Night Vision

Night Vision is a decent enough B grade action thriller with a fantastic cast. In fact the cast of Fred Williamson, Cynthia Rothrock and Robert Foster is the best thing about the movie and to sweeten the deal Bushwick Bill from The Geto Boys is also in this. With that cast alone, this should be the best movie ever. Night Vision is obviously not that, but there is enough action and trash talking from Fred Williamson to keep me occupied for the duration of the film. Our heroes are cops that are working on a case of a serial killer. This is not on the same level as something Clint Eastwood would star in. Keep that in mind and you will think this is alright. Also, don't expect much martial arts from Cynthia Rothrock. Night Vision is not the best movie of its type, but for it's budget level it could have been much worst. Overall, I thought this was alright. Just keep your expectations low on this one.

Fred Williamson, one of the two or three top blaxploitation stars. Cynthia Rothrock, one of the two or three top American female action stars. Imagine a film with these two together for the first time! Now imagine THE WORST film that could possibly be made with these two together for the first time. Welcome to "Night Vision". Of course, this movie was made in 1997 and they were both past their prime, but that doesn't mean they didn't have what it takes anymore - they just needed the help of good writing and direction. They got neither here. Rothrock does get to throw a couple of kicks near the end, but this film is so atrocious that you probably won't be awake to see them. (*)

I recently watched Night Vision (1997) on Tubi. The storyline follows a serial killer on the loose who sends tapes of his murders to the press. A streetwise detective who doesn't play well with others teams up with a new female officer who's getting picked on at work, and together they try to bring the killer to justice.

This picture is directed by Gil Bettman (Never Too Young to Die) and stars Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn), Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), Cynthia Rothrock (China O'Brien), and Bushwick Bill (Original Gangster).

The film plays like a made-for-TV movie you'd stumble upon while channel surfing. The acting and dialogue are stiff-so bad they're often unintentionally hilarious, especially Cynthia Rothrock's scenes. Williamson and Forster do their best with the material, but there's only so much they can salvage. There's one moment involving a police station kick that genuinely had me laughing, but aside from that, this film is a mess.

In conclusion, Night Vision is a poorly executed cop drama that isn't worth your time. I'd give it a 3/10 and recommend skipping.

Silly, routine, Texas filmed B action picture stars Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as Dakota "Dak" Smith, an ex-detective who's ended up as a motorcycle cop, thanks to his problems with the bottle. One day he's pursuing a serial killer known as "The Video Stalker" (Robert Prentiss), a crafty sicko who delves into the lives of his victims and films his crimes. Dak screws up big time, so what happens to him is that he must switch a motorcycle for a car and be partnered with a young female cop, Kristin O'Connor (Cynthia Rothrock), who's also in hot water.

Die hard fans of the stars and the genre may be forgiving towards this ridiculous movie, which is funny often enough to make one think that producer / star Williamson, screenwriter Michael Thomas Montgomery, and director Gil Bettman had their tongues in their cheeks to some degree. Still, this is pretty inept, overall. The action is uninspired, and those viewers hoping to see Rothrock doing what she does best will have to wait until the story is almost over. A mild sex quotient, mostly consisting of bare breasts, might satisfy some people, but as for the violence, this isn't all that graphic.

Williamson and Rothrock do seem to get along alright. Robert Forster, the third star attraction, is typically likable and adds some much appreciated levity to the proceedings. Two other performers that one might recognize are veteran character actor Frank Pesce, as one of Daks' colleagues, and Rodger Boyce, who later turned up in "No Country for Old Men". Prentiss is an amusing villain and gives the best performance in this thing.

If you're like this viewer, and watched this on the basis of the star trio, you're advised to keep your expectations VERY low.

Four out of 10.

Fred Williamson is back in another B movie action flick but this time its along with fellow B movie behemoth Cynthia Rothrock and for the rap fans Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys. If you hadn't already guessed its a B-movie, with B-movie actors, production budget and values. If you don't like B-movies or were expecting Silence Of The Lambs from this team you are barking up the wrong tree, which seems to be common imdb when these movies are reviewed. This is not so much a revenge movie more of a hunt for a killer who is abducting women and couples who are having affairs. Its also a buddy cop movie with Fred being the main character while Cynthia is a the side kick. This is another of her movies where the martial arts is secondary to her acting, so don't expect Hong Kong style action sequences. Sure its easy to pick holes in the story or action however the standard of this movie is not to bad for its genre. The cast had a few surprises and it was entertaining enough. Its the kind of movie you can just switch off to as its not too taxing or violent to watch. Sometimes you just want something that isn't too emotionally draining and fun and this was fine on both counts.