CIA: Operação Alexa

PLOT OUTLINE: A gang of thieves break into a government building & steal a valuable computer chip. The group is killed, but not before the leader swallows the chip. His body is stolen by a group of terrorists working for arms dealer Victor Mahler. One of the terrorists, a woman named Alexa, is captured by the CIA. Mark Graver, a CIA agent, decides to try & turn Alexa against her boss.

This low budget actioner was one of the first films made by PM Entertainment, one of the major players in the DTV action genre during the 1990s. The film became a cult hit on cable television due to the fact that one of its stars, O. J. Simpson, was put on trial for the murder of his wife & her lover. This success turned PM into a successful B-film studio, enabling them to make dozens of similar films during the decade.

The trial has given the film a reputation it does not deserve. In fact, C. I. A. – Codename: Alexa is something of a poster boy for those who decry action films as being nothing but violent garbage. The film's script is poorly written; the action scenes consist of people standing out in the open firing at each other; the dialogue is cheesy & stupid & the plot, despite given a title like "C. I. A.", fails to feature the agency prominently.

That said, the film does prove to be something of a guilty pleasure. The action scenes, despite having the characters standing out in the open while shooting their weapons, do have an undeniable energy (the cinematographer for the film, PM honcho Richard Pepin, would later go on to direct a number of sci-fi / action hybrids).

The stars are a mixed bunch. Kathleen Kinmont & Lorenzo Lamas make a good pairing (they would later marry), Pamela Dixon gives the impression that she hates the film, judging by the contempt she gives it, while O. J. Simpson gives the usual idiotic surliness that he gave his other film roles.

C.I.A. CODE NAME: ALEXA is a solid '90s action B-movie, with great action and pretty much poor everything else. It's a film in which wooden acting is the order of the day, and the storyline is nothing new, but at the same time it has tons of action ranging from bloody shoot-outs to hard-hitting fight scenes in which every hit or kick is accompanied by extra-loud sound effects.

Director Joseph Merhi certainly knows how to shoot a fight scene and the plentiful action is what keeps you watching here. The B-movie cast is also a fun one, although you can't get much more wooden than Lorenzo Lamas's lead. As the villain-turned-heroine, Kathleen Kinmont is much better, and more fun, while the viewer's treated to O.J. Simpson playing the usual dedicated cop type. Cult actor Alex Cord is the bad guy, and watch out for a young Michael Bailey Smith (THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake) playing an absolutely hulking henchman whom Lamas goes up against in one stand-out violent showdown.

The first of the two "Alexa" movies that Lorenzo Lamas and Kathleen Kinmont made in the mid-90s is thoroughly routine in all aspects, except one: the exemplary handling of Kinmont's action role. As a former terrorist recruited by the CIA to help them retrieve a micro-chip with nuclear capabilities, Alexa is tough, no-nonsense and efficient but hasn't completely lost her humanity, and Kinmont has the right body, moves and attitude for the role. This film has a few of the best female action scenes I've ever seen in a low-budget American film. Other than that, there is nothing here that you haven't seen before: Lamas' most notable acting effort is to whisper ALL of his lines, O. J. Simpson plays a cop whose partner got killed in the line of duty, and the villain has (wouldn't you know it?) a foreign accent. See it for Kinmont or don't see it at all. (**)

Lorenzo Lamas stars as some type of CIA agent, who captures some exotic beauty named Alexa, kidnaps her daughter and forces her to fight her former employers. O.J Simpson is also on board to provide a dash of acting credibility for the not so talented ensemble. I must admit i'm not a fan of Lorenzo Lamas, or his movies. He stinks. However when compared to O.J Simpson and Lamas' comatose wife Kinmont, Lamas seems like ah, Jean-Claude Van Damme. I only saw CIA because of the renewed interest around the O.J Simpson trial, you see because if your parents had cable and the extra channels, you couldn't escape this movie. in 1994 you could go to an Amish community and some moron would have this playing in their portable TV. The movie itself is a collection of lame action sequences and would be intrigue although the shock value of O.J Simpson jumping after fireballs and exchanging would be one liners do provide some unintentional humor. Also where was Bobby Knight and Kobe Bryant to make this a complete camp classic?

* out of 4-(Bad)

This is really really bad. Lamas shows just how a second rate actor does his job. But what makes it worth watching is the scene where OJ angrily grabs a fellow cop by the throat as if to kill them while the jukebox plays a song with the lyric "I got the evidence on you!". (Makes me want to hear the rest of the lyrics - attributed to David Gregoli and Leslie Oren but i couldn't find it on iTunes). Talk about seeing into the future...Too funny for words. The rest of the movie is forgettable. The score and songs are more interesting than the script. Ditto the sequel. Which begs the question of why they would do a sequel at all. My understanding was that foreign sales drives a lot of these B movies. Doesn't say much for the world's viewing habits.