Ultima missione

I bought this movie for .99 cents at a video store, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't even worth that. It's low budget with bad editing and is a total rip-off of Sylvester Stallone's "First Blood". Don't bother, rent the "Rambo" movies instead!

My review was written in September 1986 after watching the movie on Thorn EMI/HBO video cassette.

"Final Mission" is a routine action drama about a war vet out for revenge. Filmed by prolific Filipino helmer Cirio H. Santiago at the beginning of 1984, pic bypassed theatrical release for the home video market.

Richard Young portrays Vince Deacon, a Vietnam vet living with his family in California, who is suspended from the police force for being ultra-violent with thieves. The punks laer boobytrap his boat on a family outing, blowing up his wife and kid. It's revenge time.

A key subplot involves a turncoat who was at odds with Vince back in Laos in 1972 and turns out to be involved with the punks who killed his family. Final reel is a manhunt in a forest with Vince as the prey, heavily influenced by "First Blood".

As usual with a Santiago film (he cranks out about two a year like clockwork), technical credits are good. Acting is okay, with a guest appearance by John Ericson as a military expert who helps Vince figure out who had the explosives expertise to help the punks blow up his boat.

Of all the "First Blood" ripoffs that hit the screen in the eighties this filipino-made movie is clearly one of the better ones. Acting is pretty lousy (with the notable exception of Kaz Garas as the sheriff) but the movie has its good moments.

Final Mission (1984) is one of those cheesy, no budget First Blood rip-offs. Unlike the other Rambo wannabes, this movie's great. The director has no shame, he blatantly copies scene-for-scene and shot-for-shot from First Blood. Others may see this as a rip-off, I see it as a funny, horribly acted, badly written and cheesy as hell action picture. There are many scenes from this movie that still boggle my mind. Even today I still wonder if a Gun shop would have an M-60 machine gun (with a full cartridge box) in a storefront window display or is it really sanitary to use a dirty knife to pop out a bullet?

I highly recommend this movie, it plays like a comedy instead of a serious action/revenge film. A word of advice, stay away from open motor boats. They always seem to explode in these type of movie.

Highly recommended.

A (for the cheese factor) F (as a straight movie)

I found this VHS in a 99 cent bin in 2002 and have loved it ever since. This is one of the most awesomely stupid movies ever made about the Vietnam war, and the pinnacle of Cirio Santiago's illustrious career.

Hard boiled LAPD cop Vince Deacon has his family in Los Angeles killed by a gang called the Main Street Men, who work for a traitor Deacon had put in jail during the Nam, so he goes AWOL on a quest for revenge, killing several thousand random men in khaki uniforms in the process. Who really cares who they are or why they're fighting - the entire film is just scene after scene of anonymous men with guns running onto the screen and getting machine gunned by Deacon, throwing up their arms and yelling "AAH!" as they die. In the meantime, he dunks a man's head in a urine filled toilet, stabs a steroid addict to death, and drives around at night while the incredible "Always on my mind" theme song by Steve Butler plays, again and again. Not long after, a man runs around on fire, screaming in pain. At some point a black guy makes his way into the movie, brandishes a gun and says some cool tough stuff. I think there was also a woman at one point, but she's not important. All that matters is the belt fed machine gun Deacon finds in the display window of a suburban boutique store, with about 200,000 rounds of ammo conveniently stored with it.

It's a Z grade Cirio Santiago film with barely competent actors and cheap effects, what do you expect? Perfect blend of dumb action and laughable dialogue. Would have been a great candidate for "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment.

Best news: If you like this movie, Cirio Santiago made at least 400 other films exactly like it, all of which are either about post apocalyptic motorcycle gangs, the Vietnam war, or some combination of both (Nam Angels).