The Firing Line

Bottom-of-the-barrel stinker is so bad it's beyond funny. The "plot" is about an American mercenary, played by Reb Brown (in the film he's called a "military adviser" but it's not really clear if he's in the American military or not), helping the army of a Latin-American country fight guerrillas who winds up joining the guerrillas when the government turns on him, imprisons and tortures him. Shannon Tweed is a "sports equipment saleswoman" he picks up in a bar who gets caught up in all the intrigue. That description actually makes the movie sound better than it is, because it's really a stinker of almost Biblical proportions. How bad is it? Well, Shannon Tweed turns in the movie's most professional acting job. If that isn't an indication of just what a 12th-rate piece of junk this turkey is, nothing is. From mismatched sound effects to a music score that sounds like it's from a 1940s "Z"-grade horror flick (and may very well be) to the same footage (i.e., the same armored personnel carriers going down the same jungle trail) reused constantly to some of the most ineptly staged "action" scenes in recent memory, this laugh-a-minute groaner has to be seen to be disbelieved. Tweed looks bored, Brown looks hung over, and by the time this thing is finished--if you can last that long; I couldn't--you'll know just how they feel.

Although there are a lot of explosions and gunfights, this can't be considered an "action" picture by any stretch of the imagination. It's boring (there's a scene in the back of a truck where everybody just stares at each other for three or four minutes), repetitive (the same "rebels" and "soldiers" being killed over and over), illogical (when a group of rebels is caught in an open field by a government helicopter gunship, instead of breaking for cover they just stand there staring up at it), inept (soldiers and rebels falling "dead" when no gunshots are heard, a gun battle inside a house where combatants standing against walls are machine-gunned but miraculously the walls escape undamaged) predictable (when the "Governor" says to offer a reward for Brown's capture because "someone" might turn him in, you know exactly who that "someone" will be, and it turns out to be exactly who you thought it was) and just downright stupid (pretty much everything else in the picture). Stupid, brainless and inept beyond belief. Don't waste your time.

This '80s action film is set in a fictional country in Central America. The protagonist, Mark Hardin, is an American military advisor working with the government forces. A successful operation leads to the capture of a rebel leader but when he is murdered rather than put on trial Harbin starts to think his employers might not be the good guys. Events lead to him fleeing with fellow American, Sandra Spencer. They soon run into trouble and are captured by the rebels. His actions during a government attack persuade them that he can be trusted; soon he is helping them in the fight back against the oppressive regime.

Amazon Prime gives the impression that this is a new film but I doubt anybody will get more than a second into it before they realise it is really a straight to video film from the eighties! The 4:3 picture ratio is the biggest clue but it is backed up by the less than perfect picture quality, obtrusive music and acting that is adequate at best. The plot is pretty basic but does at least serve to deliver plenty of low budget action. You know the sort: 'good' guys shoot from the waist but still manage to hit every time, explosions cause people to fly through the air and nobody appears to bleed significantly! It is trashy and there isn't anything really good about it but it is strangely entertaining if you aren't trying to take it seriously. At least the jungle looked good. Overall this is one for fans of low budget, straight-to-video '80s action; not worth paying to watch but okay if you have a Prime account.

In yet another case of misleading marketing, this film is included in a 10-movie DVD set called "Women Who Kick Butt", but even in its original cover it seems to promise Shannon Tweed in an action role. Actually, during most of the movie Tweed plays the typical whiny and prissy female character who has to be rescued by the male lead, and even when she's trained in jungle warfare she still has to be dragged around by him! There is one female rebel who is a stronger character, but she's mostly kept in the margins of the movie. The male lead is Reb Brown, and he does have some (unintentionally, I think) funny moments (like when he gets electrocuted). The action scenes are badly directed and poorly acted: some of the stuntmen needed a few lessons on "how to get shot and die convincingly". I suppose if you're in the right mood you can find some things in "Firing Line" to laugh at (at one point, we can hear Tweed speaking but her lips are not moving!), but mostly I was just bored. (*)

See this film if you are into lousy movies. The acting is terrible. Where did this guy Reb Brown come from. The action choreography is lousy. In some instances you could hear people scream before they is actually shot. Saw XXX the day after I saw this film. Took a point away from Firing Line and gave it to XXX.

In THE FIRING LINE, intergalactic megastar Reb Brown is military bada$$ Mark Hardin. He's sort of like a lobotomized Rambo. Betrayed by his comrades, Hardin must join a rebel force, consisting of soldiers in sparkling clean, mint-condition uniforms, in spite of their having spent months in the jungle! Their cool hats are right off the sporting goods store shelf!

Meanwhile, Hardin's ex-pals wear what appear to be freshly-pressed UPS uniforms!

Soon enough, these two factions are running around shooting and blowing each other up. In the end, it doesn't really matter who lives or dies since the characters are so bland and generic.

Indeed, Shannon Tweed is also in this monkey turd. She manages to keep her hair soft and manageable in spite of the infernal jungle heat...