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Amateur butcher and enthusiastic hockey fan Jason Vorhees is back in business, and business is good. Can a plucky young boy stop the madness before Camp Crystal Lake's population report takes yet another machete-aided dip? The stalk-and-slash formula was pretty narcoleptic by this point, but this otherwise humdrum entry is distinguished by some unusual casting choices (Crispin Glover as a stud in training? Corey Feldman as a genius?) and the splattery return of makeup master Tom Savini. The fact that this installment was titled The Final Chapter may seem to contradict the existence of the numerous sequels that followed, but it's not as if logic was ever this series' strong point to begin with. --Andrew Wright ... Read more

Reviews (162)

The most frightening FRIDAY of them all!
After the disappointing if entertaining PART 3 (which was plagued by the kind of "bright" lighting that destroys any sense of terror), director Jospeh Zito came on board to deliver this delightfully downbeat and particularly nasty entry in the series, which at the time (somewhat obviously!) was meant as THE FINAL CHAPTER.

Not only is the film consistently frightening and disturbing (thanks largely to Zito's gritty and very dark vision), it's competently written and very well acted, at least as far as "stalk 'n' slash" movies go! Crispin Glover hints at what a diverse and fine actor he would become (although he seems to have disappeared now!), and Kimberly Beck's performance as the heroine is extremely gutsy and realistic, and along with PART 2's Amy Steel is the most impressive of all 9 movies.

Zito's decision to hide Jason for the majority of the movie also pays big dividends, as he suddenly becomes a terrifying figure, brimming with brutality and immense strength (unlike the lumbering psychopath of PART's 2 & 3). Ted White does a good job in the role (even if he didn't really enjoy it), and Tom Savini's return to the series brings out some of the best make-up and gore sequences ever seen in a horror movie. The only disappointing thing therefore, is that Paramount in their infinite wisdom, are not releasing the DVD in "UNCUT" form - that and the fact that there's no extras (apart from the Theatrical Trailer probably!). At least however, the series is getting released on DVD and in widescreen too.

My only fear however, is that after releasing all the movies on DVD, there will then be a "Special Limited Collectors Box Set" with tons of extras and in "UNCUT form too! We'll just have to wait an see.

For now though, THE FINAL CHAPTER comes recommended as one of the best "slasher" movies of them all, and for me at least, the finest of the FRIDAY THE 13th series. Roll on JASON X!

Finally a good sequel for Friday the 13th
Chapter four was the best sequel of Friday the 13th series since it began.The original was very good and impressive, Part 2 was stupid and boring(The only good thing was that the killer was Jason).Part 3 was better, but still dumb(But we got the hockey mask).

After Part 3 murders, Jason is taken to the morgue.Of course he's not dead.So he scapes and goes back to Camp Cristal Lake.Near the camp, lives a family: The Jarvis.
And across te Jarvis, lives a group of teenagers trying to have fun.Guess what is going to happen?, YES, Jason is going to kill them.

What I really enjoyed here, was the creative and original deads.They were funny and scary at the same time.In my opinion the best dead was Axel's, the morgue doctor.But Tina's was cool too, it was very well done.

The main character was Trish, a nice girl.Her brother Tommy, was a horror fan, he made his own scary halloween masks and liked blood.

This is not the final chapter as it's called.We still got 6 more sequels to go.But this was one of the best.

FINAL GRADE: C+

Oh no, not... doggy defenestration!
Sigh... if only this truly WAS the final chapter. After goin' through the first three films and seein' pretty much the same stuff each time, you'd think I'd have taken the hint by now and not get my hopes up about seeing anything all that new in the next installment. Just like the last three go-rounds, ya see the killer take out an entire group of horny, pot-abusing teenagers (with a few adults thrown in for good measure). Then there's the wide array of dispatchings, most of which are pretty gruesome but score higher on my gross-out meter than on my fright-o-meter. The only thing I found all that scary-- granted you take the rise and fall of this person's movie career following this-- is a pre-teen Corey Feldman as a sorta geeky messed-up kid who gets even more messed-up by the time the closing credits roll. Er, messed up in a psychological sense that is. Also kinda disquieting is the performance of lovable oddball Crispin Glover, who goes almost totally against type by playing a kinda normal ill-fated teenager. Corey & Crispin add a level of scariness to the 'Final Chapter' (*snicker*) that ol' Jason could never even come close to approaching...

On the upside, this booger does feature the silliest Jason-kill I've ever seen when he tosses a pooch through a second-story window of a lakeside house. Now I'm not into animal torture and all that, but after seein' that moment I couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. Talk about hittin' a whole new low...

'Late

Again, okay for a "Friday" film...
Another decent "Friday the 13th" flick. This one actually has a family involved as well as the usual bunch of college-students. And it was actually the first "Friday..." film I've ever seen!

Splitting hairs
Somebody explain this movie to me.

I get it -- it's not really the final chapter. I have no problem with that. Stop pointing it out.

No, I'm talking the climactic scene, where Tommy Jarvis (the *cough* incomparable Corey Feldman) shaves his head. For some reason, this gives JASON FREAKIN' VOORHEES the heebie-jeebies, allowing Tommy's forty-three-year-old sister to sideline Jason with a machete. Of course, Jason's hand twitches, sending Tommy into a berserker rage hack-a-thon.

Hence the "finality" promised by the title. Jason's dead...or as dead as Jason gets until Part VI.

But stop and think about this for a second. Why would Jason care that Tommy shaved his head? Did he get confused into thinking he was looking at a funhouse mirror? Was it supposed to make Jason think there was a "mini-me" version of himself running around? Did it make Jason hearken back to his days as a weird-looking bald kid, and warm the cockles of his heart? Did he just love Tommy's charming bowl-cut, and get dumbfounded that Tommy would squander such a magnificent hairstyle?

At the end of Part 2 (they were still using Arabic numerals at that point), Ginny (Amy Steele) put on a crusty sweater that once belonged to Jason's decapitated mother. By tucking her hair behind her neck, Ginny apparently looked enough like Pamela Voorhees to momentarily make Jason think his mother had returned. Hey, nobody's ever nominated Jason for MENSA membership, so it wasn't THAT big of a stretch. At least it made sense.

But Tommy's cueball ploy shouldn't have made Jason stop for two seconds, unless it was to double-over laughing.

Ultimately, Jason got the upper hand; he's been in eight movies since that day. I'm pretty sure that beats Corey Feldman. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Amazing Bad Movie
Ah, days gone by. The days of Cannon films, mindless, loud, ultraviolent, ridiculous 80s action films.

A previous reviewer gave an impressive account of Cannon and the Golan/Globus production duo that gave us classics like Death Wish 3 and Cobra.

Invasion U.S.A. is a great bad movie, period. Chuck Norris, normally an awful actor, looks to be trying really hard not to act at all. Matter of fact, Chuck looks plain creepy, his face completely blank and emotionless. He plays an ex 'government agent'. Turns out there's a planned nighttime invasion of America being cooked up by an evil Russian general, an old nemesis of Norris. There's also some Cubans, and even Arabs from some unnamed country. They invade America one evening, killing Americans easily because we're weak, etc, etc, and they even roll into town to blow up a few suburban family homes with rocket launchers.

Chuck Norris is the only one in America with any real idea of what's going on, so he wearily puts on his twin Uzi straps and sets out to kill the invaders. It's a typical 80s, updated cowboys and Indians flick, dripping with cynicism. Invasion U.S.A. also adheres to an ironclad Golan/Globus rule: the badder the criminal, the worse he has to suffer before dying horribly.

This movie would have scared young children in 1985 into thinking Russia would actually invade and we would be bazookaed in our own homes. But now it reveals itself to be a true masterpiece, a moment of cinema from a bygone era when exploitation, paranoia, fear, violence, and profit were running amok.

The director is Joseph Zito, so you're in good bad genre hands, he having directed The Prowler and Friday the 13th The Final Chapter before. The film makes no sense at all. Like Death Wish 3, for instance, the film deserves a lot of credit for so completely disregarding anything of quality, save for the bullet-riddled violence. Plot, acting, direction, plausibility are all jettisoned in favor of pure gratification of hidden right-wing fantasies.

If you long for the 80s, love bad movies, love Chuck Norris, love Golan/Globus, love moronic guy movies, this is highly recommended

One of my greatest guilty pleasures.
When a group of terrorists invade America, only Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) can stop them. Pretty simple stuff, not an ounce of plot to get in the way of the story, but what a story it is. Invasion U.S.A. was one of the million or so b-movie thrill rides put out by the now, sadly, defunct Cannon Pictures. I was fearful that changing times (and fashions) would date Invasion U.S.A. some, and, to be honest, they have. But it still retains enough of its bad movie charms to entertain in a brainlessly high octane way. Stuffed with enough action for two Cannon Pictures, this is an essential for both Cannon and Chuck Norris fans - though the 'good' movies The Chuckster did for the studio are, in my opinion, the first Missing in Action and The Hero and The Terror. But this is my favorite of the bunch and I give it my highest recommendation.

One of Chuck's Best!!!
In summary, terrorist start to take over the states. Chuck takes care of things, so don't worry, Norris IS homeland security. Very rock solid action movie, but a litlle dated by todays standards. Who gives a crap? Much better than his Walker, Texas Ranger days. 4 1/2 Stars.

vintage Chuck Norris
One of Chuck Norris's better known movies; TBS has shown this countless times. It doesn't really get better with age though. Not Chuck's best movie but better than several of the real duds like Forced Vengeance and Good Guys Wear Black. It's Chuck against the Russkies who invade his homeland and really tee him off. No real extras on the DVD, just the movie. Action is not really memorable in this movie, and it's pretty unbelievable even for a Chuck movie. But, if you're a Chuck fan, this one is a must because it's got a few classic Chuck one-liners.

An Utterly Ridiculous Yet Fun Actioneer
Ah the '80's. Reagen, over-indulgence, superficiality, and of course, the seminal genre that we now know as 1980's action movies. Invasion U.S.A. is everything that an 80's action movie should be: action packed (no matter how ridiculous and moronic the plot lines are), extremely right-wing, and of course, having stone-faced macho men declare war on the entire world. This film lacks in every aspect of a "good" movie (realistic action scenes, drama, good acting, interesting and or thought provoking), yet manages to suceed magnificently on the entertainment scale. One of my favorite scenes in the film are when Chuck Norris takes on the Russian dude in a man to man close combat rocket launcher scene! Also, I must say I was quite intrigued as to how Chuck Norris's ridiculously big truck managed to remain un-scathed through all of the gun battles that occur in this movie.

All in all, Invasion U.S.A. is the perfect movie for a night with a couple of buddies. Don't expect that much, and you'll enjoy this mindless 80's action flick. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A Good Action Packed Movie!
This was a very good movie. Braddock(Chuck Norris) is part of a delegation who is sent to negotiate the release of American P.O.W.s. Braddock immediately comes under fire. He then leads a secret rescue mission back to Vietnam. Here the action picks up. The jungle scenery is very original. There is one action sequence after the other. Braddick is forced to do battle with many of his old enemies. After many battles Braddock continues on his mission. The ending of the movie is very dramatic. The actors in this movie were very good as well. The movie also had a very good plot. Be sure to see this film. You will not be dissapointed.

A typical 80's action/adventure film..
This is one of several movies made during the 1980's that deals with the subject of American POW/MIA's being held in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Typically, the movie has the main character (in this case, Chuck Norris) finding evidence that the POW's are alive, and he sets off to rescue them.

That being said, the movie is a typical action/adventure shoot em' up film. While the movie is still enjoyable to watch, the special effects and audio/video quality definitely appear vintage. If you like this genre of film, you will no doubt enjoy this movie.

Great Action Flick
This is one of the greats of the 80's. Before cinematography took over and everything was just special effects. Chuck norris does a great job. And every war/action movie lover should have this in his collection

GIMME A BREAK!!!
This so called "movie" is nothing more than mindless flag-waving. People who were moved by this flick need to talk to some Vietnam vets to learn what really went on over there. There really is no such thing as a good Chuck Norris movie

Missing in Action
VERY EXCITING MOVIE!! CHUCK NORRIS BLAZES HIS WAY THROUGH VIETNAM TO RESCUE U.S. POWS. HE MOVES EVERYTHING IN HIS WAY. I WOULD RECCOMEND ANY OTHER CHUCK NORRIS MOVIES. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Dolph Lundgren great again
I thought this movie was great, definitely one of Dolph's best, I thought he did an excellent job, as a quite killing machine, who was known as a man of few words. Some of the greatest action scenes as well, with terrific explosive effects. This movie has power, humor, excitement, and a great portray of how the Soviet Union is, with their communism. I was only 6 years old when this film came out, and went and saw it with my older brother at the theatres, and loved it even when i was just a little kid, but im not saying let a 6 year old watch this, that was a mistake for me to see it at that young,but Red Scorpion rocks, enjoy!!

My Favorite So-So Movie!
I don't know why I like "The Red Scorpion" so much, but I do. It's not because of the film's production values, which aren't bad, but don't set any standards for excellence. It's not because of the acting, which ranges from over-the-top to wooden. It's not because of the story line which is serviceable, with one exception -- there's a terrific sequence involving Dolph Lundgren and a bushman that is touching and funny and moves me every time I see the film. I'm hard-pressed to actually cite something specific about the film that makes it so much fun for me to watch. Lundgren is completely believable as a special forces soviet trooper. It may be the part he was born to play. His character is a trained killer but with a mind. And he uses it. I've watched this film a dozen or so times over the past decade. I finally bought it on DVD because my tape won't last forever. The DVD image is sharper than my VHS and the sound is clean. Special Features are sparse...I seem to recall some bios and, maybe, some stills. But maybe not. There's no commentary or "making of" feature. I bought the DVD because I think I'll want to see it many more times. It doesn't make sense to me when I think about why, but there it is! I really like this movie!

must see
this movie is great defenatky dolphs best the story was so gret best ever much better than something like platoon or kip great 5 star action

A New Lord is Born
Dolph Lordgren kicks mucho buttero in this movie. Nicknamed "Red Scorpion," the lord went against his own people to save others. Bar fights, explosions and gun battles are common in this goddage movie. Yes, lordage.

When people share one thing... humanity!
A lot of words have been spent describing, criticizing or simply discarding this movie. Pity, after all it's an inoffensive adventure movie a la Tarzan and as such it should be considered.

My three stars go out to the poor bushman who probably played himself and didn't get mentioned in the credits.

He's actually the reason why this movie is worth watching. All the rest is cheap anti-communism propaganda of the lowest and brainless level.

The director seems to tell us "Hey guys, the Communists got it up their a... in Afghanistan and in Africa too, so why should we blame our boys for having lost the Vietnam War?".

The script came from a spoiled child with too much time to do something useful with it.

And yet, despite all the "propaganda" bit, "Red Dawn" it is not... if you know what I mean. Thank God for that!

It's the simple story of a Spetnaz (the russian equivalent to Special Forces in the U.S. Army or the S.A.S. in the British Army) who gets an assignment as an undercover hitman to kill an African rebel leader.

Unfortunately for him, once in the midst of the Rebel group he starts to understand why they revolt and sympathises with their cause.

Bad mistake! He's captured by the Russian secret service, tortured and thrown out of the Spetnaz with dishonor.

Abandoned in the midst of an unknown African wilderness, he's suddenly confronted with the harshness of the land and must learn very fast how to survive in it.

Unfortunately for him some lessons learned are soon forgotten thanks to exhaustion and sleepiness. In fact, no sooner is he asleep that a very venomous scorpion decides to sting him.

The real movie starts here. Will he survive or not? Well, thanks to the said Bushman he gets his skin saved for a little longer.

At first, the giant Lundgren mocks the little man for being so primitive and so backward and seems to take pleasure at teasing him, despite his gratefulness for having being saved by the Bushman.

Very soon though the positions get reversed, and this is the really interesting plot twist of the movie. Lundgren is not a great actor, or even an actor at all, but in his clumsiness and genuine naivete' he gets through in convincing us about his helplessness out there in the wild.

Soon enough the wisdom of the old Bushman gets revealed to him and now a true friendship starts to ensue between two worlds as alien and as far apart as can be.

Not only do they become friends but start to respect each other as human beings, and out of this relationship comes the final strong reaction of Lundgren when he sees that the Bushman's entire village, family and friends have been wildly butchered by so-called "civilized" people. Lungren's own bunch.

While the Bushman hardly utters a word watching the scene and seems to linger in a state of deep shock at what he sees, Lundgren gets upset and swears to the old man that his family won't have died in vain.

A noble reaction, but probably one the Bushman wouldn't accept, also because it is not in his nature.

From here on the movie returns to his old actioner cliche' of Rambo's fame.

Naturally, somebody must have had some doubts on how to end the movie, but such doubts didn't last very long... Pity!

Lundgren seems more comfortable acting with the Bushman than surrounded by professional actors and at his level it is more than comprehensible. This is also where he is at his best.

So, in conclusion, if you are a Tarzan fan, this movie comes very close to that genre, with a touch of Rambism and a touch of Italian Stave Reeves' Hercules you may be served.

If you thought about a deep movie, this is absolutely not it.

It's pure escapism with a touch of sprinkled Pathos on top.

I would still recommend it just for the poor Bushman who did his job with honesty and generosity.

If you are an actor or a Drama student watch him carefully because you may still learn a thing or two about how an amateur can sometimes steal the show from a professional, despite his training and upbringing.

I only wished somebody someday will finally retrace the Bushman's name and include it on the DVD or VHS tape cover. He deserves it more than Lundgren... ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A Good Action Packed Movie!
This was a very good movie. Braddock(Chuck Norris) is part of a delegation who is sent to negotiate the release of American P.O.W.s. Braddock immediately comes under fire. He then leads a secret rescue mission back to Vietnam. Here the action picks up. The jungle scenery is very original. There is one action sequence after the other. Braddick is forced to do battle with many of his old enemies. After many battles Braddock continues on his mission. The ending of the movie is very dramatic. The actors in this movie were very good as well. The movie also had a very good plot. Be sure to see this film. You will not be dissapointed.

A typical 80's action/adventure film..
This is one of several movies made during the 1980's that deals with the subject of American POW/MIA's being held in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Typically, the movie has the main character (in this case, Chuck Norris) finding evidence that the POW's are alive, and he sets off to rescue them.

That being said, the movie is a typical action/adventure shoot em' up film. While the movie is still enjoyable to watch, the special effects and audio/video quality definitely appear vintage. If you like this genre of film, you will no doubt enjoy this movie.

Great Action Flick
This is one of the greats of the 80's. Before cinematography took over and everything was just special effects. Chuck norris does a great job. And every war/action movie lover should have this in his collection

GIMME A BREAK!!!
This so called "movie" is nothing more than mindless flag-waving. People who were moved by this flick need to talk to some Vietnam vets to learn what really went on over there. There really is no such thing as a good Chuck Norris movie

Missing in Action
VERY EXCITING MOVIE!! CHUCK NORRIS BLAZES HIS WAY THROUGH VIETNAM TO RESCUE U.S. POWS. HE MOVES EVERYTHING IN HIS WAY. I WOULD RECCOMEND ANY OTHER CHUCK NORRIS MOVIES. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not bad Gary Daniels
Ok, I admit that I bought this DVD just because of Gary Daniels. He's one of the most gorgeous, watchable guys filmed. I could even watch him eating corn flakes for an hour. (He's the muscular, handsome, blue-eyed blond brit on the DVD cover).

That said, this movie has a solid, if not spectacular, plot and direction. There are some fairly good actors in the production. It ain't a "hollywood blockbuster". But it also wasn't made on a shoestring budget. I understand that this movie is one in a series of similiar films, so the production company undoubtably saves money by reusing their sets and props. Maybe you don't need to see all of the movies in the series to actually have "seen" them all. But if you want to watch one to see if it's your thing, you may as well make it this one because Gary Daniels is in it.

It's an "action movie" about special military ops whose job it is to penetrate a hostile environment and thwart some terrorists who obtain a nuclear device. If that movie scenario sounds like an appealing one to you, then you'll probably like this movie. There are some martial arts skills exhibited by Gary, who is well known for his abilities at such. But there is not as much as one would see in Gary's other movies. Non martial arts fans will probably enjoy the fight scenes because of his skills, and may find it a welcome improvement over the typical fight scenes you see in these sorts of movies (ie, clumsy, unskilled fighters badly faking punches). Martial arts fans will probably be disappointed that they don't get to see Gary show off more.

You probably don't expect much in the way of character development from this movie, and you won't get it. There is a hint of some potential romantic interest between a female lead and Gary, but that is unfortunately not explored. (When are producers going to figure out that you don't put a guy with Gary Daniels' sex appeal in a movie and then not exploit that?) She even chooses another guy over Gary later on. (Yeah right. Like that's believable).

One not to miss![.]
This movie and the rest of the series has single handedly fulfilled my life. I caught the last 30 minutes of Op III: Clear Target, on Showtime and as soon as it was over purchased the entire series from Amazon. Let me tell you....money WELL SPENT![.] Turns out Nu Image puts out six such [things] per year and that my friend is an undertaking. This is what happens when you build a sound stage in North Carolina. MAGIC. If they can turn this trash into a goldmine, anything is possible.
I've never laughed so hard at anything in my life. Just a word of advice, have your slow motion VCR or DVD player ready to go. The fun never stops.
And a special shout out to Op Creator Danny Lerner. Keep'em coming![.]

Horrible, Boring, Lame, Just A Waste Of Time !!!
This has to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I don't remember the last time I turned a movie off without watching the whole thing. The acting is honestly the worse acting I've ever seen in my life, the fighting is horrible and you can tell it's more then fake. I highly doubt anyone who has seen this movie has enjoyed it. This movie was just horrible, to anyone who hasn't seen it, keep it that way, because if you try and give it a chance, you'll be mad you did.

If your wanting to see a great Gary Daniels movie, get "Hawk's Vengeance", the acting in this movie isn't bad at all, and the plot is good.

MC

They spent maybe 5 dollars TOPS making this movie
This is another reason why NOT to see movies that don't come out in the theaters. None of them are any good. The movie's storyline wasn't that bad, the acting was pathetic, the action is what I call a "spray n' pray" film (where everyone fires dozens of rounds of ammunition and no one hits a darn thing). What made me the most upset was the movie's military misconceptions, like when the weapons supervisor said "M4 carb's 12 clips per, Glocks 9mills 6 clips per," nobody can hold that many M4 clips unless they had nothing else on! The military also doesn't issue Glocks (although they should, but that's a different topic). I know these are just little things, but things get worse (if that's possible). Look at how the RPGs float to the ground during the convoy attack (they're flying like foam footballs)! What about when the main character shoots 12 mines with a revolver that holds six shots, and he doesn't reload at all! Don't buy or rent this movie, the two hours you spend watching this could be spent with something more enjoyable, like watching grass grow! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Dolph Lundgren great again
I thought this movie was great, definitely one of Dolph's best, I thought he did an excellent job, as a quite killing machine, who was known as a man of few words. Some of the greatest action scenes as well, with terrific explosive effects. This movie has power, humor, excitement, and a great portray of how the Soviet Union is, with their communism. I was only 6 years old when this film came out, and went and saw it with my older brother at the theatres, and loved it even when i was just a little kid, but im not saying let a 6 year old watch this, that was a mistake for me to see it at that young,but Red Scorpion rocks, enjoy!!

My Favorite So-So Movie!
I don't know why I like "The Red Scorpion" so much, but I do. It's not because of the film's production values, which aren't bad, but don't set any standards for excellence. It's not because of the acting, which ranges from over-the-top to wooden. It's not because of the story line which is serviceable, with one exception -- there's a terrific sequence involving Dolph Lundgren and a bushman that is touching and funny and moves me every time I see the film. I'm hard-pressed to actually cite something specific about the film that makes it so much fun for me to watch. Lundgren is completely believable as a special forces soviet trooper. It may be the part he was born to play. His character is a trained killer but with a mind. And he uses it. I've watched this film a dozen or so times over the past decade. I finally bought it on DVD because my tape won't last forever. The DVD image is sharper than my VHS and the sound is clean. Special Features are sparse...I seem to recall some bios and, maybe, some stills. But maybe not. There's no commentary or "making of" feature. I bought the DVD because I think I'll want to see it many more times. It doesn't make sense to me when I think about why, but there it is! I really like this movie!

must see
this movie is great defenatky dolphs best the story was so gret best ever much better than something like platoon or kip great 5 star action

A New Lord is Born
Dolph Lordgren kicks mucho buttero in this movie. Nicknamed "Red Scorpion," the lord went against his own people to save others. Bar fights, explosions and gun battles are common in this goddage movie. Yes, lordage.

When people share one thing... humanity!
A lot of words have been spent describing, criticizing or simply discarding this movie. Pity, after all it's an inoffensive adventure movie a la Tarzan and as such it should be considered.

My three stars go out to the poor bushman who probably played himself and didn't get mentioned in the credits.

He's actually the reason why this movie is worth watching. All the rest is cheap anti-communism propaganda of the lowest and brainless level.

The director seems to tell us "Hey guys, the Communists got it up their a... in Afghanistan and in Africa too, so why should we blame our boys for having lost the Vietnam War?".

The script came from a spoiled child with too much time to do something useful with it.

And yet, despite all the "propaganda" bit, "Red Dawn" it is not... if you know what I mean. Thank God for that!

It's the simple story of a Spetnaz (the russian equivalent to Special Forces in the U.S. Army or the S.A.S. in the British Army) who gets an assignment as an undercover hitman to kill an African rebel leader.

Unfortunately for him, once in the midst of the Rebel group he starts to understand why they revolt and sympathises with their cause.

Bad mistake! He's captured by the Russian secret service, tortured and thrown out of the Spetnaz with dishonor.

Abandoned in the midst of an unknown African wilderness, he's suddenly confronted with the harshness of the land and must learn very fast how to survive in it.

Unfortunately for him some lessons learned are soon forgotten thanks to exhaustion and sleepiness. In fact, no sooner is he asleep that a very venomous scorpion decides to sting him.

The real movie starts here. Will he survive or not? Well, thanks to the said Bushman he gets his skin saved for a little longer.

At first, the giant Lundgren mocks the little man for being so primitive and so backward and seems to take pleasure at teasing him, despite his gratefulness for having being saved by the Bushman.

Very soon though the positions get reversed, and this is the really interesting plot twist of the movie. Lundgren is not a great actor, or even an actor at all, but in his clumsiness and genuine naivete' he gets through in convincing us about his helplessness out there in the wild.

Soon enough the wisdom of the old Bushman gets revealed to him and now a true friendship starts to ensue between two worlds as alien and as far apart as can be.

Not only do they become friends but start to respect each other as human beings, and out of this relationship comes the final strong reaction of Lundgren when he sees that the Bushman's entire village, family and friends have been wildly butchered by so-called "civilized" people. Lungren's own bunch.

While the Bushman hardly utters a word watching the scene and seems to linger in a state of deep shock at what he sees, Lundgren gets upset and swears to the old man that his family won't have died in vain.

A noble reaction, but probably one the Bushman wouldn't accept, also because it is not in his nature.

From here on the movie returns to his old actioner cliche' of Rambo's fame.

Naturally, somebody must have had some doubts on how to end the movie, but such doubts didn't last very long... Pity!

Lundgren seems more comfortable acting with the Bushman than surrounded by professional actors and at his level it is more than comprehensible. This is also where he is at his best.

So, in conclusion, if you are a Tarzan fan, this movie comes very close to that genre, with a touch of Rambism and a touch of Italian Stave Reeves' Hercules you may be served.

If you thought about a deep movie, this is absolutely not it.

It's pure escapism with a touch of sprinkled Pathos on top.

I would still recommend it just for the poor Bushman who did his job with honesty and generosity.

If you are an actor or a Drama student watch him carefully because you may still learn a thing or two about how an amateur can sometimes steal the show from a professional, despite his training and upbringing.

I only wished somebody someday will finally retrace the Bushman's name and include it on the DVD or VHS tape cover. He deserves it more than Lundgren... ... Read more