Fino all'inferno

I originally didn't really have any intentions of watching Dessert Heat. As much as I love a Van Damme film, the fact this is one of his released straight to DVD films did put me off. I only ended up purchasing it because I happened to come across it in the 50 Pence section of a DVD and Games store we have in the UK. I thought for 50p why not. And to be fair, I really enjoyed it.

If you can prepare to watch a movie and not take it too seriously then it's worth a watch to let the time pass and entertain you. Don't get me wrong, it's not Universal Soldier or Sudden Death. But Van Damme kicks ass in this.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable.****Very Good.***Okay.**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead.*Avoid At All Costs.

Granted the Belgian one's recent spate of work has been the deplorable 'Knock Off'and,although I hav'nt seen it(don't want to)rather repellent 'Universal Soldier:The Return',and granted the overall quality of the movie,Inferno is a Van Damme movie I rather enjoyed.The opening scene especially,of Van Damme in the desert with the nutty Mexican bloke off 'Con Air' and 'Point Blank' was very well written and strangely effecting.You also got to feel for the resident's of the town,including the 2 pretty waitresses,the old guy,and the standard wise old Japanese guy.And there was of course,some great kickboxing action,at the end especially.

Also,towards the end especially,the movie loses it's sense of pace a bit,and goes a bit awry.And the gunfights wer'nt great.But overall,these were minor quibbles in a very entertaining action vehicle.****

Anyway, you shouldn't compare this movie to either of the above. Although I haven't seen Yojimbo (pronounced Yo-Jimbo by one of the characters), but I'm sure it won't be fair to all of them.

This movie is an action movie, with Van Damme as the good guy, but it's not very serious. Sure, there are explosions and guns and kicks and a completely unnecessary sex scene and all that, but it seems like there are quite a lot comic relief moments and characters. Pat Morita and Bill Erwin reminded me of Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets, for one.

Van Damme plays an American, which meant that he talked very little and tried to talk in a raspy voice to disguise his accent. And you know what? It worked. The only thing that I couldn't let go is because I expected to hear his unique accent.

This movie is 95 minutes well spent. Don't go out of your way looking for it, but you don't have to avoid it either.

Hey, if you want art go to a museum. This thing is entertaining. Slow start but it makes up for that. Funny in understated ways. Vivid characters that weren't all made with cookie cutters. If the dialog had been witless the life would have drained out of this movie as easily as the bad guys die. But I'll wager the writer (Tom O'Rourke II) was awake and had some fun. I was too and I did too. Hats off to him.

We (viewers) made Hollywood (filmmakers) to have a steady source of diversionary schlock. This one delivers.

P.S. Should get an award for egregious miscasting: Vincent Schiavelli as a Sikh?

It's no secret Van Damme has lost much of what clout he once held at the box office when he's now reserved to doing leads in straight-to-video action flicks. I guess the hindsight is you could say that about any of the other big action stars. It's been awhile since Arnold really pulled in the audiences and even longer for the likes of Stallone, Norris and even good 'ol Steven Seagal.

So it wasn't the biggest surprise when Van Damme's latest 'Desert Heat' went straight to video. The strangest thing is it's leaps and bounds ahead of Universal Soldier 2 that got a theatrical release and Van Damme is actually pretty good when he's relaxed and having fun. With a few familiar faces in the supporting cast helping out.

This one finds Van Damme as a man at his emotional end. He believes he's got nothing to live for anymore and when we met up with him he's ready to commit suicide and end his life. What happens shortly after that is pretty basic, but fuels the rest of the story. A bunch of dirty people try to wax him and leave him for dead and he swears to make them pay in blood. So not entirely original. With more gunplay than there is martial arts - you have to decide if that's a good or bad thing for a Van Damme flick. It's a case of opinion and/or taste more than anything else. The atmosphere is light and everyone seems to be having fun. Which is great. This story couldn't have survived a single viewing if it took itself seriously.

I'm not recommending this outright, but I'm not saying stay away either. Love or hate Van Damme, this is a half-decent addition to his mixed slate of movies and if nothing else this movie contains one of the most unique sex scenes I've seen in an action movie in a really, really long while. It's both erotic and vaguely comical at the same time if you can believe that. You'll have to see the movie to know what I mean, but this all goes back to an earlier point. It never takes itself seriously and that's what keeps things enjoyable rather than being a pain to watch in the end.