Sbarre d'acciaio

Lou Ferrigno has done it all. He was The Hulk in the 70's, Hercules in the 80's, and a hulking cage fighter in "Cage". Put in a coma after Vietnam, Billy Thomas(Ferrigno) and his buddy, Scott Thomas(Reb Brown) are about to help run a bar in California. If you thought that war was traumatic, try an arson attack that killed the owner. The associates behind the attack gets Billy and have him trained to be a fighter against the reigning champion. Scott goes on every end to find Billy. Not only did he dethrone the champion, they would end up with the money to rebuild the bar. Lou Ferrigno did well with the research on behalf of the veterans who experience the trauma of war and recouping. But I do know that Ferrigno is deaf. Most people don't know that. A very good movie. A keeper! 4.5 out of 5 stars!

I expected to get some laughs from a movie I thought would be like Schwarzeneggers Commando or something like that but I was amazed at what it actually is, a movie about a powerful friendship between two vietnam veterans (Lou Ferrigino and Reb Brown), one of them saved the other while getting shot in the head and now hence he has the mentality of a boy. Reb Brown being the one Lou saved he now repays his debt by taking care of him.

At the same time two low mobsters have lost money fighting on an illegal cage match and need a new fighter. They run into Brown and Ferrigino and later persuade Ferrigino to wrestle out in the cage because he doesn't understand what it actually means. Brown try to find him to save his one and only friend and it all ends in a terrific climax. Good action and some reasonable good acting.

Is somewhere between a six and a ten.

Cage (1989) was another one of those low budget "buddy" action flicks that were produced during the 80's thanks in large part due to the films such as 48hrs. and Lethal Weapon. This one stars Reb Brown and Lou Ferrigno as to former Vietnam Vets who happen to run a local dive bar. Reb takes care of Lou because he saved his life in 'Nam. But Lou was shot in the head and is now pretty soft. Although he's huge, Lou has the brain of a child. One day some ruffians throw their wait around in the bar and Lou and Rebb beat the tar out of them. But payback's a mother. They crash the bar leaving Lou and Reb with nothing. That is until these two thugs come into the picture (one of them's a real nice guy) who have a plan in mind.

The film's a waste of time. Maybe if they went all they way and made a hard core action flick instead of trying to tone down the gruesomeness of the situation perhaps it could have worked. Alas, it doesn't and the audience is left holding the bag. Oh well. It's too bad because you have all the elements for a great B-movie. Better luck next time, I guess.

Not recommended.

xxx

This is much better that I thought would be. Whats more Lou Ferrigno is actually pretty good in this, not just at flexing his pecs but he puts in quite a touching performance as Billy. Billy saved his friends life and in that process took a gunshot wound to the head. Subsequantly he became mentally challenged and has the mind of a boy his friend who he saved now looks after Billy and they are the best of mates. The scene near the beginning set in the hospital as the two war heros recouperate is slightly on the homosexual side with so almost loving looks between the two guys, some holding of the hands and a vomitously sappy love song playing over the opening credits, this made me worry that the film would be cheesy than a truck load of stilton but it sorted itself out after that scene. These tournement based films were very common around this time with the likes of Van Damme breaking through to the likes of Don the Dragon, Billy Blanks and Gary Daniels also coming in further down the market. This is one of the better ones, with a good central relationship and also a good standard of fights although the direction from Lang Elliot is strictly routine. Anyway overall this is surprisingly worth a watch with Lou doing a surprisingly efficient acting job. Although why he sported such a dodgy hair cut throughout the 80's only Lou will know.

What seems just another banal action film is a story of friendship has depth, feeling, and yes, it still kicks ass...

The cage fights, occurring within an illegal underground club run by the Asian mafia known as Tongs, serves as a sporadic glimpse into what's to come while most of the film deals with two Vietnam Vets, Reb Brown as Scott and Lou Ferrigno as Billy, both shown in a Vietnam era prologue...

Billy saves Scott's life by grasping his hand in an ascending helicopter to keep him from falling - after being shot in the head. The loss of blood causes brain damage...

Cut fifteen years later, after a corny opening credit montage guided by music a lame song too weak for the upcoming testosterone-driven action... The reality is, Scott owns a bar and takes care of Billy like a mildly retarded son.

Although, the characters that really drive the film's plot are two shifty but likable Italian thugs played by Michael Dante and Mike Moroff who, cornered by an impending debt, stir up the pot in several ways, eventually tricking Ferrigo's gentle giant Billy to partake in cage fighting...

Both serving as not only plot catalysts but comic relief, going back and forth as if annoyed siblings...

Eventually, about an hour in, an enraged Scott seeks Billy, wielding a shotgun like only Reb Brown can, hunting down a gang the Italians used as a patsy...

And Brown has never been better, showing intensity in place of his usual macho cool while Ferrigno nails the role as a friendly man-child who, when pushed too far, all but turns green in that cage: where only the winner survives...

Meanwhile James Shigeta makes a terrific head villain, running the illegal bouts with an iron fist, shifting rules as they go as the always dependable character-actor Al Ruscio, as an Italian mobster, adds his own weight to elevate the already topnotch, underrated vehicle that is CAGE, starring two muscular studs held-up by the strength of top-notch surrounding performers.