Ahh...my first exposure to an Enzo G. Castellari flick, and I come away sufficiently impressed to keep an eye out for more of his work. LIGHT BLAST is a typical '80s action flick, with a policeman hunting down criminals and blowing them away, but the sheer amount of action and stunts involve make it both memorable and highly enjoyable. Refreshingly free of dialogue and clichéd scenes of suspects being interrogated, LIGHT BLAST offers up raw action at its finest - violent, stylish and slow-motion. Castellari falls somewhere between Sam Peckinpah and John Woo in his depiction of screen violence, making these parts of his films very cool indeed.
Although an Italian production, LIGHT BLAST has at least been partially filmed in San Francisco, which gives some of the car chases - down those famous hilly roads - added visual interest. The score is a cheesy '80s one, but the thumping beat gives the action added excitement and fits with it well - I hate films where excitement is sapped by inappropriate music, but that's definitely not the case here. The acting may be weak, but the characters are even weaker - aside from Estrada's hero, there are so many supporting characters and sub plots that nobody else gets much screen time to make an impression. Estrada is quite laughable as the "tough" hero, considering that he looks pretty feeble, but oddly his presence is fitting for a film of this nature.
The action comes thick and fast and throws in about a hundred different locations and situations for the shooting to occur in. Beginning with a hostage set-up, the film throws in a stakeout, an assassination attempt, murder at a football game, a handful of car chases, some fighting on the docks, and a fantastic warehouse shootout which would go on to inspire Woo's HARD TARGET. Castellari's film may have been made on the cheap but the action exudes style and sophistication, with many deaths occurring in slow motion and lots of blood flying around.
The plot is a rather silly one and more suited to a Bond film, but the introduction of the laser beam of the title means that we get to see some cool effects of people melting (kinda like at the end of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), which are cheap but cheerful. There's an amusing buggy chase at the end of the film, in which Estrada's vehicle jumps up over cars for no reason, and a disappointing yet fitting ending in which the action is over within a minute. With it's extremely high death rate, some cool explosions (especially liked the thrown petrol can gag) and 60% action, LIGHT BLAST is a force to be reckoned with and an example of how the '80s movie could be cool AND cheesy.
Although an Italian production, LIGHT BLAST has at least been partially filmed in San Francisco, which gives some of the car chases - down those famous hilly roads - added visual interest. The score is a cheesy '80s one, but the thumping beat gives the action added excitement and fits with it well - I hate films where excitement is sapped by inappropriate music, but that's definitely not the case here. The acting may be weak, but the characters are even weaker - aside from Estrada's hero, there are so many supporting characters and sub plots that nobody else gets much screen time to make an impression. Estrada is quite laughable as the "tough" hero, considering that he looks pretty feeble, but oddly his presence is fitting for a film of this nature.
The action comes thick and fast and throws in about a hundred different locations and situations for the shooting to occur in. Beginning with a hostage set-up, the film throws in a stakeout, an assassination attempt, murder at a football game, a handful of car chases, some fighting on the docks, and a fantastic warehouse shootout which would go on to inspire Woo's HARD TARGET. Castellari's film may have been made on the cheap but the action exudes style and sophistication, with many deaths occurring in slow motion and lots of blood flying around.
The plot is a rather silly one and more suited to a Bond film, but the introduction of the laser beam of the title means that we get to see some cool effects of people melting (kinda like at the end of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), which are cheap but cheerful. There's an amusing buggy chase at the end of the film, in which Estrada's vehicle jumps up over cars for no reason, and a disappointing yet fitting ending in which the action is over within a minute. With it's extremely high death rate, some cool explosions (especially liked the thrown petrol can gag) and 60% action, LIGHT BLAST is a force to be reckoned with and an example of how the '80s movie could be cool AND cheesy.