Ravenhawk - Instinto Assassino

For the first half of the movie I thought McLish wouldn't talk, for the second half I wished she hadn't. Not since Bolo has a lead character had so few lines, both with merit.

First of all, what is with the naked woman at the beginning? No joke, just sitting in the background being naked, basically a part of the set.

I realize this was a movie about the horrible ways that people take advantage of the Native Americans, but that ended up being such a subplot, that it was almost insulting. Basically this movie was about revenge, plain and simple, oh and if the toxic chemical plant happens to suffer to, all the better.

There is also the "professional" bounty hunters, who suffer from all the classic problems. They are really good at luring the hapless hero in, and/or tracking him/her. Then they can't shoot their victim, who is able to get away and hunt them. Only in this case it worse than most.

And I will end with the question, how the heck can she run around and climb and stuff with a bullet through her thigh? I mean most heroes at least attempt to limp or have a pained/stoic look on their face.

And this is from a fan of the "you killed my ____ prepare to die" genre.

I had high hopes for Rachel McLish's starring vehicle 'Raven Hawk' after seeing her in 'Iron Eagle 3'. Unfortunately this revenge tale centered around murder and the stealing of Indian land has one note greedy racist villains, surface level only themes. It's not a complete loss, but this action trip is mostly by the numbers.

Rhyia Shadowfeather (McLish) watched her parents be murdered as a young girl by men (Michael Champion, Dick Warlock, Mitch Pileggi and William Atherton) who wanted them to approve land for development. With false testimony and help of the corrupt Sheriff (Ed Lauter), she's blamed for their deaths & remanded to a mental hospital. That is until 12 years later she escapes a transfer to prison and immediately picks up making these men pay for what they have done.

Once they start getting picked off one by one, three big hired killers are brought in to take her out in typical action movie fashion. There's a half Indian Federal Marshall (John Enos III) subplot used for story beats, but it's really Rachel's show. Her buff look, cast of faces (Mitch Ryan & John De Lancie appear too) and memorable freefall stunt work go in the plus column. Desert scenery and some good aerial photography too.

'Raven Hawk' with some Western elements ultimately has nothing new to say and the action isn't always shot that well. Perhaps a troubled production (not a first for director Albert Pyun) is partly to blame. The ending is certainly nothing to write home about. Dtv fans might wanna give it a go, but you'll have to agree McLish's inclusion is what got you here in the first place.

"Ravenhawk" turns out to be far better than one might expect of a TV movie. Rachel McLish is wrongly convicted of killing her parents, to the benefit of a large toxic waste recycling plant. Twelve years later she escapes from confinement and unleashes revenge on the villains who set her up. This comes across like a female version of "Rolling Thunder", with McLish instead of William Devane dishing out the punishment. The desert locations are used to full advantage, and there is a nice assortment of stunts. If you would enjoy a buffed female heroine in place of the usual, usual, then seek this one out. I thoroughly enjoyed "Ravenhawk". - MERK

American Indian Shadowfeather (bodybuilding queen Rachel McLish) stops desecration of holy ground by industrial corporation and avenges her family. Similar to Steven Seagal's `On Deadly Ground', `Ravenhawk' is a tough action movie pretending to say something about ecological matters and the rights of minorities. You needn't buy that, but it's tremendous entertainment anyway. Director Pyun always had great landscapes in his movies, I wish I could watch this at the cinema instead of playing a videotape. There are some beautiful shots you won't forget, for example Shadowfeather climbing on the cliff (a tiny human lost on a giant rock), or riding on her horse across the industrial estate (when nature meets technology in stark contrast). Shadowfeather has to face an impressive opponent: William Atherton (`Die Hard 2') plays the bad guy, you'll easily notice that because he wears black and listens to Italian operas instead of country'n'western – now that's what I call suspicious behaviour (just kidding). If you like Norris and Seagal movies, check out Rachel here. She worked hard for it.

Beautiful southwestern scenery is the only redeeming virtue of this by-the-numbers revenge film. The ecological, pro-Native American theme seems more exploitive veneer than imaginative twist, and the direction lacks suspense or even much of a climax. Acting is dull and unconvincing, though William Atherton is on board to lend his trademarked sneer to the chief villain. There is little more to the plot than "heroine framed for parents murder; heroine kills the real murderers." None of the characters are developed at all, even to the limited extent of an action film. That's too bad, because I was prepared to like this movie, and yes, the scenery was nice.