L.A. Bounty

This is the last film Sybil Danning made before "retiring" from the screen for about 18 years (and making a comeback now, in 2007). Starring, writing the story and co-producing, Sybil fashioned herself here as a female Charles Bronson - "the strong, silent type", as even another character calls her. The problem is that her character is such a blank that she isn't interesting - maybe a few one-liners and / or arrogant smiles would have helped. The other problem is that she relies almost exclusively on her guns and doesn't get to throw even a single punch. She does handle her weaponry in a very professional, serious-minded manner, but I, for one, was disappointed that she didn't have even one tiny fight. Wings Hauser tries very hard to make his villain eccentric, but his performance is only slightly less uninspired than the rest of the movie. The production is cheap and low-grade (though the stuntmen do a good job), and the big "twist" of the plot is ludicrous. (*1/2)

A L.A. mayoral candidate is kidnapped by psycho Cavanaugh (Wings Hauser) and held for a $500,000 ransom. On the case is Ruger (Sybil Danning), a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter who has a past with, of course, Cavanaugh. This was one of Danning's last vehicles before retiring in the late 80s and it is quite a change of pace for her. The story is credited to Danning ("Hey, let's make a movie where I am a bad ass.") and it is unlike any female action flick I can think of, mostly because her character is so tough and there is no focus on her sexuality. Ruger is the strong, silent type and only has maybe 7 lines in the entire film (IMDb trivia here says Danning only speaks 31 words throughout the picture). Director Worth Keeter was a product of Earl Owensby's North Carolina studio and handles all of the action well. The real highlight is, naturally, Wings Hauser in another trademark unhinged performance. Wings was doing lots of low budget cop hero roles around this time, so it is cool to see him slide back into the sleazy VICE SQUAD/Ramrod style. Quick supporting players include Robert Quarry, Branscombe Richmond, Bob Minor and Blackie Dammett.

By way of introduction, I should say up front that I have enjoyed all sorts of silly b-movies that Sybil Danning appeared in. And b-movies in general. Even the 'so bad they're good' ones, which can provide some admittedly snarky entertainment. I'm also certainly partial to those released in the 1980's. Hey, I own a LOT of Fred Olen Ray titles AND the 4k blu ray of Howling 2: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (fans of the b-movie genre will know what I'm getting at with those two references)!

Can't say as I found much of anything - even by way of cinematic cheese or Fool's Gold - to keep me engaged with L. A. Bounty, however.

I was all in for the first ten minutes or so. The flick opened up with a couple of laughably over-the-top scenes which set up the plot and the two main characters. So, I settled in for what I hoped would be a silly direct to home video late 1980's flick. I had no recollections of having seen this movie back in the day and figured with Danning and Wings Hauser in the cast it'd be good for a few giggles.

After the opening scenes, though, L. A. Bounty quickly ground to a halt.

From what has been reported about the movie in terms of a backstory, the genesis of L. A. Bounty began in 1984 when Danning and her then-manager came up with the idea of a film that would sort of copy the Charles Bronson/Dirty Harry template of a cop seeking vengeance, with Danning in the cop role. Basically, a vehicle for Danning to transition into roles that didn't involve her getting disrobed or emphasize her body, two features which were basically her calling cards in terms of movie roles up to that point. After 4 years in the idea stage and 18 months of stop and start production, L. A. Bounty emerged.

I suppose it may have been a fundamental mistake from the start for Danning to want to star in a movie that didn't involve her getting naked and relied on her acting. Mostly because, well, to be frank it wasn't her acting skills that made her a b-movie Queen in the first place. And L. A. Bounty with its $2 million USD budget was never going to be anything other than a b-movie.

However, that choice to keep Danning fully clothed didn't necessarily doom the movie from being entertaining. What needed to happen was shift the focus from the nudity to the stunts and violence. Sort of amp up the shootouts, car crashes, fights and gore.

Unfortunately, L. A. Bounty didn't do much by way of anything in terms of the action to offset Danning's choice to stay robed. A decent opening salvo and a decent last 5 minutes. In between were about 70 minutes stocked full of film flab. Lots of shots of Danning sitting around or walking around or driving around although not speaking much - she says maybe 50 words in the whole movie, in trying to keep with that Charles Bronson/Clint Eastwood dialogue minimalism - interspersed with other shots of other characters sitting around or walking around or driving around. The other characters unlike Danning DO have speaking lines, but the script is routine and uninteresting.

The concluding scenes, as I said, were okay but after 70 minutes of boredom the net effect of the ending didn't provide me with much other than a sense of relief as a viewer that the movie was over. Even at only an 85-minute running time, L. A. Bounty is a slog to get through.

About the only saving grace is the participation of Wings Hauser as the arch villain. He gets a scene in the beginning, a couple of scenes in the middle and one in the end. All of which he clearly enjoys hamming it up, going over the top in that inimitable Hauser way re: gleefully violently maniacal.

So, three out of ten stars for L. A. Bounty, solely for Wings Hauser. Like I said, I had enjoyed a lot of other things Danning and Hauser had done and own more than a few of their movies in my home collection. Thus, recently when I found out about L. A. Bounty, I was wondering why I hadn't heard about the title before. Like, how could I have missed THIS one? Well, I watched it and found out why. Not saying it's the worst cheaply made b-movie I've ever seen or anything along those lines, but just something that is by and large going through the motions in a lazy way.

In the 1980s Sybil Danning gained a small cult following playing tough women, whether wearing sandals and carrying a sword, in uniform with a gun, or flying spaceships in some sci-fi future. Here she stars as Ruger, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter, out to avenge her partner, killed by crime-lord Cavanaugh (Wings Hauser). Heard the story before? Yes, and you've seen this film before too, at least a dozen times. There are no surprises here and no attempt at anything original. That's the downside.

On the other hand, it's pretty well made. The plot is slight but hangs together, sets, dialog and direction are OK, and some of the acting is surprisingly good. Hauser has made a lot of films and it's easy to see why. As a demented Chris Walken style bad guy, he's both nasty and charismatic. The various cops and heavies and the main female victim do fine in support, and then there's Danning. She wrote and produced this film, and rarely can a star have created a role for her/himself with so little dialog. Even when spoken to, she simply doesn't reply. She broods silently, stalks about with a big gun in her hand, and, when she fires it, rarely misses. Not the world's greatest actor, Danning knows her strengths and brings this off better than most tough-guy actors could. But if this character does anything else at all (eat maybe? sleep? make love?) we never find out about it.

Female action heroes are common enough nowadays (though not so much back in the 80s) but in movies like Kill Bill and The Long Kiss Goodnight, they're always given some point of vulnerability. Here there is none. Ruger is a hard and competent winner, which is great – it's just a shame she was given no other life or personality at all.

There's no particular reason to go looking for this film, but if you like tough women or mindless action entertainment, you should enjoy it. It's fun and much better than the low rating suggests.

Hauser plays a sadistic & cunning drug-lord in this one. He's a real madman & he's clearly having a lot of fun playing one. Sybil Danning plays a hard-boiled ex-cop turned bounty hunter out for revenge. Out to get Hauser, that is, because years ago he killed her partner. This flick really isn't that much worse than some of the early works of Steven Seagal, JC Van Damme or even Arnie Schwarzenegger. So, know what to expect and you'll have some fun with it. It's all nonsense, naturally, but we get some bloody shoot-outs (western-style, even), car chases, torturings & female nudity. Not much to complain about. One to watch if you're a Hauser fan for sure. He's stealing the show here.