I've searched for this one seven years to find it on DVD. It never popped up on my Internet searches on DVD sites, and I had thought I would never see it again. Researching the movie in film guides just brought one conclusion: it was quite loathed! I well remember it summed up as a bloody mess. I myself didn't remember it in any detail, I had seen it during the early Nineties as a video release, but Bridget Fonda I remembered, and I knew I had to get this for ElectricLadyLand. Last year I finally lucked out after e-mailing a sharp guy who works at Takealot South Africa, and he located it for me. This past week I've been peeking at your reviews, and knew it was generally loathed despite me being such a fanatic about it. Tonight I again saw it, about 22 years later.
Sadly, yes, this is a dumb-ass movie, with dumb- ass male leads. An interesting Vietnamese villain, some low-budget fairly good action (hey, that poor old Peugeot really took it, huh? The old car was a near write-off anyway! All the producers could afford was a poor old Peugeot!), highly unrealistic decapitation, and a gloriously inept portrayal of a heavily-wounded man by Cary Elwes. None of this add up to anything I associate myself with.
But there is Bridget Fonda.
As a gangster movie, this one sucks. White boys obviously cannot do a convincing portrayal of street slime, they look too much like spoiled mommy's boys turned two-bit actors. As an action movie, too little action. As for the blood and gore, there is a whole lot here, but it does seem that this movie alienates its target audience. Clearly, when it was made, credited as 1991, but perhaps 1990, it was supposed to be an action thriller. Which turned out to be a dud, with weak male leads. Then came SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and Bridget Fonda's rise to fame and success, and as she raked in success after success, this was finally released. So it was then really aimed at the Fonda fans, and they're hardly the type to go for this blood-drenched drama.
Let me just say, there is F****** NO OTHER REASON TO WATCH THIS STUFF but Bridget Fonda. Let me also add that if you have an interest like mine, worshiping Hollywood goddesses, then you HAVE TO WATCH THIS STUFF because Bridget is great! Despite the movie playing against her, Bridget gives a great performance which could have given her a launch even sooner had the rest of the movie not been such S***. Clearly, Bridget was destined for bigger things, but it is very nice to see her here at the start of her career, all young and fresh. I've also got this very astute observation to make which nobody is ever gonna read anyway, 'cause who's gonna research this largely-forgotten junkyard title? But Mischa Barton of THE O.C.obviously took style inspiration from Miss Fonda in this movie. Hell, if any of you out there can check this with Miss Barton, just tell her RavenGlamDVDCollector in far-flung South Africa says hi!
All in all, only well worth watching if you are a Bridget Fonda fan and like pretty girls, especially the juxtapositioning of a pretty girl in a dark, sombre movie, all blood-splattered. Then it is not to be missed. For me, personally, Bridget was EVEN BETTER THAN I REMEMBERED, so ain't complainin'
But, dudes! This, with better casting, better script, and better action, could have been a much better movie!
My four stars all go to Bridget, everything else is sub-par, but with enough indication that something much better could well have been achieved.
