Starring: Rick Gianasi, Joe Derrig, Richard Mooney, Jennifer Kanter, Mizan Nunes Directed By: Tim Kincaid Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: FULL MOON Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: January 11, 2005 Running Time: 85 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 1989
Description: Behind the lush beauty lurk powers of darkness so evil no man has ever fought them and lived. But, that was before Waldo Warren. That was before the Occultist.
Direct to Video - 80s Style This is the fourth and last of the direct to video efforts that Tim Kincaid wrote and directed for Charles Band between 1985 and 1987. As with "Mutant Hunt," "Breeders" and "Robot Holocaust", this movie, originally called "Maximum Thrust", was shot in 10 days for around $100,000 and like those films it has production values and locations only a notch above the late 1960s, early 1970s work of NYC exploitation filmmakers like Doris Wishman and is far less enjoyable.
The story is kooky and somewhat ambitious given the budget. The lead character is a Six Million Dollar Man-like cyborg with replacement parts above and below the waistline, hence the original title. He is protecting a visiting Caribbean president and his wife from various assasination attempts. The wife is played completely over the top and seems intended to resemble Imelda Marcos. Kincaid tries to inject a bit of social content by having the president's very serious daughter lament her parent's exploitation of the her poor countrymen. Meanwhile a group of former islanders with a surprising connection to the first family dance in a Brooklyn warehouse and skin various folks (cue some impressive Ed French make up effects).
Unfortunately, the direction is completely wooden. The camera remains locked down throughout and everything plays out in a master shot or a two shot, even the fight scenes. It feels like some of Andy Milligan's work in California from around the same time and probably could have benefited from shooting in 16 mm rather than 35 mm. Charles Band's post-production people probably spent less than a day editing the thing together and slapping on some canned music.
Two low-wattage highlights: the garroting of pre-"Rent" Tony nominee Daphine Rubin-Vega in the opening few minutes and a subsequent scene in which a woman is blown up by a bomb implanted in her back and is clearly replaced by a cardboard cut-out just before the explosion.
A very messed up movie. This film might have worked if the budget was larger than a teenagers allowance. The ingredients for this movie stew include cyborgs, voodoo, political assasination and human sacrifice; all languidly mixed together and under-cooked.
I got about halfway through this grainy-filmed opus before I fell asleep. Do yourself a favor and skip this movie.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
