Heatseeker

After spending a long time searching for this movie, I finally found a store that had it on VHS for less than $1, and I immediately popped it in my VCR when I got home.

After reading about the plot I was hooked right away: In the future, kick-boxing has been overtaken by cryogenically enhanced fighters, only one man is still 100% human, but when he refuses to fight in the ultimate lethal tournament, the arrangers kidnap his girlfriend/manager and force him to compete!

The movie did not disappoint me at all, but that might be because I saw so many familiar faces in it, being an avid Albert Pyun-fan, he used the same set of actors he always does: Jahi J. J. Zuri is making his film-debut as one of the fighters, and Thom Mathews is also playing a sympathetic fighter in the tournament, being forced to fight in the competition by the evil mastermind Tung. Tung is played by Pyun's most frequent collaborator, the flamboyant Norbert Weisser, who is aided by always entertaining Tim Thomerson, who here plays the synthetic red-headed leader of corporate scumbags. Earl White and Chad Stahelski are also two guys Pyun uses often, and they're in the movie as Budokam fighters, of which there are plenty.

Although the star of the movie is not one of his regulars, Keith H. Cooke, known from "China O'Brien", here plays the last 100% human kick boxer in the world, Chance O'Brien (co-incidence? I think not), and he actually does quite a good job. The martial arts-superstar Gary Daniels (from "Fist of the North Star") is a great bad guy, with his icy-blue eyes and nonchalant attitude, and the woman both men love is also a Pyun-regular, Tina Coté, who hasn't done many movies yet, but always gives her best performances in Pyun's movies (like "Nemesis 2", "Mean Guns", and "Omega Doom"). This was actually the first movie I've seen where she did not play an obnoxious b*tch, so that was a new experience.

The fight-sequences in the movie are interesting, but after a while it does tend to be a bit tedious to watch, and at times fast-forwarding is probably a good idea to keep interest. If you like both cyborgs and kick-boxing this is definitely a movie you should watch, but if either turns you off, you should probably stay away, as that is pretty much all there is going on in this movie.

Highlight: Keith Cooke running around naked in the Phillipines. The abundance of man-ass is hilarious, but if you're homophobic, this might at first turn you off, but later we get to see Tina Coté's nipples, so there's something for both men and women in this movie, cyborgs or not.

One can't help but admire the cheeky directness here. The protagonist's name is a transparent effort to draw in fans of Cynthia Rothrock's 'China O'Brien' movies (which I, for one, dearly love) in which the lead actor also starred. The premise is straight out of a videogame: "Your girlfriend has been kidnapped! Fight your way to the top to save your girlfriend!" Early scenes are defined by a course of events that could fit just as easily into various electronic gaming titles, or into any similar martial arts/fighting films from the 80s or 90s (many beats rather remind of 'Bloodsport'). And the plot, suitable if unremarkable, is itself really just a pretense - like so many of 'Heatseeker's' brethren, the story is mostly just a vehicle for one fight scene after another. Throw in themes of capitalist malfeasance, the power of love - as well as grotesque misogyny, exploitation and suppression of bodily autonomy, and sexual assault - and the stage is set for a rollicking rumble.

Well, mostly.

'Heatseeker' is duly well made. I quite like the filming locations, and set design and decoration. Costume design, hair and makeup work, props, and fabricated materials representing cybernetics all look pretty great. Director Albert Pyun also illustrates a keen eye at some points for shot composition, and there's some swell use of lighting throughout. I enjoy Anthony Riparetti's music, adding to the mood and tension of various moments, and the sound design is really rather good. Acting is at most a secondary concern in action flicks like this, but I think those on hand generally demonstrate sufficient skill to carry the plot as needed. Above all, the fight sequences we get are outstanding, with fantastic stunts and choreography. It's clear that there's some genuine martial arts experience among the cast (in the very least, Keith Cooke has his own pedigree), coordinator Burton Richardson helped to orchestrate phenomenal, visceral, and exciting bouts, and we ostensibly get to see several different styles throughout the tournament. If nothing else is true about this picture, the action scenes are a blast.

Those are the curious bits, and the good news. There's actually a lot to like here, provided one is looking for a second-tier fighting romp. That's hardly to say this is perfect, however. While the performances are fine at large, some instances are unquestionably stilted, whether for lack of skill or dubious directorial guidance. If derivative and not inherently noteworthy, broadly speaking the writing serves its purpose - though the more that the screenplay tries to add dramatic beats outside the proverbial ring, the more it feels like it outright borrows from other pictures. Mostly perfunctory dialogue, and adequate scene writing, have some low points. Overall I appreciate Pyun's contribution as director, though there's an overabundance of fleeting shots - a repeated exterior view of a structure, glances at competitors' sponsors in the arena - that are entirely superfluous.

Last but not least, my biggest critique flows from the movie's chief strength: fight scenes are the welcome emphasis in 'Heatseeker,' but even as they're swift, snappy, and stimulating, there's room for improvement. 'Heatseeker' isn't alone among action films in the problem of orchestrating fight scenes with a proliferation of small shots and overzealous editing that diminish some of the utmost literal impact; compare any present-day action title to, say, any Hong Kong flick of the 70s and 80s, and the issue is immediately evident, with some glaring deficiencies of continuity even from one shot to the next. To its credit, this film is a lot better than most about spotlighting real contact in each match - but still the camera cuts away so briskly at one time or another that fast fights, lasting less than a minute, seem shorter still. And when all this is said and done, the climax and ending similarly come and go so quickly and inelegantly that it somewhat feels like the viewer has been shorted.

Still, for all its shortcomings, this isn't bad. The runtime progresses quickly as one fight sequence follows another. It's imperfect, a smidgen common, and takes no few cues from its cinematic cousins, but at the same time, anyone who sits to watch already knows what they're getting into. This has no illusions about being something it's not. 'Heatseeker' wants only to entertain, and despite its faults, it succeeds in that aim. One must acknowledge the problems, but with terrific martial arts action front and center, the good outweighs the bad. You don't necessarily need to go out of their way to see this, but if you happen to come across it, it's solidly enjoyable, and a decent way to spend 90 minutes.

I have enjoyed some of the directors previous efforts. Nemesis 1 and Cyborg are great films. This is not.

Gary Daniel's looks great but the script is tired and unoriginal. The cybernetics are practically none existent except a couple of cheap make up appliances.

The ending seemed so rushed it leaves you thinking! Wtf just happened!? That's it!?

A wasted opportunity to have cyborgs fighting each other in a Bloodsport style competition. But the cyberpunk aspect is none existent. Just a martial art, computer game style back n goth with cheesey sound effects. Cheapest sets ever and some of the campiest baddies ever.

Not even good in a retro camp way.

Avoid.

Keith Cooke, the cult superkicker who many people would have loved to see in more movies, achieves something of a career pinnacle with HEATSEEKER – the only starring vehicle he's had as of this writing. Disappointingly, this high point does not exactly constitute a highlight: consistently flawed despite a decent premise and an explosion of physical talent, the film just barely manages to scrape a decent rating through sheer sweat and grit. I don't recommend it, but the B-movie aficionado in me won't allow a lower ranking.

The story: In a future when organized combat is waged by technology-enhanced cyborgs, the single 100% human fighter (Cooke) is forced to enter a deadly tournament by a ruthless corporate agent (Norbert Weisser).

Cooke is in great shape and shows off all his best taekwondo moves, but his character is bland beyond all likability. He and the rest of the performers are at the mercy of a script that directs its energy into unwanted venues. The crux of the story is the kidnapping of the lead's manager/fiancé: Tina Cote was one of the movie's few opportunities for some dramatic worth, but her character spends most of the feature being mind-controlled and molested by the villain in a far-fetched plan to get bad guy fighter Gary Daniels to fall in love with her and be a better competitor. Cooke's character is left almost completely in the background. It's an oddly joyless story, plagued by an epidemic of white characters with Asian names: Daniels is called Xao, fighter Chad Stahelski is called Chung, and in what I assume to be a purposely ironic liberty, Norbert Weisser's character is called Tung and spends the movie adorned in teashade sunglasses.

The fight content becomes the picture's last opportunity for entertainment value, and overall, it succeeds (though to what degree diminishes as viewers' expectations rise). A whopping 20 full-length fight scenes almost guarantee that there will be at least some matches for anyone to enjoy, and the cast includes a nice selection of on screen fighters like Thom Matthews, Burton Richardson, Jahi Zuri, John Machado, and Richard Cetrone. I was pleased to see that significantly less slow motion and obstructive editing has been utilized than the norm for director Albert Pyun's movies, though the choreography tends to be bland and the pacing of the matches is far from dynamic. While not nearly matching my hopes, the Cooke/Daniels dream matchup is decent, though my favorite fight of the feature is a winning effort for Pyun regular Earl White .

There's a bit of B-movie abandon to just keep things entertaining enough throughout, including an odd scene in which Cooke is beaten unconscious by some thugs for no reason before having his clothes stolen by children, leaving him to run naked through Manila. Maybe experiences like that limited the man's willingness to submit himself to the whims of a director, but whatever the reason why ol' Keith never received top billing afterwards, you can be assured that the ranking of his credit does not indicate the quality of this movie. I better post this before I rethink my generosity

I have often found myself defending Albert Pyun for some of his films that few other people like (like "Nemesis"), but "Heatseeker", a pretentious mix of pseudo-sci-fi and martial arts action, really is one of his worst films. Keith Cooke (whom I first spotted in "China O'Brien 2", where he stole the show from Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton), is an impressive kicker; Gary Daniels is an excellent opponent; and the cast is obviously full of real fighters. If Pyun had cut out all the crap about cyber enhancement and rival bio-engineering companies, we would probably have about 30 minutes of straight fighting. In other words, the movie is watchable, but only if you know how to use your fast-forward button. (*)