But does Cobra Kai carry on the Karate Kid’s legacy?
WARNING SPOILERS contained in this article! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
I love reliving the movies of my youth and The Karate Kid was up there. Just a couple of months ago, I was wondering who Danny LaRusso grew up to be. Maybe I was so curious because we are the same age and probably confronting the same issues. I wondered “What would Daniel Do?” in this situation. Then I heard that YouTube Red is doing a series on just that. I just binged watched the show ten episode Cobra Kai I loved it.
Akira Kurosawa directed a movie called Rashomon, which was all about telling a story trough each characters viewpoint and how that change of prospective altered the narrative. Cobra Kai employs the same device.
Anybody who has seen the YouTube video or Barney’s monologue in How I Met Your Mother about how Johnny is actually the wronged hero of The Karate Kid will relate to this. Here, we meet a fifty year old Johnny Lawrence. He has given up Karate, is a functioning alcoholic, works as a handyman and has a teenage son he is estranged from. He is one miserable SOB in a way we all hope the bullies of our youth end up.
Then one night he is forced to use his forgotten Karate to rescue a young man who is getting beaten atop his sweet ride. After he gets out of jail, the young man approaches him about teaching him Karate. Johnny is so down on his luck, he agrees to become his sensei, reopens the Cobra Kai Dojo and begins his path to redemption.
Catching up with Daniel-San
Then we catch up with fifty year old Danny LaRusso. He has a beautiful wife and daughter, a chubby, video game playing son he has nothing in common with. Daniel runs a successful car dealership that trades on his notoriety as a former Karate champion.
Mr. Miyagi has passed on a number of years ago and Daniel-San no longer even practices Karate. There is a sadness to him, because he has nobody he can pass his Miyagi Do Karate on to. In short, middle aged Daniel seems to have lost his center. But it seems that fates have put Daniel and Johnny on a collision course yet again.
Like Father Like Son
Their paths begin to cross when it turns out one of the bullies Johnny fought is dating Daniel’s daughter. Then she is in a car that totals Johnny’s 80’s Camaro in a hit and run while texting.
When Johnny’s car is then towed to Daniel’s dealership, their reunion sets off an escalating series of confrontations. Later in the show, Johnny’s estranged son takes a job at Daniel’s dealership to piss his father off and arrange a heist, but is taken under Danny’s wing as a sort of surrogate son and becomes Daniel’s Karate student. Of course it comes out that he is actually Johnny’s son at the worst possible moment.
In the meantime, Johnny is transforming into the worst Karate instructor since Danny McBride in The Foot Fist Way, as he teaches all the misfits and outsiders at the local high school who are all being bullied. Eventually, Johnny’s students are infected by the Cobra Kai virus as the show flips the script and the losers we were rooting for, become the bullies. Eventually, Johnny and Daniel square through their students at – where else – The All Valley Karate Tournament.
Actually Pretty Relevant
The show tackles all sorts of real world themes. A man who has hit rock bottom. Another who has lost his center. A son who hates you and another you can’t relate to. Do you ever really forget the effects of being bullied and how is it different from what our generation went trough. Are you truly happy even when you have all the trappings of success. Can you overcome a bad upbringing? And the lesson that you are a better person with martial arts in your life then not.
It turns out that there was one final Karate technique that Mr. Miyagi attempted to pass on to Daniel to which there is no defense. Does anybody master it? The final scene of the show is right up there with the one in Rogue One. The second season of Cobra Kai is practically writing itself. So take this trip down memory lane. Then when it’s over, go sign up for some Karate lessons. Cobra Kai or Miyagi Do Karate- CHOOSE WISELY!!!
Let us know what you what you think in the comments!
From the ‘The Wild Bunch and ‘Cross of Iron’ to modern action classics
Recently I have been thinking about the origins of the genre of movies we love. What movies really helped to define the genre that we enjoy watching and which creatives behind the movies have inspired the action greats to make these movies.
I am going to suggest that it was the creative force of one man and two movies, that man was visionary director Sam Peckinpah (1925 – 1984) and those two movies are his revisionist western The Wild Bunch (1969) and Cross of Iron (1977).
Now the Ultimate Action Movie Club mostly deals with titles made in the 1980s and 90s but I am going to suggest that it is these two films along with Dirty Harry (1971) that basically set the gold standard for 90% of Hollywood action movies. It was Peckinpah’s visionary take on action that helped to cement its success and Samuel Peckinpah basically gave the modern action movie genre its language.
There are many reasons for such massive claims – so let’s now take some time to explore and celebrate this director’s brilliant work.
From Big Screen To Small Screen
Warner brothers (distributors of Peckinpah’s films) were one of the first major studios to see the potential of the home video market and they utilized their back catalogue, which gave many films, now considered classics, a second life (and 3rd and 4th on DVD and Blu Ray). Many of these films, most famously Sci-fi actioner Blade Runner (1982), really found success and an audience on home video.
The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron definitely shared similar success to Blade Runner on home media formats. I doubt many of us that grew up in the VHS generation have had the privilege of seeing Peckinpah’s work on the big screen and it’s the success of these movies on video that helped to promote the success of more recent action movies on home video.
Birth Of The Action Hero
Now it’s not just the good luck of Sam Peckinpah’s big budget action films being released on home video that makes his classic films The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron worth writing about… One of his core themes in these two movies is the conflict between values and ideals and it’s because of this that Peckinpah creates the modern action hero.
Both William Holden as Pike in The Wild Bunch and Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) in Cross of Iron are men of uncompromising honor even when that flies in the face of their superiors and will ultimately lead to grave consequences.
Peckinpah’s protagonists in both movies are because of this, renegades… Before The Wild Bunch heroes in action movies were basically white hats (with the possible exceptions of the Maltese Falcon (1941) Casablanca (1942) and The Big Sleep (1946) where Humphrey Bogart played a gray knight and of course the 007 movies where James Bond lives by his own code of conduct).
But after Peckinpah’s movies the action hero was always at odds with the establishment and had a strict personal code of honor. Peckinpah helped massively to give us the action hero that we know and love today.
Epic Action
Peckinpah’s directional style is also a major influence in the modern action movie. This influence can definitely be found in both The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron. Epic scale, fast editing, the use of slow motion and gratuitous ultra violent action pretty much came single handedly from Peckinpah’s original style and like all truly original artists his work came with a fair bit of controversy.
Controversy Is King
Peckinpah was a controversial figure both in front of screen and behind it. It would only take a few seconds on Google to find out why so I am not going to discuss that here.
What is worth talking about is how the ultra violent content of The Wild Bunch and the still controversial subject matter of Cross of Iron set the standard for the way films were made and marketed from that point on.
Despite the moral panic of the 1980s action movies were marketed for an adult audience and were successful because of it. Peckinpah absolutely opened the door for that, sure the audiences were drawn in by the controversy but what they got from Peckinpah’s movies was intelligent and complex storytelling.
It was Peckinpah that opened the door for action movies to be marketed as controversial and bloody while still selling and still having substance.
Ahead Of The Curve In The Spy Game
Peckinpah’s impact on the action movie extends far beyond a few years. Long before the success of the franchise that started with the Bourne Identity (2002) and the renewed interest in author Robert Ludlum, Peckinpah got there first with The Osterman Weekend (1983).
It’s easy to say in retrospect but although Peckinpah was not a fan of the source material he certainly saw the potential of using Ludlum novels as a basis for action movies. Interestingly this is exactly what the Bourne franchise does.
Legacy
Peckinpah’s legacy on action movies is far reaching. The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron have clearly influenced two of the biggest names in action movies today. Quentin Tarantino and David Ayer. It’s clear that Peckinpah’s legacy can be felt in all of Tarantino’s movies but it is especially apparent in his later works.
The DNA of The Wild Bunch can clearly be felt in Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful 8 (2015). There is also more than just a little influence from Cross of Iron to be found in Inglorious Bastards (2009).
It could be stated that Peckinpah is even more strongly referenced in the work of writer/director Ayer, most of his characters sound they were written by Peckinpah and moral conduct is such a huge theme of basically all his work from his script on Training Day (2001) to Bright (2017).
This is simply an overview of Peckinpah’s legacy and there is a lot more information out there if you want to find out more. The Wild Bunch and Cross of Iron are early action classics and certainly deserve your attention.
Everything we know about Rambo 5 and Stallone’s Involvement.
Over 35 years ago, in October 1982, Sylvester Stallone gave the world a performance of a lifetime in the first installment of his epinonimous action hero franchise as John Rambo in First Blood. Since then, four total features have been released, Rambo: First Blood II(1985), Rambo III (1988) and the more recent Rambo (2008).
Now, Stallone appears ready to rage again and bring his angsty Vietnam vet back one last time at the ripe old age of 71. While details are still falling into place, let’s look at what we do know about Rambo V.
Perhaps best known as prominent ultimate action B-movie producer during the 80s and 90s, Avi Lerner’s reputation exploded after teamed up with Stallone to launch their Expendables franchise in 2010. It’s no surprise that these two could team up again to bring Rambo back to life. Lerner appears to be the catalyst for this project getting off the ground as he’s rumored to be shopping it around with Stallone attached in an unspecified role (but with his approval for sure).
Rambo: Last Blood
For those who follow ultimate action movie news, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of another Rambo movie coming to life. There’s long been rumors of more sequels or a direct reboot to the original (there’s even been a TV show teased at times). However, the biggest suggestion has been of a canon-ending feature titled Rambo V: Last Blood to put a cap on John Rambo’s journey once and for all.
Stallone’s Involvement
Since relaunching the franchise in 2008 with Rambo (which he starred in and directed), Stallone has stayed active with his Rocky franchise spin-off Creed and his Expendables franchise as well. If he were to return to Rambo, one would assume he’d of course have the option to direct and star again, but may just lend his likeness. At 71, he’s getting up there, but the chances of him passing the torch to a younger star seem unlikely if it is meant to wrap up his highly successful franchise.
What do you think about the news about Rambo 5? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Hell Hath No Fury Like Liam Neeson in ‘Taken’ (2008).
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills: skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you; I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you. I will find you, and I will kill you.”
If you didn’t A) read that in a Northern Irish accent and B) get goose bumps coursing up and down your skin, you obviously have never seen the 2008 action thriller Taken. I loved this movie so much that the phrase “particular set of skills” is permanently etched on my work profile. Pop open a Guinness and read all about it …
Liam Neeson Hits His Marks
Taken is a cinematic tale seemingly as old as the genre itself: a military operative (Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills) retires to try to recapture what little time he has with his child before s/he grows up. Said retired military operative is all too happy to live a simple life in suburbia, but circumstances beyond his control force his hand and bring him back to the former life he excelled in, knew too well, but wished to never return. In this case, his only daughter (Kim) is taken hostage by a sex slavery ring in Europe. Mills uses every trick in his arsenal — getting back in touch with his CIA buddies to help locate her; purchasing disposable cameras and phones to travel anonymously; fake names; identity theft; and perhaps the greatest hand-to-hand combat you’ll ever see from a man of his age (Neeson was 56 at the time).
Action at First Site
There are milestone moments in a man’s life when he “just knows”: when he meets the person he will marry; the time he aced the job interview for his dream gig; witnessing his son’s blossoming athletic prowess, etc. You can add “the time when you’re sitting in a movie theater and just know you’re watching a masterpiece.” That happened for me when I saw Taken in a theater for the first time.
The movie takes a somewhat atypical approach: whereas most action heroes are relatively young, this film dips into the well dug by Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris and Clint Eastwood and highlights a protagonist who is closer to old age than youth. However, just because he’s in his mid-50s does not mean he can’t or doesn’t move well. It’s just the opposite: Neeson, a former boxer, displays an athletic ability usually reserved for much younger actors. (According to IMDB, the martial art style used by Neeson in Taken is Nagasu Do, a hybrid style that borrows from Judo, Aikido and Jiu Jitsu.)
It’s not just his athleticism that sells an audience on Mills’ heroic capabilities. Neeson’s 6’4” build and thick Irish accent bode well to help distinguish him among everyone else in the movie — generic sleazy European bad guys; American family members (both Maggie Grace’s Kim and Famke Janssen’s Lenore, Bryan’s ex-wife); and even double-crossing French operative Jean-Claude, played by Olivier Rabourdin).
A Genuine Action Hero
There have been scores of “one hero against everybody” action movies over the years featuring rogue cops, soldiers, vigilantes, scorned women, etc. Touting a kill count of 35, this movie toes the line between a believable number of bad guys killed and audience enjoyment seeing the amount of collateral damage done throughout the film’s duration. I say that because had Mills notched a Rambo-esque body count, it would have moved the film toward a level of unbelievability. As an audience member, I genuinely believed Bryan Mills could kill 35 men capable of kidnapping his daughter, especially when I saw his John McClane-like vulnerability: he gets tired, battered and bruised; knows he’s running out of time, money, resources, allies, etc.
How many action movies get written, produced, filmed, watched and then forgotten about? Taken not only benefits from being extremely memorable, but Neeson’s performance was so electric that it was eventually proceeded by two sequels (Taken 2 [2012]; Taken 3 [2014]; and a made-for-Netflix prequel series (2017). You could even argue that Neeson’s roles in 2014’s Non-Stop and 2017’s Daddy’s Home 2 are homages to the Bryan Mills character.
Not bad for a 56-year old Irishman, huh?
If you watch this movie and try not to enjoy it, I have two words for you: “Good luck.”
Let us know what you what you think in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Sylvester Stallone at his most ultimate in Cobra (1986)
Sylvester Stallone is considered one of the greatest action heroes of all time, known mostly for his Rocky or Rambo movies.
But it was the 1986 cult classic Cobra, that showcased Stallone’s greatest role as Los Angeles policeman Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti, and sadly flew under the radar for many action fans.
Here are 7 reasons why Stallone’s Cobra is his true cinematic masterpiece, and in my opinion, the best action movie of all time.
Stallone was originally set to star in Beverly Hills Cop, but was dropped from the project after he wanted to revise the script to be less comedic and more of an action film, and thus Cobra was born. Sure it was loosely based on the novel Fair Game by Paula Gosling, but you gotta give Sly some credit for writing a badass screenplay for this classic movie, some even say he did most of the directing as well which is no easy feat when you’re playing the lead role.
When watching this part of the movie, It becomes clear that Pepsi and Coors Light probably paid a hefty amount for all of their product placement, but that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the supermarket hostage negotiation.
Let me know if you can watch this scene and HONESTLY not want a Pepsi or Coors Light afterwards. The way the refrigerators leave a haunting fog throughout the isles as Cobra inches his way to the shotgun wielding maniac is a beautiful touch. Remember the saying “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”?
Well that rule doesn’t apply to Cobra, as all it takes is him throwing a knife in the heart of the crazed lunatic to take him down. (And of course a few gun shots just to finish him off.)
It’s badass enough that all of the bad guys in this movie belong to a crazy axe wielding cult called “The New World”, a group of lunatics that believe in killing the weak, leaving only the strongest and smartest to rule the world. But it’s their leader who is only referred to as “The Night Slasher“, that really brings the movie to the next level. Most villains in movies don’t really do much for me, but something about the Night Slasher’s piercing eyes, quiet calm persona and deep voice make him someone you wouldn’t want to pick a fight with. Hell, even Cobra will tell you that their final brawl was a close one.
Obviously a guy like Cobra has to have a ride that’s as cool as him, and his custom 1950 Ford Mercury definitely fit him well. In fact, it was Stallone’s car in real life! (Obviously they had to have a few stunt cars, because it gets completely destroyed in a high speed chase). And the fact that the license plate is ” AWSOM 50” speaks for itself.
With lines like “I don’t deal with psychos, I put ’em away,” “You’re the disease, and I’m the cure.” And my personal favorite, when the Night Slasher says, “we’re the future,” to which Cobra replies, “No, you’re history.” You can just picture Sly testing all of these out in front of the mirror when writing this screen play and that makes them even better.
When this movie came out, it was disliked by many because of the graphic violence. It was even rated “X” when first submitted to the MPAA, but after a few graphic scenes cut out, it made its way down to an “R.”
I personally think the violence is a huge part of the movie, and it brings us back to the wild wild west of 80’s movies, where pretty much anything could be done, compared to now where we have to use our imagination in a lot of contemporary movies.
The fact that we got to see all these terrible acts of violence lets us know exactly what Cobra is up against.
Oversized aviators, a match hanging out of his mouth, a black shirt with the top unbuttoned, leather gloves, a leather jacket a trench coat, and a gun with a picture of a cobra on the handle..need I say more? I’d say his style is business casual, in the sense that he’s casually dressed to take care of some ass kicking business. I mean just look at the movie poster! I know it’s common for kids to see a guy like Cobra and want to be like him when they grow up, but I’m 25 and still striving to be half as cool as he is.
Taylor Warf spent 20 of his 25 years in a maximum security prison, where instead of meals, they allowed him to watch one action movie a day. Unfortunately all of the movies finally got to his head when he organized a prison riot and escaped. He is still at large to this day – and occasionally writes movie reviews.
Werewolf cops run amok in LA in Full Eclipse (1993).
I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of different movie genres coming together. For whatever reason, two differing movie types combining always seem greater than the sum of their individual parts. I think this is true in the case of action movies, more than any other movie genre. Think about it. A combination of action and comedy gave us Beverly Hills Cop. The marriage of action and fantasy yielded up Big Trouble in Little China. The cybernetic bonding of action and science fiction gifted us with the masterpiece that is RoboCop. Hell, even combining poplar opposites like action and musicals can sometimes surprise you with just how very epic they can be, with the oft overlooked Streets of Fire being a prime example of this. Obviously, some genres work better when teamed with the action genres than others, war and westerns being the most obvious. Right now though, we’re going to take a look at a movie that tried to bridge the gap between horror and action. That movie’s name? Full Eclipse.
Werewolf Cops
The storyline to this classic is as ridiculous as it is awesome. Los Angeles is becoming a haven for criminals, and the police are unable to keep up with the scum taking over the city. Their solution? A covert team of cops who operate outside the law. It all sounds pretty formulaic so far, right? Well check this out; the cops in question are werewolves. With amplified speed, strength, and endurance, they’re going to bring law and order back to L.A., one dead gangster at a time. And trust me, this city is in serious need of some Spring cleaning. The mood and tone is set immediately, and in a similar manner to the polarising Predator 2, with L.A. being depicted as as far removed from its City of Angels namesake as possible. Hobos huddle around flaming trash cans, hoodlums spray graffiti on road signs, and something deeply unsettling is about to go down in a hotel room.
Meanwhile, cruising down the freeway, we are introduced to our main character, the gloriously named Max Dire, played by the ever cool Mario Van Peebles. Dire is the classic action movie detective, with his marriage on the rocks because of how gosh darned invested he is in his work. He becomes even more of a “cop-on-the-edge” stereotype (which is no bad thing) following the death of his partner a few scenes later. This sets him up to meet the police department’s grief counsellor, Adam Garou, who also just so happens to be the leader of the aforementioned lycanthropic hit squad. Dire is eventually enlisted into the fold and that’s when the real fun begins. Of course, a wolf pack can only have one alpha male, so it’s only a matter of time before Dire and Garou are on a collision course. Want to know what happens next? Then go watch the damn movie! You’ll find no spoiler here, beyond the fact that this monster mash is truly a graveyard smash.
John Woo-style Action
One thing that this movie really has going for it is the fact that the action scenes are just as ridiculous as the story. Action lovers are truly in for a treat here. Dire is a super cool cop who thinks nothing of dual wielding his guns and firing them in public places while he dives through the air in slow motion. The John Woo influence is strong here. Bullets send thugs flying backwards, and there’s plenty of blood and gore on display. And all this is before the werewolf angle is even revealed. The movie really comes into its own following this revelation, which allows it to differentiate itself nicely from many other action movies of the time.
Case in point, a simple car chase scene early on in the movie really shows us what these hybrid cops can do. With how fast they can run and how high they can jump, a vehicle isn’t even needed. Fear not though, as a good few are still smashed up along the way though. The action scenes themselves seem even more impressive when one takes into account the fact that Full Eclipse was originally created as a TV movie, before eventually seeing a release on VHS. It’s amazing how much action director Anthony Hickox, best known for previously helming Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, managed to fit into this movie on a smaller budget and shoot time. Full Eclipse dwarfs many of its bigger budget action movie contemporaries despite this. It’s that good.
The Ageless Mario Van Peebles
Full Eclipse has a lot going for it beyond its zany premise and fantastic action scenes. Mario Van Peebles is as cool as ever as out lead character, and really makes you wonder why he was never a bigger star than he was. I blame Highlander III: The Sorcerer, but that’s just me. Speaking of immortality, I firmly believe that Mr. Van Peebles is either an immortal or a vampire. The man does not age. I’ll keep my conspiracy theories to myself though. A hero is only as good as his villain however, and Bruce Payne is amazing here. Best known for his villainous role in the Wesley Snipes vehicle Passenger 57, he gives another fantastic performance here as the alpha male of werewolf pack.
He really throws himself fully into the role and his body language and facial expressions in his wolf form are terrific and put the lacklustre performance of some of his co-stars to shame. Check out his stance and ferocity in some of the group scenes to see what I mean. That dude could make me believe he was a werewolf even without the movie magic appendages. English actress Patsy Kensit, best known to action movie fans as the doomed lover of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon 2rounds out the cast as the female lead, another cop with issues of her own.
Ultimate Easter Eggs
There’s a nice bit of comedy thrown into the mix too to keep things from getting too heavy. Take Van Peebles character, Max Dire for example. His name is an obvious nod to the extinct dire wolf, and is something that Game of Thrones fans should pick up on almost immediately. The best character name however is certainly that of the villain, Adam Garou. The word garou of course translates to werewolf in French. I love goofy little Easter eggs like that in movies, and Full Eclipse doesn’t disappoint. There’ll be a nice X-Men reference or two along the way also, a nod to the superhero-esque costumes the werewolf cops don before a mission. It’s all really great, fun stuff.
An Epic Action/Horror Hybrid
So there you have it. Full Eclipse is an epic action/horror hybrid with enough twists and turns to keep every viewer engaged. It’s a shame that this movie never saw a sequel, especially since the ending leaves itself wide open for one. Even a TV series continuation would have been nice. Had this movie been made today, there’s no doubt in my mind that it would be a big budget, sure-fire hit. The Underworld movies are still doing big business, the current trend of superhero movies doesn’t show any signs of stopping, and there will always be those brave soles amongst us who love our action movies. Full Eclipse is the perfect movie for anyone who loves all, or even some, of these things. With a great soundtrack, fantastic action scenes, and some memorable performances, this is one forgotten action movie that’s a scary good time. Highly recommended.
A childhood spent watching Jean-Claude Van Damme kick people in the face led to Dan Shanahan becoming the well-adjusted human being and all-around nice guy he is today. Having spent the majority of his twenties kicking ass, taking names, but mostly teaching English in Japan, he now resides in his native Ireland. He lives in constant fear that a team of ninjas may have followed him home and now secretly share his house with him.
Let us know what you think in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Simply put, we here at Ultimate Action Movie Club feel Don Niam is a legend. After reading this piece, I think you’ll agree with us. In 1993, Godfrey Ho, the man who achieved fame for directing scores of cut-and-paste films remotely having anything to do with ninjas, would direct a movie that 25 years later still holds up remarkably well — Undefeatable — but we’ll get to that later. First, a little background must be shed on the man who made it so memorable to audiences.
The Legendary Don Niam
Don Niam is both a martial artist and an actor, but after reading the content of his personal website (donniam.com), one can quickly ascertain he is so much more than that.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Don graduated from Akron University with a marketing degree. While attending college, he (at age 19) started training in Kung Fu and opened his first martial arts school at age 23. In 1989, he reached out to the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and showed them what he had to offer professional football players to improve their speed, hand-eye coordination, and methods he could demonstrate to defensive lineman to avoid offensive lineman.
Shortly after training the Browns, the University of Akron football team’s coach sought him out to train their entire team. Over the course of his training career, Don also trained Bob Golic, an All-Pro nose tackle in the NFL.
The Action Movie Bad Guy Hall of Fame
In 1990, Don decided to close his Kung Fu school and move to Los Angeles to get into acting. His role in 1993’s Undefeatable where he portrayed “Stingray”, a ruthless serial killer, would elevate him from a relatively unknown actor to the Action Movie Bad Guy Hall of Fame (a made-up place, but it should exist). If you’ve never heard of the movie, it’s a truly underrated gem, with the following plot: Kristi Jones (played by incredibly accomplished martial artist Cynthia Rothrock of China O’Brien fame) avenges her sister’s death at the hands of a crazed martial arts rapist (Stingray, played by Don Niam).
Presently, Don resides in Las Vegas and maintains his personal training business. He also teaches kickboxing, self-defense and martial arts. Through the power of Facebook, Don graciously afforded me the opportunity to talk about Undefeatable. (Yes, I am now Facebook friends with Stingray.)
UAMC Exclusive Interview
John Acquavita: You have the distinguished honor of being the first actor we’ve interviewed directly for this site. On behalf of all the site’s writers and contributors, we thank you for this. Don Niam: Hey, you’re more than welcome.
JA: I’ve written a bit about your background. What was the impetus to decide to get into acting? DN: It was just something I always wanted to do. When martial arts films started becoming popular, I decided to move to L.A. and give it a try.
The Origins of Undefeatable
JA: How did Undefeatable come about? Did you audition, were you hand-selected, etc.? DN: My instructor Tai Yim had brought Godfrey Ho over to the U.S. and set up an interview/audition. That’s how I ended up with the Stingray role.
JA: Cynthia Rothrock, who has earned black belts in seven different martial arts disciplines, got top billing in the movie. However, as Stingray, you were able to actually outshine her (and Rothrock’s co-star, John Miller, who played Nick DiMarco) in terms of both acting and martial arts abilities. Congratulations on that rare accomplishment! It’s not often a “bad guy” actually looks better on film than his opponent (in this case, opponents). DN: Thanks! It turned out well for me.
JA: What was it like working with Ms. Rothrock? How was she toward you? Did you spar in between takes? DN: It was OK. No, I don’t think people spar in between takes on any movie set!
Introducing the Stingray
JA: The Stingray character is unforgettable. How much of that was on the script’s pages, how much of it was Godfrey Ho, and how much of that was you? DN: I just did what was being asked and played it off.
JA: How often do people on the street approach you about it? It’s now literally a quarter-century after the movie was made, yet I can recall seeing it like it was yesterday because of your role. DN: It still happens once in a while, even though it was 26 years ago. If someone brings up the movie in a group or gathering, most have seen the YouTube video. Obviously, as old as it is, most do not think of it until it is brought up. Most people find me on social media.
A Cult Following
JA: You mentioned on your website that there have been some folks who didn’t like the movie (and went out of their way to bash it online), but there is a tremendous cult following for it: the DVD is selling for more than $100 on eBay; it’s been pirated online onto YouTube; and even VHS copies of the film are priced high. What would you like to say about that? DN: Most of the bad reviews are from a long time ago, but the reviews seem to be more positive now along with a growing fan base.
JA: I know I’m not the first person to contact you to discuss the movie and your Stingray character. What’s the most common thing people tell you about it? DN: They like the fight scenes, and I was one of the most intimidating martial arts villains they have ever seen.
The State of Ultimate Action Movies
JA: While action movies aren’t nearly as prevalent in Hollywood as they once were (superhero movies seem to dominate the market), there still is a strong demand for them from its core audience. What do you think about the current state of the genre of action films? DN: I think the fight scenes look too animated and they seem to film them moving very slowly and then do several edits, which takes away from the realism.
JA: Describe your dream Hollywood project. DN: I don’t think I have a dream role but would like to be cast in a big- budget action film. Something like an Expendables, Fast and Furious, or something along those lines.
Action Movies Forever
JA: Any final words you’d like to leave us with? DN: The film business is a tough industry to crack, but if you have any experience with it, you become snake-bit and always want a piece of it.
JA: On behalf of everyone reading this, it has been an honor and a pleasure. I sincerely appreciate your time. DN: No problem, thank you!
Let us know what you what you think in the comments or on our Facebook page!
James Woods Gets Dirty in the Genre-Defining ‘Cop’ (1988)
Back in 1997, the adaptation of pulp crime writer James Ellrory’s novel L.A. Confidential hit the screen and was met with rapturous applause.
The performances, cinematography, score, writing, editing and direction were all praised and blessed with Oscar noms, and some awards. Hollywood said the makers of Confidential did what no one else had, or could do at the time, and that was make a successful movie from an Ellroy novel.
Let me tell you guys this: I love L.A. Confidential. It’s brilliant and gripping. But there’s NO WAY it is better than 1988’s criminally forgotten drama Cop, starring the brilliant James Woods and directed, and written for the screen, by maverick filmmaker James B. Harris, based on Ellroy’s novel Blood on the Moon.
From Drive In to VHS
I first came across this movie back in 1988, at the ripe old age of 10! I was already a fan of Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson, so movies were already in my blood.
I was going through the cinema listings in the paper and saw the black and white ad for the 1-sheet, and was drawn to the image of Woods with a .45. Then I read the tagline they used for it in Australia – “He threw away the rule book, then WROTE his own!” I knew I had to see this film. About a month later, my beloved Dad took me and my brother to a drive-in to see it.
It was doubled, oddly enough, with the limp John Cusack comedy Hot Pursuit. I didn’t leave disappointed. In fact, over the coming months, all I could talk about was Cop and Woods, of course. When it came out on VHS shortly after, I begged my parents to buy it for me for Christmas. They did!
Noir Than Meets the Eye
The story is pretty standard noir stuff: A lone cop (Woods) is after a serial killer who is stalking the streets of 80’s L.A. No one believes the cop, and his superior is a power mad, by-the-book-type who couldn’t care less, and doesn’t trust him. Of course our hero goes it alone, fighting bad guys and the system, and along the way, loses his marriage.
He has no character arc, and he’s just as, if not more, grizzled and hardened by the end of the film as he was at the start. Pretty straight forward, right? Well, no. You see Cop isn’t just a crime drama. It’s an industrial-strength police-thriller-procedural that features one the best performance given by James Woods, who is perfect for this role.
James Woods at His Best
Woods infuses Hopkins, the cop, with a cynical, world-weary, beaten-down edge that makes him tough, and three dimensional. We can see it in his eyes and we can hear it in his snide comebacks. This guy has seen too much and it’s starting to eat at his soul.
The term “anti-hero” is thrown around a lot these days, but Woods’s Hopkins is the real deal, mixing hero and villain admirably. He’s a loving father who has given his life to the force, buthe’s also a foul-mouthed womaniser who doesn’t give a damn about procedure or rules, and he doesn’t mind stepping over people to get what he wants.
He also has no compunction about banging beautiful witnesses straight after he’s blown away their boyfriends. Of course, his cold, blind-to-the-world, wife doesn’t stick around for long. Through writer/director Harris’s eyes, and brought to life by Woods’s masterful acting, Hopkins is more a cop from the crime thrillers of yesteryear than today’s modern law enforcers.
The Rest of the Cast
Woods is backed up by some familiar faces, with Charles Durning playing his long-suffering colleague/father-figure, Dutch, who admires his surrogate son, but is also scared of his antics and methods. The two actors amiably bounce off each other in their scenes, and the respect between them is clearly visible. And gives the movie some of its funniest scenes. Lesley Ann Warren plays a woman Hopkins comes in contact with during the course of his investigation, and although her part isn’t the conventional leading-lady-type, she does have a presence as the misguided, but lonely and abused feminist who shares a deadly connection with the killer.
Character actor Charles Haid is suitably slimy as a bent cop Hopkins crosses paths with. The pair share two dramatic exchanges that are dynamite, and kick-start the mystery of the film. The interrogation scene between Hopkins and Haid’s Hayes is well-written and brutal and shows what a mean bastard Hopkins can be if you mess with him. One of the film’s best scenes in my opinion.
Other familiar faces turn up in smaller roles. Raymond J. Barry (Rapid Fire) is Hopkins’s born-again captain who is more interested in statistics and paperwork than actually stopping crime, and he shares an intense scene where he and Woods go toe to toe over the case. It’s a real masterclass in acting. Unlike other big screen cops, Hopkins doesn’t take the abuse. He gives it back to his captain, not that it helps his cause much.
The sexy Randi Brooks (Tightrope) turns up as a hooker who takes more than passing interest in our hero, and she’s a sight for sore eyes amongst the male-heavy cast. Brooks delivers a believable performance as the sexpot with a heart of gold who somehow understands our embittered cop. Of course she doesn’t make it to the end credits, but her demise is the tipping point for Hopkins.
James B. Harris Directed
As I mentioned earlier, Cop was directed by the criminally underrated James B. Harris. Harris is no film making slouch. He kicked off his career producing Kubrick’s critically lauded trio The Killing, Paths of Glory and Lolita. Inspired by his friend, Harris went into directing and, his first film was the gripping battleship thriller The Bedford Incident, which sinks films like Crimson Tide in the thrills department. He went on to make others pictures – the deeply personal Some Call It Loving, the prison drama Fast-Walking, which gave Woods his first leading man role, and the unjustly over-looked crime thriller Boiling Point, that starred Dennis Hopper as a lovable, but deadly conman, who was past his prime. The role was undeniably Hopper’s best performance in a long time.
Like those films, Cop is the work of one man, from the casting, to the cinematography and the dark subject matter. And no one is ever black or white in a Harris film. They’re flawed characters with a will to succeed. Whether or not they do is the drama of their stories. Although his films have been marketed as thrillers, or action movies, Harris always makes them intimate and memorable – due to his casting ability. He’s also excellent at intricate plots and pay offs.
The novel this movie is based on, Blood on the Moon, is a sprawling epic that takes place over many years, and features dozens of characters and subplots. Somehow, Harris managed rip out the best elements of the book, combine them into one story and turn them into a tense, gritty, real-world thriller, with dramatic beats. He’s also creates a mean, unforgiving, and sleazy picture of Los Angeles. Although it’s all sun and glamour for most, Harris paints L.A. as a place of broken dreams and degrading sex, and murder. It’s a bleak world-view to be sure, but it’s the perfect tone for this movie.
The Punch to the Gut Ending
Harris also changed the villain from the book and fixed the problematic ending. The novel’s closing pages were anti-climactic and dull, and left the reader feeling disappointed. Cop fixes that in the closing minutes with a punch-to-the-gut-ending! By the time the final reel is playing, audiences members will be fooled into thinking that the movie has played out its dramatic hand. Hopkins probably figures he’s facing off against a crazed Norman Bates-wannabe when he agrees to a showdown, but instead he comes face to face with a deathly-skilled ninja-like adversary who is just as good with an Uzi as he is with a knife. The final scene of Cop is shocking and stunning. In lesser hands, we might have got a more conventional Hollywood ending, but thanks to Harris, we get the ultimate closing. Deeply satisfying and much talked about.
The Cop Who Has it All
If you haven’t seen this lost gem, I urge you to go out and buy the Bluray release, complete with Harris commentary. You will not be disappointed. This movie has everything you’d want from an evening’s viewing: brutal violence, cursing, sex, James Woods chewing scenery, and giving his finest performance, and some steady, no-frills direction and excellent writing, that is filled with biting dialogue.
Cop has it all, and deserves a place up there with other classic crime thrillers like Dirty Harry and the aforementioned L.A. Confidential. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
From a small country town where not many films played, Kent Church grew up on a steady diet of Coca Cola, horror magazines and action movies on VHS. If the movie didn’t have Chuck Norris or Eastwood on the cover, he wasn’t interested. His one core belief: Arnold Schwarzenneger must be President!! And James Woods vice –President…
Let us know what you think in the comments or on the Facebook page!
Celebrating Van Damme’s Sci-Fi Classic Timecop (1994)
If Jean-Claude Van Damme were to ever get his hands on a time machine, he might well be tempted to travel back to September 16, 1994. That was the day Timecop hit cinemas and the moment JCVD’s career changed forever. Previous hits like Kickboxer had essentially served as showcases for the Muscles from Brussels’ fighting abilities alone but this was different.
Here was a film that defied genre convention to deliver an enjoyably slick sci-fi yarn alongside the usual high kicking action. It also proved something else: Van Damme could act. Earning Van Damme his first set of favourable reviews from the critics, Timecop also went on to rake in over $100 million worldwide and remains the Belgian’s top grossing movie. So how did it happen?
The Origins
Timecop’s origins can be traced back to the world of comics. In 1992, Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden teamed up to write a three-part story, which was drawn by artist Ron Randall for the launch of a new Dark Horse Comics anthology. “Time Cop: A Man Out Of Time” told the story of a criminal and his robot bodyguard, who travel back to 1930s South Africa to rob a diamond mine. They are eventually tracked down by Max Walker, a Time Enforcement Commission (TEC) agent tasked with apprehending illegal time travelers. The criminal is caught soon enough, but Walker is forced to return back in time again after discovering that the robotic bodyguard is wreaking havoc with his own timeline.
The Script
Picked as one of the first Dark Horse comics to be adapted to film – alongside Jim Carrey’s The Mask – the project’s first masterstroke was having Verheiden and Richardson return to write the script. They took the action stateside, with Van Damme cast as Walker, the TEC agent on the case of a corrupt politician looking to buy his way into the White House by stealing funds from the past to become a billionaire. It’s an oddly prescient bit of writing that’s given further weight by the late Ron Silver’s performance.
Casting And Writing
Taking a leaf out of Die Hard’s book, the makers of Timecop opted to cast an actor with a theatrical background as the film’s main villain and the movie is all the stronger for it. Silver is suitably scene-chewing as Senator Aaron McComb, switching between slimy and despicable with ease. Credit should also go to the decision to add an extra element to Walker’s backstory – he’s been tasked with returning to 1994, the year his wife was murdered. In doing so, the writers give Van Damme the necessary emotional anchor to draw out his best performance to date.
Yes, the usually mix of high kicks, splits and one-liners are on hand to ensure the fans are fully sated, but there’s something more heartfelt about seeing JCVD’s Walker pine after his lost love. Casting Ferris Bueller’s Day Off favourite Mia Sara as Walker’s wife was a smart move too.
Behind The Camera
The film was in good hands from the off though. Evil Dead duo Sam Raimi and Robert Tappert served as producers, having already tried their hands at a comic book movie of sorts with the criminally underrated Darkman. Arguably their masterstroke, however, was hiring Peter Hyams as director. While a high profile, critically lauded filmmaker was always likely to balk at doing a Van Damme movie, Hyams was different. In the three decades previous he had made his name with a string of inventive and often underappreciated sci-fi movies like Capricorn One, Outland and 2010. Hyam didn’t take much convincing either.
“I was approached to do Timecop, and I loved the auspices. (Producer) Larry Gordon was involved with it; Moshe Diamant was a terrific producer; Sam Raimi was involved,” he told Empire. “It was a really clever story, and I thought it was a chance to make the best movie Van Damme ever made.”
The Movie
The box office returns and reviews suggest Hyam hit the mark. The film earned $45 million in the US with David Richards of The New York Times calling Timecop Van Damme’s “classiest effort to date”. It may not have been the perfect movie, but it was a unique riff on the time travel concept, injecting inventive JCVD-led action into a genre that had previously had little to do with high kicks.
It’s a lot of fun too, helped by a script that features plenty of vivid and creative deaths and fight scenes in keeping with the story’s comic book origins, whether it’s frozen arms being kicked off, electrocution or a spot of maniacal time travel melding. The movie arrived at the perfect time too, hot on the heels of the success of Terminator 2: Judgement Day with moviegoers evidently demonstrating an appetite for time travel-led action and special effects.
A Sequel?
Hyams and Van Damme would never return for a sequel but they did reunite for another JCVD gem: Sudden Death. The Die Hard in an ice rink concept may not have earned marks for originality, but it still ranks among Van Damme’s best movies and was a hit internationally. “There was never any question that we would just do Timecop 2,” Hyams told Empire. “I would never have agreed to that. The last thing you want to do is repeat yourself. That would be awful.”
Unfortunately for Hyams and Van Damme that is exactly what they did – a short-lived TV series of Timecop, more comics and an Adolf Hitler-focused straight-to-video sequel followed. Jean-Claude Van Damme opted against returning for Timecop 2: The Berlin Decisionbut in a world where remakes, sequels, prequels and reboots are all the rage, something tells us Timecop will be back again before long.
If only we had a time machine…
Let us know what you what you think in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Cole Hauser Takes on the Press in Mel Gibson’s ‘Paparazzi’ (2004).
In the 1980s, there was an actor that imbued all the live wire craziness that was Gary Busey but didn’t let it overwhelm the role. His name was Wings Hauser, and that name was destined to star in action movies. He starred in Vice Squad and Deadly Force – which was just reviewed on this site – before going on to guest star in literally every TV show from Fall Guy to Walker, Texas Ranger. But what if I told you he has a son who followed him into the action genre? His name is Cole Hauser and has had a career spanning almost twenty years. You may remember him in the first Pitch Black, as the villain in the franchise-saving 2 Fast 2 Furious or my personal favorite – 2004’s Paparazzi.
Mel Gibson’s Revenge
This movie was produced by Mel Gibson and was his F-youto the tabloids that never treated him kindly. Hauser portrays Bo Laramie, an action movie actor who just had his first hit movie. With his newfound celebrity, he and his family become the target of a paparazzi crew headed by Tom Seizmore and one of the Baldwin brothers. What begins as merely false headlines, escalates from invasion of their privacy to outright stalking as they attempt to goad the action star into becoming the story. Their actions cumulate in a Princess Diana-type auto accident that seriously injuries Bo and his family as they snap away with the pictures and video of what they wrought.
The stalking continues as Bo’s family recovers from their injuries when one day, Bo accidentally runs one of them off the road in the cliffs high above LA. As Bo attempts to rescue him, the paparazzi gloats that he now owns him. Bo then flashes back to everything his family has been through and in a moral dilemma decides to do nothing and lets the paparazzi fall to his death. With this the solution to all of Bo’s problems becomes clear as we learn what a good man can be driven to do to protect his family.
Action Actor to Action Hero
So action actor becomes action hero as Bo picks off each of his tormentors one by one. But hot on his trail is Detective Burton, played but retired Chicago cop Dennis Farina, who may know more then he lets on as the movie speeds toward its satisfying conclusion. It ends with Bo and his family walking down the red carpet to the premier of his latest movie and we realize there are plenty more paparazzi where they came from as Bo gives them a knowing smile as to what he got away with.
Better Than Amy Schumer
This was a really good date movie. So the next time she tries to subject you to the latest Amy Schumer movie, suggest a compromise movie about a man who will do anything to protest his family. Believe me, she won’t complain about Cole Hauser. I’m surprised he didn’t become a bigger name. But even I mix him up with Scott Eastwood. But like father like son.
Let us know what you what you think in the comments!
.
