Lethal Christmas - Feuer in den Straßen

'Riot' stands out in PM Entertainment's catalog. First it was part of a collection of titles the company decided to put more money behind. You'll notice it first as a studio lot subs for a real city street where the heart of the film's set pieces go down. Then the quality of explosions, pyro work is above & beyond for a dtv pix. Solid stunt work too. Shame the story is largely a bore.

SAS Maj. Alcott (Gary Daniels) in the States helping to train troops is called upon when the UK Ambassador's daughter Anna (Paige Rowland) is kidnapped during an LA riot. She's not only being held for ransom, but a well known fashion model and his ex girlfriend too. As the city burns and goes into lockdown, Shane battles thugs by fist or guns at night to both get in, get the girl and then get out.

You get a straight laced government suit role from Charles Napier and in a bit of stunt casting Sugar Ray Leonard as fellow US army man and Alcott's friend Maj. Williams. Unfortunately for second billing he only gets one sole fight scene and pops up at the start and a little towards the end. It's really Daniels film and he does a fine job of what's asked of him. Likable and good with the martial arts. Patrick Kilpatrick is here playing another baddie, but his role and how it ties in is very disjointed.

I wanted a better time with 'Riot' than what I received. Few pieces of unintentional funny dialog, cheesy fake accents and decent fight scenes that'll make you think about 'The Warriors' with a 'Escape From NY' vibe keep it from every being a pain. Christmas theme complete with tunes as dudes get the brakes beat off of 'em is memorable. All this wasn't enough to overcome an uninteresting plot though.

This movie is not about the riot; the riots are simply something that provides a distraction that allows a kidnapping to occur. I suppose it is not any more stupid than similar action movies, but it sure is stupid if you are expecting a realistic view of the riots.

It is opportunistic in that it uses the riots to make us think it is interesting and worthwhile. The riots were not a good solution and will not be a good solution to problems, but this movie does not show any of the desperation and other social influences that caused the riots. In this movie, the only purpose of the riot is to provide the opportunity to make the black people the enemy.

It is racist because nearly all the black people are the bad guys.

There is a military influence to the story, and that makes the plot more complicated, but that does not help much.

This TV Movie is one of many aimed towards the martial-arts action market, the type that goes straight to video and has clearly been done on a budget, but can nevertheless be reviewed critically. Riot sets out to do one thing: provide a platform for the butt-kicking skills of its star, Gary Daniels. He may not be Robert De Niro in the acting stakes but within his own domain, that of the B-list actioner, he is king of all he surveys.

The "plot": When his ex-fiancé, the daughter of the city's (we don't know which) British ambassador is kidnapped in an inner city riot zone on Christmas Eve, stateside stationed SAS man Shane Allcott has to come to the rescue by delivering the money to her ransomers. In doing so he comes face to face with his past, in the form of IRA terrorists.

I would imagine that fans of this kind of low budget action fest would not go far wrong with Riot. I do not count myself in their number, but sticking with this film for its 80 minutes was no chore, especially given some very competently made stunts, fight sequences, and chases. These are especially good when they are taken seriously, because at times the film can be quite powerful, specifically the scene where Sugar Ray Leonard's character falls from Shane Allcott's (Daniels) grip and onto the pavement some twenty storeys below. Seeing that sequence was a real surprise in what I took to be a mindless action fest, and showed that even in simple or even plain silly movies, you can get great moments of film. Many of the scenes in the film have a nightmarish and excited feel, as the viewer is taken into the heart of the riot zone with Allcott. That part was well done, but unfortunately the rest of the film is a mixed bag.

Realism seems to have been sacrificed for simplicity, as the writers take the complex dynamic of the conflict between the SAS and IRA and turn it into a bunch of caricatures of various stereotypes, especially in the case of the two main villains the (get this) o'Flaherty brothers, Brian and Paddy. One of them even looks like Vernon Wells in Commando. You would not find a more clichéd stereotype in an Irish theme bar. Same goes for the black gang members in the riot zone, who are built up as running things on a racial ideology, despite the very obvious multi-ethnic nature of the rioters. Although the fight scenes are well done, any pretence that the IRA are represented accurately must surely be dispensed with. The acting is generally good, with the exception of Paige Rowland, who should have been blacklisted for her attempts. The film at times feels like a cheap spoof, but as I mentioned it does have its moments, and these are when Gary does what he does best - flex his muscles and dispatch armies of villains.

All the action is handled well, not surprisingly as this is a specialist production by an experienced team. The climax is well done on a technical level, but lacks the spectacle which a few camera angles could have changed. Charles Napier, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Dex Elliot Sanders all put in good performances, but in Napier's case this is just for a cameo. I'll ignore the lack of logic in the plot and accept this is a made for video Gary Daniels action flick.

In all, fans of this type of thing will feel at home. Anyone else, if they can put aside the simplicity of this picture, may find something they like too.

5.5/10

Gary Daniels stars as a soldier who, with Sugar Ray Leonard dive into gang territory to save the ex-girlfriend of Daniels, seems our English hero's girlfriend(Also English)is the daughter of an ambassador and the IRA are looking to hold her for ransom and well you can guess pretty much what happens next. I saw this a couple months ago on HBO (or was it Showtime, in any-case thank goodness I take notes) and this was pretty much what I expected it to be. Of course the movie was a PM effort so this meant that there was tons of mindless action and plot threads which make no sense, of course all of this is made acceptable by the fact that Gary Daniels is a good martial artist and that the the action sequences deliver the expected punch that you would hope for. However much more disappointing is the lack of Sugar Ray Leonard who only gets one big action sequence. Also on the wasted front are Charles Napier and Patrick Kilpatrick. Good old Patrick Kilpatrick, he's made a living playing these type of roles (From Death Warrant to Substitute IV) and he is always convincing. So basically I give it a two star rating because I derived some mild enjoyment from this title, however it's only for fans of this genre. I can't imagine anyone else deriving much from this movie. Of course I'm a fan of the genre and this while not great, was a pretty watchable movie. Perfect with Beer and Pizza. Then again what isn't perfect with that combo?

* * out of 4-(Fair)

Today we have the PM gem Riot - a film that takes place during the "Christmas Eve Riots". Shane Alcott (Daniels) is a former SAS soldier in America to train U.S. forces. All he wants to do on Christmas eve is do a little training, rescue the neighbor kids Sue and Johnny after Johnny stupidly puts a microwave pizza in the oven while still in the box, and have a beer at the local hangout with his buddy Maj. Williams (Leonard). But OH no, Shane can't get a moment's peace. During the riots ravaging the city, an evil gang of Crips, working in conjunction with the IRA (bet you never thought you'd see that combination) kidnaps Anna Lisa Gray (Rowland), the daughter of Ambassador Gray (Ron Barker), and love interest of Shane. So, Shane ventures into this urban war zone to rescue the girl. With some help from his compatriot Williams, Shane must battle an army of street thugs, Crips and IRA, led by the sinister Bryan O'Flaherty (Kilpatrick). Will Shane prevail? Riot's plot is as standard as they come - action hero must rescue the girl - but it is cloaked in the device of the "Riot". PM, staying attuned to the times, was obviously trying to capitalize on the L.A. Riots, Rodney King riots, and the riots that occur every time the Lakers win or lose any of their games. Throw in some elements from The Warriors (1979), Escape From New York (1981), and Jungleground (1995) with Roddy Piper, add Gary Daniels and Voila - you have a movie perfect for the direct to video market.

Additionally, the solid B-movie cast helps things a lot. Patrick Kilpatrick is dependable in anything we've seen him in, and the puzzling, but successful casting of Sugar Ray Leonard of all people works because he's a great counterpart to Daniels in the fight scenes. Daniels' style is more Asian-influenced, while Leonard brings the boxing flair. Dex Elliott Sanders as the evil Leon "Shy Boy" Hughes is also worth mentioning . And let's not forget Charles Napier cast once again in a nothing role as a commander, this time named Devaney. The cast tries to bring as much emotion as possible to the proceedings. But really, the film is non-stop action. The desolate urban landscape with its burnt-out cars provides a great obstacle course for our hero. Some of the stunt scenes are absolutely amazing and the people that worked on them deserve all the accolades in the world. Special mention goes to the scene towards the end where a bunch of baddies on motorbikes attack Shane. PM outdid themselves on that one.

Another thing PM was trying to do here is explore the so-called "urban" markets (this also includes the Master P-helmed No Tomorrow and Hot Boyz - both 1999). Racial tensions are played up in the film, but what the audience really wants to see is Gary Daniels do what he does best. In this case, it's decimating entire baseball and hockey teams with his awesome moves. Also the audience wants to watch Sugar Ray Leonard pilot a helicopter. And speaking of giving the audience what they want, it is worth noting that the kid from the beginning, Johnny, has a framed picture of a hamburger on his wall. If you can explain this, please write in today.

For a Christmas-themed action-packed thrill ride, look no further than Riot.

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