Bloodtype Online
For the best of the Horror/Cult/Exploitation film experience
Lethal Force (2001)
"Lethal Force" had a lot going for it if one were to have a "judge a book by its cover" mentality. The DVD cover art and the description of the movie on the back of the box made it seem like this film was right up any fan of this genre's alley. One such description was that Lethal Force "is to action movies what Scream was to horror." This got me excited for a satire-inspired action movie that could still deliver the goods just as "Scream" had both poked fun at the genre and represented it. Unfortunately this all sounds a lot better on paper.
The plot follows Jack, a hit man for a crime syndicate, who soon has his son kidnapped and wife murdered. His best friend, Savitch, is a bad ass martial artist who talks and acts like he's Clint Eastwood. The main story focuses on Jack's hunt for his son who is being held captive by the leader of the crime syndicate, a wheelchair-bound nutcase. The plot jumps all over the place but plot is truly not the concern for this type of flick. The film definitely attempts to filter in some action movie satire and stereotypes. Homages to 80's style action, Hong Kong cinema, and Bruce Lee can all be observed.
The movie is very low budget and I do give credit to the filmmakers for their effort. One of the first major fight scenes, a battle between a sun glass wearing syndicate henchman and Savitch, is well executed. Some nice exchanges between the combatants are made. The henchman even pulls off a back flip off of a wall and a couple other stylized martial arts inspired maneuvers. The battle culminates with a gun fight and some pretty cheesy bullet effects. Understanding the budget size of the film, though, the cheesiness is quite understandable. Fortunately for me as the reviewer of this film, the rest of the movie sports a few other highlights. Jack must turn his back on Savitch because of the situation with his son. The crime boss wants Savitch dead and to retrieve his son, Jack must be the one to take him down. Jack catches up to Savitch in a parking garage and proceeds to smash him (going like 30 miles per hour) between the car and a concrete wall. This doesn't do Savitch in though as he gets back to his feet! After another brief exchange, Jack flips Savitch over the side of the garage plummeting him five stories below. This was one of, if not the best scene of the film. The shot of Savitch falling (obviously using a stunt dummy) is really sweet and yet again this does nothing to stop the invincible Savitch as he gets up and stumbles away. This is where the sharp sense of humor of the film makers comes into play as a homage. It reminds you of all the Stallone and Schwarzenegger films where their characters should have died fifty times over. The climax of the film is also a huge highlight but I'll save that for the readers that decide to give this film a chance.
In conclusion, "Lethal Force" is what it is. A low budget attempt to be the "Scream" version of action films. What disappointed me was the fact that I love the concept, I just don't think it was executed to its potential. Even with a bigger budget, I don't believe much of this film would change. The film makers did what they could and the result is a solid effort that I would say falls short. As I previously mentioned in this review, there were definitely some strong moments of entertainment in this film. My friends and I especially got a huge kick out of the ending. For those that can get past budget constraints (such as camera work, acting, story, etc. that are effected with this film) "Lethal Force" may be a fun way to spend 80 minutes or so.
Rating - **
- Jared Bajoras
