Retour en force

Rowdy Roddy Piper stars as tough guy police officer who joins forces with martial arts expert/vigilante Billy Blanks to bring down mobsters, who have kidnapped Piper's journalist squeeze(Bobbie Phillips) and Blanks's sister much action and karate chops fly. Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper's charisma (notice I didn't say acting) lifts what would be just another throwaway action flick which consists off the team up two tough guys with different styles, however as expected Back In Action features tons of admittedly spectacular action sequences which always offers a big bodycount. Admittedly all of this is silly, most of it predictable and derivative but Back In Action certainly lives up to its title and fans of the genre will enjoy the big bodycount which compensates for all the shortcomings Back In Action contains.

* *1/2 out of 4-(Pretty good)

This is an excellent "B" movie. Blanks and Piper work really well together. The story is decent. But story doesn't count, action does. And there is more than enough action to keep people happy. Blanks and Piper are good in the numerous fight scenes. Overall a really good movie that any action fan should check out.

Back in Action (1994) was another direct-to-video-movie that starred two of the biggest players in the rising rental market. Billy Blanks plays a former decorated solider who's sister is mixed up with a local gangster. He knows that he's no good and she'll end up in trouble or worse. Roddy Piper co-stars as a hung over drunken cop who crosses paths with the enraged Billy. How will theses two be able to help each other out? Roddy wants to bust the mobster and Billy wants to put them six feet under. Will these two hot heads be able to work together and take a bite out of organized crime?

Roddy Piper and Billy Blanks found new careers in making low budget direct-to-video-action-films. This was a few years before Mr. Blanjs struck gold with the Tai-Bo gimmick and no longer needed to play in these cheesy films. Another underrated action duo. Blanks and Piper made a very interesting team.

Recommended.

A vigilante trying to clean up the streets and save his sister from a life of crime, with a maverick cop not prepared to play by the rules. Banks, and Piper, provide a perfect buddy movie.

Their chemistry shows on screen, which is why they would re-united a few years later. The plot is not overly complicated, a simple drugs operation with a powerful overload, mean and incompetent head honchos, and inept muscle, perfect combination.

A good movie for one of those days when you are ill and need to spend the day on the sofa. It is raining outside but Banks and Piper bring a little sunshine to the day.

The first of two b-movie actioners Billy Blanks & Roddy Piper did in the 90's, 'Back In Action' is a solid ride. Good fight scenes, tons of bullet play, car chases, stuff blowing up in the standard story affair about cops, the mob, drugs & kidnapping people. Sure it's cheesy, don't reinvent the wheel, but heck if I didn't enjoy the trip.

Det. Rossi (Roddy Piper) is part of an undercover drug buy that goes bad while Billy (Billy Blanks) an ex-special forces cab driver tries to rescue his sister who's involved with one of the dealers. The hard nosed cop wants to bring down these men after they escape and ultimately their boss Kasajian (Canadian actor Nigel Bennett). While Billy has to continually come to his sisters aid (whenever she wants it or not) and the two men unofficially team up to settle all scores.

There's a fun dynamic going on here with Billy being the clean, sharp martial artist and Piper being a straight up bruiser who delivers a satisfying wrestling move or two during the flick. They don't see eye to eye at first and there's this reoccurring gag of Blanks kicking the gun outta Rowdy's hand whilst they brawl. Notch up a decent explosion or two alongside the fisticuffs, gunplay too.

'Back in Action' had a box cover back in the VHS dtv days that made me steer clear of it. Now in hindsight, I don't know why I did. It's obviously not of a high budget or housing a fresh story, but the action going down on the streets, alleys, piers of Toronto is fun. Really solid b-movie fun.