What starts out looking like a vanity project for Thomas Ian Griffith, eventually morphs into a pretty good action flick. There are some pretty good actors that contribute mightily. Burt Young always delivers an interesting performance, with bad guys his specialty. Here he dishes out some out of the ordinary violence. For the first half of the film, I was wondering what James Earl Jones was doing in the movie? Only in the second half does his character gets more involved. Griffith high kicks his way through a nice assortment of bad guys who have zero character development. Towards the conclusion a twist is delivered that I did not see coming, and Lance Henriksen delivers the goods, as he too has little to do until the last part of "Excessive Force". Overall an entertaining film that delivers what it promises. - MERK
33 Reviews
For a fun beat/shoot 'em up, try Excessive Force!
tarbosh220004 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Terry McCain (Griffith) is a Chicago cop who is pretty much on the edge. A member of the Tactical Narcotics Unit, he's obsessed with taking down the slick mobster drug dealer Sal DiMarco, who, like John Gotti, seems to be made of "Teflon" and always manages to avoid jail time. During a shootout with the DiMarco mob, three million dollars in a suitcase goes missing. Naturally, DiMarco wants it back, and he assumes McCain and his team are behind the missing loot. So now the mobsters are after the cops, and McCain and his girlfriend (Lewis) must go on the run. Luckily Police Chief Devlin (Henriksen) has given McCain a wide berth to go off on his own (not necessarily "rogue") and catch/punch/kick/kill the baddies. After some mild twists and turns in the plot, we see who is the true dispenser of EXCESSIVE FORCE.
The good news is, this is a movie that lives up to its title. There's some hilariously, unnecessarily brutal violence, as if the writer (T.I.G. himself, interestingly enough) felt he HAD to live up to the title. Like he thought, "well, I already spent all day coming up with this title, better make sure the movie has an excessive amount of force". Well played, Mr. Ian Griffith. Well played.
The real reason to watch this movie isn't Thomas Ian Griffith's constant roundhouse and jump kicks, but the killer cast! For starters, what is James Earl Jones doing here? This might make an action movie first: a Shakespearean actor on hand to play Jazz with Thomas Ian Griffith! Terry McCain is a pretty in-the-pocket Jazz pianist, just so you know. (McCain also has an earring, so you know he's cool, long, greasy hair , resembles Christian TV evangelist Joel Osteen and might be a member of the Trenchcoat Mafia. Research is still being done).
Then we have Lance Henriksen, doing his best as Devlin, Tony Todd as Frankie, again, struggling against some potential mediocrity and coming out quite well, the awesome Burt Young doing what he does best - being Burt Young. The movie could have used more Burt. The presence of Charlotte Lewis as the model Anna Gilmour was appreciated. And of course all the lesser-known names in the cast performed admirably as well. Additionally, the Martial Arts Technical Adviser on the film was Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Sadly he doesn't appear on screen. So you have a much better than average cast for this sort of thing, which is nice, and they help to sell the more inane aspects of the plot without you even realizing it, because that's what good actors do. And, yes, this movie is riddled with clichés, but for the most part they are the FUN clichés you want (You mean Terry McCain's use of excessive force is always getting him in trouble? No way!). Amazingly enough, this movie went to the theater! It never would today. Maybe the cast is part of the reason why.
But the movie is enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, and, yes, much of the brutality is fairly unwarranted, but this is EXCESSIVE FORCE people! While not nearly as violent as, say, Wardogs (1986), perhaps Griffith felt he went too far and didn't want to be pigeonholed, so the follow-up, Ulterior Motives (1993), is less impactful. 'Motives does not consistently and strongly follow up Excessive Force properly and a lot of steam was taken out of the T.I.G. train. That might explain why he isn't really a household name, even among action movie fans.
For a fun beat/shoot 'em up, try Excessive Force.
for more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
The good news is, this is a movie that lives up to its title. There's some hilariously, unnecessarily brutal violence, as if the writer (T.I.G. himself, interestingly enough) felt he HAD to live up to the title. Like he thought, "well, I already spent all day coming up with this title, better make sure the movie has an excessive amount of force". Well played, Mr. Ian Griffith. Well played.
The real reason to watch this movie isn't Thomas Ian Griffith's constant roundhouse and jump kicks, but the killer cast! For starters, what is James Earl Jones doing here? This might make an action movie first: a Shakespearean actor on hand to play Jazz with Thomas Ian Griffith! Terry McCain is a pretty in-the-pocket Jazz pianist, just so you know. (McCain also has an earring, so you know he's cool, long, greasy hair , resembles Christian TV evangelist Joel Osteen and might be a member of the Trenchcoat Mafia. Research is still being done).
Then we have Lance Henriksen, doing his best as Devlin, Tony Todd as Frankie, again, struggling against some potential mediocrity and coming out quite well, the awesome Burt Young doing what he does best - being Burt Young. The movie could have used more Burt. The presence of Charlotte Lewis as the model Anna Gilmour was appreciated. And of course all the lesser-known names in the cast performed admirably as well. Additionally, the Martial Arts Technical Adviser on the film was Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Sadly he doesn't appear on screen. So you have a much better than average cast for this sort of thing, which is nice, and they help to sell the more inane aspects of the plot without you even realizing it, because that's what good actors do. And, yes, this movie is riddled with clichés, but for the most part they are the FUN clichés you want (You mean Terry McCain's use of excessive force is always getting him in trouble? No way!). Amazingly enough, this movie went to the theater! It never would today. Maybe the cast is part of the reason why.
But the movie is enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, and, yes, much of the brutality is fairly unwarranted, but this is EXCESSIVE FORCE people! While not nearly as violent as, say, Wardogs (1986), perhaps Griffith felt he went too far and didn't want to be pigeonholed, so the follow-up, Ulterior Motives (1993), is less impactful. 'Motives does not consistently and strongly follow up Excessive Force properly and a lot of steam was taken out of the T.I.G. train. That might explain why he isn't really a household name, even among action movie fans.
For a fun beat/shoot 'em up, try Excessive Force.
for more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Average `direct to video' action flick made slightly better by a good support cast
bob the moo29 June 2003
Terry McCain and his team of Chicago police officers bust up part of mob boss Sal DiMarco's operations. The trial falls through due to the use of excessive force, but $3000000 from the bust goes missing. When DiMarco kills both McCain's partners in an attempt to get the money back, McCain goes after him but decides to spare his life. The next day DiMarco is found dead and McCain realises that there are crooked people around him who are using him to do their dirty work and that they'll soon need to kill him to tidy it all up.
Seeing the cast list in my TV guide I assumed that this would be a classy little thriller so I decided to give it a go. When the opening credits made it look more like any one of a million `straight to video' martial arts films I realised that I had been duped a bit, but decided to give it a go anyway. The plot (written by Griffith himself) is basically the normal one for this type of thing cop is framed and must fight an army to clear himself and take down the bad guy. It is delivered in quite a good way so it never feels as lame as it is if you actually think about it later. The `twists' are expected or at least you know there will be twists as there always is in this type of thing.
For an action film I must admit that I found the action scenes to be quite workmanlike and even dull at times. It is evident that Griffith had been watching the films coming out of Hong Kong at the time and had wanted to try and emulate some of that. This can be seen in the two handed gun play he does as well as the scenes in the jazz bar (both of which show that he had seen John Woo's Hard Boiled at least). Sadly without the same style he never gets close and most of his fights are good but far from anything impressive or spectacular. Despite these influences the film still falls into the old clichés, so we have a few scenes of T&A (both actually quite nice Lewis is better looking that she appears and Cruzat only input is to wear very small underwear and walk across a room - yummy!)
Griffith actually struggles to carry the film and I didn't feel that he had the screen presence he needed to do it. At the start of the film I didn't think he had the looks of a leading man and looked more like a support bad guy nothing in the film changed this view, although he did do quite well with some of the more `emotional scenes'. Happily the support cast is full of familiar faces, although why they all signed up for this is beyond me! The famous support is split into two camps those that make the film better and those who seem to be slumming it. James Earl Jones and Burt Young are definitely among the `slummers' and seem confused as to how they signed up for this. In the other camp Henriksen raises every scene and is better than his stereotypical role should have been, while Todd (Candyman) is lively and enjoyable. Charlotte Lewis used to be in Grange Hill as a youth but her English accent doesn't get in the way and the T&A clause in her contract shows her to have grown up nicely! Sadly she has little to do but be naked or be saved by McCain!
Overall this is not an awful film but it is a very ordinary one. If you have a choice between a blockbuster and this then I'd be tempted to pass on this but, out of a like for like choice this is actually pretty much par for the course. Not great in any sense of the word but just about has enough going for it to justify watching it if there's nothing else on TV.
Seeing the cast list in my TV guide I assumed that this would be a classy little thriller so I decided to give it a go. When the opening credits made it look more like any one of a million `straight to video' martial arts films I realised that I had been duped a bit, but decided to give it a go anyway. The plot (written by Griffith himself) is basically the normal one for this type of thing cop is framed and must fight an army to clear himself and take down the bad guy. It is delivered in quite a good way so it never feels as lame as it is if you actually think about it later. The `twists' are expected or at least you know there will be twists as there always is in this type of thing.
For an action film I must admit that I found the action scenes to be quite workmanlike and even dull at times. It is evident that Griffith had been watching the films coming out of Hong Kong at the time and had wanted to try and emulate some of that. This can be seen in the two handed gun play he does as well as the scenes in the jazz bar (both of which show that he had seen John Woo's Hard Boiled at least). Sadly without the same style he never gets close and most of his fights are good but far from anything impressive or spectacular. Despite these influences the film still falls into the old clichés, so we have a few scenes of T&A (both actually quite nice Lewis is better looking that she appears and Cruzat only input is to wear very small underwear and walk across a room - yummy!)
Griffith actually struggles to carry the film and I didn't feel that he had the screen presence he needed to do it. At the start of the film I didn't think he had the looks of a leading man and looked more like a support bad guy nothing in the film changed this view, although he did do quite well with some of the more `emotional scenes'. Happily the support cast is full of familiar faces, although why they all signed up for this is beyond me! The famous support is split into two camps those that make the film better and those who seem to be slumming it. James Earl Jones and Burt Young are definitely among the `slummers' and seem confused as to how they signed up for this. In the other camp Henriksen raises every scene and is better than his stereotypical role should have been, while Todd (Candyman) is lively and enjoyable. Charlotte Lewis used to be in Grange Hill as a youth but her English accent doesn't get in the way and the T&A clause in her contract shows her to have grown up nicely! Sadly she has little to do but be naked or be saved by McCain!
Overall this is not an awful film but it is a very ordinary one. If you have a choice between a blockbuster and this then I'd be tempted to pass on this but, out of a like for like choice this is actually pretty much par for the course. Not great in any sense of the word but just about has enough going for it to justify watching it if there's nothing else on TV.
Sleazy Cast, Sleazy Film
ccthemovieman-18 March 2007
This has all the earmarks of Hollywood excess in modern-day action/crime films: excessive violence, profanity, crooked cops, conspiracy theories, Rambo-like mentality, a sleazy hero and generally no likable characters in the whole film. That about summarizes this one.
However, when you hear that a film is a "direct to video" one, chances are it's not exactly a high- quality film. I agree with one critic who said Thomas Ian Griffith is a better actor than a writer. He does both in this film. It's basically his movie. I also think he's pretty good at being an unlikeable guy on screen. Of course, I could say the same of the sleazy characters Burt Young and Lance Henrikson usually played, too. When you see this cast, the content isn't surprising. I never thought James Earl Jones was as classy as his reputation, and him being mixed in with this group only solidifies my position regarding him.
However, when you hear that a film is a "direct to video" one, chances are it's not exactly a high- quality film. I agree with one critic who said Thomas Ian Griffith is a better actor than a writer. He does both in this film. It's basically his movie. I also think he's pretty good at being an unlikeable guy on screen. Of course, I could say the same of the sleazy characters Burt Young and Lance Henrikson usually played, too. When you see this cast, the content isn't surprising. I never thought James Earl Jones was as classy as his reputation, and him being mixed in with this group only solidifies my position regarding him.
Hilarious! Oh, and Lance Henriksen!
andertonian5 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Written by Thomas Ian Griffith. Doesn't that just say it all? Thomas Ian Griffith plays Terry McCain, a cop out to bring the local mob, run by Sal DiMarco (Burt Young), to it's knees! But Terry McCain uses EXCESSIVE FORCE to meet his needs, and in the beginning of the movie, we hear Terry lambasted for his use of EXCESSIVE FORCE. The chief of police, Devlin (the always-brilliant-in-not-so-brilliant-movies Lance Henriksen), tells McCain that he's out of line! He's a loose cannon! When the mob kills McCain's partner, he's out for JUSTICE! And he'll use EXCESSIVE FORCE! And KARATE KICKS!
I laughed pretty hard at a lot of the lines and scenarios. We learn early on that not only is McCain an ass-kicking martial arts master, but a jazz aficionado and an expert piano player! He's also good buddies with Jake (James Earl Jones), a jazz bar owner. Jake and McCain bring the voodoo! That's character development only the great Thomas Ian Griffith could come up with! Griffith plays McCain like you'd expect, with less acting and more stuntwork. Tony Todd is charismatic as Griffith's buddy Frankie, but his screen time is pretty limited. Both Burt Young and James Earl Jones look embarrassed, and the former phoning in his performance to the least of his ability. This leaves Henriksen, whose every line as the crooked police chief was taken out of the book of lines for the crooked police chief, but he delivers them in a completely untypical way. His first appearance is when he informs Griffith that he's a loose cannon, but he does it with such class you'll almost forget you're watching a movie called "Excessive Force". Then the camera pans over to Thomas Ian Griffith. Henriksen goes the extra mile in his performance by making Devlin truly an unlikeable bad guy in a movie with really lame good guys. If good acting in a bad movie is not enough for you, there's a point when he casually remarks, "Well boys, looks like we're going to have to kick some ass." That this line was written is bad, but the way Lance breezes through it, without a smirk or hint of embarrassment? Alone, it's worth your money. Give this man an honorary Oscar, already.
It shouldn't be any surprise that Henriksen carries a bad movie, and this is a bad movie, no doubt about it. Every line, plot twist, and character is taken right out of the book of Seagal. So is it entertaining? Of course it is! Henriksen gets a lot of screen time, the action sequences are in abundance, and the writing is terrible. It's not quite the unexpected masterpiece of Hard Target, but if you watched Hard to Kill and giggled like a school girl at the line "I'll take you to the bank... the blood bank", then this movie's worth your 90 minutes.
I laughed pretty hard at a lot of the lines and scenarios. We learn early on that not only is McCain an ass-kicking martial arts master, but a jazz aficionado and an expert piano player! He's also good buddies with Jake (James Earl Jones), a jazz bar owner. Jake and McCain bring the voodoo! That's character development only the great Thomas Ian Griffith could come up with! Griffith plays McCain like you'd expect, with less acting and more stuntwork. Tony Todd is charismatic as Griffith's buddy Frankie, but his screen time is pretty limited. Both Burt Young and James Earl Jones look embarrassed, and the former phoning in his performance to the least of his ability. This leaves Henriksen, whose every line as the crooked police chief was taken out of the book of lines for the crooked police chief, but he delivers them in a completely untypical way. His first appearance is when he informs Griffith that he's a loose cannon, but he does it with such class you'll almost forget you're watching a movie called "Excessive Force". Then the camera pans over to Thomas Ian Griffith. Henriksen goes the extra mile in his performance by making Devlin truly an unlikeable bad guy in a movie with really lame good guys. If good acting in a bad movie is not enough for you, there's a point when he casually remarks, "Well boys, looks like we're going to have to kick some ass." That this line was written is bad, but the way Lance breezes through it, without a smirk or hint of embarrassment? Alone, it's worth your money. Give this man an honorary Oscar, already.
It shouldn't be any surprise that Henriksen carries a bad movie, and this is a bad movie, no doubt about it. Every line, plot twist, and character is taken right out of the book of Seagal. So is it entertaining? Of course it is! Henriksen gets a lot of screen time, the action sequences are in abundance, and the writing is terrible. It's not quite the unexpected masterpiece of Hard Target, but if you watched Hard to Kill and giggled like a school girl at the line "I'll take you to the bank... the blood bank", then this movie's worth your 90 minutes.
Well, I guess I enjoyed it...
swedzin15 October 2012
I really enjoyed this film. But not because of his action scenes, which action-crime films usually offers. The strongest edge of this film is acting crew. I mean, check it out: Thomas Ian Griffith (known from "Karate Kid 3" and "Vampires", the leading man here, he did a fine job, but on some moments pretty shallow performance, nevertheless, he is good), Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Alien 3, AVP, OK, no surprises here, this commanding and great actor appeared in many low budget films, so it's not surprising at all), Charlotte Lewis ("Pirates" and "Men of War", well, I think she was chosen because of her beauty, nothing more), Burt Young (Rocky films, he is a good actor and I usually expected him in supporting roles in big budget films), W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood", he is great, and this was one of his first works), Tony Todd ("Candyman", great, scary actor, known for his trade mark height and deep, spooky voice, well, he appeared in most of these low budget films, so it's not surprising at all) and James Earl Jones ("Star Wars", now... I was really confused about him here, what a hell? How did he get here, the best actor in the film... in such low budget film, well, maybe he liked the crew too). And I think that acting crew is the best thing in this film and it's worth watching because of it.
Now, when it comes to script and plot, it's an average revenge seeking film, I mean this film was really unknown, and yet they put a challenging taglines like "Meet the new contender", "In 70s, we had Bruce Lee, 80s Chuck Norris and now in 90s... meet the new guy", all that exaggerated claims... and in the end... no luck. I think that Griffith is a good actor and a good martial artist, but this kind of movies can't do much for you... If you are a fan of these kind of films, you can easily enjoy it.
Now, when it comes to script and plot, it's an average revenge seeking film, I mean this film was really unknown, and yet they put a challenging taglines like "Meet the new contender", "In 70s, we had Bruce Lee, 80s Chuck Norris and now in 90s... meet the new guy", all that exaggerated claims... and in the end... no luck. I think that Griffith is a good actor and a good martial artist, but this kind of movies can't do much for you... If you are a fan of these kind of films, you can easily enjoy it.
S10 Reviews: Excessive Force (1993)
suspiria1014 March 2005
Thomas Ian Griffith (who was introduced to film audiences as the slimy Terry Silver in The Karate Kid part III) wrote, produced and stars in this action flick about Terry McCann, a Chicago cop with a short fuse (and one hell of a kick) who becomes engulfed in an inside plot to steal $3 million in mob money from a crime scene. They don't like that. He now has to unravel the plot before it gets him killed and those he loves around him.
I really enjoyed Excessive Force (1993). Griffith is a very likable and watchable action hero. The plot isn't the most original thing going for it but it moves fast and has good energy. An interesting cast was assembled for the film which included genre fave Lance Henrikson, Vader's voice James Earl Jones, Candyman himself Tony Todd, Rocky's brother-in-law Burt Young and the exotic Charlotte Lewis. The cast I think is what saved it from becoming standard action fare.
I really enjoyed Excessive Force (1993). Griffith is a very likable and watchable action hero. The plot isn't the most original thing going for it but it moves fast and has good energy. An interesting cast was assembled for the film which included genre fave Lance Henrikson, Vader's voice James Earl Jones, Candyman himself Tony Todd, Rocky's brother-in-law Burt Young and the exotic Charlotte Lewis. The cast I think is what saved it from becoming standard action fare.
Rather Bland but Strangely Satisfying
blackxmas18 October 2000
Slow and cliche-ridden, but interesting supporting cast make this great late night viewing on The Action Channel. It's nice to see Burt Young speaking coherently for a change. Lance Henriksen and Tony Todd round a nice tight,little exploitation troupe. "Die with a little dignity...". 2 beer minimum at the least.
pretty entertaining with credible acting
disdressed1215 December 2007
i liked this movie.sure ti's your typical action/crime drama film,but Thomas Ian Griffith makes a pretty credible action star.plus Burt Young was very convincing as a mob boss.there's certainly plenty of action here,but it's not too over the top.i thought the fight scenes were more realistic than in most movies of the genre.Griffith displays some great moves.which suggest he is very skilled in fighting himself,or the fight choreography was very well done.what's refreshing is there are no flashy camera tricks this time around.the movie moves at a good pace,and there are a few twists and turns,which make it more interesting.it is unrealistic at times,of course.Griffith is basically a one man army,against what should be overwhelming odds.other than that this is an entertaining 95 minutes.i give Excessive Force a 7/10
The force is weak with this one...
fmarkland3223 June 2006
Thomas Ian Griffith stars as Terry McCain, a hard-boiled cop (I don't think there exists a different brand in these type of movies) who looks to avenge his partner after the death of his partner at the hands of a mobster (Played well by Burt Young) however when the mobster turns out dead, despite the mercy McCain bestowed on to him, McCain seeks the ones responsible and finds a conspiracy involved. James Earl Jones lands an embarrassing role as Griffith's would be mentor. Excessive Force is one of the blandest action flicks ever made. Its low degree of style as well as witless plot contrivances make for very dull going. Griffith's performance also grates the nerves since he looks like a used car salesman, rather than one man army cop. The good cast is ultimately wasted, Especially Jones who seems bored with the role, as does Henriksen who could do his role in his sleep. The only real life comes from villain Burt Young but he is ultimately wasted as he is killed off early. Therefore leaving us with a cast to flounder with such labored material.
* out of 4-(Bad)
* out of 4-(Bad)
Great Movie!
roth819 September 2013
This is an awesome martial arts Movie. The action is fast-paced, the plot is intriguing and original. Great cast, direction and editing are perfect. The fight scenes are very realistic. The acting is all very good as you'd expect from a top notch cast and there are plenty of fight scenes to keep the pace up.
Lance Henriksen is great as the corrupt Police Chief and you will throw things at the screen while he's being evil.
it's the kinda cop movie we don't see anymore with plenty of fights, nudity and electric guitar music..
"Excessive Force" is a 90 minute visual feast of pure adrenaline! A must-see film for any fan of good cinema.
Lance Henriksen is great as the corrupt Police Chief and you will throw things at the screen while he's being evil.
it's the kinda cop movie we don't see anymore with plenty of fights, nudity and electric guitar music..
"Excessive Force" is a 90 minute visual feast of pure adrenaline! A must-see film for any fan of good cinema.
"You do what you have to do".
lost-in-limbo10 September 2011
Excessive force is the only way for Thomas Ian Griffith! Who can forget Griffith's laughable villainous turn from "The Karate Kid part III", but on this occasion "Excessive Force" would redeem that and be an action fans delight. A special police investigation unit orchestrates a bust on the Chicago mob, where 3 million dollars goes missing. Thinking that the cops stole it, the mob go about trying to retrieve it, but things are not quite what they seem and detective Terry McCain finds himself caught in the middle. Griffith would star / write and co-produce the film. But the thing that stands out, because really this is your palpable run-of-the-mill, b-grade action crime pulp. Is that you can't go passed the outstanding cast it bestows; Lance Henriksen, Tony Todd, Burt Young, James Earl Jones, Ian Gomez and the gorgeous Charlotte Lewis. These names attached only enhanced the production's quality. Griffith in the lead role made for an agreeable hot-headed maverick cop, perfectly balancing those martial art abilities (that jump-kick!) along with some admirable piano playing. It's a good all round performance. Then you get the ever-cool presence of Tony Todd as a fellow detective partner and a sturdy Henriksen (a part made for him) as the stern, but cooperative police captain. Young lives it up as a big-time crime boss and Earl Jones gives an easy going performance (like if he just wandered onto the set and went might as well). Director Jon Hess pumps up the predictable material with gritty, full-on action set-pieces filled with cold-blooded brutality and sweaty get-up-and-go choreography. This is where Charles Bernstein's sweltering music score comes to the foray. Punchy, direct and simmering. Going down well with the humid, brooding and seedy urban Chicago backdrop. It's an exciting barrage when it gets going, especially the final smack down tussle that goes out in a spectacular way. The script keeps it tough, raw and hardboiled with enough quick witted replies for its characters and while the plot is conventional (one man to foil the crooked plan) it's confidently drawn up. A very well put together and entertaining Thomas Ian Griffith action vehicle.
"We'll get them next time".
"We'll get them next time".
Lacked the force
Prismark104 November 2015
With the success of Steven Seagal in the late 1980s. Thomas Ian Griffith was touted as the next action star. He had been in Karate Kid 3, knew his martial arts and had fair amount of acting experience.
To stroke his ego, Excessive Force was written by him as well. He plays McCain a maverick Chicago cop obsessed with taking down mobster Sal DiMarco (Burt Young) but he always outwits the cops with smart lawyers and the police using excessive force when taking him down.
However DiMarco's guys lose a case with three million dollars in an incident with the police and DiMarco thinks McCain and his team stole it and he sends his goons.
McCain and his girlfriend go on the run as bodies start to pile up including his partner and best friend. Police Chief Devlin (Lance Henriksen) never happy with McCain's methods has given him the wink to go after the baddies. However when DiMarco ends up dead he becomes the prime suspect and finds out a more complex web of police corruption.
The plus side is Griffith is a decent enough actor. Not only is his character a hot headed cop with martial arts skills, he can also play jazz piano. The film also has some good support actors with James Earl Jones, Young and Henriksen.
There is also some intense violent scenes at the beginning of the film and at least a little bit of plotting even if it is rather clichéd. I just thought it lacked something special and one of which was some good, exciting martial arts action. I thought the fight choreography was weak and it seems Griffith lacked a unique selling point in what was already a crowded martial arts action market.
To stroke his ego, Excessive Force was written by him as well. He plays McCain a maverick Chicago cop obsessed with taking down mobster Sal DiMarco (Burt Young) but he always outwits the cops with smart lawyers and the police using excessive force when taking him down.
However DiMarco's guys lose a case with three million dollars in an incident with the police and DiMarco thinks McCain and his team stole it and he sends his goons.
McCain and his girlfriend go on the run as bodies start to pile up including his partner and best friend. Police Chief Devlin (Lance Henriksen) never happy with McCain's methods has given him the wink to go after the baddies. However when DiMarco ends up dead he becomes the prime suspect and finds out a more complex web of police corruption.
The plus side is Griffith is a decent enough actor. Not only is his character a hot headed cop with martial arts skills, he can also play jazz piano. The film also has some good support actors with James Earl Jones, Young and Henriksen.
There is also some intense violent scenes at the beginning of the film and at least a little bit of plotting even if it is rather clichéd. I just thought it lacked something special and one of which was some good, exciting martial arts action. I thought the fight choreography was weak and it seems Griffith lacked a unique selling point in what was already a crowded martial arts action market.
one of my favorites
ManBehindTheMask637 February 2011
This is an AWESOME and underrated martial arts flick. The action is fast-paced, the plot is intriguing, and Thomas Ian Griffith shows off some impressive martial arts talent. The film has everything you want. From classic one-liners to over the top shoot-outs! If you are a fan of Van Damme or Seagal movies, you better check it out. Thomas Ian Griffith could of had a great career, too bad he never got another chance. The film also has an amazing supporting cast and direction and editing are perfect. A rare gem! I've seen the film over a dozen times and it never gets old...highly recommended. One of the last good 90's action kick 'em ups.
Excessive Force my a..
stamper2 July 2000
This is an average, low budget action flick that really has nothing interesting about it. It is a typical action flick as to the plot, but not as to the action. The title suggests a lot of fighting + a lot of Blood. ERROR. None of that, all of this combined with a lack of good casting means that this is really nothing special. So please hear me, not bad, but not good either only watch on TV if you've got nothing else to do or if you're drunk. DO NOT RENT!!!!
5 out of 10
5 out of 10
"I couldn't hear that last part." "You weren't supposed to."
Hey_Sweden13 January 2019
"Karate Kid Part III" villain Thomas Ian Griffith debuted as star with this routine B level actioner which he also wrote and co-produced. Griffith plays Terry McCain, a Chicago detective hoping to righteously bust pompous mafioso Sal DiMarco (Burt Young). But time and time again, he gets away with everything. After a bust, the mobster believes that either Terry or one of his fellow cops stole some money from him, and all Hell breaks loose.
Overall, this is quite routine, with a script by Griffith that is pretty predictable. It wins no points for originality, but, as directed by Jon Hess ("Watchers"), it entertains adequately. It has sex appeal (but no nudity), a fair amount of bloody violence, and fine use of Chicago locations. The fact that the supporting cast is very strong - it includes Lance Henriksen, James Earl Jones, Tony Todd, and W. Earl Brown of 'Deadwood' fame - does help matters a fair bit. At first glance, it would seem that Jones, as a jazz club proprietor, is sorely under-utilized, but he gets more to do as the story plays out. Young is fine, although he doesn't exactly have to stretch himself. Henriksen and Todd remain great value. Griffith is a reasonably likeable chap, albeit no great shakes as an actor. Still, he makes for a decent action movie star, with a couple of opportunities to show off his martial arts moves (as well as a standard workout scene with which to start off the movie). Charlotte Lewis ("The Golden Child") looks extremely delectable as McCains' ex-wife, but she didn't improve as an actress after that memorable Eddie Murphy vehicle.
Good pacing (this runs a trim 87 minutes) and an atmospheric Charles Bernstein score further aid in the telling of this story, which does lead to the inevitable bloodbath.
Six out of 10.
Overall, this is quite routine, with a script by Griffith that is pretty predictable. It wins no points for originality, but, as directed by Jon Hess ("Watchers"), it entertains adequately. It has sex appeal (but no nudity), a fair amount of bloody violence, and fine use of Chicago locations. The fact that the supporting cast is very strong - it includes Lance Henriksen, James Earl Jones, Tony Todd, and W. Earl Brown of 'Deadwood' fame - does help matters a fair bit. At first glance, it would seem that Jones, as a jazz club proprietor, is sorely under-utilized, but he gets more to do as the story plays out. Young is fine, although he doesn't exactly have to stretch himself. Henriksen and Todd remain great value. Griffith is a reasonably likeable chap, albeit no great shakes as an actor. Still, he makes for a decent action movie star, with a couple of opportunities to show off his martial arts moves (as well as a standard workout scene with which to start off the movie). Charlotte Lewis ("The Golden Child") looks extremely delectable as McCains' ex-wife, but she didn't improve as an actress after that memorable Eddie Murphy vehicle.
Good pacing (this runs a trim 87 minutes) and an atmospheric Charles Bernstein score further aid in the telling of this story, which does lead to the inevitable bloodbath.
Six out of 10.
Excessive Force was a dull action movie that wasted Thomas Ian Griffith's potential to be the next 90's action superstar.
Cinemaniac19842 January 2022
Excessive Force should have been the movie to cement Thomas Ian Griffith as the next action martial arts superstar and to stand proudly alongside fellow actors and martial artists Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Dolph Lundgren. Sadly that was not the case as Excessive Force was a box office flop and received poor reviews from critics. I haven't seen the movie in years but I still remember it was a very forgettable experience. For a violent action movie, I found it to be very dull. Thomas Ian Griffith made his name as the slimy villain Terry Silver in The Karate Kid Part III (1989). After Excessive Force flopped, Griffith was later consigned to lead roles in direct to video action movies such as Crackerjack (1994), Hollow Point (1996) and Behind Enemy Lines (1997). He made a return to cinematic roles as the lead villain in John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) which was a decent time filler and he was enjoyable to watch. He also popped up in a small but insignificant role in the Vin Diesel action movie xXx (2002). Both movies however had no effect on Griffith's career. Thomas Ian Griffith recently came out of retirement from acting to return as Terry Silver in Season 4 of the hit series Cobra Kai, much to the excitement of audiences and fans of the series.
And now we return to the review of the action movie Excessive Force. As mentioned before, the movie was a dud. Violent, unlikable and nothing new. Thomas Ian Griffith (who also wrote the movie) plays Chicago Police Detective Terry McCain. He is an honest police officer proficient in martial arts who has a zero tolerance against criminals. He is also a talented piano player at the local jazz bar owned by his friend Jake (James Earl Jones). Following a raid in which $3 million dollars goes missing, many of the police officers are targeted and murdered by mafia boss Sal DiMarco (Burt Young who is well known as Paulie in the Rocky series). When the murders start to pile up, McCain's boss Captain Devlin (Lance Henriksen) gives McCain the green light to seek revenge against DiMarco. McCain must also clear his name having being suspected in playing a part in the missing money.
I'll admit that if Excessive Force was a better movie, Thomas Ian Griffith would have gone onto better movies. Unfortunately that was not the case. His role as maverick Chicago Police Detective Terry McCain is nothing new with his hot headed reputation and long hair with a penchant for trench coats and bad dress sense. He's quick to unleash kicks on the bad guys as well as being trigger happy. Griffith also showcases his musical talents as a piano player as McCain plays in the local jazz bar. His acting was of a below average standard in the movie and he was quite dull.
The rest of the supporting cast includes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), James Earl Jones (Patriot Games), Charlotte Lewis (The Golden Child), Burt Young (the Rocky series), and Tony Todd (Candyman). The supporting cast was nothing special in a very rubbish film, though I felt James Earl Jones was wasted. Director Jon Hess disappeared into obscurity afterwards, returning to the director's chair in other forgettable movies.
Excessive Force deserves the poor reviews as this was a largely dull and forgettable experience. Thomas Ian Griffith could have been somebody, he could have been a contender. He could have his mark as a 90's action superstar but he was completely off the mark. He was no good in the movie. Bit of a shame, but not everyone can make the A list. Excessive Force was a movie that I was indifferent about and one I won't bother wasting my time rewatching it to give Thomas Ian Griffith a second chance.
2/10.
And now we return to the review of the action movie Excessive Force. As mentioned before, the movie was a dud. Violent, unlikable and nothing new. Thomas Ian Griffith (who also wrote the movie) plays Chicago Police Detective Terry McCain. He is an honest police officer proficient in martial arts who has a zero tolerance against criminals. He is also a talented piano player at the local jazz bar owned by his friend Jake (James Earl Jones). Following a raid in which $3 million dollars goes missing, many of the police officers are targeted and murdered by mafia boss Sal DiMarco (Burt Young who is well known as Paulie in the Rocky series). When the murders start to pile up, McCain's boss Captain Devlin (Lance Henriksen) gives McCain the green light to seek revenge against DiMarco. McCain must also clear his name having being suspected in playing a part in the missing money.
I'll admit that if Excessive Force was a better movie, Thomas Ian Griffith would have gone onto better movies. Unfortunately that was not the case. His role as maverick Chicago Police Detective Terry McCain is nothing new with his hot headed reputation and long hair with a penchant for trench coats and bad dress sense. He's quick to unleash kicks on the bad guys as well as being trigger happy. Griffith also showcases his musical talents as a piano player as McCain plays in the local jazz bar. His acting was of a below average standard in the movie and he was quite dull.
The rest of the supporting cast includes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), James Earl Jones (Patriot Games), Charlotte Lewis (The Golden Child), Burt Young (the Rocky series), and Tony Todd (Candyman). The supporting cast was nothing special in a very rubbish film, though I felt James Earl Jones was wasted. Director Jon Hess disappeared into obscurity afterwards, returning to the director's chair in other forgettable movies.
Excessive Force deserves the poor reviews as this was a largely dull and forgettable experience. Thomas Ian Griffith could have been somebody, he could have been a contender. He could have his mark as a 90's action superstar but he was completely off the mark. He was no good in the movie. Bit of a shame, but not everyone can make the A list. Excessive Force was a movie that I was indifferent about and one I won't bother wasting my time rewatching it to give Thomas Ian Griffith a second chance.
2/10.
Clicked With Me
refinedsugar5 May 2023
I've had a liking towards this action title since I saw it in the early 90's and you're justified in perhaps wondering why. 'Excessive Force' is textbook definition of generic and obviously meant to be Thomas Ian Griffin's action movie breakout but then it flopped. However I enjoyed it's bursts of action, some memorable dialog and the many faces in the cast help bring home the seedy underground Chicago flavor.
Terry McCain (Griffin) is a cop who likes to play hard & loose with the rules and perps civil rights. When his unit does a drug raid on the mafia, 3 million dollars go missing and the court trial against head Italian mobster Sal DiMarco (Burt Young) gets throw out due to McCain's "excessive force" (hence the title) angering Captain Delvin (Lance Henriksen). Plus now DiMarco thinks the cops stole his money which caps off a war where they become targets and the ultimate question of who actually has the money is asked.
Griffith gets to fire off some guns and display the requisite mix of martial arts as he kicks the crap outta people and seeks a measure of revenge thru the pic. He carries his part out effectively but in a story which was written by him, he's saddled with some silliness of playing piano in a jazz bar owned by his friend Jake (James Earl Jones) for character development and he has a hot & cold relationship with his ex-gf (Charlotte Lewis).
Tony Todd - Mr. Candyman himself - is a hoot as one of Griffin's fellow cops Frankie who likes to gamble. Young is the mobster who goes from brutal one second to pathetically begging for his life the next. Jones and Lewis aren't given a whole lot to do but they provide color and possible betrayal suspects. Henriksen as the police superior, later chief of police is an all around scene stealer here particularly when he's given the chance to lay on some attitude in scenes with either Todd or Griffith.
'Excessive Force' is the kind of light fare action title that was so common on video store shelves in the 90's, but has some decent action, a few shallow twists & turns and a lot of bodies get shot up courtesy of mobsters incorporated and dirty cops r us. I can unhealthily quote way too many lines word for word. It had no right being this much fun and as you can see the supporting cast has a big part to do with it.
Terry McCain (Griffin) is a cop who likes to play hard & loose with the rules and perps civil rights. When his unit does a drug raid on the mafia, 3 million dollars go missing and the court trial against head Italian mobster Sal DiMarco (Burt Young) gets throw out due to McCain's "excessive force" (hence the title) angering Captain Delvin (Lance Henriksen). Plus now DiMarco thinks the cops stole his money which caps off a war where they become targets and the ultimate question of who actually has the money is asked.
Griffith gets to fire off some guns and display the requisite mix of martial arts as he kicks the crap outta people and seeks a measure of revenge thru the pic. He carries his part out effectively but in a story which was written by him, he's saddled with some silliness of playing piano in a jazz bar owned by his friend Jake (James Earl Jones) for character development and he has a hot & cold relationship with his ex-gf (Charlotte Lewis).
Tony Todd - Mr. Candyman himself - is a hoot as one of Griffin's fellow cops Frankie who likes to gamble. Young is the mobster who goes from brutal one second to pathetically begging for his life the next. Jones and Lewis aren't given a whole lot to do but they provide color and possible betrayal suspects. Henriksen as the police superior, later chief of police is an all around scene stealer here particularly when he's given the chance to lay on some attitude in scenes with either Todd or Griffith.
'Excessive Force' is the kind of light fare action title that was so common on video store shelves in the 90's, but has some decent action, a few shallow twists & turns and a lot of bodies get shot up courtesy of mobsters incorporated and dirty cops r us. I can unhealthily quote way too many lines word for word. It had no right being this much fun and as you can see the supporting cast has a big part to do with it.
As generic as the title would suggest
Tito-822 May 1999
When I rented this film, I had to keep on looking at the box just to remind myself of the title. Fittingly, the generic title makes sense for this completely unoriginal film. For what it is, the action isn't bad, and there are a surprisingly high number of familiar faces, but the plot is as standard as it gets. Anyone even remotely familiar with this genre should be able to recognize how typical this movie is, and they should be able to spot most of the plot twists a mile away. Much like I had expected, this film is watchable enough, but it wasn't particularly entertaining, and it is entirely forgettable.
Failed to capitalize on Karate Kid Pt III
nixolympica-1005510 January 2022
The most interesting thing about this film is that it failed to lauch a leading man career for Thomas Ian Griffith. Griffith had a starring role as the villain in 1989's The Karate Kid Part III. I remember at the time seeing the trailers for this that I wasn't surprised to see the actor who brought the terrifying Terry Silver to life being given his own film. It seemed like an obvious move. He had good looks, impressive physical martial arts skills, and was a charismatic actor as well. So why did it bomb at the box office? Having just re-watched the film, these are my thoughts.
It's just not a good movie for one. Excessive Force is what is known as a "star vehicle." A film written solely to cater to an actor's strengths. Interestingly this vehicle was written by the star himself. The real problem is the film's premise, so it was doomed from the start. Griffith should have starred in a martial arts themed movie rather than a karate cop crime thriller. Just imagine if Jean Claude Van Damme had tried to start his movie career in a cop thriller where he does spin kicks rather than the martial arts tournament films Bloodsport and Kickboxer. He may never have had a career. Griffith was trained in taekwondo, which specializes in kicks and especially head kicks. I lost count of how many spinning hook kicks Griffith used to defeat an enemy in this movie. It just doesn't seem as tough or as useful as Steven Seagal's aikido strikes and joint locks. Something should have been mentioned about how unusual it is for a six and a half foot tall cop to be karate kicking crooks all over town. But as I mentioned earlier, the story is the real problem.
Terry (the same name he had in The Karate Kid Part III) is involved in an action scene in the beginning before we even know a thing about him. And we never really do learn who he is. He plays the piano, he dresses stylishly, and he's a cop. We don't really know much else. Griffith's height was a bit of a problem for him being a leading man. He towers over everyone else. He really does seem better suited for the role of the villain. The supporting cast really help this film and it's worth watching for Lance Hendrickson, Tony Todd, and James Earl Jones. I should also mention Burt Young who made a good mobster, but is sadly not in the movie enough. That also hurt the movie, that as the layers of the plot unfold, the bad guys keep changing.
If you like violent rated R action movies I think you will like this one. It's just a missed opportunity more than anything. If they wanted Griffith to play a cop then they should have cut back on the taekwondo, maybe had him take out the dangling earring, and not make him so chic looking. He would have been better off with the slicked back Seagal style haircut he had in The Karate Kid Part III rather than the feathered styled look he had here. He just doesn't look tough. He looks like a model.
It's just not a good movie for one. Excessive Force is what is known as a "star vehicle." A film written solely to cater to an actor's strengths. Interestingly this vehicle was written by the star himself. The real problem is the film's premise, so it was doomed from the start. Griffith should have starred in a martial arts themed movie rather than a karate cop crime thriller. Just imagine if Jean Claude Van Damme had tried to start his movie career in a cop thriller where he does spin kicks rather than the martial arts tournament films Bloodsport and Kickboxer. He may never have had a career. Griffith was trained in taekwondo, which specializes in kicks and especially head kicks. I lost count of how many spinning hook kicks Griffith used to defeat an enemy in this movie. It just doesn't seem as tough or as useful as Steven Seagal's aikido strikes and joint locks. Something should have been mentioned about how unusual it is for a six and a half foot tall cop to be karate kicking crooks all over town. But as I mentioned earlier, the story is the real problem.
Terry (the same name he had in The Karate Kid Part III) is involved in an action scene in the beginning before we even know a thing about him. And we never really do learn who he is. He plays the piano, he dresses stylishly, and he's a cop. We don't really know much else. Griffith's height was a bit of a problem for him being a leading man. He towers over everyone else. He really does seem better suited for the role of the villain. The supporting cast really help this film and it's worth watching for Lance Hendrickson, Tony Todd, and James Earl Jones. I should also mention Burt Young who made a good mobster, but is sadly not in the movie enough. That also hurt the movie, that as the layers of the plot unfold, the bad guys keep changing.
If you like violent rated R action movies I think you will like this one. It's just a missed opportunity more than anything. If they wanted Griffith to play a cop then they should have cut back on the taekwondo, maybe had him take out the dangling earring, and not make him so chic looking. He would have been better off with the slicked back Seagal style haircut he had in The Karate Kid Part III rather than the feathered styled look he had here. He just doesn't look tough. He looks like a model.
no name action
SnoopyStyle4 August 2015
Police detective Terry McCain (Thomas Ian Griffith) leads a raid on Sal DiMarco (Burt Young)'s operation in an action packed gun battle. Sal is released in court due to excessive force. Sal lost $3 million and he wants his money back. Terry's boss Devlin (Lance Henriksen) is tired of Terry's short fuse. He plays the piano to wind down in Jake (James Earl Jones)'s jazz club. His police partner is Frankie Hawkins (Tony Todd).
Thomas Ian Griffith can kick but he has absolutely no charisma. The guy is better off as a stuntman or a non-speaking thug. He should not lead a movie no matter how low the expectations. He fades into the background. It's odd to have so many better actors on the screen. This could be a functional 90s action B-movie if a more compelling personality is leading.
Thomas Ian Griffith can kick but he has absolutely no charisma. The guy is better off as a stuntman or a non-speaking thug. He should not lead a movie no matter how low the expectations. He fades into the background. It's odd to have so many better actors on the screen. This could be a functional 90s action B-movie if a more compelling personality is leading.
Excessive Force
williamslisaelderkin13 March 2022
B-movie action is way too predictable to work
Leofwine_draca9 July 2016
This routine action thriller never breaks the boundaries - instead happy to follow in the footsteps of countless older brothers. Yes, it's the old cop corruption routine again, going back all the way to SERPICO in the early '70s. This serviceable flick has some good action bits and some lame "bonding" scenes - just as you would expect, really.
One thing the film has in its favour is the cast, with loads of familiar faces in major roles. Thomas Ian Griffith, who you may recognise as the chief vampire Valek in Carpenter's VAMPIRES, is a pretty much wooden action hero. In his favour he's very tall which makes him imposing - check out that vampire film - but his action? Well, it just looks like he's taken up martial arts at college, there is no particular grace in his moves, they're just realistic-looking.
Lance Henriksen enjoys himself in a villainous turn, but doesn't come close to the entertaining nastiness he exudes in the same year's HARD TARGET. Also popping up are James Earl "Darth Vader" Jones, in his patented crusty old good guy role, and Tony Todd, who has spent the last two decades acting his way through a million straight-to-video flicks. Burt Young also gets a brief opportunity to chew the scenery.
Aside from the action, this is typical stuff, with some gratuitous nudity thrown in for good measure. The action itself is sometimes brutal (although it was trimmed, as I saw this on television), and a refreshing amount of bad guys get taken care of. There are also some explosions and some shooting bits to keep things moving along. Okay, so EXCESSIVE FORCE is nothing special, but it passes the time and could have been a lot worse. Let's just think of something new next time, guys...
One thing the film has in its favour is the cast, with loads of familiar faces in major roles. Thomas Ian Griffith, who you may recognise as the chief vampire Valek in Carpenter's VAMPIRES, is a pretty much wooden action hero. In his favour he's very tall which makes him imposing - check out that vampire film - but his action? Well, it just looks like he's taken up martial arts at college, there is no particular grace in his moves, they're just realistic-looking.
Lance Henriksen enjoys himself in a villainous turn, but doesn't come close to the entertaining nastiness he exudes in the same year's HARD TARGET. Also popping up are James Earl "Darth Vader" Jones, in his patented crusty old good guy role, and Tony Todd, who has spent the last two decades acting his way through a million straight-to-video flicks. Burt Young also gets a brief opportunity to chew the scenery.
Aside from the action, this is typical stuff, with some gratuitous nudity thrown in for good measure. The action itself is sometimes brutal (although it was trimmed, as I saw this on television), and a refreshing amount of bad guys get taken care of. There are also some explosions and some shooting bits to keep things moving along. Okay, so EXCESSIVE FORCE is nothing special, but it passes the time and could have been a lot worse. Let's just think of something new next time, guys...
Thomas Ian Griffith makes this movie semi worth watching.
mack31758 September 2002
Thomas Ian Griffith seems to be a better actor then screenplay writer, because the story is somewhat forgetful, the story centers around Terry McCain, A tough Dirty Harry like cop. who beats a confession out of witness in order to put a mob boss(Burt Young) away for life. But the mob boss, gets off due to Terry's excessive antics on a witness. But the heat really gets turned up on Terry, when the mob boss turns up dead, and Terry becomes the main suspect. Thomas Ian Griffith may seem like another Steven Seagal, but unlike Steven Seagal, Thomas Ian Griffith is an action hero who can act, and unlike Steven Seagal's characters, Thomas Ian Griffith made the character of Terry McCain, more human then one dymentional. Despite good acting by Thomas Ian Griffith,and good martial arts scenes. The story is very forgetful.
Stinker
Signet2 June 2001
Thomas Ian Griffith, the long legged martial artist who also is a creditable actor, here has worked to his discredit by performing as both screenwriter and producer of this turkey. The plot is grimly but forgivably obvious but what is worse is that an entire supporting cast of worthies, from James Earl Jones to Lance Henriksen, is misused in this painfully scribed compendium of plot cliches and high kicks. Don't waste your time on this one.
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