Un lungo weekend di paura

For action freaks, this is great stuff, but overdid it, especially at the end. If they hadn't this might have been a good movie overall. For the first hour, this was tremendous with some wild, jaw-dropping action scenes in the typical revenge story angle.

Then it gets out-of-hand with good guy "Jeff Douglas" (Robert Patrick) killing all the bad guys in sight while numerous villains can't him - not one! It really gets ludicrous, and to make it worse, the acting is not the best in this movie. Some really dumb line deliveries and stupid characters.

In the end, worth a rental but not a purchase.

Robert Patrick is quite the little terrier in this routine actioner about a wronged man hell bent on revenge (now, that's what I call a plot!) Patrick's claim to fame is that he looks a bit like Peter Weller (I'm gonna live forever!) And also played a robot in 'Terminator 2' (Now, that's what I call a stretch!) Here, he sports a blonde, bouffant, fifties rockabilly barnet and possibly the tightest pair of jeans I've ever seen in a movie. It's amazing he can talk, let alone roll around incessantly in those things, it's truly impressive, believe me. The whole ensemble makes him look like a reject from a Jimmy Dean look alike contest for violation of the the age limit. A rebel without a pause, he systematically blows away countless mafiosi without seeming to sweat. Patrick has devised a full proof method of combating the mafia which is basically 'duck and cover'. Frankly, I'm amazed he can even move, but it works. Despite having very loosely fitting standard Italian suits, the bad guys have not learned the concept of 'duck and cover' and continuously stand in plain site waiting for the cue to be riddled with bullets. They do not learn from this and just carry on with the same strategy. Back at bad guy central, the Mafia bosses scratch their heads over Patrick's astonishing success and decide that war has well and truly been declared on them, albeit from Lilliput. It can only end in one place. You guessed it, an abandoned warehouse. Or maybe they only look abandoned because they're so big. And full of explosions. Patrick, continuing his zero tolerance of gun control (and underwear judging by the EXCRUTIATING tightness of those jeans), proceeds to single handedly demolish Las Vegas, best described in a better film elsewhere as 'a suitably biblical ending to the place.'

The only other film I can recall with a similar looking lead with an eerily familiar pair of trousers is in 'Blue Jean Cop' AKA 'Shakedown', in which our hero, despite having very and I mean VERY tight jeans; manages to run, jump and hang off the wheels of a plane. Despite being called 'Shakedown', nothing shakes in his jeans, believe me. The actor in that film was a chap called Peter Weller. Funny, that.

Cool action B movie from the 90's with Robert Patrick

ZERO TOLERANCE: It is a simple tale about one man's crusade for vengeance.

Jeff Douglas (Robert Patrick) is a young FBI agent who must transport a vicious psychopathic drug dealer, Ray Manta (Titus Welliver) from Mexico back to a federally sanctioned prison somewhere in the United States. Everything seems well until Jeff and his cohorts realize that on the trip back, they are being followed by a gang of motorcycle riding killers. Before long, these FBI agents are caught in a barrage of gunfire...

When the smoke clears, Douglas discovers that his friends have been gunned down. What's even worse...the prisoner has escaped! When Jeff returns to the United States, he finds out that his innocent family has been held ransom at gunpoint by a sinister drug cartel known as the "White Hand." The White Hand is a powerful drug conglomerate that is controlled by five "mainstream" businessmen: Vitch (Mick Fleetwood), Kowalski (Miles O'Keffe), LaFluer (Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter), Lee (Gustav Vintas), and...Ray Manta. This drug cartel is responsible for the distribution of a powerful new merchandise known as "liquid heroin." The White Hand demands that Douglas pose as a "courier" so that he can transfer a suitcase full of money back to Las Vegas. Douglas must comply to the White Hand's demand, or else...they will permanently execute his entire family...

Seeing that the White Hand refuses to keep their part of the bargain, they order their henchmen to assassinate Douglas's wife (Wendy Patrick) and children anyway. Meanwhile, Douglas delivers the requisite suitcase to Vegas, but he finds himself to be a moving target... Barely surviving the White Hand's sabotage, Douglas tries to contact his family, making sure that they are in one piece. When Douglas learns that all of his family members have ended up in body bags, hell have no fury like an ex-FBI agent scorned...

Jeff Douglas has a new mission now: To avenge the loss of his family by waging war against the entire White Hand clan. He plans on terminating the White Hand, one member at a time. As this film will prove, Douglas must take revenge into his own hands. For him, revenge is just another name for justice...

ZERO TOLERANCE is an action-packed, thrill-to-the-minute adventure that will certainly satisfy the most hard-core fans of this genre. This film is definitely head above water when compared to other direct to video drivel. The action is surprisingly unpredictable and the explosive firepower keeps this film moving at a breathtakingly rapid pace. ZERO TOLERANCE is mindless, fast-paced fun.

Granted, the premise for ZERO TOLERANCE is strikingly familiar: A loner decides that he must avenge the deaths of his loved ones. However, what truly places this motion picture above films of comparable characteristics is the main character, well played by Robert Patrick. The viewer is made to understand all of the torment the main character must go through after losing the only ones he cares about. The flashbacks are well made, showing how this "vigilante" was once a loving family man. The viewer could actually sense how much pain this hero is going through. To him, the loss of his family is his own personal hell. Tough character actor Robert Patrick (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY) does an admirable job portraying this hard-boiled soul bent on vengeance.

Unfortunately, the rest of the performances in this film are a mixed bag. Titus Welliver is convincingly bad-to-the-bone as the prime antagonist. However, two of his cohorts, former rock star Mick Fleetwood and the star of the "Ator" (ha, ha) movies, Miles O'Keefe are rather mundane and stereotypical. Kristen Meadows tries her best as another FBI agent who is sympathetic to Douglas, but sadly for her, she is little more than a ransom victim for the bad guys. Another significant setback for ZERO TOLERANCE is that it virtually features ZERO plot revelations. This movie is very much run-of-the-mill, and though the action will keep you riveted, the plot lacks sophistication and depth. With the exception of Douglas, the rest of the characters are created in a by-the-book style.

If you are the typical action fan looking only for brisk thrills, then you probably do not care much about plot and characters. Well, I will say this, you have picked the right selection. ZERO TOLERANCE is the consummate action thriller. The fantastic excitement will most likely knock your shoes off. This PM Entertainment Group (who has made five dozen or so other "action" pictures) motion picture will not dissatisfy you with its abundance of leaping stuntmen, exploding objects, and awesome editing. Two examples of adroitly directed action scenes are the ambush at the beginning and the shoot-out in Las Vegas. This movie will make John Woo proud. Speaking of John Woo, some action scenes in this movie though seem to be TOO inspired by the works of John Woo. Take for example, the beginning of ZERO TOLERANCE where the main hero shoots it out with a gang of gun-wielding motorcyclists. If you saw the Hong Kong film, HARD-BOILED (directed by John Woo), then you will know what I am talking about. Anyway, with that said, adrenaline addicts will cherish this fast moving thrill-ride.

ZERO TOLERANCE is definitely one of the Pepin-Merhi duo's best films to date. Taken at face value, ZERO TOLERANCE is pure entertainment, PM style. Slick action scenes, decent production values, and proficient cinematography highlight this rather exciting motion picture. ZERO TOLERANCE may not have enough profundity to be considered a first-class B-movie, but it is a fine film nonetheless, with a strong, solid performance by Robert Patrick and some really neat action sequences and stunts. Trigger-happy fans will most likely remain contented. ZERO TOLERANCE is an underrated and overlooked thriller. If you ever get the chance to see this movie, I suggest you do.

RATING: *** out of ****.

Robert Patrick stars as an FBI agent out for revenge after his wife and child are murdered by a drug cartel led by main goon Titus Welliver.

Patrick & Welliver are really too good for this trash by 90's B movie producers Richard Pepin & Joseph Mehri and their PM Entertainment Group, The script is dreadful, The acting by everyone (aside from the aforementioned above) is poor.

Plenty of gunfights & explosions, which is where most of the budget goes on this type of Straight-to-video trash, Patrick looks embarrassed to be in this - coming after his career defining role as the T-2000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and we even get Mick Fleetwood - Yes, THAT Mick Fleetwood as a drug cartel boss.

It's watchable enough with very low expectations, but we've all seen this many, many times before, "Zero Tolerance" doesn't break new ground or even tries to, it is what it is, a mid 90's bottom shelf, action cheapo with a far better leading man than this kind of trash deserves.