The Expert

This was Speakman's fourth big film, well… in low budget way. As usual in these low budget action films, he is an former trainer of special units, who seeks revenge. Normally, typically, and as usual… Now… I haven't seen any other Jeff latest film, they are kinda hard to come by… but, he is busy today with Kenpo seminars all over the world and I think it's a good idea to stop when you are supposed to and keep a low profile and do what you like to do. I kinda doubt in Jeff latest films… maybe because I am a fan of 90s action films. OK, the story is usual, a sadistic maniac Kagan (played by Michael Shaner, who you probably remember for "Lethal Weapon" (1987), he was the guy who was "saved" by Mel Gibson from suicide jump. He made an interesting performance, but not too well to be noticed for more upcoming roles), kills John's (Speakman) sister and, therefore… he seeks revenge… his own way. You know, kinda badass and radical. There's actually nothing that quite special in the film, the action scenes were solid, the movie has an interesting music score that fits perfectly in the scenes. Jeff is really good in his fighting scenes, as always. We got actors as James Brolin (as a cold prison warden) and Alex Datcher (as a liberal fighter for convicts rights, or whatever), other actors didn't do anything much with their performances, well what did you expect from a low budget film? But… here's what's cool… I was quite surprised by this. Jim Varney appears in film as Speakman's war buddy who is a pawn shop owner, and who also supplies Speakman with some cool weapons and equipment for his revenge. Varney is a comedian, but even in this 5 to 6 minute role, he proved otherwise, he was really cool in the role. And I really suggest all Varney fans to check him out here, you'll love it. Ernest P. Worrell can be a badass, I tell you. Well, overall, low budget action film fans… here's a real treat, enjoy it.

Oh, well I thought it should be a good action, but it was not. Although Jeff Speakman stars there is nothing to watch.Only two fight for almost 1,5 hours, yak.A lot of talking and everything is so artificial that you could not believe it. The plot is clear from the beginning. If you want good action don't rent this movie.

This was Steven Segal-lookalike Jeff Speakman's third starring role, as a special kind of cop who decides to exact his own brand of vengeance on the man who brutalized and murdered his sister. The guy is convicted and locked away, but this isn't going to stop The Expert. Pretty lame action flick, with a couple of clumsily staged fights and a big showdown in the prison, where the bad guy is about to bust out when Speakman arrives to exact his revenge. Nothing much to recommend here, although I always liked Speakman, who apparently stopped making movies in 2006. However, I think I've seen him on TV occasionally, but I'm not 100 percent sure. Skip this one and check our hero out in The Perfect Weapon instead..

My main critique of this film is twofold: 1) 80's/90's action films like this tended to be reactionary in some way, but the message this one hammers home even silly for its genre, and 2) Jeff Speakman, while a good martial artist, is a charisma vacuum as an actor. First, however, what the film does have in its favor. As previously stated, Jeff Speakman is quite convincing as a martial artist and, in general, as a physical presence. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with him in real life (contrary to whatever Steven Seagal's beef with him was). The plot is also quite efficient, if rudimentary, in the way it sets up the characters and moves the action forward. The first scene in particular establishes Speakman's character as the no-bs "expert" that the title indicated he would be. The action scenes were also well-choreographed and there was some decent camera-work in the slower portions of the film. I also thought that James Brolin and Jim Varney (in a one-scene cameo) did respectable acting work. However, just about everyone else, Speakman included, was halfway decent at best. The writing also wasn't anything to be proud of either. My biggest issue with the film is the "message," if one can call it that. THE EXPERT delivers yet another right-wing fantasy about a lone "hero" who takes on an ineffectual justice system by doling out his own version of justice against the violent criminal who killed his sister. Of course violent criminals should be punished, but the negative way it portrays a female psychologist involved with the case very unsubtly clues the viewer onto what the film's stance is. Not that a film shouldn't take a stance on anything, but I happen to think the stance wasn't very fair. Aside from that, the score was overblown and there were a few pacing issues in the middle portion, where the main character barely gets any screen time. I know I shouldn't have expected too much, considering Jeff Speakman was a third-tier action star at best, but the obvious message-making made it a little bit of a chore to sit through.

Jeff Speakman never really made it beyond the lowest ranks of martial-artists-turned-actors (lower than Don "The Dragon" Wilson, for example), and with vehicles like "The Expert", you can see why. There are three major problems with this movie: 1) The plot - or should I say plots - are all over the place, there are some characters who get a lot of screen time but serve little purpose, 2) There are only 4 fight scenes in total, some of them completely unrelated to the main plot and some taking place in the dark, 3) The music score is overzealous and overbearing. Strange as it may seem, this is really the most annoying thing about this film: the score persistently tries to convince you that you're watching some sort of grand epic, instead of the low-budget limited-action film you are indeed watching. With all that said, at least there's James Brolin around to lend a touch of credibility. *1/2 out of 4.