I sometimes stop on the way home from work on Fridays to visit my old drive-in pal. I bring a change of clothes and a movie or two. Yesterday I had my stuff by my locker, and the Deadly Force bluray was on top of my tote bag. A co-worker looked at it and asked who was the guy on the cover.
Obviously this individual had never seen Vice Squad. No one who has watched that film is likely to forget Wings Hauser as Ramrod, the demonic pimp.
I never managed to see Deadly Force. I was always curious, and how bad can it be? The almighty Wings Hauser as a renegade ex-cop searching for a serial killer. I'd rather see Wings as a lowlife criminal, but a role as a discredited detective has potential.
Deadly Force was produced by the reliable Sandy Howard, the man behind gutter masterpieces such as Angel (High School Honor Student by Day-Hollywood Hooker by Night!), Savage Harvest, The Boys Next Door, Embryo, The Devil's Rain, Street Justice, Hollywood Vice Squad, Blue Monkey, and of course the one and the only Vice Squad.
A longtime Hollywood veteran, Sandy Howard also did production work on Captain Kangaroo. I always knew there was only a degree of separation between the Captain and Wings Hauser.
Deadly Force seemed like a sure-fire good time for old school exploitation fans. Unfortunately, the movie makes Hollywood Vice Squad seem like The French Connection in comparison.
It's always good to see Wings in anything. I didn't completely hate Deadly Force, but there's very little to recommend about it. The movie is competently shot, but utterly bland. The acting is wooden, the dialog is stilted, the action is somnambulant, and the violence is off screen.
The frenetic side of Wings Hauser shines through now and then, but he is mostly subdued.
I would have sworn Deadly Force was a "thriller" made for the old USA Network, but profusely unwelcome scenes of the bare buttcheeks of Wings Hauser disprove that theory.
I can't even call Deadly Force bad. Bad movies are often entertaining. This movie is nothing. Neither fish or feather. Wings, who should be soaring with the Gods, is weighted down with mediocrity in this missed opportunity.
I bought Deadly Force when Shout! Factory had a half price sale, so I wasn't out too much. The big question is why they bothered in the first place. I know copyright issues affect every release decision, but other Wings Hauser movies like The Carpenter or Street Asylum would have been much wiser choices.
Deadly Force is only recommended to those mentally damaged enough to be Wings Hauser completists. People who, horrifyingly, would have to own episodes of Roseanne and Murder, She Wrote.
Written by Mark Sieber
Obviously this individual had never seen Vice Squad. No one who has watched that film is likely to forget Wings Hauser as Ramrod, the demonic pimp.
I never managed to see Deadly Force. I was always curious, and how bad can it be? The almighty Wings Hauser as a renegade ex-cop searching for a serial killer. I'd rather see Wings as a lowlife criminal, but a role as a discredited detective has potential.
Deadly Force was produced by the reliable Sandy Howard, the man behind gutter masterpieces such as Angel (High School Honor Student by Day-Hollywood Hooker by Night!), Savage Harvest, The Boys Next Door, Embryo, The Devil's Rain, Street Justice, Hollywood Vice Squad, Blue Monkey, and of course the one and the only Vice Squad.A longtime Hollywood veteran, Sandy Howard also did production work on Captain Kangaroo. I always knew there was only a degree of separation between the Captain and Wings Hauser.
Deadly Force seemed like a sure-fire good time for old school exploitation fans. Unfortunately, the movie makes Hollywood Vice Squad seem like The French Connection in comparison.
It's always good to see Wings in anything. I didn't completely hate Deadly Force, but there's very little to recommend about it. The movie is competently shot, but utterly bland. The acting is wooden, the dialog is stilted, the action is somnambulant, and the violence is off screen.
The frenetic side of Wings Hauser shines through now and then, but he is mostly subdued.
I would have sworn Deadly Force was a "thriller" made for the old USA Network, but profusely unwelcome scenes of the bare buttcheeks of Wings Hauser disprove that theory.
I can't even call Deadly Force bad. Bad movies are often entertaining. This movie is nothing. Neither fish or feather. Wings, who should be soaring with the Gods, is weighted down with mediocrity in this missed opportunity.
I bought Deadly Force when Shout! Factory had a half price sale, so I wasn't out too much. The big question is why they bothered in the first place. I know copyright issues affect every release decision, but other Wings Hauser movies like The Carpenter or Street Asylum would have been much wiser choices.
Deadly Force is only recommended to those mentally damaged enough to be Wings Hauser completists. People who, horrifyingly, would have to own episodes of Roseanne and Murder, She Wrote.
Written by Mark Sieber
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