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Thomas Ian Griffith stars as Jack Blayclock, a private detective who is hired by reporter Erica (Mary Page Keller) to do some snooping on a Japanese businessman, however when said businessman is found dead, Erica and Jack realize that there is far more that meets the eye and the people involved hit close to home for our duo. Thomas Ian Griffith is an actor who on the basis of this movie clearly had more potential than what he amounted to as an action star. I remember saying that Griffith resembled a used car salesman in Excessive Force, but here that sleazy look (Also put to good use in the entertaining Karate Kid Part III) is well suited and let it be said that the biggest surprise with this movie, isn't the action sequences or even what the material goes over.(It's nothing different then what you would find in Rising Sun) Rather the big surprise is just how much this works as a suspense thriller. Indeed the characters are believable, the Japan bashing and the politics depicting such are all credibly handled and when the fight sequences finally do happen they feel more exciting because we actually care about the characters and there are surprises that even this jaded viewer couldn't guess. Sure the main villain is an obvious answer, but the twisty narrative offers a good deal of suspense and the ending doesn't cop out on a downbeat ending. In other words this is a low budget movie with ambition, something often lacking in theatrical pictures of the day. (Even more so now.)Ulterior Motives is one obscurity that is well worth discovering.

* * *1/2 out of 4-(Very good)

ULTERIOR MOTIVES (aka KILL FEE) is a film that surprised me. Previously I only knew Thomas Ian Griffith for his roles in some cheesy DIE HARD clones so I wasn't expecting him to actually be able to act, but he does so in a refreshingly able way here. He plays a private detective tasked with investigating a conspiracy involving state secrets being sold to the Yakuza, so it being the 1990s there's the usual round of hara-kiri, samurai swordplay, and bloody action. Although the latter is in short supply given the usual heights of this genre during the decade and the rest of the actor's filmography. This is definitely more of a plot-based film, which unfortunately in the end makes it rather forgettable, delivering little that hasn't been done many times before.

When I stumbled onto the trailer for 'Ulterior Motives', I was intrigued. Here was what looked to be your standard martial arts vehicle with Thomas Ian Griffith, but with a semi-dark tone layered in Japanese intrigue (a popular trope back in the 90's) and a dose of conspiracy. I start watching and I'm not even sure what to make of Griffith's character, nice! Then it all settled down into predictable formula. Blah.

Investigative reporter Erica (Mary Page Keller) is tipped to a meeting by a whistleblower where top secret US blueprints will be sold to the Japanese in the midst of rising tensions. Advised of the danger and told not to go alone she hires recommended PI Jack Blaylock (Griffith) and they get the evidence. After she runs the story the man involved is killed as Erica and Jack grow closer at the same their lives continue to be put in danger.

Keller is sufficient as a main character, but not all that interesting which leaves Griffith to do the heavy lifting as you sense something bubbling / going on beneath the surface. Whatever dark tones seem to have promise soon give away to the much more mundane and not terribly smart. Finale is cliche 101 and too many moments where I knew where things were going beforehand.

'Ulterior Motives' can't reach the same mile high mark as Griffith's previous pic 'Excessive Force'. He gives a decent performance and has moments to kick butt, but the story housing these action beats isn't a ton of fun and tips it's hand by the halfway mark. The twist and reveal would have worked better as a surprise or if at least it had the guts to go all the way.

Thomas Ian Griffith, the cut price Steven Seagal, stars in this above average action thriller. The story centers around a New York journalist (Mary Page Keller) who suspects a Japanese businessman of selling American military secrets to Japan. To help her get to the truth she employs the services of a private investigator (Griffith) and before long the body count starts to rise. The action scenes are typical for this type of movie but the plot, storyline and characters are well above average. If your a fan of action movies, there is plenty here for you and Thomas Ian Griffith does it just as well as Seagal or Van Damme.

The performances are the selling point here, overshadowing the low budget and routine script. Thomas Ian Griffith handles his role as a private investigator just fine and is well matched with Mary Page Keller as the Lois Lane-like truth-seeking reporter. Connecting the bad guys to the Japanese Mafia is, at least, an attempt to come up with unusual villains. What's unfortunate about this film is that so little screen time is given to Ellen Crawford, who plays the most interesting character -- the "mystery woman." Her fascinating face and persona appears quite prominently in the early scenes but, sadly, only intermittently after that. It's too bad that more of the movie does not feature her. Although the ending is a bit of a letdown, overall I'd say "Ulterior Motives" is worth a look.