Lethal Force

Saw this film at the Atlanta ComiCon Film Festival tonight. It is hilarious. It's a perfect parody of bad martial arts movies. It embraces all the things that make BAD martial arts movies so fun to watch, and takes it too another level. It's also got an homage to the old blaxploitation films, as well. Truly hilarious!

I, too, saw this movie for the first time at Tromadance, where my short film, Safety With Scissors, was playing. I must say, I was blown away at the production value and impressive execution of this modern exploitation flick/satire. Alvin was kind enough to let me have a VHS copy and I've probably seen it about 6 times now. I could watch this movie over and over again and not get sick of it. Being a filmmaker myself adds a whole new dimension to the movie as I am very much an admirer of someone who can make a great film for not a lot of money.

I just recently finished working as DP for a very small DV feature film and one night I played "Lethal Force" for the the cast and crew and they were all laughing like idiots, they couldn't stop. This is definitely a movie people can appreciate and enjoy. The fight scenes were believable and the gunshot wounds were well done. Each character was very unique and memorable and the comedy was on the verge of cheesy, but remained witty and entertaining.

Even if this genre isn't your style, "Lethal Force" is definitely a must-see if you want to see how to make a real movie no matter what the budget.

Try to imagine a Tarantino script not directed, but ANIMATED by Chuck Jones. I don´t know if that´s the effect director Ecarma tried to achieve with LETHAL FORCE, but don´t let the generic film title fool you. Right at the cartoony first sequence we know that this isn´t your average John Woo rip-off. Ecarma knows where he´s coming from, where he´s going and what he´s doing. Shot on film with a budget of 50.000 dollars, LETHAL FORCE blends every pop culture riff ever imagined and compositions taken directly from comic book pages. But he also gives us likeable characters. Some absurd sequences reminds those old Looney Tunes, but the homoerotic relationship between the leads is believable (look at the big cigars they munch during the flashback sequence with the, uh, vietnamese ninjas), and so´s Jack relation with his son (played with gusto by young actor J. Patrick Collins Jr.).

And the best thing is that Ecarma don´t let the "homages" get in the way of storytelling. At little more than 70´s minutes the movie moves REALLY fast and is filled with great low-budged action sequences. All begins with an exciting fight between Jack and "Psycho Bowtie" (a silent karate-fighting goon played by the multi-talented Eric Thornett, who also directed a cool indie film called 23 HOURS), and ends with a long, gore-drenched, over-the-top finale complete with nods to Abel Ferrara´s DRILLER KILLER and every duel-at-sundown western, decapitations, crucifications and exploding heads - not to mention the priceless blood-squirting eyeball.

This movie has only one fault: it´s not yet available on the home video market. But thanks to the success LETHAL FORCE is making in the festivals circuit, that soon will be corrected.

I had the good fortune of catching a screening of this film at this year's Tromadance Film Festival in Park City Utah. This movie is the quintessential exploitation-flick satire. It goofs on everything from A Better Tomorrow to Terms of Endearment. Or was was that Foxy Brown it was making fun of? At any rate, gorehounds, fans of hong kong cinema, and even the ladies can all enjoy this film immensely. There is something for everybody in this gem. I also was fortunate enough to meet the writer/director Alvin Ecarma, and I found him to be a passionate filmmaker with obviously very large aspirations. This assessment proves once again Filipino Directors from Washington DC are indeed second to none in the world of moviemaking. Can't wait until the sequel!!!

Lethal Force terrifically illustrates the way some talented filmmakers can make the most of a shoestring budget. This inspired satire tackles almost every brand of action film conceivable - espionage, Bruce Lee, blaxploitation, women in prison, modern Hong Kong cinema, and '80s Commando flicks - and compliments its material nicely with spectacular visual flair, and the best action choreography you're likely to ever see in a film of this budget. I'd be doing _Lethal Force_ a disservice if I emphasized the budget too much: this film is as entertaining as any Hollywood fare of its year of release. Filmed mostly in Baltimore, _Lethal Force_ continues Charm City's tradition as a hotbed of subversive film activity, yet approaches camp in its own special way that, with all due respect, owes little to the visionary trash of John Waters.