Real-life kickboxing champion Curtis Bush plays an aspiring fighter named Alex Hunter, whose police detective father (George James) and fiancee are brutally murdered by thugs right in front of him, thugs who represent a crime kingpin named Hawthorne (Tom Story). Alex is tortured and left for dead, then restored to health by a disabled Vietnam vet (Rodney Suiter) in order that he may get revenge someday.
A labor of love for Bush that was several years in the making, this is obviously pretty tacky and incredibly low-budget from beginning to end, but it never stops being very amusing. Like many movies of its kind, it's the very cheesiness of the picture that makes it so damn fun. It's impossible to take seriously, with a routine plot, inane characters, and amateurish acting. That said, Story is hilariously reminiscent of Mr. Burns in both appearance and voice, and Suiter is an utter hoot. The music is silly & repetitive, and everything about the film looks cheap, but the fights *are* reasonably well done. Kim Reynolds, playing investigative reporter Cassie, does provide a bit of nudity. Alex, who takes on the persona of a masked vigilante dubbed The Dark Angel, doles out a LOT of savage punishment to various expendable goons and lowlifes. Those two radio personalities (who apparently are just playing themselves) are annoying in the extreme.
Whatever its flaws, however, the film does have a certain earnestness about it that makes it endearing, if not "quality" stuff.
Five out of 10.
A labor of love for Bush that was several years in the making, this is obviously pretty tacky and incredibly low-budget from beginning to end, but it never stops being very amusing. Like many movies of its kind, it's the very cheesiness of the picture that makes it so damn fun. It's impossible to take seriously, with a routine plot, inane characters, and amateurish acting. That said, Story is hilariously reminiscent of Mr. Burns in both appearance and voice, and Suiter is an utter hoot. The music is silly & repetitive, and everything about the film looks cheap, but the fights *are* reasonably well done. Kim Reynolds, playing investigative reporter Cassie, does provide a bit of nudity. Alex, who takes on the persona of a masked vigilante dubbed The Dark Angel, doles out a LOT of savage punishment to various expendable goons and lowlifes. Those two radio personalities (who apparently are just playing themselves) are annoying in the extreme.
Whatever its flaws, however, the film does have a certain earnestness about it that makes it endearing, if not "quality" stuff.
Five out of 10.
