killing Machine AKA Crime Stopper (1990), so if you can’t get enough Rom, just know there’s always more Rom to be had. 

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett