Born Killer

As I write this the sequel to Top Gun is raking in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Meh. I never even bothered to watch the first one and why would I when I grew up in a decade where fine films like this one were being cranked out in abundance? Nope, you can keep your homoerotic war propaganda flicks and I'll stick with the movies that really matter and, indeed, Born Killer is pure cinematic excellence, checking off most if not all the important boxes for what constitutes a REAL movie. Mindless violence? Check. Nudity? Check. Plot makes practically no sense and doesn't even try? Check. Yeah, there's a plot hole or two. Or three. Or four. But who's to say? I mean, back in those days it might have been common to leave full boxes of dynamite in old mine shafts that also had electricity, even though they were out in the middle of nowhere with no power lines. And maybe guns had bigger clips in those days, as it took the entire movie for Ted Prior's character to run out of bullets. Also, aside from dynamite, people also left full cans of gas, buckets of paint and propane tanks laying around in abandoned shacks that, for some reason, never got looted by the locals. And never mid that most escaped convicts would either run like hell or go into hiding. It could happen and who cares if it couldn't? It's fun, dumb stuff that never gets old and I'm grateful they made tons of these things back in the day, as they sure aren't making them now.

In BORN KILLER, it's the paintball enthusiasts vs. The escaped convicts, after a deadly prison riot results in two of the miscreants running around, loose. The most psychotic of the pair, Spencer (Ted Prior, channeling the future Christian Bale) and the less-insane, Anderson (Adam Tucker) evade police, eventually moving in on the paintballers.

Said police force is an army of imbeciles. Led by Sheriff Stone (Ty Hardin), one wonders just how these clowns were ever entrusted with badges and guns!

Paintballs and bullets fly, causing one of the paintball geeks to have a full, PTSD meltdown, complete with flashbacks. He's quickly transformed into Super-Rambo-Chuck Norris, leading up to the seemingly endless, shirtless, showdown finale!

Holy cow! We didn't even discuss the dynamite that just happens to be lying around, or the rape scene, or the cockroach attack, or the power ballad that haunts this film like a sappy ghost!

No, David A. Prior didn't direct this wonderwork, but he did write it!...

My review was written in May 1990 after watching the movie on AIP video cassette.

Action International regulars team up for the enjoyable and farfetched survival pic "Born Killer, a direct-to-video release.

Fritz Matthews plays a war vet out with his practical-joking buddies for weekend war games. They team up with a bunch of pretty women, led by Francine Lapensee, for a coed game.

Coincidentally, Ted Prior (who co-scripted with his brother, David) is a con escaped from a chain gang who terrorizes the gamesters. Making the film work (and paradoxically, hard to believe) is the round-robin contrivance of the authorities hunting down both Prior's bunch and the young survivalists.

This makes for some fun in mistaken identities as the war games turn real. Prior and Matthews are good adversaries, culminating in some man a mano action. An irony is that Matthew, the good guy, has the "Born to Kill" tattoo, not prior, the sadistic killer.

Western star Ty Hardin has an interesting character role as the evil sheriff. A clever switch has the townsfolk forming a mob to prevent the sheriff from lynching the kids, the opposite of a traditional actioner.

In her debut as director after production experience, Kimberley Casey shows some prowess with both actors and action.

I was really stunned when I first saw this movie. It made me feel uncomfortable.

I like this movie.

Because it makes me think: What the director intends to convey, the significance of the imageries, the symbols, the allusions, Though it really, like others said, glorifies crime, almost all heroes are crowned because of killing. In some way, this movie satirizes the typical heroes, killing for their own interest, like some great emperors.

At the same time, I don't like this movie.

There are too many violent and bloody scenes. And some situations are absurdly exaggerated. How can a man, bare-handed, surrounded by police and guns, successfully escape?

fritz Matthews and Ted prior are my two favorite David prior regulars and they are really believable in born killer. this movie is of course ultra-violent in ways you can imagine however this one actually has a plot.

2 deranged convicts one being played by (in the most convincing and strong turn from his good guy roles) Ted prior. they escape from prison and all of a sudden interrupt a paint ball game going on nearby. there prior meets nick played by ( the amazing fritz Matthews in a final movie role/yet a strong performance). prior decides to pick on Matthews and his friends but when he cant take it anymore he decides to strike revenge.

this movie is not about paint ball gun, its all about brain-vs brawn the only play you can find this movie at is on amazon/ebay. director Kimberly Casey has a ideal potential on becoming a good director. this movie is an edge-on-your-seat thriller Matthews and prior are great in their roles, sadly fritz Matthews quit acting somehow, he could of gone somewhere with his career but i guess he wanted more opportunities. therefore if you like Ted prior then its a must-see