Sans alternative

There are two kinds of high ratings I tend to give to films: one for very good films and the other for films that are so terrible that they are actually truly wonderful. Deadly Outbreak falls firmly into the latter category.

This is one of two films I collectively remembered as "The Serbian bus movies". The reason being that I saw this film on a bus from Leskovac to Beograd, playing on a cruddy Kambrook TV/video held together by a leather belt and hanging from the roof of the bus. The film was dubbed in English with Cyrillic subtitles and sported its alternative title of Deadly Takeover - a truly surreal experience.

The movie should have come off as a sad and laughable 'almost' action film. However, Avery manages to combine its clichéd stick-to-formula plot, plywood cast, and recycled script into something much greater than it's individual parts.

Jeff Speakman reminded me of a Bruce Boxleitner look-a-like who'd indulged in one too many sprays from his bottle of 'eau de charisma'. But how could he go wrong with such classic enduring lines as: "This party sucks. There's not enough ice-cream, and way too many clowns!" Rochelle Swanson as the intelligent, ingenious biochemist, Dr Allie Levin, manages to fool us into believing her nothing but a simple bimbo who continually fails in her attempts to aid our leading man. Well done. Ron Silver is our antagonist in this film and is, well, what can I say, Ron Silver. I'm sure he isn't really a bad man. Does he remind anyone else of Clayton from the TV series Benson? Overall a highly enjoyable experience, more comedy than action, if you are the kind of person who thrives on hearty B-Grade attempts at popular film genres.

Unlike the extremely dull THE EXPERT, DEADLY OUTBREAK is more action packed and faster paced. Unfortunately, it's also ridiculously unrealistic and borderline cartoonish. The film begins nonchalantly but when the terrorists attack, well, credibility is quickly thrown out of the window. It was too much even for me. The security guards kept running blindly towards the terrorists who killed them on the spot. One after the other. It was like a cartoon or something, or a shooting gallery at an amusement park. Of course, with every security guard out of the way, there's only one man who can stop the terrorists: Jeff Speakman. So what 30 armed security guards couldn't do Jeff does effortlessly. Sure. I have to stop watching these direct to video Jeff Speakman flicks.

Aside from Ron Silver's usual wonderful, icy cool performance as the villain, the best thing about this Lethal Weapon knock-off is seeing how many action cliches you can spot. Deadly Outbreak is low-budget actioneer of the type that would star Segal, Willis or Van Damme if they had had any kind of a budget, but instead settles for a bunch of unknowns running through the most inane series of situations you can imagine (whenever someone isn't kicking someone else in the groin, or killing another hostage). Indeed, if you didn't know better, you'd think this was a Scary Movie-type of send-up of the genre. The Israeli setting gives the feeling that the producers got a subsidy from the government in order to attract some filmmaking business to Tel Aviv.

Probably the best thing you can say for this production is that for what must have been an extremely low budget, they managed to blow up an *extremely* large number of vehicles, planes, factories and what-not. All that said, however, the actors are not completely unattractive, and my teenage daughter says that I shouldn't be too hard on the movie. It still doesn't rate higher than a 3, though. Sorry!

This is a nice example of how a limted budgeted film, can still deliver. The basic premise is your basic bad guy wanting to unleash a killer virus that will bring about armageddon. No oscar for original screenplay here. What is original is the style in which director Rick AVery uses to film Speakmans rythmic fighting. Ron Silver delivers with a venomus preformance, that hints at Timecop,Arrival,etc. The real attraction here folks is Jeff Speakman, the kicker best remembered for The Perfect Weapon. His screen presence is big enough to make a believable good guy. In short the movie is worth seeing for what talented people can do with limited locations,budgets,time. Totally watchable.

'Deadly Outbreak' aka 'Deadly Takeover' is a Nu Image title that has the formula down pat. You get introduced to the head villain, a pretty lady scientist and the hero main character with his young son in a warm likeable moment all with the first 3 minutes. However the action is standard and breaks no new ground.

Sgt. Hatfield (Jeff Speakman) from the American embassy in Tel Aviv is assigned to escort a group of scientists from the airport to a chemical research facility. The head turns out to be disgruntled former Colonel Baron (Ron Silver) stealing a dangerous compound while blackmailing Washington. When he takes complete control of the place it's up to Hatfield with the help of Dr. Levin (Rochelle Swanson) to stop them.

Of the dtv flicks Speakman was resigned to after 'The Perfect Weapon', I choose this because Ron Silver was in it and he can play a good villain. He gets some lines to chew on and deliver in his satisfying manner. Of course Speakman is up to the task of beating people and firing off guns. You get to see him perform a bunch of kenpo karate. Oddly Swanson (Sorceress) who looks good never gets naked.

Every part of 'Deadly Outbreak' is strictly generic. Feeling like a retread with scenes you've seen a million times before, stock characters and a poor musical score. It's competently made, but not at all memorable.