Opération Las Vegas

"Get ready to fight!", demands the title song by a poor man's Survivor. The audience will - to get their money back. "Operation Las Vegas" was the second movie Norbert Georges Mount wrote and directed after his debut entitled - wait for it: "Mad Mutilator". His star Richard Harrison, known for western and ninja flicks, was at least 10 years too old for an action hero part in 1988 but most likely needed the money. Female lead is Brigitte Borghese whose best days were also long gone. There are a few action scenes, but most of the time, you only see men talking, carrying suitcases or driving cars - simply, this movie is as exciting as taking a look out of the window and watch what's going on in the street. For the first time in almost 300 IMDb reviews, I give the lowest mark possible for a movie because I didn't discover any redeeming qualities - not one laugh, not one good action sequence, not one good dialog line. Camera work, lights and editing are below the level of a cheap TV production. Ninjas are running around, occasionally attacking the hero without a real connexion with the rest of the movie. Some actors are shaking their machine guns, simply pretending to fire like children do in the playground, because they were not provided with blank cartridges. One guy steps on a landmine although he sees it from a safe distance and there is plenty of space to the left and right. He probably wanted to be out of the movie fast. Understandable.

Apparently Director Norbert Moutier thought it was a great idea to take a bunch of Euro Actors along with him and way over the hill leading man Richard Harrison (Jefferson) out to the ugliest part of the Nevada Desert and make a movie on a shoe sting budget for a Euro audience. There is so much wrong with this movie that a real movie reviewer could write for days and not cover everything, but lets just say the acting, the dubbing, the directing, the extras wearing down jackets in the desert while all the principles are complaining about the heat, the plot, etc. This is like a Z movie in the desert with no sense of humor and an especially terrible job of acting by John Van Dreelen as (Parker.). Leading lady and commander of the bad guys Brigitte Borghese (Britta), who will never be confused with Elke Summer, at least brings some energy along with a much needed push up bra to her role. There is some cool footage of 1989 Vegas, however, both supposedly high rollers Jefferson and Britta are staying at Whiskey Pete's Hotel which is 30 miles outside of Vegas where you can still get a room for $19.99 if you sign up for the players card. I guess I have a soft spot for old Euro Spy actors combined with the fact that there is a cool scene with Bonny and Clyde's actual death car on display at Whiskey Pete's. This one gets a qualified recommendation to waist an hour and thirty and watch Ol' Richard and Aging Brigitte trying hard to make Operation Las Vegas work.