7 Reasons Stallone’s Cobra is his True Cinematic Masterpiece

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Ultimate Action Movies
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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 Trying to Bring ‘Cobra’ Back as a Streaming Series

1) He wrote the script himself

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.

The Making of ‘Cobra’: Behind the Scenes with Sylvester Stallone

2) The supermarket shoot out scene

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.)

The 10 Best Sylvester Stallone Ultimate Action Movies!

3) The Villain

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.

The Most Villainous Bad Guys in Ultimate Action Movie History

4) Cobra’s Car

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.

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5) The Amazing One Liners

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.

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6) The Violence

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.

The Top 100 Ultimate Action Movies of All Time

7) Cobra’s Style

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.

Full Eclipse: An Action/Horror Hybid That’s a Howling Good Time

By
Ultimate Action Movies
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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 2 rounds 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!

UAMC Interview: Don Niam talks about Undefeatable (1993)

By
John Acquavita
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Don Niam chats with the UAMC about his iconic role as ‘The Stingray’

All images via Don Niam (donniam.com)

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!

Cop: James Woods Gives New Meaning to the Genre

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Ultimate Action Movies
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COP, James Woods, 1988. ©Atlantic Releasing Corporation

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, but he’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!

Timecop: When Van Damme Did Action Sci-Fi Right

By
Jack Beresford
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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 Decision but 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!

Paparazzi: Cole Hauser is Mel Gibson’s Tabloid Revenge

By
Iron Fist
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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-you to 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!

Red Dawn: Back When American High Schoolers Kicked Russian Butt

By
Ian Young
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Just Patrick Swayze killing commies in Red Dawn (1984).

Red Dawn (1984), starring Patrick Swayze and an ensemble cast, is an awesome action movie, not just a good one but a great one, from top to bottom, just a fantastic Easter egg of pop culture, referenced in everything from Family Guy to The Goldbergs, it’s had a remake and inspired a generation of creatives from movie makers to video games developers… Now the question is – why?

Because John Milius

Well first of all it’s directed and co written by action movie titan John Milius who helped to bring Dirty Harry (1971), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Conan the Barbarian (1982) to the screen. Red Dawn is an epic movie full of amazing wide screen shots from the get go. Some, quite frankly, iconic. Those Soviet paratroopers landing in the school yard and wreaking havoc grab you and the movie doesn’t let go till the end.

MGM making Milius the director of the project really gave the film a solid foundation, very different from the original concept of the movie which was going to be a little anti-war arthouse movie. Milius’ rewrites on the script are masterful both in plot and in dialogue… The scenario for Red Dawn was in part developed by an USA government think-tank called the Hudson Institute – and that plausibility really comes across on the screen.

As plausible as the nightmare of the movie’s plot is, what the movie is not, is a flag waving jingoistic bit of propaganda and that comes through in the very human and emotionally complex dialogue which is rare for an action movie.

Ultimate Performances

At the end of the day a script for a movie is only as good as the actors that deliver it. It has some excellent actors and in my humble opinion this movie has the best performances of some of the actors’ careers. Every performance in Red Dawn is a perfect mix of emotions and every actor shows the mix of anxiety, panic and the moral choices  that these young resistance fighters have to make. This movie is Patrick Swayze’s greatest role as the Wolverines leader Jed.

And Charlie Sheen’s performance as the stoic and pragmatic brother to Jed, Matt, which is powerful, especially in a moment when he has to deal with a traitor in the group.

Lea Thompson’s performance as Erica is one of the most underrated action heroine roles ever, she was taking commie names long before the early 00s craze of action movies with strong female characters. Also the main cast is supported by excellent roles. Everyone from Harry Dean Stanton to Doug Toby, but my action movie awards for best supporting actors in this case are the always entertaining late Powers Boothe as Lt. Col Andrew Tanner and Ron O’Neal as Bella who is probably one of the most three dimensional villains committed to screen in action movies.

What About the Action?

And being as this is an article about action movies on an action movie website let’s talk about the movie’s action… Which is great, one thing you realise is how awesome it is to see non-computer generated antics, the set pieces are so well constructed in Red Dawn, especially a scene where the Wolverines are caught in the crossfire in a tank battle.

The action moves the movie on perfectly and serves the movie in every way. It is is visually impressive, especially the ambush with Mi-24s helicopters helped by Basil Poledouris‘ pounding score.

Red Dawn is a flick that plays with expectations, both with its politics and its place as an action film but this enhances the watching experience. Red Dawn, unlike, many action movies of the 80s deals with themes such as child soldiers and our personal responsibility to protect freedom. It’s a incredible movie, if you haven’t seen it in a while go rewatch it… If you have never seen it – what  are you waiting for? Go Wolverines!!!

Growing up in the 80s Ian Young highlight of the week used to be when the mobile video store (a van with some videos in it) came down his street, it was more often than not that he rented these titles so frequently that the tapes disintegrated. He will also roundhouse kick anyone who says Cannon Films’ Masters of the Universe isn’t the greatest film ever made!

Teensplotation Meets Action on the Savage Streets (1984)

By
Ultimate Action Movies
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Linda Blair gets Savage on the Streets.

On a steamy night in 1984 Los Angeles, Brenda (Linda Blair), her deaf-mute younger sister, Heather (Linnea Quigley), and a few friends are walking the Savage Streets of Hollywood. After a brief confrontation with the Scars – an all-white street gang led by Jake (Robert Dryer), they hatch a plan to steal the gang’s convertible for a joyride. After finding the car trashed, the gang goes after the girls – violently attacking Heather and murdering another friend. Armed with a switchblade, a crossbow and a lighter, Brenda sets out to avenge her friends by killing the Scars one-by-one.

Classic Teensplotation

Directed mostly by Danny Steinmann (writer/director of 1985’s Friday the 13th: A New Beginning), Savage Streets is pure 1980s teensploitation – for better and for worse. As an action movie, the action really doesn’t start until the 58-minute mark – which means you have to sit through a brutal rape scene interspliced with a naked brawl in high school girls locker room, classroom scenes about poetry and biology, the most unthreatening gang of street thugs in history, and a bunch of clunky dialogue about weddings, “getting out of this town,” and “sorry your sister got raped, the police are doing everything they can.”

Scream Queen Action

However, the movie finally picks up when Brenda enters rampage mode – the only part of the movie where Blair is believable in her role as a rebellious teen. Dressed in all black (after a smoke and a bath), Brenda goes thug hunting – using her sexuality to lure them into her web to kill them off one at a time. Anger is definitely her energy. As one of few non-horror movies starring scream queens Blair (Exorcist) and Quigley (Return of the Living Dead – and like every other horror movie ever made), Savage Streets isn’t great, but it is worth seeking out. There are better revenge movies out there, but none of them are as 80s as this one is.

Savage Observations

  • After being attacked, Heather is taken to “Doctors Hospital,” which has to be laziest hospital name ever filmed.
    Speaking of the hospital, the medical equipment in Heather’s room is sitting on top of a Craftsman tool chest. Not your typical hospital, I guess.
  • Early in the film, Red (a thug played by Scott Mayer) is wearing a distinctive razor blade earring. A few scenes later, another gang member is wearing the same earring. Do men share earrings? I don’t remember that being a thing.
  • For a movie with ongoing rape and murder investigations, there is a complete lack of police officers until the very end.
  • There’s a character named Rachel (played by Debra Blee) who disappears without explanation halfway through the film.
  • Linda Blair received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress but didn’t win. She did, however, win a Razzie for Worst Actress beating out Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja

Savage Streets is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Article by Eric LaRose – a Wisconsin-based connoisseur of action, horror and sci-fi movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s. A former journalist and podcaster, Eric wrote the ending to the Toxic Avenger Part 4, but the only person who will back up that claim is his wife.

Let us know what you what you think in the comments!

Pre-Bond Brosnan Goes Ballistic in Taffin (1988)

By
Ultimate Action Movies
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Before he was James Bond, Pierce Brosnan was Mark Taffin.

For many people of a certain age, Pierce Brosnan is their James Bond. Racking up an impressive four outings as Britain’s most famous secret agent, he truly made the part his own in the 1990’s. Being tall, dark and handsome, combined with an intimidating presence and some Irish charm, meant he was pretty much tailor made for the role of 007. There was a long roe to hoe before he was cast as everyone’s favourite martini drinking sex-pest however. Many movies had to be made first. Before his comedic turn in Mrs. Doubtfire, before his venture into the realms of sci-fi in The Lawnmower Man (which is a much, much better film than you remember it being), Brosnan returned to his home country of Ireland to make a sadly forgotten action-thriller. The name of that forgotten movie? Taffin.

Pierce Bronson’s Burgeoning Career

Before we go any farther, please allow me the indulgence of a brief history lesson. 1987 was a year of highs and lows for Pierce Brosnan. The highs came from the fact that his TV series, Remington Steele, had recently been cancelled. Brosnan had no real issue with this as he found the show to be quite stifling and restrictive to his acting abilities. The lows meanwhile, came from the fact that this very same TV series had cost him the chance to portray James Bond in the rather excellent The Living Daylights. As the story goes, Remington Steele had been cancelled after its fourth season, and so Brosnan was promptly cast as Bond to replace the ageing Roger Moore. Don’t feel too bad for Roger though, folks. He would go on to star in 1996’s martial arts epic The Quest alongside it’s writer, director and star, Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Anyway, the fact that Brosnan was the new Bond caused a late surge in popularity for the axed TV series, and so at the eleventh hour, a clause in the Irishman’s contact was activated and he was forced into doing a fifth series. The role of Bond then went to Welshman Timothy Dalton, my own personal favourite 007. Brosnan wasn’t the only one to miss out on a major role because of this kerfuffle. His Remington Steele co-star, Stephanie Zimbalist, was forced to relinquish the role of Anne Lewis in the 1987 masterpiece RoboCop to Nancy Allen. A tough break there for both Brosnan and Zimbalist. Once Remington Steele was eventually cancelled after its brief fifth series, Brosnan was now free to forge his own path once more. Freed from the confines of TV, one of the first films Brosnan would make was Taffin.

Taffin, Mark Taffin

In Taffin, Brosnan takes the lead role as Mark Taffin, a tough guy debt collector in small town Ireland. The film starts in traditional action movie fashion, with a dynamite fight scene. Taffin, accompanied by his fantastic head of hair, enters the restaurant of a gang who have no intention of paying off their debt to the local butcher, and swiftly beats the tar out of all those present. It’s a nice way to start the movie, and shows us right from the get go that Taffin is a no nonsense type of guy. Don’t mess with him or his trendy haircut. Seriously though, late 1980’s Pierce Brosnan has the best head of hair I’ve ever seen on a man.

Anyway, the character of Taffin pretty much set, things soon escalate in the small Irish town. An evil syndicate has plans to build a big chemical plant right on the outskirts of the town. Of course, the townspeople aren’t too happy about this, and so, with no other option, are forced to turn to local hardman Mark Taffin to save the day. It’s really pretty standard stuff and the type of story we’ve see in a dozen different movies before. One man standing alone against an evil gang. Taffin acknowledges its influences pretty early on for the more eagle-eyed viewers amongst us as a High Noon poster can be seen in our hero’s trendy attic conversion home. High Noon is a quality movie no doubt, but can the same be said for Taffin? Well, yes and no.

An Up-and-Coming Cast

Taffin certainly had a lot going for it. For a lesser known film, it boasts a good few well known faces. Granted, none of them, bar Brosnan, had make it big yet, but they’re still there nonetheless. Taffin’s love interest is played by Alison Doody, an actress who would find fame the following year by playing the misguided Dr. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Taffin’s brother meanwhile is played by Patrick Bergin, an actor best known to you for his roles in Sleeping with the Enemy and Patriot Games, but who is best known to me as Dr. Benjamin Trace from Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (a movie which is much, much worse than you remember it being).

They’re not given a whole lot to work with here, but they do a good job with what they’ve got. Another big name involved here is composer Hans Zimmer. Everybody needs to start somewhere I suppose. Unfortunately, the music here isn’t up to the epic standards of the scores he provided for such classics as Gladiator and The Last Samurai. It’s pretty much a barrage of up-tempo, stereotypical Irish music. They add a bit of levity to action scenes, but grow old pretty fast.

Taffin-of-Many-Trades

The actual character of Mark Taffin himself is actually pretty interesting, which is a nice change from the cookie-cutter heroes us action fans often get landed with in our movies. Sure, he ticks a lot of the classic action hero boxes with his martial arts skills, and his bananas hot girlfriend and his red convertible, but, like a Transformer, there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Taffin was studying to be a priest, you see, but dropped out when he realised that the only way to truly change the world for the better was by dispensing ass whoopings. It’s a neat enough backstory, and it differentiates Taffin nicely from other gung-ho action types. He can often be found lazing in his crappy office and reading books on morals and ethics, trying to justify how he lives his life. Good for him. He also goes home every Sunday to have dinner with his elderly mother. What a stand-up type of guy!

Not Quite Bond Action

But, what of the action scenes? This is an action movie after all. Taffin has got you covered here, but again, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. This movie has bar room brawls, car chases, gunplay, and explosions. They’re not done particularly well, but they’re there. The car chase in particular is quite poor. I had no idea that a 1971 Ford Mustang could be driven so slowly. Also, tractors have no business being involved in high speed chases. Fear not though, as there’s enough unintentional comedy here to keep you going between action scenes. Take the rural Irish setting for example. The small town has everything you’d imagine a small town in Ireland to have. Shops. A church. A bar. And an absolutely massive strip club. I got a good chuckle out of that one.

The fact that the local townspeople would be complaining about a big chemical plant opening near them is quite silly too. Ireland was going through a massive recession in the 1980’s with people leaving the country in their droves in search of work. No way would anyone have objected to the opening of a big business in their locality back then. Also, much has been made of Brosnan’s delivery of the line “Then maybe you shouldn’t be living here!” to his girlfriend in the movie. The was he says it is absolutely ludicrous and has become both a meme and a popular radio soundbite in England. Curious about it? Check out the video below and see for yourself. I’ll be waiting for you in the next paragraph.

An Almost Realized Classic

So there you have it. It has its faults, but Taffin is a fun little movie. Based on a novel of the same name, its writer famously had major issues with the casting of Brosnan. He envisioned Taffin as an overweight and unattractive man. Brosnan, with his flowing locks, is neither of these things. Despite this, he still manages to get the toughness of the character across.

Much is made of in this movie of Taffin’s wasted potential. He is a well educated and ambitious man, so why is he wasting his time as a thug in a small village? I feel the same could be said about this movie. There’s a real sense of wasted potential here. It’s good, but it could have been great. As it stands, it’s still a good movie for any lover of action cinema to watch. The setting alone differentiates it nicely from other action movies of the time, and makes it worth the price of admission alone. Check it out.

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!

Car-Fu 101: John Carpenter’s Black Moon Rising (1986)

By
Iron Fist
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The 80s Car-Fu classic ‘Black Moon Rising’ gets our motor running!

I’m going to let you in on a secret from the 1980s. It is one of the best low budget action as well as Car-Fu movies from that period, and starred a bunch of actors that all went on to become A list celebrities. It was written by horror maestro John Carpenter and adapted from the first script he ever sold. The movie is 1986’s Black Moon Rising.

It stars Tommy Lee Jones as Sam Quint – a professional thief for hire who is currently in the employ of the US government, whose been hired to obtain evidence on the dirty dealings of a Las Vegas corporation. You see, back in the 80s you actually had to break into a faculty and physically steal the item in question, then make good your escape. This is where Quint’s plan goes awry when he runs into a former acquaintance and has to make his escape in a hail of gunfire

Introducing The Black Moon

At a nearby gas station in the desert, Quint encounters a couple of naive engineers who are out testing their prototype car called The Black Moon, that goes 300 MPH, runs on water and looks like it’s from other space. Quint is able to hide the evidence on the car just as his pursuers show up yet again

The story then shifts to wealthy businessman named Ryland, played by Man From Uncle’s Robert Vaughn. He has a fetish for surveillance and dabbles in the theft of high end cars. His obsession is Nina, played by the fetching Linda Hamilton fresh off her role a Sarah Connor in the first Terminator movie. When she and her crew steal The Black Moon, this puts her squarely in the sights of one Sam Quint, who followed her back to their lair, which turns out to be a near impenetrable twin towers of a office building.

So Quint forms an uneasy relationship with the nerd engineers who just want their car back, hatches a plan to infiltrate the car theft ring by seducing Nina, stays one step ahead of the henchmen whom he stole the evidence from in the first place as he gets squeezed by the FBI, who thinks he’s holding out on them.

Navigating the Streets of LA

The late night streets of LA form an atmospheric backdrop to the story as Quint makes his move. But not before a couple of car chases where Quint tools around town in his 1990 Mustang GT, a particularly brutal beat down and some tenderness with Nina, as he finally wins her over to his cause.

Quint and Nina are discovered as they finally get to The Black Moon. They are backed into a corner with only one way to escape. That’s to jump The Black Moon between the office towers thirty floors above the streets of LA, which turns out to be the “black moon rising” of the films title. The car jump between two buildings in Dubai from Furious 7 owes much to this sequence, only Black Moon Rising pulled it off in the 1980s with no budget and no fanfare.

When they touchdown, everybody converges on them. Quint gets to go mano a mano with his rival in some good old action movie payback, then hands over the evidence to the Feds and rides off into the sunset to live happily ever after with Nina.

Acknowledge this Action Classic!

The fact that this movie only gets a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes just goes to show how much the current crop of movie goers balls have shrunk since the 1980s, that they can’t acknowledge this as the action classic that this is. This may fall to we members of the Ultimate Action Movie Club. Our mission statement is to rediscover movies such as this then heap on it the acolytes it has been so sorely denied. If you not up to the challenge, you need to turn in your man card. Black Moon Rising got my motor running!

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