Tripwire: sul filo del rasoio

Okay, this is one of those 'tick the box' films. Evil terrorist, shady mid eastern organisations, "hot shot" FBI agent playing by his own rules, son who is moody and listening to bad metal music because dad is never around, black police chief. I could go on ... and I will - loads of opportunities for set up fights, where just shooting someone would've been much more logical, oh too obvious plot introductions that set the scene for "a-ha" moments later, the loose cannon cop sacked from "the feds" and takes up bareknuckle boxing "somewhere near Arizona (or wherever"), evil dudes called "carlos" and "el tigre". Yep, it is just that bad. Who funds these things????? But really funny and worth it for the 1980s kitsch.

Ruthless international mercenaries trained to kill have decided to hijack a speeding railroad train loaded with a full arsenal of powerful military weaponry capable of threatening world peace... The only hero who can intercept the villains' scheme for world domination through the endangering of the human population is the irascible Jack DeForest (Terence Knox). He's an over-the-counter secret agent working for the U.S. Government who must thwart left-wing terrorists led by Josef Szabo (the ever-reliable David Warner).

However, the battle between good and evil has escalated into a personal fight of reprisal when DeForest accidentally dispatches the son of the notorious terrorist Szabo. This gruesome murder of the terrorist leader's loved one has instigated plenty of evil's unprecedented wrath! Seeking an all out retribution, Szabo launches an attack pinpointing DeForest's family...resulting in the untimely murder of Jack's wife and the abduction of their only teenage son...

Now, DeForest must fight not only for his country...but for the one he truly cares about...

TRIPWIRE will not win any awards for creativity, novelty in the storyline or even for longevity. TRIPWIRE, unfortunately will not stand the test of time. Thanks to this film's dearth of originality, it will relinquish on the video shelves along with hundreds of mind-boggling action films.

That, having been said, I was pleasantly surprised to find TRIPWIRE to be a not-so-bad thriller. TRIPWIRE is an action-packed tale with lots of standout moments from the eye-opening intro involving breathtaking motorcycle stunts to the taunting conclusion. The exhilarating skimobile pursuit between the protagonist and a fugitive is fun to watch as well.

TRIPWIRE is a complex thriller which entertains just as easily. Character development is rather innovative throughout, with DeForest's son as among the best characters. The actor is great portraying a troubled teen. David Warner as well chews the scenery as a hard-bitten, very bitter terrorist who vows revenge on the one responsible for the untimely murder of his son.

Considering this movie's limitations with its low budget and the anonymity of this motion picture to the general public, TRIPWIRE is a well done action film with an even pace and characters who are not so repellent. The film is on-target all the way from the explosive, high-caliber overture to the screen's fade out... This movie is worth a look for genre fans.

RATING: **1/2 out of ****.

Released at the end of the worst decade ever for movies (1980s) this collection of routine clichés was what kept Blockbuster in business! This, and a thousand movies like it, was what you grabbed to make up the numbers when the fifth VHS video was free and you couldn't make your mind up what to get!

It's a mindless schoolboy battle between cartoon good guys and cartoon bad guys. Lots of chases, gun fire and fighting.

This example of the genre is elevated very slightly by the notable cast members and the fact that the music hasn't been spewed out of a Moog synthesizer!

Roll up your jacket sleeves and flip up your collar... It's the 80s!

This had Class B written all over it, yet it was still very entertaining and not a bad action film. For an R-rated film, it was surprisingly free of some things you normally see and hear. Some of the scenes in the bars were crude and the beginning had Rambo-like violence with little credibility, but the majority of this was a well-done film.

A big thing it had going for it: it should keep everyone's interest all the way. It certainly did with me. This is an unknown movie, a real "sleeper." You can kind of guess that since there are only two of us who have reviewed it, as of this writing.

The opening scene is real attention-grabber: six minutes of almost no dialog and a wild action. That about sums up the film: pretty wild. The lead actor, Terrence Knox, is not someone I was familiar with, but he was okay. I was sorry David Warner didn't have more lines as he's usually interesting and I was surprised Yaphet Kotto's character kept his cool. I kept waiting for him to blow up.

Note: the cover on the VHS box is misleading. They show the hero being dragged by a truck. In the film, that happens to the bad guy, not him.

My review was written in March 1990 after watching the film on RCA/Columbia video cassette.

A bland lead performance sinks "Tripwire", an unpretentious Cinetel action pic briefly released theatrically in January by New Line ahead of home video.

Terence Knox plays an FBI man who interferes with terrorists, led by David Warner, who are sabotaging a train. He kills Warner's son, starting a vendetta. Warner kills Knox' wife Meg Foster and kidnaps his son.

When Knox is bounced from the federal payroll for not obeying orders he embarks on his one-man campaign to get Warner, aided from the inside by romantic FBI co-worker Isabella Hoffman. Film each in smug, far too pat fashion.

Biggest problem here is casting of Knox, who's simply too stolid, dead-on as a colorless FBI guy. Casting against type might have worked.

Supporting cast is arresting, including the always dependable Foster. Charlotte Lewis as a very sympathetic terrorist and Yaphet Kotto once again essaying his "Midnight Run" persona as Knox' FBI boss. Tommy Chong and his wife pop up in pointless cameos.