Onde de choc

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

The age old aidage of never trust a book by it's cover is definitely the case with No Code of Conduct,a ploddingly formulaic DTV actioner with misleading pretensions of being anything but.

The plot has a good looking,well groomed Charlie Sheen as cop Jake Peterson who,along with his father Bill (Martin Sheen) and partner Paul DeLucca (Mark Dacascoes) becomes embroiled in a plot to take down some drug dealers.

I had the DVD of the film lying around my house for ages and put it at the back with all the other stuff I have to watch.But after a while,the front and back cover,featuring all manner of explosions,gunfire and well suited action characters,not to mention an exhilarating plotline,began to wet my appetite like the prospect of a double quarter pounder meal at McDonalds.Sure,it was an obviously straight to video effort,and as such probably had the production values to match,but,all the same...

Oh,how I was to be disappointed.

The 'thrilling' action sequences are practically non-existent and what little action there is fails to generate any excitement whatsoever.The story is riddled with buddy-buddy cop thriller cliches and Sheen's character is promoted as the standard 'cop-who-doesn't-play-by-the-rules' hero,but he does little throughout to make us think he is a renegade in any way or that he has any sort of problem with authority.**

From the mind who invented the song "Unskinny Bop", Bret Michaels, comes "No Code Of Conduct", his second directorial effort after "A Letter From Death Row".

"Charles" Sheen as he liked to be called for 2 years (1997- to early 1999) was okay in this film. He plays a cop on the edge. He drinks too much and spends little time with his family etc.... His father Martin is in it and plays a nothing role as his father. Joe Estevez of "Money To Burn" fame plays a helpful mechanic. The editing is very silly because there's always a "whoosh" sound before the scene starts. It is a ** star film.

For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

SPOILERS (maybe)

It may have sounded like an interesting idea at the time to pair up 'The Two Sheen's', but let's face it, the result is not really worth the effort. Believe it or not, the two of them actually look very uncomfortable together and are very mismatched.

As you'd expect, the film churns out flipped over cars, exploding buildings, lesbian Chinese-American psycho's etc. etc., but what cannot be excused is the 'man not spending enough time with his family' routine (hasn't that been done before somewhere?!!).

The highlight of the film for me was probably the sound effect of the stomach stabbing near the beginning - very impressive and dramatically OTT. Good stuff. Those 'whoosh' cuts on the other hand...

But as ever with action films, one important question arises from the experience, and here it is: why do police officers insist on taking their own polished cars out on dangerous police work when they know they're gonna be rained with bullets?

I was impressed that director Michaels cast against the grain. Really impressed with the work of habitually nice guys Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman) and Ron Masak (murder, She Wrote)as the baddies...Masak's low key approach to the role was refreshing and menacing. Also liked the work of Newcomer Tina Nguyen. Charlie Sheen should watch his Dad more and see what good acting is...Kudos for Brett Michaels.

I am a big fan of both Charlie Sheen and Mark Dacascos but I'm sorry to say that this is a terrible movie. The director Brett Michaels just didn't have a clue and succeeded in making everybody involved with this movie look bad. Make no mistakes this is not only a B-movie but it is an almost unwatchable one. It is hard to believe the poor standard of acting from a jumpy looking Charlie Sheen. I just hope that this is as low as Charlie sinks. I'm off to watch "Drive" and "The Arrival" DVD's to redeem my faith.