High Voltage

I laughed so hard watching this movie I nearly killed myself. It is so unbelievably bad and so completely unaware of how bad it is that you can't help staring in shocked disbelief. The dialogue is horrible, the acting sucks (save for a pretty OK performance by Monroe), and the directing is a textbook of cheesy bad timing. But what really makes the film worth watching is the action sequences. These little cut rate gems rival even the worst overseas, badly dubbed monstrosities. Examples: A guy dies from a gunshot wound to the shoulder; people jump off walls and fly 20 feet in the air; Every time somebody turns quickly or reaches for something, you get the ever popular "whoosh" sound effect. This movie is horrible, but it's a great late night choice if you want to see just how bad bad film making can be.

This movie is really good, especially for a direct to video movie. The gunfights are cool and the fights are well executed. Lots of action to keep people happy. The theme song is awesome! I saw this movie almost a year ago and I still find myself humming the theme from time to time! A sure bet for action fans!

High Voltage which has enough action and fight scenes to satisfy anyone who isn't really concerned about a story. There are certain plot similarities to Don Siegel's classic caper film Charley Varrick which starred Walter Matthau. A light years better bit of cinema.

Antonio Sabato, Jr.'s crew decides to rob a bank and they discover the place is a laundering establishment for the Vietnamese mob headed by George Cheung. At first they try to make some amends, but Cheung ain't having it so the inevitable violent climax occurs.

Just run this one back to back with Charley Varrick and you'll know what a good story and good plot do for a film. High Voltage is for violence junkies.

It's kind of a weak film, but it's rather entertaining and the late night crowd in the mood for a fast and fun actioner should enjoy it. I thought the cast did a fine job, Antonio Sabato Jr., is a cool action hero and I was glad to see the great, rising young star Lochlyn Munroe (Dead Man On Campus, A Night At The Roxbury) in it as one of Sabato's members who may or may not be a bad guy. Shannon Lee (Bruce's daughter) and some famous Hong Kong stars also turn in good performances. Done in the style of John Woo, this has lots of fast paced shoot outs, good surprises and twists, and a cool "Pulp Fiction" like score in the background. The story is cliched at times and it gets a bit melodramatic when it comes to the end, but I still enjoyed this film and it should please ones looking for a good way to kill 90 minutes.

The script is bad: the predictable plot overly familiar to fans of such flicks. Much of the casting was obviously driven more by cost than talent. Very low count of Vietnamese actors within the Vietnamese gang - especially those given any lines of dialog. Possibly more geographic authenticity among the stunt guys.

In the plus column, the fights are mostly well-choreographed for a low budget offering. Sabato looks good in action, whether shooting guns or doing MMA-style acrobatics. The best scene of the lot comes late in the film in a biker bar.

Which brings me to the other asset - the underappreciated Donald Gibb. Whenever a slot exists for a bulky biker or biker-adjacent thug, who also looks crazier than Dennis Burkley, Gibb is the go-to guy. Whether the part calls for serious menace or a touch of comic relief, the big dude fits the bill. With 98 roles under his large belt, he's sort of a Caucasian Danny Trejo. Always good to see him doing his thing.