Red Sun Rising (1994) - A Review

 

One of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's better movies.

Red Sun Rising is a martial arts action movie released in the United States in 1994 and stars Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Terry Farrell, James Lew, Mako, Soon-Tek Oh, Michael Ironside, Edward Albert, Peter Vasquez, Stoney Jackson, Jacqueline Obradors, and Yuji Okumoto. Red Sun Rising was directed by Francis Megahy, with fight choreography by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Art Camacho.

Terry Farrell (left) as Karen and Don 'The Dragon' Wilson (right) as Hoshino make quite the combo.

In Red Sun Rising, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Thomas Hoshino, a Japanese American cop whose partner (played by Yuji Okumoto) gets murdered by a mystical Yakuza assassin, Jaho (played by James Lew) in service of Yakuza boss Yamata (played by Soon-Tek Oh) in Japan. Jaho is a master martial artist, and he is an expert of the 'Touch of Death', which he uses to disable Hoshino momentarily and then kill his partner. As you can imagine, Hoshino is determined to get Yamata and Jaho, no matter the consequences.

Hoshino goes to Los Angeles, California in the United States on the trail of Yamata, a few months later. There he meets up and gets partnered with Karen Ryder (played by Terry Farrell), a tough, no nonsense police detective working on a brewing gang war in the city. Hoshino and Karen also meet up with his martial arts master, Iga (played by Mako), who helps train Hoshino in the same art that Jaho uses. Hoshino checks in with a federal agent (played by Edward Albert) on the Yamata case, while Karen checks in with her captain (played by Michael Ironside) to keep Hoshino out of trouble. Everything all ties together, so will Hoshino be able to catch Yamata and Jaho, and be able to stop the impending gang war?

James Lew is one menacing assassin!

Looking online for what Don 'The' Dragon Wilson's best movies are, Red Sun Rising kept making the lists; and since that movie is on free streaming services, I decided to check it out. I really didn't know what to expect with this movie, since I had never heard of it before. Of all the Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movies I've seen, I would consider Red Sun Rising one of his best. Saying that, the movie is flawed.

It is cool that Don 'The Dragon' Wilson got to play a character that shared the same ethnic background as him (Japanese and Caucasian), and it plays a major part in the plot of the movie. Don kind of plays a fish out of water in this, his character not having been in America for many years. There's even a scene very similar to Rush Hour (1998), that I feel has to be copied from this movie. Don has great chemistry with Karen (Terry Farrell), and they even have some comedic scenes together. Terry Farrell is great, as she plays a strong woman on the police force who can get things done. Mako also has a great performance as Hoshino's master, and he plays against type (he's almost like Master Roshi from Dragon Ball). James Lew as the assassin is also an intimidating force, not only being a master of the death touch, but also being able to 'hypnotize' women, seemingly. This movie has a multiracial cast, but unfortunately, there are a lot of stereotypes in this.

The racism and racial slurs are abundant in Red Sun Rising. The movie takes place in America, Los Angeles to be exact, and deals with the L.A. police force, so it is accurate, unfortunately. Even Karen, the co-protagonist, is pretty racist to Hoshino. The only Latino and African-American characters in this movie are in rival gangs (though there are two high ranking or important Latino and African-American characters that are not in gangs but get killed off). Usually, this would give me a very negative view of the movie, but it is integral to the plot and the story it's trying to tell. Everything makes sense by the end of the movie. It was surprising how thought out this aspect of the movie was.

The action in Red Sun Rising is very 90s American style, but it is decent enough.

As you can imagine, since this a low budget martial arts movie made in America during the mid-1990s, the action is not so good. The choreography (by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Art Camacho) is decent, but the way it was filmed and edited totally ruins it. The camera angle are too close up most of the time, and contact from the strikes are rarely ever shown. I don't know why fight scenes are edited like this, it makes them so unsatisfying. Despite that, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and James Lew get to show off their martial arts skills to a decent degree. The fights are entertaining enough, just don't go in expecting Hong Kong style action.

I am conflicted on whether I recommend Red Sun Rising; it is not the best movie in the world, but it is entertaining and has a message. Apparently, Red Sun Rising is Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's favorite movie that he's done. For that alone, I will recommend watching it. The story is interesting, the characters are memorable, there is a lot of action, and there is even a lesson to be learned. Check it out, it's one of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's best!

Reviewed by David Williams

Blackbelt (1992) - A Review

 

Another classic Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movie.

Blackbelt is an American martial arts/action movie released in the United States in 1992. It stars Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Deirdre Imershein, Matthias Hues, Alan Blumenfeld, Richard Beymer, Jack Forcinito, and Barbara A. Graham. Blackbelt was directed by Charles Phillip Moore and Rick Jacobson, with fight choreography by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Paul Maslak.

Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Jack Dillon, a tough, no nonsense ex-cop.

In Blackbelt, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Jack Dillon, a former cop who runs a martial arts school (and also helps those in need... with his martial arts skills). Jack's former partner, Will Sturgess (played by Alan Blumenfeld), tells an up and coming singer, Shanna (played by Deirdre Imershein) to ask Jack to be her bodyguard. Shanna was sent a box of roses with a playing card...and a severed finger with a ring on it. Jack at first rejects the job, but after seeing the results of a prostitute who was killed the previous night, along with another room full of dead men, he accepts.

It turns out the prostitute and the men were killed by a serial killer (played by Matthias Hues); a big, hulking, psychotic murderer who is also after Shanna. Jack also has to deal with Shanna's abusive boyfriend (played by Jack Forcinito) and shady music producer Eddie Deangelo (played by Richard Beymer). Jack will have to show no mercy in order to protect Shanna and make it out alive!

Shanna (played by Deirdre Imershein) is an up and coming singer with attitude.

I have mixed feelings about Blackbelt. The story, a bodyguard protects a singer from a serial killer, is pretty interesting but the execution is a bit off. I'll just say it: this movie is sleazy! This is the kind of movie where after the hero and his love interest brutally murder their enemies, they have a gratuitous sex scene right after. This was the state of martial arts movies in America in the early 1990s. Despite that, there are some good things about it. Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays the unflappable hero. Don is just a really likeable guy, so it's easy to root for him. Richard Beymer as the sleazy music exec Eddie Deangelo gives the best performance. He is one of the most obnoxious villains ever put on film. There are scenes where he is threatening people while he's eating dinner, and all the chewing and lip smacking he's doing in between saying his lines irritated the heck out of me. Great performance! Matthias Hues gives a memorable performance as the serial killer. He is basically a monster, but he never screams or yells. He is very quiet and subdued. That guy has serious mental problems!

The structure of the movie is pretty good, giving us clues as to why Shanna is being targeted by the serial killer. In fact, the reason the killer is after Shanna is kind of similar to the movie Red To Kill (1994). I wonder if the writer and director of Red To Kill saw Blackbelt first and were inspired to make their own, sleazier, version of it. We will never know. Don and Deirdre Imershein (Shanna) have good chemistry together throughout the movie, whether they hate each other or they like each other. Deirdre is a pretty good singer as well.

The action in Blackbelt is decent, but filmed and edited terribly.

Blackbelt has a lot of action, both of the fighting and gunplay variety. Don 'The Dragon' Wilson choreographed the fights (along with Paul Maslak), and they did a decent job, for the most part. Once again, this is not Hong Kong style choreography, so the action is pretty slow and light-hitting. Unfortunately, you can tell that the fighters were holding back their strikes big time so they wouldn't really hurt each other. The camera angles and editing don't help with the presentation, either. What makes the action worse is the fact that Blackbelt was actually considered too violent, so the more extreme shots had to be edited out. This makes the fight scenes (especially) and the shoot-outs lack a rhythm and flow; and there are a lot of abrupt edits. I will say, though I did not like this movie, I have to see the unedited version. Maybe the fight scenes will be a little better?

As you can imagine, I can't, in good conscience, recommend watching Blackbelt. I will say, the story is interesting and there are some good actors in this, but the action is not that good and the movie itself is pretty sleazy. Only watch this movie if you are a huge fan of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson or you want to watch a violent martial arts version of the the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston The Bodyguard (1992) movie. As a Don 'The Dragon' Wilson fan, it always pains me to pan his movies, but he was one of the few actors we could depend on for martial arts movies in the United States back then. Martial arts movies have come a long way since then!

Reviewed by David Williams

Bloodfist (1989) - A Review

 

Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's first starring role, and it set him up for American action movie stardom.

Bloodfist is a martial arts movie released in 1989 starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Billy Blanks, Michael Shaner, Joe Mari Avellana, Riley Bowman, Kris Aguilar, Vic Diaz, and Marilyn Bautista. Bloodfist was directed by Terence H. Winkless, with stunts coordinated by Fred Esplana.

Don 'The Dragon' Wilson as Jake Raye.

In Bloodfist, Don "The Dragon" Wilson plays Jake Raye, a retired kickboxer who co-owns a gym in California. One day he finds out his brother (also a kickboxer) has been murdered in Manila. Jake goes to the Philippines to retrieve his brother's remains, but decides to stay and find the killer. He meets Baby Davies (yes, that's his name, played by Michael Shaner), an American martial artist and his sister Nancy (played by Riley Bowman), an exotic dancer, and stays with them at their apartment. He also meets Kwong (played by Joe Mari Avellana), who tells Jake about the martial arts tournament his brother was involved in before being murdered, and offers to train him for it. Jake agrees, and he goes through some grueling training.

While Jake is training, he is searching for clues and witnesses to his brother's murder. He finds out that the murderer is entered in the tournament, and this drives Jake's will to fight him and get revenge. Jake also finds out Kwong has a personal reason for helping him train for the tournament. Along the way, tragedy and betrayals occur, along with brutal fights to the death. Will Jake be able to get revenge for his brother?

Kwong trains and guides Jake Raye.

In the late 80s and throughout the 90s in the United States, the king of straight-to-video martial arts action movies was Don "The Dragon" Wilson. He was a legit champion kickboxer who became a martial arts movie star. I found out about him from my mom, who is also a martial arts movie fan. She thought Don was a "hunk". I saw a few of his movies on cable TV channels like HBO and Showtime back in the day. I liked Don, but I always felt his movies were lacking something. It has been decades since I've seen Bloodfist, so I thought it would be interesting to watch it again with more experienced eyes.

Bloodfist was Don "The Dragon" Wilson's first starring role, and what a debut it was. Don got to go to Manila, have some cool fight scenes (for 1989 Hollywood, at least), and make out with Riley Bowman. There was no turning back for him after that! This movie was obviously influenced by Bloodsport (1988), as many American martial arts movies were at that time. It is cool that there are quite a few legit champion martial artists in this movie, including Billy Blanks and Rob Kaman. This movie also stars Marilyn Bautista, who you may remember as the beautiful prostitute in The Big Boss (1971), in a comedic role.

The story is kind of basic; Jake is looking for his brother's killer so he can avenge his death. It's fine. The acting is... okay. Nobody is horrible or anything, but Riley Bowman gives the best acting performance in this movie. Don, as Jake, gives a more stoic performance. He is very charismatic, and you root for him throughout the movie. Michael Shaner, as Baby, gives a more comedic performance and is very likeable in the role. This movie has some twists and turns, with a shocking revelation at the end. For what it is, Bloodfist is very well written. My only problem with the movie is the sound design. It is very hard to hear Kwong's dialogue for some reason. When you can hear him, he's perfectly understandable, though. The sound in this movie was mixed weird.

The action is... not the best. It's just okay.

The fighting in Bloodfist is... okay. The fights in this movie are not the best, but they are not the worst, either. Frankly, the fights in this movie are ruined by the camera angles and the editing. The fighters could be doing some cool moves, but the camera is too close up to see the full movement, and the contact or connection of the hit was not filmed or edited out. Just terrible. The best action shots are when the fighters are kneeing each other in a clinch. You see everything there, and it looks painful. The fights get bloody as well, so if you're into that, you won't be disappointed. Don"The Dragon" Wilson is a great martial artist, and you can see some of his greatness despite the editing and camera angles. Don and Billy Blanks face off, and is one of the best fights in the movie. The final fight partly takes place in the rain, and that makes it stand out. Basically, Bloodfist has American style fight scenes, so don't watch this expecting Hong Kong style brilliance, unfortunately.

It pains me to say, but I can't recommend watching Bloodfist. I can only recommend watching it if you are a fan of Don 'The Dragon" Wilson or if you want to see what American martial arts movie fans had to watch before Hong Kong movies became more widely available in video stores. Don is a likeable leading man, and he does have the martial arts skill to carry an action movie. Unfortunately, the choreography, camera angles, and editing fail him. The story is pretty interesting, too. I have always wondered what it would be like if Don "The Dragon" Wilson starred in a Hong Kong movie. How would he have been showcased with Hong Kong style choreography. Nonetheless, Don is a legend and deserves respect for all that he has done in the movie business.

Reviewed by David Williams

As Good as Dead (2022) - Official Trailer

 Check out the trailer for As Good As Dead, the latest movie starring (and written by) Michael Jai White.  Here is the synopsis:

Bryant (Michael Jai White), a man with a mysterious past moves to a small Mexican border-town to start over and live the simple life. While there, he reluctantly befriends a troubled local teen who has recently lost his mother and is being recruited by the local street gang. Bryant keeps the boy on the straight and narrow by introducing him to martial arts and taking on the role of mentor, teacher and father-figure. As the story unfolds we learn that Bryant is much more than a man who moved to Mexico to live the simple life. Bryant is running from a complex, violent past that he believes he left behind. As his past catches up with him, he is forced into a life and death struggle to clear his name, save the boy and get back all that he left behind.

This movie looks pretty interesting to me! I've got to check it out! As Good As Dead premieres in theaters and on digital December 16, 2022 (TOMORROW, as of this posting).

 

Dick Tracy (1990) - A Review

 

Underrated masterpiece, in my opinion.

Dick Tracy is an American comic book/action/crime/movie released in 1990 starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Patinkin, James Caan, Glenne Headley, and Charlie Korsmo. Warren Beatty directed the movie, based on the classic comic strip by Chester Gould.

Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy. So cool.

Warren Beatty plays Dick Tracy, the top detective in the city whose top mission is stopping organized crime. Big Boy Caprice (played by Al Pacino) is the top crime boss in the city and buying up small businesses to beef up his criminal empire. A young street kid (played by Charlie Korsmo) witnesses some gangsters being rubbed out by two of Big Boy's men. Coincidentally, Dick Tracy captures The Kid after he steals a person's watch.

The Kid, Tess Trueheart, and Dick Tracy bonding over food.

Seeing the situation The Kid is in, Dick Tracy takes him in until the paperwork is done to put him in the orphanage (which The Kid does not want to go to). Dick Tracy's girlfriend, Tess Trueheart (played by Glenne Headly) agrees to help take care of The Kid with him. Tess is as understanding of Dick Tracy's position as she can be, but she can't help but feel like he cares more about his job than about her. Dick Tracy loves Tess, but has a hard time expressing that to her...

One of Dick Tracy's biggest challenges is rejecting Breathless Mahoney's advances!

Big Boy Caprice obtains the deed to Club Ritz, the biggest night club in the city, and obtains Breathless Mahoney (played by Madonna) in nefarious fashion. Dick Tracy comes in to investigate this, interrogating Big Boy's hired goons Itchy, Flat Top, and Mumbles, and also Breathless Mahoney. Tracy gets nowhere with them, with Mahoney trying to seduce him. Big Boy then gets all the mob bosses in town to join him; and those who don't, get killed. Dick Tracy is proactive about the situation and thwarts their plan until something goes wrong. Dick Tracy goes to save a colleague being held hostage, and is almost killed until a man with no face (The Blank) saves him.

Dick Tracy has to stop Big Boy from taking over the city, try not to get in too deep with Breathless Mahoney, take care of The Kid, keep his relationship with Tess from falling apart, and figure out whose side The Blank is really on. Can Dick Tracy do it?

Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice is incredible in this!

I'm just going to say it: Dick Tracy is an underrated masterpiece. This movie is amazing. Warren Beatty kept the comic strip origins front and center in regards to the look of the movie. There are only seven colors in use in the movie, and they are all the same shade throughout. This movie is very colorful and beautiful to look at. The matte painting backgrounds are beautiful as well. A majority of the villains look almost exactly like their comic strip counterparts. So yes, Flat Top does have a flat top of a head. Pruneface is more wrinkly than a California Raisin. Big Boy Caprice, though not overweight, has that stocky physique and villainous face. The make up effects in this are excellent. Of course, Madonna needs no prosthetics, she's perfect as is in this.

Al Pacino's performance in Dick Tracy is over the top - in a good way. He plays the ambitious, abusive crime boss well. You hate him every time he pushes Breathless Mahoney around and slaps her in the face. He is ruthless. He is also funny; all his mumblings and rants when things are falling apart for him are hilarious. Al Pacino is a god! Also great in this is Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles. Great make up for his character as well. His mumbling is unintelligible, and his scenes are actually kind of eerie. Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy is great as well. He is in total control when facing off against gangsters, but he can't seem to openly express his feelings to Tess. He also shows signs of weakness against Breathless Mahoney. Very interesting! Madonna is great in this as a woman who uses her sensuality to get what she wants. She also just wants someone to truly trust and love her. There is some great music in this as well. Madonna and Mandy Patinkin sing some great songs in this! The legendary Stephen Sondheim wrote some really good and catchy songs for Dick Tracy, by the way. I need to buy this soundtrack!

I was way into Dick Tracy back when this movie came out. I couldn't watch it until it premiered on The Disney Channel (remember when the Disney Channel showed a wide variety of things? I miss those days). I loved it! Years go by, decades actually, and I see the Dick Tracy Blu-Ray at the store! I was broke, so I couldn't buy it (something I really regret). Finally, I found it on a streaming site (Tubi), and I immediately watched it! This movie is even better than I remembered! It looks great in HD, and the music really stood out to me this time. It's weird how I could remember exact dialogue from this movie, even though I hadn't seen it in decades! By the way, everybody was making a big deal about Madonna/Breathless Mahoney in this movie back then, but I was all about Glenne Headly/Tess Trueheart! Still am.

So, I highly recommend watching Dick Tracy! I feel this movie doesn't get the love it deserves. It's pretty true to the source material, it looks amazing, has great music, an interesting plot that doesn't drag, and some pretty good action. I always wished there was a sequel to Dick Tracy, but that will never be. Just enjoy this snapshot of early 90s comic book movies. It is great that this movie won some Oscars, it totally deserved them!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Crow (1994) - A Review

 

The Crow lives up to the hype, but is also underrated nowadays.

The Crow is superhero action thriller movie released in America in 1994, and is based on the graphic novel/comic by James O'Barr. It stars Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Tony Todd, Michael Massee, and Jon Polito. The Crow was directed by Alex Proyas, with fight choreography by Jeff Imada and Brandon Lee.

The avenging angel. Brandon Lee rules in this.

In The Crow, Brandon Lee plays Eric Draven, a musician who gets ruthlessly murdered on Devil's Night after walking in on his fiance Shelly getting raped and beaten by a gang. Police Sergeant Albrecht (played by Ernie Hudson) is on the scene of the crime when a little girl, Sarah (played by Rochelle Davis) tells him that Eric Draven and his fiance were her friends and took care of her. Albrecht has to tell her that Eric Draven is dead and Shelly is in really bad shape...

One year later Eric Draven rises from the grave, and goes back to his apartment (where his murder took place). He gets flashbacks of his murder and the torture of his fiance, and vows to seek revenge on the gang that did this to her. Guided by a crow, he discovers that any wounds he sustains heals immediately. He can also see what the crow that is guiding him sees, so he is able to find every gang member involved and kills them in the way that they hurt his fiance.

Sarah and Albrecht are the only ones who Eric Draven trusts. Ernie Hudson is awesome in this, by the way.

The police begin investigating the murders of these gang members, and Albrecht (who got demoted) gets the heat for not immediately finding the culprit. Eric Draven makes himself known to Sarah and later Albrecht, who he explains what's going on with him to. The gang leader, Top Dollar wants this year's Devil's Night to be the biggest one ever, but is also intrigued by the presence of Eric Draven. As things unfold, Eric Draven must finish his quest for revenge and face off with Top Dollar...

First off, The Crow is amazing! I had no expectations, really, about this movie but man, this movie rules. The story, mood, the music, the cinematography, the editing, the acting, and especially the performance of Brandon Lee make this movie a classic. The movie is dark and brooding, yet psychedelic in some scenes. The music is classic early 90s grunge rock (which I am a fan of) and fits the movie; it doesn't feel out of place or inappropriate. The look of the city in this movie, in particular, the architecture, is amazingly gothic. So many cool shots of the buildings in this city. It really is a visual treat. This is definitely a 90s movie, yet it is timeless at the same time.  

Top Dollar and Myca are one brother/sister duo you do not want to mess with.

Brandon Lee is just amazing in this. He plays Eric Draven as a poetic avenger; he shows no mercy to the criminals who killed his fiance, but shows he still cares about Sarah and certain others. He is dark and brooding, yet he has an angelic quality about him. Brandon Lee is charismatic as heck in this. Every time he is on screen, you cannot look away. He is graceful, whether he is walking the rainy, crime ridden streets or mowing down gangsters with powerful weaponry. Lee does get to show off some of his fighting skills, but it was shot in the 90s Hollywood way, so you don't get the full picture of what he can do. Brandon Lee is the man in The Crow, and is the main reason you should watch it. Excellent performance from him.

I first heard of The Crow when I saw the news reports of Brandon Lee's death on set. I was shocked and depressed that this could have happened to Bruce Lee's son. After that, I wanted to see the movie, but I was hesitant about it as well. Turns out, I never would be able to watch it back then. It never came on the TV channels I had, I never seemed to find it at the video rental stores or in retail stores. I couldn't see it in theaters because it was rated R. Finally, in May of 2022, I found it on a streaming site (Pluto TV), and I finally watched it. I loved it. I think I would have loved it back then, too. It is good to know that so many people love this movie, and love Brandon Lee's performance in it.

So yes, you should watch The Crow. It may not be the best movie ever made, but Brandon Lee's performance makes it a must see. The Crow may not be comic accurate, but it is still a good adaptation. It is also a very influential movie, with pro wrestler Sting and even The Punisher, and The Dark Knight Rises taking inspiration from it. Watch The Crow, you won't be disappointed. You will wonder why a rising star had to be taken so soon, though.

The man.

Reviewed by David Williams

The Last Boy Scout (1991) - A Review

 

An underrated 90s action movie.

The Last Boy Scout is a neo-noir action comedy movie released in the United States in 1991, starring Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron, Danielle Harris, Chelsea Field, and Halle Berry. The movie was directed by Tony Scott and was written by Shane Black.

Bruce Willis puts on a great performance as Joe Hallenbeck.

In The Last Boy Scout, Bruce Willis plays Joe Hallenbeck, a self-loathing wreck of a private detective who gets an assignment from his best friend to protect a stripper, Cory (played by Halle Berry). After finding out his wife is cheating on him, Joe meets Cory at the club she works at. Things are a bit tense between them, with Cory's boyfriend Jimmy Dix (played by Damon Wayans) making the situation a bit worse. We find out out that Cory is trying to get Jimmy his job back (Jimmy was a quarterback who got banned from the league for gambling and drug abuse). Things go bad for Joe, Cory, and Jimmy, with Joe and Jimmy being held in police custody over it. When released, Jimmy convinces Joe to let him help with the case. Joe reluctantly agrees, and things get wild from here. Joe and Jimmy escape death numerous times trying to get to the root of the case, with Joe's daughter Darian (played by Danielle Harris) even getting involved! (Keeping it kind of vague, I don't want to spoil the surprises.)

Damon Wayans and Bruce Willis make a great team! They are so good together!

The Last Boy Scout is one dark movie! Bruce Willis plays Joe as a guy who completely hates himself, and doesn't care about anything anymore. He has marital problems, and his daughter absolutely hates him! Despite all of this, we (the audience) still like him and care what happens to him. Though Joe is a good guy, he is very flawed. Damon Wayans as Jimmy is also very flawed, but we also see that he is a good guy deep down. The chemistry between Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans is excellent on screen (which is why it's so surprising that they hated each other off screen). Their characters respect each other, though the reveal is pretty surprising!

Things are dark and grimy (the football scenes at the start of the movie are amazing in how they are filmed), there are a lot of bastards in this movie, the violence is brutal, yet...this movie is hilarious! The Monday Night Football parody song/music video at the start of the movie is great! Bruce Willis as Joe says some of the funniest things in this movie! Damon Wayans is hilarious as well, as expected. A lot of unexpected comedy, too! Not only does Damon have great chemistry with Bruce Willis, but he has great chemistry with Danielle Harris as well. I guess you could classify this movie as a dark comedy because the jokes happen during some messed up situations sometimes!

The action is high octane! Some stuff you have to see to believe!

As said before, the action is pretty brutal. The football scene is a classic! Great to see Billy Blanks in a big Hollywood movie like this...though what happens to his character is pretty chilling. This movie mainly has gunplay as the main mode of combat, and it pretty good! You can tell that it was influenced by Hong Kong action movies. Bruce Willis shoots two guns at the same time in one scene, Chow Yun-Fat/John Woo style, and this was in 1991! There are big explosions as well, with the heroes narrowly escaping them. The climactic battle involves a sniper rifle and good old fisticuffs. The person Bruce Willis fights with has a pretty grisly end (you've got to see that scene)!

The Last Boy Scout is an underrated action movie, I feel. Tony Scott really knows how to make stylish action movies as well. The cinematography is beautiful in this. I highly recommend this movie! To think, the last time I saw this movie was in the early 90s, and I was way to young to be watching it as well! It always stuck with me, though. Great dialogue, great characters, interesting story, moody cinematography, fun action, plus it's funny? You can't go wrong watching this movie! Check it out!

Reviewed by David Williams

Black Dynamite (2009) - A Review

 

This movie is ridiculous, in a good way!

Black Dynamite is an American action comedy movie released in 2009. It is a parody of the blaxploitation films of the 1970's. Black Dynamite stars Michael Jai White, Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley, and Kevin Chapman among many other amazing African American actors. Scott Sanders wrote (along with Michael Jai White and Byron Minns) and directed the movie, while Ron Yuan is the action director. 

Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, a strong, proud black man who is a former CIA agent and a Vietnam War veteran. Dynamite's younger brother gets killed by a mysterious organization at the start of the movie. Black Dynamite finds out and vows to avenge his death. Black Dynamite's former CIA partner, O'Leary (played by Chapman) reinstates Dynamite into the CIA to avoid him leaving the streets soaked in blood. As Dynamite investigates his brother's murder, he teams up with his friends and militant Black power activists to clean up the streets, as heroin has become a problem in the city. This all leads to Black Dynamite and crew figuring out what the real plan of this evil organization is, and just who is in charge of it all (and it is a doozy of a reveal)!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Black Dynamite is one funny movie! It parodies those classic blaxploitation flicks perfectly. You see continuity errors, flubbed lines, boom mics in the shot, accidental full contact hits during fight scenes, and more. The plot is humorous as well! The sinister plot that Black Dynamite uncovers is just so ridiculous (in a good way). The characters are very funny, and it is so cool to see all these cameos.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The man.

Michael Jai White is amazing as Black Dynamite! He gets to be a powerful, strong, hero who has great fashion sense, martial arts skills, and a way with the ladies. One of the best scenes is when he is flirting with Gloria Gray (played by Richardson-Whitfield). One of the best lines I've ever heard in a movie! We see that Black Dynamite cares about his community, and cares about orphans. His treatment of women, though... is not so good. He has female allies, but he is actually kind of domineering towards them. I guess that's how it was back then... We see his treatment of women change throughout the movie, though. Progress!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

It was great to see Tommy Davidson in this, as well as the other cameos!

 As this movie takes place in the 70s, there is a lot of potentially offensive material in it. There are a lot of racial stereotypes and racial jokes in it. The n-word is used in this movie as well. There is a lot of unnecessary gratuitous nudity (female and male). There is a rather graphically animated sex scene. Still, the racial stuff isn't done in a hateful way, it is done in a way to make fun of it. It also makes you realize how far we've come when dealing with race relations, and how far we still need to go.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The fight scenes in Black Dynamite are actually very good! I would say they are better than the fight scenes in the blaxploitation movies back then! Michael Jai White gets to show off his skills in this one. The choreography is really good! My favorite fight scenes are spoilers, but just know that these surprise fights rock! Who knew a certain political figure had such high level martial art skills?

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Should you watch Black Dynamite? I would say yes! It has a ton of laughs, great action, and style for days. I really hope there is a sequel, Black Dynamite is a character that needs to be in more movies!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Batman - The Bat and The Cat Trailer

 I NEED TO SEE THIS!!!

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - A Review

 

Now THIS is a cool poster!

 

The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action movie starring Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Craig Bierko, and Yvonne Zima. The film was written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin. This is one heck of a Christmas movie!

Geena Davis plays Samantha Caine, a school teacher who is suffering from amnesia. One night during the Christmas season, she gets into a car accident, sustaining a head injury. While recovering from this, she begins to exhibit highly specialized skills with a knife, to the amazement and shock of her fiancee and daughter. Later on, a crazed killer comes to their house and attacks Samantha. She ends up killing him with her bare hands! After this, Samantha hires a private investigator (played by Jackson) to help her find out who she really is. The attack ends up getting the attention of a nefarious organization, where one of the members (played by Bierko) is on a ruthless mission to kill her.

This movie is awesome! Geena Davis plays her part well. She is very believable! It is amazing how she can play such a caring, loving person in one scene and a cold, ruthless killer in the next, and you still root for her the whole way through. Geena Davis is underrated as an actress and as an action star. She kicks butt in this!

I'd trust her with my life...if we were friends.

Samuel L. Jackson is the man in this! He plays a kind of skeezy character named Mitch Hennessey, but he has a heart. He also has the perfect one-liners for every situation. This is prime Samuel L. Jackson! He is so funny in this. You genuinely care for his character, and root for him as well. This role is apparently Jackson's all-time favorite role to have played, and that is understandable. He rules in this!

Samuel L. Jackson is the man in this!

 The action in this movie is over the top, but in a good way. There are a lot of bullets, knives, blood, and explosions! Geena Davis handles her fight scenes like a pro. Samuel L. Jackson gets in on the action as well! There is some creative violence in this. There's even an homage to Jackie Chan's Police Story at the end! There is a lot of blood, and it has one of the craziest explosions I've ever seen in a movie!

The story of the movie is very interesting. We find out about Samantha Caine's past through flashbacks, and through those flashbacks we find out about the larger overall plot of the film. I must say, it feels like Jackie Chan's Who Am I was influenced by this movie to a certain extent. The heroes are tough, but realistic (for the most part), and the villains (especially Craig Bierko) are detestable. You really want the bad guys to get their butts kicked! It is really awesome to see a female amnesiac butt kicker story out there. 

So, should you see this movie? I would say yes. It is very entertaining. It has lots of action, explosions, and laughs. And what a better way to spend Christmas than seeing Geena Davis gun down loads of bad guys! I know that puts me in the holiday spirit!

 

Reviewed by David Williams