Golpe de estado

Ouch! That word applies in so many ways to this (so-called) political action thriller. The plot is painful, as is the acting and direction. And of course there's the scene where one of the numb-nuts heroes (Roger Wilson)gets his genitals hooked up to jumper cables, resulting in . . . well . . . numb nuts.

The two protagonists are reporters/photographers who get reluctantly involved in a government takeover in a South American country. In the mix are Communists, terrorists, the C.I.A.(as represented by John Phillip Law), and the national army. The two American characters (Lewis Van Bergen and the previously-mentioned Wilson) are really obnoxious, "wisecrack" even when they are being tortured, and are supposedly "macho" guys, although the end result of their characterizations is anything BUT "macho." (Please note the scene where the two are practically 'cuddling" on the floor when they are being held prisoner about a third of the way through the film. Their "American abroad" attitude is incredibly condescending to Latino culture; in that, these two morons might remind Eurotrash fans of the idiotic pair of heroes in the Kommisar X films of the 60's.)

Anyhow, this film is only 81 minutes long on the VHS copy I paid a buck for; even that, though, seemed like an eternity.

Not surprisingly, the plot here -- while dealing with impending revolution in a Latin America country -- offers no political viewpoints or insights. The revolution, with casual references to drug dealers and American involvement, is simply an excuse for one of those straight-to-video affairs in which the hero gets involved in chases, shootouts, fistfights, explosions, etc. These affairs can be entertaining but this one suffers from lax editing, flat dialog, shallow characterizations, and uninspired direction.

A charismatic leading man can make a difference. Here we have two candidates: Lewis Van Bergen and Roger Wilson. Unfortunately, Van Bergen looks a bit like Harpo Marx and Wilson has trouble even rising to the level of "second banana." However, as is often the case in Fabrizio de Angelis' movies, these two are still required to do a scene of "beefcake bondage." Government agents take them to a "laundry room" where a bare-chested Van Bergen has his head repeatedly pushed down into a tub of water while Wilson, stripped to his briefs and strapped in a chair, is subjected to electric shocks. Since Van Bergen gets top-billing and plays the dominant character, you'd expect him to receive the more dramatic torture, yet Wilson is the "star" of this sequence. While Van Bergen is crouched down in a dim corner of the room, with his head shoved underwater, Wilson sits under a bright light, thus getting to show off his bare torso. Much attention is then given to the interrogator pulling out the waistband of Wilson's briefs before sticking a pair of live electrical wires down into his victim's crotch. Needless to say, Wilson yells and writhes as the most sensitive area of his anatomy is repeatedly "zapped." (An on-looker in the room sarcastically expresses the hope that Wilson has already procreated children.)

Perhaps the feeling was that the "hero" of the tale shouldn't be subjected to such an embarrassing torture, one that so obviously lessens his virility. Or perhaps the director simply came to the conclusion that Wilson had a better physique than Van Bergen and so should be the one who gets his "beefcake" more prominently displayed.

In any case, this torture scene is probably the only moment you're likely to remember in this oh-so-forgettable movie.

The story was a good thought and the actors worked well with what they had. Could have used more charater developement, but they did quite well with the lines given them. I would have liked to have seen how the friendship between the two main characters began, and why they were loyal to each other. Also, would have liked to have known more about the "bad guy".