Okay, so maybe the budget wasn't quite that miniscule, but you can tell this isn't one of the pictures that would be "big" enough for a Joel Silver or a Jerry Bruckheimer to bother with. But that's fine, because even with the tried-and-true action sequences, the execution is well-done and fast-paced. Frank Darabont contributes some solid character development, a real change for an action picture, so anybody out there with ADD may want to fast-forward through the first third. Of course it won't make any sense without the initial set-up, but since when did that bother the majority of the audience this flick is aimed at?
And to paraphrase the old saying, what's the most important thing about a low-budget action flick? Casting, casting, casting. You'll never find nastier or more dependable villains than the ones that Peter Greene (THE MASK, PULP FICTION) and Kevin J. O'Connor (DEEP RISING, THE MUMMY) specialize in. Not to mention Russell Means, for that extra touch of "desert ethnicity." Patrick Muldoon and Jake Busey were castmates in Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS, and character favorites Rex Linn, Jeffrey DeMunn and Lois Chiles round out the lineup. Can't go wrong with a roster like that.
Not a movie that pretends to be anything but what it is, so when you want high-speed chases and shoot-'em-up, blow-'em-up-real-good sequences, fire up the VCR with this one, pop the popcorn and have at it.
