Rare exploitation gem about an ordinary man, Bo (Robert Ginty, star THE EXTERMINATOR and WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD!) caught in a crossfire between diamond smugglers and professional mercenaries.
When Bo was a child, a mysterious force sadistically murdered his parents. Only Bo and his sister, Ingrid (Diana Goodman) survived the bloodshed. Now, twenty years later...Bo and his sister are grown up. They are now employees at a diamond mineshaft located in the desert. As mischievous as they are, they stumble upon the discovery of a legendary diamond. However, this rapture for the diamond has provoked the angst of some short-tempered, not-so-nice villains.
Fred Williamson has a cameo as a take-no-prisoners assassin with his own agenda... Does he serve as an ally, or a foe for Bo and Ingrid?
The hitherto quiet existence of the diamond has now been shattered thanks to the naïve duo. The bad guys are willing to possess the diamond in any way...and hell is going to pay...
All of the dastardly scoundrels are united for one reason: to seek out the legendary 2000 carat diamond called the "White Fire," which the brother and sister twosome hope to gain access to this gem itself. What values does this jewel possess? The quest to capture the most sought-out diamond in the world is afoot...
WHITE FIRE (this film's original title is VIVRE POUR SURVIVRE) was one of those "What was the purpose of making this film?"-type movie. This amazingly low budget adventure picture features Fred Williamson at the nadir of his career and Robert Ginty at the pinnacle of his career. Yes, you do get to see Robert Ginty brandish a chainsaw though! You do get to see Robert Ginty woo with his sister!
WHITE FIRE believe it or not does have some attributes. The on-location filming at Istanbul, Turkey is a visual asset. Also, there are some decent themes about the relationship between brother and sister...and the eventual coping with loss... The electronic musical score is...attention grabbing and the songs are heartwarming (to an extent).
Unfortunately, WHITE FIRE has a lot more defects than strengths. First, the camera angles in this film were awkward and there seemed to be a technical problem with the sound effects. Also, unfocused direction and incoherent editing serve as distractions for this movie. Haphazard action sequences do not help either. Sure, there are lots of shootings, fights with various weapons, and comic quips. There is just NOT much excitement though...
The acting in WHITE FIRE was also pretty terrible. The bad guys had their stereotypical accents and Ginty is a nuisance as the good guy. Ginty was apparently more vitriolic than charismatic as the "hero," especially when he tried to be funny. The cast contributed some effort, but their valiant attempts to extricate this film were not enough to prevent this production from sinking down under...
WHITE FIRE was sleazy trash with no redeeming values. This was an unexceptional, mundane action film. The plot lacked credibility, the action lacked vitality, and the whole production was simply inept. I can understand that this film was extremely low budget, but the film itself looked as though it was shot with a camcorder for some home video production. The quality of the film's image is itself blurred at times, and this makes the movie seem more amateurish. The errors in logic, continuity, and consistency all obliterate an already doomed project. In other words, watch this movie for a good laugh. Luckily, Fred Williamson did not have such a substantial role in this movie.
RATING: NO STARS out of ****.
