Blowback

I am stumped... What can I say? Didn't we see this exact same role in the movie "The Prophecy". At least there was some good acting in that movie.. I can't say too many good things about this film. It looked like it was slapped together in a month. I did not buy the blonde girl's acting at all, and by the end.. I could have sworn I had just seen a porno. However, I was convinced by my friend that I shouldn't have expected much from a Mario Van Pebbles film. After all, he did do "Highlander 3". *shudders* However.. I must admit, it kept me watching, as most Mario Van Peebles movies tend to keep me doing. I think it has something to do with the cheeziness of the plots. The movie did not follow any police procedure. Three words: Witness Protection Program.

A cop scarred by his last case begins to investigate murders that are very similar to the biblical serial killer he caught and killed years before. With a series of taunting notes and scriptures left beside death scenes made to look like the death of martyred saints, Morrell begins to suspect that this may be more than a copycat – but in fact the very killer back from the dead.

Stupid, stupid story! The setup is ok, but when we start talking about the killer being a serial killer who was trained by the FBI but then went nuts again – or the fact that he didn't really die originally – then you know the film's just looking for any excuse to make itself a serial killer movie and go to video! The plotting is so dumb that even the final reel's attempt to give the killer a motive is based on stupid logic. The dialogue is just as bad and could come from any dtv movie.

Mind you – it doesn't help that its delivered by actors who make planks look like they could do Shakespeare. Peebles once did a few OK movies – those days are gone! Here he is a cardboard cut out of a cop `haunted by past' although he just walks round and looks shocked by the murders. Remar is an OK killer – he's good at times and does well despite a poor character but the rest are just fodder for gory deaths.

Overall this is poor – watch Se7en or Silence of the Lambs. But direct-to-video serial killer movies like this are two-a-penny and should be avoided on the whole.

"Blowback" is like every other bad cop movie ever made. First you have a homicide detective searching for the truth behind some bizarre murders. Second the detective is kicked off the case by the Chief of Police. Third the cop breaks department rules and tries to solve the case on his own anyway. Fourth someone the cop loves becomes the final target for the psychotic killer. The only difference in this film is the type of psycho. In this case it is some religious lunatic. To truly experience "Blowback" you take all the above mentioned elements remove any trace of good acting and take away anything unsuspected and you have this movie.

Mario Van Peebles hasn't done anything halfway decent since "Posse" and it seems like such a waste. There is no reason for anyone to sit through this movie. If you are still not satisfied and want to see the film anyway make sure the kids are out of the room because there are two separate parts of the film which contain half naked women tied to crosses and being threatened with nail guns.

Blowback is a Mario van Peebles movie, so if you're a fan of him, you should be fine with it. This movie has relatively poor production values, and the shootouts are badly staged and edited, however, it does pour on the exploitation, with lots of naked chicks and gory murders. Also, it's been a long time since I've seen Stephen Caffrey (Tour Of Duty, Longtime Companion), and the first time I've seen him playing a bad guy. The main theme of Blowback is a serial killer who murders his victims and then cuts them up as martyred saints. Unfortunately, the production values don't allow for much special effects, but they're pretty grisly. 6 out of 10

A very beautiful movie, with a villain who you truly feel remorse for. (even more so then for the hero.) James Remar was heartfelt and breathtakingly dramatic in this tale of a tragic lost soul. Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I think the violence was just right (unlike some other slasher movies), and every thing turned out ok in the end.