In this hackneyed bargain bin action film, LA is a darkly lit place where a White ex-cop, his Black doctor pal, and a Latina love interest work together to help sort out gang rivalries. Along the way, we are treated to plenty of fuzzy racial themes we are accustomed to in our "urban" action films, and a vague can-do sense of civic pride. But the twist here is a new gang in town -- a vaguely European bunch with nefarious and poorly-explained motives -- who are fresh from jail, well trained and equipped to wreck re-treaded special-ops havoc. Its their professional mettle against the decent, plucky people of LA. Can you guess who prevails?
The audience can be forgiven for not caring what happens to any of these one-dimensional characters. The script writing is so unoriginal that the main character quotes Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "hasta la vista" line, a reference so trite that I suspect even in 1993 it must have sent eyes rolling. If you're into stonewashed jeans and other markers of American "authenticity," and a White guy other than Van Damme or Chuck Norris doing karate kicks, you may be in for the summer action film of your life.
The audience can be forgiven for not caring what happens to any of these one-dimensional characters. The script writing is so unoriginal that the main character quotes Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "hasta la vista" line, a reference so trite that I suspect even in 1993 it must have sent eyes rolling. If you're into stonewashed jeans and other markers of American "authenticity," and a White guy other than Van Damme or Chuck Norris doing karate kicks, you may be in for the summer action film of your life.