Movie Review : Mercenaries (2014)

 WildCinema Presents

Movie Review : Mercenaries (2014)

 The Lowdown

With the recent success of such ensemble movies as The Expendables and Fast and Furious 6 it was only natural that a female led action flick would come about. Most people assumed it would be the long in development "Expendabelles" movie that hollywood has been trying to put together, no sadly someone beat them to it. Asylum fills the void with their very own "chick flick" Mercenaries aka Prison Raid featuring such female action legends as Brigitte Nielsen, yeah you read that right Red Sonja is back baby. Sarcasm aside the cast is decent enough, starring stunt woman Zoe Bell, Terminator 3's Kristanna Loken and martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock this had all the makings to be a decent action flick so does it deliver? Well not really seeing as this is an asylum movie, the CGI is terrible, the acting is wooden and the whole thing looks like it was shot on your next door neighbours camcorder but to be fair at times it is quite fun. The plot is thin as our female team infiltrate an enemy compound in order to rescue the presidents kidnapped daughter but the action is plentyful, its just a shame the shootouts are terrible, the hand to hand combat scenes however are much better and upto standard of what you would expect from this type of yarn.

Final Verdict

This type of movie was never going to win any awards so it should at least provide us with some kickass action but Mercenaries can barely even do that, the CGI blood and muzzle flashes are terrible and take you right out of the action and the choreography is bland to say the least, however the hand to hand combat scenes are competent so its not all bad, Zoe Bells martial arts skills are captured in stylish slow motion and look cool enough to make this straight to video trash watchable. Overall this movie falls short on what the trailer showed us, it looked like it was going to be a so bad its good kind of movie, instead we just got kind of a bad movie. The budget seems none existant, the cinematography is terrible and the action is mostly underwhelming. However the cast is great (i just wish Cynthia Rothrock got more screen time) and do the best with what they're given. Check this one out if you like any of the cast, or if you're B movie mad, just be expecting to laugh more than genuinely thrilled and you should be fine.

Rating

1.5 out of 5

Movie Review: Foxy Brown (1974)

WildCinema Presents

Movie Review: Foxy Brown (1974)

                                               Director: Jack Hill

                                               Starring: Pam Grier, Terry Carter. Peter Brown

 

The Lowdown:

Originally intended to be a sequel to 73's "Coffy" Foxy Brown features more action, sex, and 70s goodness from blaxploitation Icon Pam Grier. Foxy sets out on a path of vengeance against those who murdered her boyfriend. 

Featuring lesbian bar fights, men getting chopped up by plane propellers and once again Pam Griers best asset - her naked breasts, this is a blast from start to finish. My only complaint is at times its feels a little slow, and although never boring it would have been nice to see the action paced out a little better.

Pam Grier's performance is pretty solid as the badass action heroine Foxy and she brings a physical presence to the role like no other female at the time could, paving the way for future action heroines such as Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 this is pretty much the birth of the kick ass leading lady, something we now take for granted.

Sadly after a couple movies Pam all but fizzled out and took a back seat, and played more supporting roles until Tarantino Cast her In 1997s Jackie Brown, which is a shame as i would have loved a whole bunch of violent 70s and 80s actioners from Ms Grier. But her work in this and "Coffy" have truly cemented her as an Icon of 70s action cinema, and nobody can take that away from her.

While not quite as good as "Coffy" Foxy Brown is a fantastic way to spend an evening. Brimming with 70s swagger, Gratuitous Violence and a Finale that would make Dirty Harry proud, Foxy Brown is hard hitting entertainment from a fantastic era.

Final Verdict:

Boobs, blood and a pickle jar filled with a mans floating member make this classic worthy of revisiting. Witness the rise of the action heroine and marvel at the beauty of Ms Grier. Foxy Brown Still delivers the goods in 2013. You would be foolish to have not seen this cult classic.

Rating:

Nothing less than a solid 4 out of 5 for this vintage classic.

Pick this classic up at Amazon here: Foxy Brown [DVD]

Movie Review: Coffy (1973)

WildCinema Presents

Movie Review: Coffy (1973)

                                                 Director: Jack Hill

                                                 Starring: Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Sid Haig

 

 The Lowdown:

Lets travel back to the 70s for a minute. Forget Cgi, lets embrace real down and dirty film-making for a second. And films dont come anymore down and dirty than Coffy. An incredible mixture of sex, violence and gratuitous nudity, Coffy is one hell of a fun ride.

Pam Grier plays Coffy, a nurse by day, vigilante sex pot by night, seeking vengeance against drug dealers for getting her sister hooked on heroin. That's basically the plot minus a few twists and turns here and there. 

What makes this film so great is the sum of all its parts. Pam Grier is incredible to look at, even if her acting is a little bit wooden, we can overlook it as she has one hell of a screen presence..and possibly one of the best racks of all time, she is pure badass as Coffy. The soundtrack is funky and sleazy and really gets you in that 70s mood. And did i mention Coffy features one of the best death scenes of the 70s? RoboCop's Robert DoQui gets tied to the back of a car and gets taken for one hell of a ride, resulting in, you guessed it, his bloody demise. That's worth seeing the movie for but, there's more! "Coffy" features possibly the best fight scene of all time. Coffy gets into a brawl with a room full of hookers and throws them around while also ripping open their shirts to reveal their big floppy breasts! Fantastic! 

There's so much to love about this little gem id hardly fit it all into a digestible review. This is a great piece of 70s kitsch that any film fan should check out. You wont be disappointed! 

Final Verdict:

Featuring Nudity, Violence, Pam Griers breasts and a rocking 70s soundtrack Coffy is a rip roaring 70s flick that everyone should see. Buy it, Rent it or steal it, Just watch it.

Rating:

Exploitation doesn't come any better than this 4 out of 5 stars for this classic.  

Pick it up on Amazon here : Coffy [DVD]