1 review
An elusive South American based wide-ranging illegal narcotics dealer, Manuel Ramirez (Daniel Martine), is impelled to travel into Los Angeles when he learns of the death of his brother, in order to take possession of assets that had been sequestered within a bank safety deposit container, primarily in the form of a large block of United States rare postage stamps, some of which have been unaccountably cast adrift upon a common post card, an item sought by many in the plot line. Jett Rollins (Guy Fury), an operative employed by "a special agency tucked away between the Treasury Department and Foreign Affairs" and his agency partner attempt to apprehend Ramirez upon his arrival in Los Angeles but Jett is trounced during a fierce struggle whereupon the dying agent gives over his duties to his youthful brother Kampo (Michael Barak), a full-time college student whose easy flow of living is therewith disrupted. Kampo and his girl friend of a few weeks duration, Jessica (Sidney Coale), try to obtain revenge for Jett's slaying by confronting the Forces of Evil head on; however, the young couple's sense of anticipation is not of the highest quality, thereby leading them into dangerous circumstances. Writer/director Philip J. Jones has disregarded a need to include those details and patterning that would have served a viewer to better understand precisely what it is that Ramirez, in addition to his minions and associates, find to be so extremely valuable about the sought after postcard with its apparently collectible affixed stamps. For many of the players in this low-budgeted movie, this is their sole credited film listing, while the cast in general appears to be ill at ease for most episodes, especially with the highly unconvincing sets. Flaws in logic, continuity and coherence, including inter-scene selection of apparel, challenge a viewer's vigilance, while the scenario augments its collective foolishness as it advances, including a rather absurd use of a fog making machine during the silly affair's climactic scene that takes place within a warehouse during a cloudless evening. A score for the film is needlessly dramatic, and is not often mixed or contrasted effectively with screen images, additionally at times drowning out dialogue, while other sound fidelity, taken as a whole, is below standard. The film was shot in the Southern California region, one scene taking place inside of the now defunct Vagabond Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard, 65 years old at the time of this filming. Supposedly showing at the house during the episode are two rather poorly produced risible early efforts of Jones, TIME BARBARIANS and PRINCESS WARRIOR, schlock pieces in which appear a few members of the cast from CAUSE OF DEATH. This cut-rate price picture is filmed with videotape, thus lowering an at times already dead visual quality. The VHS box cover and liner notes are somewhat inaccurate, naming Kampo as "Campbell" and actress Coale as "Cole". In the same vein, IMDb identifies the character Jett Rollins as "Jeff". These are, however, trifling points concerning a film wherein is found a comprehensive slaughter of basic intelligence.