I will give John Saxon some credit: he works a lot. The versatile character actor has played so many variations of himself over the years that he is almost like a reverse method actor. The only real characterization that he gets is given to him by the script (i.e. Welcome to Spring Break's implication that his Sheriff character was into BDSM). How does he keep getting work? I honestly ask that question a lot. In fairness, his work in the last few years has consisted of one short film by Dario Argento, a couple forgettable horror films and the cinematic classic War Wolves, which co-stars Adrianne Barbeau and Tim Thomerson. Before he got there, he made today's movie. Sit back, get some red meat and enjoy my review of...
Our film begins with a group of prisoners trapped in a cage in Vietnam. Thankfully, John Saxon and a group of gun-toting commandos are there to save the day. Oh, and this movie is Heaven for lovers of Vietnam stock footage. There is something weird about our two captives though. When a Vietcong falls into their pit, they begin to eat her. Easy there, John McCain. When Saxon extends his arm to them, one of them bites it. Jump cut to years later and Saxon in bed. If you thought 'we need to see John Saxon shirtless in the first ten minutes,' you are one strange, albeit lucky, person. He complains about being haunted by the experience and talks about how he has to take his pills.
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Our plot thickens when a couple things happen. One of the two prisoners gets released from an asylum and a 'Lolita' tries to tempt him. He seemingly resists the temptation, but the movie is intentionally vague about what happens. I smell a late-film plot twist. His buddy tries to make contact, but Saxon is stand-offish about the whole thing. Cannibalism is better solo, I guess. He goes off to see a movie, but gets lured in by the taste of human flesh. The crazed man is chased off and hides out in a flea market. What about that security guard though? Oh, never mind- he's dead now. A long stand-off ensues (at least 10 minutes or so of an 85 minute film), culminating in Saxon talking down his friend. Oh well, all the drama is over now.
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Oh right, there is still more movie. Basically, the extended climax involves an outbreak of cannibalism. Evidently, it is a contagious disease spread by the men from Vietnam. Does anyone else besides them have it from the country? No. Do they explain what caused it? No. So Saxon, his two buddies and a doctor are running loose in the city. They kill the biker gang from earlier (they chased our crazy friend into the mall), for no other reason than to have another action scene. They are chased into the sewers and slowly get picked off. A couple neat scenes happen, including one man getting a hole blown through the center of his chest. Yes, you see it from every angle. Everyone dies eventually (some more bloodily than others) and we learn the truth about the Lolita and her brother. Here's a hint: they are no vegetarians.
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Honestly, this movie is not without merit. It is unabashedly bloody and full of action scenes. The movie almost never explains anything about how or why the infection works. You just get bit and *WHAM* you eat human flesh. In fairness, movies like Night of the Living Dead are about a zombie outbreak that simply happens...somehow. Saxon honestly does pretty well here, but the real standouts are the guys playing crazy. Even when he turns evil, John tries to act like the nice guy of the group, protecting the woman, etc. Aren't you still an eater of human beings, buddy? Just checking. You can do worse with the cannibal genre, although this film is certainly not a classic either.*
If you like really bad, low-budget horror, I have a doozy for you. You will not love it. Stay tuned...
I always thought I was alone on this one, but I completely agree with everything in this review. It is far far from the best in the Cannibal subgenre, and though there are aspects of the film I like, overall it was pretty boring and uneventful.
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