Riot

Good action movie. It may start out a little slow the first 10 or 15 minutes, but once Gary enters the riot zone, the movie becomes a non stop action fest! Lots of shooting and fighting to keep action fans happy. The stunts are good as well. The last one in particular is amazing! See the movie. I bet you will be amazed as well. Another winner from PM! Keep up the good work guys!

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)

Yes, it's time for yet more mayhem from those ever dependable guys at PM Entertainment. This typically fun entry stars Gary Daniels as an SAS soldier who is enlisted to rescue the (very beautiful) daughter of the UK ambassador who has been seized hostage by a group amidst the chaos of an urban riot. As it turns out a) the daughter is also our mans love interest (wow! - what a coincidence eh?!) and b) the miscreants who have taken her are actually secretly employed by an IRA faction who have specifically targeted her in order to lure our hero into their sinister trap (wow! - Now if that's not a ridiculously convoluted plot then I don't know what is!) Of course when one sits to watch a PM Entertainment flick one must immediately disregard the concept of intelligent plotting however, rather one should simply switch off ones disbelief, relax and enjoy the ensuing plethora of crazy stunts and action set pieces. Sure enough, director Joseph Merhi doesn't disappoint and delivers some spectacular action goodies here including a particularly dangerous looking sequence involving a group of bikers attacking our hero.

Special mention also to the presence of former world boxing champ, Sugar Ray Leonard who shows that he's still as nifty as ever with those fists of his; His acting however.....um........well, that's quite another story.....

As far as straight to video action films go, this is superb and is worth adding to your DVD collection, particularly if you are a fan of the other titles from PM Entertainment.

If you are a fan of hard-edged action films like "The Warriors" and "Judgment Night", then you will certainly appreciate the concept of this film. It is basically an on-foot chase movie through deserted streets, punctuated by superb martial arts choreography and action scenes. You will have to be forgiving of the acting in the film, which is quite atrocious and usually commonplace in straight to video fare, but most of the performances are done "tongue in cheek" which makes for a very fun night in! Gary Daniels has never been a very good actor, but he certainly looks great and has nice charisma. But what counts in a film like this is the action and it's fantastic, although maybe a notch down from PM's best work. This is understandable though, because it is more martial arts orientated, as opposed to their usual demolition derby style films.

The martial arts are superb and there is one amazing scene where Gary Daniels single handedly takes on numerous guys on motorbikes. It is quite reminiscent of the finale of "Drive"! The stunts are breathtaking and Joseph Merhi shows off some of his best editing yet, with well-timed cuts of people smashing through panes of glass or hitting the ground violently. The explosions are fantastic and prove why PM are the best in the business for blowing shite up! Cars don't just ignite, they flip over and land dangerously next to actors.

So watch with low expectations and remember that it is very low budget and you will have a great time. Get the DVD, its only $6.99!

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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