The Hitman (1991)- Chuck Norris (3)

Director: Aaron Norris

Stars: Chuck Norris, Michael Parks and Al Waxman

Genre: -  Action | Crime | Thriller

MPAA Rating: R (strong gangster violence, and for language)

 Running Time: 95 Mins

Tagline: "He's so far undercover he may never get back"

 REVIEW

Let me begin by saying that this is one of the most unoriginal movies of the 90’s. But, it stars Chuck Norris, and as we all know, Chuck Norris can strangle you with a cordless phone, so I will be amicable about this review. Anyway, The Hitman is one of those 90’s films that have long since been forgotten, and if you ask anyone about it they will confuse it with the film adaptation of the popular video game from the same name.  So to clear confusion, this movie is not related at all to the  horrible video game movie starring Timothy Oliphant; with that said let’s begin the review.

This movie tells the story of a cop who is betrayed by his partner, and ends in a coma. The premise is very similar to the Steven Seagal movie Hard to Kill, but as the film progresses it takes a very different route. After the betrayal, Norris’s character assumes a new identity and infiltrates the Seattle mafia who are battling with Vancouver-based mobsters for control of the drug trade. Things go awry when Iranian drug dealers come in to town; total war breaks out between the three groups. Throughout the film, Norris pretends he is protecting the mafia head leader, when in fact he is undercover, and is also out to seek revenge.

The movie is not original in any way, but I had a good time overall.  The best scene in this movie is perhaps when Chuck walks into an Arab restaurant  and begins to insult the food they are eating and later single-handedly taking out  every one of them .  The movie isn’t politically correct, that’s for sure, but its great if your just in it for the action and some unintentional laughs.

DVD

I own this movie in a triple feature DVD from Warner Home Entertainment.  The price for the triple feature is considerably cheap now, at the time I paid 14 bucks for it, now it’s gone down to 5.97 new!  here is the link for the DVD- Chuck Norris Triple Feature

VIDEO 

I wasn’t too happy with the quality on this DVD. The film came in an aspect ratio of 1:33:1 and I have a widescreen TV…so, it means I need to zoom in order to capture the whole screen, causing the picture quality to suffer.

AUDIO

The audio is just as crummy, no 5.1. Surround sound on this DVD, just a basic 2channel stereo sound.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)- Chris Evans (3)

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action )

Running Time: 125 Min

Tagline " Discover The Origin Of The First Avenger"

Synopsis:

{According to IMDB}

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals.

Discussion

So once again the summer brings us another Superhero film. The question is: Does it match up or improve on previous Marvel Comic adaptations? To be sincere, it isn’t better than Thor but it sure is hell of a lot better than the 2^nd Iron Man film. I think many will agree that Iron Man II was a very mediocre and forgettable sequel. Now Captain America on the other hand is a great popcorn action extravaganza for the whole family. It really is a family action adventure; I didn't see anything questionable or objectionable for children. The movie is actually geared towards both audiences: the new and the old. With that mentioned, let’s talk about the film itself and my overall opinion of Captain America: First Avenger.

First, I was really happy with the decision of Joe Johnston helming directorial duties in this film. After directing the marvelous and yet underrated classic “Rocketeer”.  It seemed only natural to choose Johnston as a director. For those who have seen the Rocketeer you will know what I am talking about. Johnston tends to have a good eye for being true to specific eras. By that I refer to the following- While watching Captain America, I actually felt I was in the 40’s, aside the technology and out of this world special effects, the rest of the film felt of the that epoch. One thing that I believe helped set that tone was the sort of sepia tone the movie has through the course of the film.  I will like to add, that even if Chris Evans has played a superhero before (Human Torch: Fantastic 4) he actually does a good job convincing me a man can done the costume with pride.

As I now get into the theme and overall plot, I will try not to give out any important spoilers. Several explorers find what seems to be a frozen man beneath a sheet of ice, intact with a shield, the shield of Captain America. The movie shortly jumps back to 1942 Norway, where we are introduced to Red Skull/Schmidt.  There he invades a castle, to find an artifact that he describes as “the jewel of Odin's treasure room” now I wonder if this is in fact a reference to the movie Thor. Perhaps it might be referenced in The Avengers. Later in New York, we meet Steve Rogers: a scrawny, short yet brave young man who wants to desperately enlist to the military. However, due to his height, weight and incapacites (asthma, lack of energy etc) his requests keep getting declined. But as we know, there is a serum that will turn the young weakling into a full grown/testosterone built hero.  After his transformation, now that he is capable, Rogers seeks out to serve his country, dressed in the red white and blue. But before he gets to get into battle, he is given a cheap costume and placed in parties for children. Impersonating a true American hero, he plays for kids and family a dance to seek out men to enlist in the army. After this scenario we later get to see Captain America fight the old American way, and that way is kicking ass.

When you sit down and watch the trailer for a superhero movie like this you actually expect an action packed film. In the case of Captain America a curious thing occurs. The trailer for Captain America seems extremely action packed, yet the majority of the film is filled with a lot of scenes only involving dialogue. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually liked this movie, it was very entertaining I give it that. But, for those expecting an extremely action packed film; you will have to wait until 1hour into the film. There is some action scenes taking place before, but the pivotal action scenes occur almost towards the end. Personally, I thought the film had a well balance of dialogue and action. My only fuss was that there are some action scenes that are shown in snippets; by this I mean that they jump from dialogue to action sequences at the same time. Think of it as giving a short glimpse at a fight scene, not showing the whole fight. This issue only happens in one scene though.

As for the special effects of the movie, they deliver the goods. But I heard people complaining about Skinny Rogers. The complaint was that it looked fake. I honestly thought it looked real, I couldn't tell that much the cgi they did with his body. They could have however done what they did with Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. But regardless, the shirking effect worked fine for this movie, there was only 2 scenes when it looked awkward. The scene in which he enlist for the first time and a scene at a hospital. All other scenes involving the thinner Rogers looked up to par.

The movie is worth watching in cinemas. But avoid watching it in 3D, there is no reason to waste the money on the 3D. Again, after already complaining about Transformers not having any real eye popping 3D, I paid the extra bucks for Captain America on Real 3D…what horseshit! There is only one real scene where you see 3D. That scene is almost at the end where you see the shield going towards the screen….and even that isn’t too impressive. I think this is the last movie I will watch in 3D to be frank with you. It really isn’t worth paying 15 bucks, just watch the regular 2D version, you’re better off. Last thoughts: if you are a fan of the comic or not, give Captain America a chance. If you have read my other reviews on the other poor adaptations of Captain America, you will see that this one is a far superior adaptation. In fact it is the first theatrical big budgeted adaptation of the character. And now for last complaints and praises:  The complaints that I haven’t mentioned, I think the movie had less humor than the other marvel films…at least for me. There was some humor here and there, just kept to a minimal. It’s neither a good nor a bad thing. The other thing is the action scenes are a bit forgettable. Like I mentioned, it isn’t that action packed. There is action towards the finale, but it’s not given emotional depth. Regardless of that notion, the movie is still worth the view. The question now is who will win at the box office? Harry Potter or Captain America? What do you guys think? Let me know!

Brannigan (1975)- John Wayne (3)

Director: Douglas Achickox

Stars: John Wayne, Richard Attenborough & Judy Gesson

Genre: Action/Crime

MPAA Rating: PG

Running Time: 111Mins

Tagline: "Detective-Lieutenant Brannigan is in London...God save the Queen!"

Discussion

I was sitting down watching the original True Grit and I was pondering how many actors have the tendency to be typecasted throughout their career. Wayne in my opining was such actor, typecasted as “The Duke of Westerns”.  Without a doubt he was magnificent in westerns, yet I always wanted to see him take other roles, he seemed like a versatile actor. Anyways, during the height of crime films like Bullitt and French Connection, Wayne was offered the role of Dirty Harry, unfortunately he refused the part. I believe that in many ways he worked on this film and McQ (Another Cop Themed film) as a way of regret for not collaborating on Dirty Harry.  Many actually claim that both of these movies are exact carbon copies of Dirty Harry. I beg to differ; I have yet to see Mc Q, but “Brannigan” even if it is a cop themed movie it has a completely different tone from Dirty Harry  

So into the movie, Brannigan is a cop who is on the look for a wanted criminal named Ben Larkin; wanted by the Chicago Police for extortion, bribery, prostitution, and black mail. Larkin, who knows they are on his tail is out to London hiding; little does Larkin know there is an order to get him extra dictated from the country. The order to extradite Larkin is given to Brannigan, ofcourse with pleasure he takes the case. On his arrival at London, he meets Jennifer, a young lady who works for the New Scotland Yard. She takes Brannigan to meet the Commander in charge of the extradition played by a younger Richard Attenborough. But before they can take a lead on the case they find out that Larkin has been kidnapped by some thugs. Making matters more complicated. They think at first that it could be a staged kidnapped, but when they receive one of Larkin’s fingers…they know the matter is indeed serious and not staged.  Brannigan and the Scotland yard team up to find out the reasons for the kidnapping, but Brannigan is also being targeted by a contracted killer, hired by Larkin.

I have to admit, even if I indeed wanted to see Wayne take on something different than a western, it is kind of funny/weird seeing him in another type of film that doesn’t concern to cowboys and gunslingers…still I enjoyed it. One of the best things about the movie is that is lighter in tone and quite comical, not taking itself too seriously. I found hilarious Brannigan’s entrances: “Knock, Knock” after breaking down a door. Or how he always mentions he is hungry and wants a bite, yet never gets any sort of food.  I was also cracking up how he doesn’t say “Oh Shit” he instead says “Oh Nuts” Also, not to mention the ridiculous, unnecessary yet comical bar fight scene.  Honestly, this movie wasn’t all too bad, even if it was a generic and formulaic action vehicle. For Wayne fans, you won’t be disappointed.

theatrical trailer

DVD

I got this movie pretty cheap on Amazon; you can find it there for no more than 6 dollars, got mine for $6.51. The only bad thing about this DVD is that it’s bare bones, not special features.

Video

For an older generation DVD, the picture quality wasn’t all too bad. The source material seemed to be in good shape because I can’t notice any scratches or bloats on the screen.  I did notice softness in the picture that could have been retouched.

Audio

The audio was pretty mediocre, it is the original mono. If you have a surround sound systems don’t expect any clear audio here. I had to raise my volume to 34 to get a clear range from both the dialogue and action.

Bottom Line

I would buy it, I don’t think rental stores or Netflix carry this movie, and besides the movie has John Wayne, which you honestly can’t lose.  

 

Mortal Kombat (1995)- Robin Shou (3)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Stars: Robin Shou, Christopher Lambert & Linden Ashbey

Genre: Action/Martial Arts/Fantasy

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Fantasy Violence)

Running Time: 91 Mins

Tagline: Nothing in This World Has Prepared You For This

Synopsis:

{According to IMDB}

"Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world. "

Discussion

Without a doubt this is definitely the best video game adaptation. Every character, every action sequence: true to the Original Video Game from Super Nintendo.  This is one of those movies that I remember seeing as a kid and loved. Seeing it again I fell exactly the same about it: Still love it.  

If you’re not familiar with the plot of Mortal Kombat, let me enlighten you.  A group of fighters have been chosen to attend a tournament known as Mortal Kombat.  But, little do they know that this tournament holds the future of humanity. If the bad guys win, the world gets enslaved by Shao Kahn: Ruler of Outworld.  In charge of the tournament is another baddie: Shang Tsung played marvelously and maliciously by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. It is up to Liu Kang and his friends to win the tournament and prevent the world from being enslaved.

Yeah the effects are dated, it is quite cheesy sometimes, but it’s still a treat. I watch this movie many times a year. There’s something about the fight scenes and the soundtrack that get you in the mood to kick ass! Especially the opening song when the logo of New Line Cinema appears and you hear the roaring sound of MORTAL KOMBAT!!!  

The blu ray I own is a Canadian import; I was so anxious to get this movie on BD I just took the first copy available of this film. So the review will be about the picture and sound quality on the Canadian Blu- Ray Release from Alliance. Not the official American Release.

Video

Presented in Full 1080p HD, I was really blown away with the remastering they did for Mortal Kombat. I had never seen the movie so clear. Both the VHS & DVD had very poor picture quality, especially the early DVD release. The early DVD was Non Anamorphic and the transfer seemed like it came from a Laserdisc or something like it. Anyways, the HD of Mortal Kombat actually improves the dated special effects, in many ways it improves the clarity of Sub Zero's ice power, and Shang Tsung's Transformation into other characters.  From what I've heard the American release didn’t have the same transfer for the BD disc. Then again I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen the American Blu Ray release. But this Canadian import did the job done, very impressive in the HD dept.

Audio

The audio was just as impressive as the video. When the theme song started and the flames started roaring I was impressed, I hadn’t heard the soundtrack this clear before.   

Bottom Line:

 

This is a nostalgic film for me; I saw this movie at 6 and since then I have re-watched it several times. Even as corny as it is sometimes, I still think this should be in any action movie buffs library. A Must Own!

theatrical trailer: