Directed
by David Mitchell
Starring - Roddy Piper - Han Soo Ong
1997 (year of production) – R – 94 Minutes
Platinum Disc Corporation DVD
Platinum Disc Corporation DVD
Extras:
Text Synopsis – Trailer – Uncut Trailer – Cast Bios – Photo Gallery –
(Fascinating) Production Notes
(Fascinating) Production Notes
It
was much harder to decide what to review than I
expected it to be! I want to choose the first several titles as carefully as possible
to help create a clear picture of what I intend to do with all this. After
much deliberation I have selected LAST TO SURRENDER!
This movie makes a decidedly strong first impression! Right out of the gate it's clear that being politically-correct is not a top priority, it's just over five minutes when the first gun fight takes place and when you hit the nine minute mark you've got car chase action raging across your screen!
This movie makes a decidedly strong first impression! Right out of the gate it's clear that being politically-correct is not a top priority, it's just over five minutes when the first gun fight takes place and when you hit the nine minute mark you've got car chase action raging across your screen!
The
set-up is tried and true; Nick Ford (Piper) is a cop on the job with his partner
trying to bring down some bad guys when things go wrong and the partner gets
killed. Ford chases after the bad guy alongside of a particularly skilled waiter
who just won’t quit! The killer gets away, Ford and the waiter get into it a
little bit, and then you get confirmation of what you surely already knew… That
relentless waiter is an undercover Chinese cop named Wu Yin (Han Soo Ong).
From
here the Red Heat influence begins to show itself in a big way. Ford is told by
his superiors that he has no choice but to partner up with Wu Yin in order to
capture the villainous murderer who got away because, as it’s explained, they
are now the only two people to know what he looks like. The ‘he’ in question
being the infamous drug kingpin known only as ‘The Tiger’. Wu Yin has been
working this case for his own government for some time while Ford now has a
personal stake with wanting to claim vengeance for his fallen friend and all.
So, partners it is! From here the hunt is on and the action, though filtered
with comedic banter between the two leads, is frequent and exciting.
Enter 'The Tiger'. |
Can you feel the love? |
For those about to rock.... FIRE! |
And
so it goes… Things might not take many surprising turns from this point on but,
no matter, it’s still a blast to watch! Piper is more than comfortable with this
type of character and knows how to get the most out of it. It’s a pleasure to
watch his Nick Ford switch from that charmingly foul-mouthed and pure-hearted cop
to a crusty and frustrated jungle dweller forced to eat snake to survive! And
let’s not forget Han Soo Ong! He can be seen in such films as Bloodsport 2,
Tiger Claws II, and others. That strong physical presence he has along with a
pleasant personality that is constantly tested by his counterpart's aggressive
smack-talking make him perfectly suited for the good guy straight man
role here. There’s fluidity to the attractive cinematography, an excellent
soundtrack by Norman Oresntein, a healthy amount of fully-packed squibs, lots of
exploding huts, and would you believe they even manage to squeeze in a love
interest? Yep, she’s played by Angela Tong. Piper fans should not hesitate to
grab this one. A solid example of Le Cinema De Boom!
Notes:
Hitchhiking in Burma is ROUGH! |
That first step is a real doozy! |
No more bubblegum.... |
Notes:
-Movie
is set in Seattle and Burma but was filmed in Canada and Indonesia.
-This
was Han Soo Ong's first good guy leading man role and it was also his last released
film to date.
-Director
David Mitchell has been working steadily in the industry since the early 80’s.
-Composer
Norman Orenstein has worked on over 80 projects.
-During
filming there was a real plane crash that left a couple of crew members injured
and one dead.
-DVD
shown and reviewed is original Canadian release from 1999. The American release
is also from 1999 but features slightly different packaging/art and though out
of print, can still be found for purchase at places like Amazon.
-Pictures
displayed are definitely a low-budget endeavor and are meant only to indicate
content and are in NO WAY meant to reflect the quality of the presentation.
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