Excessive Force

i liked this movie.sure ti's your typical action/crime drama film,but Thomas Ian Griffith makes a pretty credible action star.plus Burt Young was very convincing as a mob boss.there's certainly plenty of action here,but it's not too over the top.i thought the fight scenes were more realistic than in most movies of the genre.Griffith displays some great moves.which suggest he is very skilled in fighting himself,or the fight choreography was very well done.what's refreshing is there are no flashy camera tricks this time around.the movie moves at a good pace,and there are a few twists and turns,which make it more interesting.it is unrealistic at times,of course.Griffith is basically a one man army,against what should be overwhelming odds.other than that this is an entertaining 95 minutes.i give Excessive Force a 7/10

I really enjoyed this film. But not because of his action scenes, which action-crime films usually offers. The strongest edge of this film is acting crew. I mean, check it out: Thomas Ian Griffith (known from "Karate Kid 3" and "Vampires", the leading man here, he did a fine job, but on some moments pretty shallow performance, nevertheless, he is good), Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Alien 3, AVP, OK, no surprises here, this commanding and great actor appeared in many low budget films, so it's not surprising at all), Charlotte Lewis ("Pirates" and "Men of War", well, I think she was chosen because of her beauty, nothing more), Burt Young (Rocky films, he is a good actor and I usually expected him in supporting roles in big budget films), W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood", he is great, and this was one of his first works), Tony Todd ("Candyman", great, scary actor, known for his trade mark height and deep, spooky voice, well, he appeared in most of these low budget films, so it's not surprising at all) and James Earl Jones ("Star Wars", now... I was really confused about him here, what a hell? How did he get here, the best actor in the film... in such low budget film, well, maybe he liked the crew too). And I think that acting crew is the best thing in this film and it's worth watching because of it.

Now, when it comes to script and plot, it's an average revenge seeking film, I mean this film was really unknown, and yet they put a challenging taglines like "Meet the new contender", "In 70s, we had Bruce Lee, 80s Chuck Norris and now in 90s... meet the new guy", all that exaggerated claims... and in the end... no luck. I think that Griffith is a good actor and a good martial artist, but this kind of movies can't do much for you... If you are a fan of these kind of films, you can easily enjoy it.

The stage curtains open ...

Having seen Thomas Ian Griffith in "Karate Kid - Part III", I was well aware of who he was when this film came out. I missed seeing it in the theaters, and though it was on the shelves at the video rental store, I didn't rent it either. In fact, I never really gave it much thought until recently when I stumbled across the trailer for this movie and I was like ... "Oh, yeah! I never saw that one." So, I finally settled in and gave it a chance.

Griffith plays the part of Terry McCain, a detective with the Chicago Police Department. He is involved with a drug bust that goes wrong, and $3 million of a mob boss's money goes missing. The boss systematically begins to pick off his suspects which leads him to McCain - who was there. When the boss turns up dead however, McCain is the prime suspect - framed for something he didin't do. Now the mob and the police department are both trying to gun him down and he can trust no one as he tries to clear his name.

"Excessive Force" is an action movie that packs a punch, but doesn't hit very hard. There is plenty of violence and mayhem for your eyes to see. McCain, as a character, is really non-existent. This movie serves as an indulgence in gun fights and high flying kicks. Each downtime scene is there basically to bridge and set up the next fight scene. If all you want is martial arts combat and gunfire, then this is your movie.

I was suprised at what a dud this was. It had a great cast. Co-starring were also James Earl Jones, Lance Henriksen, and Tony Todd in support of Griffith's bid to become an action star. Even with that type of casting, the movie fails. I am so disappointed. Yet, I have honestly seen a lot worse. It wasn't bad, but there is no substance to it. A forgettable plot, which is just an excuse to have an action movie. It's just "okay" - not a recommend.

Thomas Ian Griffith seems to be a better actor then screenplay writer, because the story is somewhat forgetful, the story centers around Terry McCain, A tough Dirty Harry like cop. who beats a confession out of witness in order to put a mob boss(Burt Young) away for life. But the mob boss, gets off due to Terry's excessive antics on a witness. But the heat really gets turned up on Terry, when the mob boss turns up dead, and Terry becomes the main suspect. Thomas Ian Griffith may seem like another Steven Seagal, but unlike Steven Seagal, Thomas Ian Griffith is an action hero who can act, and unlike Steven Seagal's characters, Thomas Ian Griffith made the character of Terry McCain, more human then one dymentional. Despite good acting by Thomas Ian Griffith,and good martial arts scenes. The story is very forgetful.

This is an AWESOME and underrated martial arts flick. The action is fast-paced, the plot is intriguing, and Thomas Ian Griffith shows off some impressive martial arts talent. The film has everything you want. From classic one-liners to over the top shoot-outs! If you are a fan of Van Damme or Seagal movies, you better check it out. Thomas Ian Griffith could of had a great career, too bad he never got another chance. The film also has an amazing supporting cast and direction and editing are perfect. A rare gem! I've seen the film over a dozen times and it never gets old...highly recommended. One of the last good 90's action kick 'em ups.