Not Another Mistake

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the film on Nelson Entertainment/Orion video cassette.

Filipino producer Anthony Maharaj directs a war film in strictly routine fashion in "Cross Fire", an adventure about MIAs in Laos that originally was titled more colorfully "Not Another Mistake", i.e., "NAM".

Video cassette box calls hero Richard Norton "Striker" (a name used interchangeably on numerous recent action pics), but he really is named Straker, an Aussie 'Nam veteran sent back with a squad to bring back his captured commander (Paul Holmes).

Film is as filled with postwar bitterness as most 1940s films noirs, plus the usual quota of explosions and platoon mate stereotypes Genre champ Sylvester Stallone even gets a verbal homage, when midway through a gung ho soldier yells: "I'm your worst nightmare" at the enemy.

Minor plot twist has Holmes found to be suffering from leprosy, but pic ends cornily with the usual double-dealing, in the name of expediency, by the heroes' superiors. Glum finale has Holmes shot down just as they're escaping in a helicopter.

Tech credits and acting are fair, butg a certain degree of carelessness is shown by the music running out before the end credits are over.