Cyber Tracker

First things first, I hate low budget Sci-Fi. When I think of low budget Sci-Fi, I think of Albert Pyun. Which is not a not a pleasant thought. In fact, in general I don't like much Sci-Fi at all with the likes of Terminator being one of the few exceptions. I was in a shop which sold second hand VHS and DVD when I stumbled upon this with the price tag of £2.99. Noticing it was a PM Entertainment production who've been responsible for some very good DTV action material and that it starred Don "The Dragon" Wilson who I've had a soft spot for after seeing Ring Of Fire 3: Lion Strike, I decided that to throw down £3 that could just as easily disappear on a couple of beers was probably worth it. And for what it was, in my mind it was certainly worth those three English pounds!

I'm not quite sure when the setting of this movie is. The world it is based in, is not in the slightest bit futuristic bar all the computers. All of the vehicles are those of 80's/early 90's, so I'm guessing that it's set not long after it's present day and that computers have suddenly taken a huge leap in technology. In fairness though, computers in the 90's did advance hugely, with the sudden take off of the internet around 1995 and by now having grown into something which almost everyone I know has in their home. They just did not evolve *quite* as much in a short period of time as this movie may suggest. But anyway, even though the non futuristic world is probably due to the budget of the production, it certainly looks a lot less corny to look at nowadays than the world Timecop portrays as 2004, where you just tell a computer in your car where to go and it takes you home! Or the world that Escape From New York portrays as 1997, where Manhattan is one large high security prison!

Granted, this is much more of an action flick than a Sci-Fi flick and all the better for it. Special effects are kept to a minimum and those that are there are certainly acceptable. It's hard to call it a Terminator rip off as it brings new things of it's own, even if they are rather basic, rather than machine vs machine. This time, we have a human targeted by the villains with machines called "Cyber-Trackers". Unfortunately for them though, our Cyber-Tracker is no T-1000, as it appears to be a rather basic machine without much of a brain which does nothing but fire directly at it's target therefore can be easily outsmarted and burnt out.

The movie is full of your typically exaggerated PM Entertainment fiery action which is always a hell of a lot of fun. Some exciting car chases, shoot outs, and entertaining fight scenes are what keeps the movie going.

As with most Don "The Dragon" Wilson flicks, the acting is mediocre at best, with him being probably the best actor here and if you're the type who's concerned about that kind of stuff, then this could be a huge drawback. But some excellent action scenes, good pacing and a rather entertaining finale, rise it above mediocrity.

At the end of the day, it's not something that's going to change the weather or leave a huge impression on you after watching but it's fine entertainment, and is certainly light years above the Albert Pyun school of DTV Sci-Fi junk. Go in not expecting much, and you may just come out enjoying it like I did.

Rating: 06/10

Of course I had never heard about this 1994 action sci-fi movie titled "Cyber Tracker" prior to sitting down and watching it. I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance here in 2024, and seeing that the movie was starring Don Wilson, of course I opted to give the movie a chance.

The storyline in the movie was sort of adequate. I mean, it wasn't particularly original, as it felt like writer Jacobsen Hart was borrowing a lot from the "Terminator" movie. But it proved to be an entertaining enough movie, if you enjoy these low budget action flicks.

The movie had a couple of familiar faces on the cast list. Aside from Don Wilson, the movie also had the likes of Richard Norton and John Aprea on the cast list. I will say that the acting performances in the movie were actually fair.

Visually then "Cyber Tracker" was an okay movie. The special effects were not top notch, but they served their purpose well enough. Of course you could see that the movie was a low budget one. I love how all cars apparently blow up in a massive fireball whenever they crash into one another. And the lovely face mask of the tracker when he walked out of a building while encased in flames, I was laughing so hard at that scene.

"Cyber Tracker" is a pretty generic and formulaic early 1990s action movie, for better or worse.

My rating of director Richard Pepin's 1994 movie "Cyber Tracker" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Plot Synopsis: Los Angeles in the future. Crime is kept under control by Core Trackers, android assassins dispatched by the United States Computerized Judicial System to execute the guilty. Secret Service agent Eric Phillips prevents an attack on his boss, Senator Robert Dilly (the man who set up the USCJS), by the Union for Human Rights, a group of anti-machine activists. Dilly attempts to initiate Phillips into his private circle but the SS agent goes on the run after witnessing Dilly murder a UHR agent in cold blood. Dilly sends Core Trackers after him. Phillips joins the UHR group & helps them uncover a conspiracy involving Dilly.

"Cyber Tracker" is the first of a number of sci-fi / action hybrids directed by Richard Pepin, co-founder of PM Entertainment, a powerhouse of action films during the 1990s. Other Pepin films include "Hologram Man", "T-Force", "The Silencers" & "Dark Breed". Pepin films typically start with a major action sequence which lasts about 10 minutes before allowing the plot to kick in. The script for this film has a few plot holes – it is never clear what the conspiracy the heroes are trying to stop actually is. As for the acting, Don "The Dragon" Wilson may be tough but cannot act for beans, with little charisma. His co-stars are a lot better. The film's best bet are the action scenes, which throw up some impressive artillery fire, a huge bodycount & not one but three moments where a vehicle flies through the air, flips & hits the ground, exploding. The visual effects border on the cheap side & the musical score is low-key & shrill.

This is one more film in a long series started by Terminator, about overmuscled androids fighting righteous humans. It is certainly hard to achieve something close to what the big budget Hollywood machine can do in effects, directing, and buying good actors. However, CyberTracker is not that bad - it has some logic, avoids awful acting, or too cheap effects. I have seen much worse in this genre. 5 out of 10 on my personal scale.

Finally saw my very first Don "The Dragon" Wilson movie and I can only assume that his other movies are going to be this $#!++y so I can't wait to assimilate. Cybertracker is a very clumsy and a poorly made film. The main issue I have is that the action is sloppier than a mother******. Badly choreographed martial arts, retarded chase scenes I mean....ugh. Everything else cries mediocre (acting) to descent (cinematography) enough but the story did have some potential. I liked it but in a "maybe once every three years I'll watch this stupid piece of $#!+" type of like.