Bas Rutten was a legend in international UFC and he makes his debut as a world-class action star in The Eliminator. The Dutch fighter is ruggedly handsome and built like the proverbial brick lavatory. Spending the whole movie in tight fitting under armor (when he's not shirtless) this film showcases both his ripped physique and awesome fighting skills.
Re-working the "Most Dangerous Game" plot one more time, we find Varley (Rutten) a some-time cage fighter trying to pay off some gambling debts by winning a speedboat race run by the shady Dawson, played by Michael Rooker. When Varley wins the race - after causing another competitor's death in a fatal crash - Dawson realizes he's got just the rough and tumble guy he needs and drugs him. Varley and six other badasses wake up on Dawson's private jungle island where they will be hunted for sport by trained military personnel until only one remains. The game is watched by seven rich degenerates that have each sponsored one of the hunted and who stand to win $25 million if their man is left standing. Of course, the seven are encouraged to also kill on another to improve their own odds.
From a fortified mansion on the island's highest point, the game is monitored, as each night teams of hunters are sent out to kill as many of the hunted as they can. One thing this flick has going for it is the quality of the fighters cast as the seven hunteds. Jamal Duff, a former N.Y. Giant football standout at 6'8, 305 lbs of black intimidation, plays Darius, a prisoner snatched from death row. Latino muscleman Marco Ruas, at 6'2, 240 lbs, isn't far behind, playing the Colombian killer Salvador. The only other "good guy" on the island is the cop Jesse, played by Paul Logan -- a familiar action star with the kind of good looks and sculpted body that landed him his own centerfold in Playgirl . The lovely Santha, played by Danielle Burgio, combines beauty with lethal fighting skills. Even the anonymous hunters in their skintight spandex uniforms are built young studs.
With trained killers like these stalking the island, the death matches come fast and furious. Varley and Jesse team up to ice Salvador with the big Dutchman holding the powerful latino so Jesse can drive a homemade spear into his chest. When the beautiful Santha joins them, Jesse isn't so sure about her motives, but Varley is smitten with her sexy good looks. Later, when they all strip down to wash off in a stream, you can see she's also got an eye for Bas Rutten's chiseled physique. Alone, she begins to make love to him causing Varley to close his eyes in ecstasy. The next second Jesse appears to dispatch Santha with a chop to the neck. Varley is furious until he sees the knife that was in her hand. He thanks his buddy for saving his life and Jesse tells him to "stop thinking with the wrong head."
Varley and Jesse continue to make their way to the mansion, slaying the hunters they encounter. Darius and Varley finally square off in an epic fight and it takes every ounce of Varley's strength to break the black muscleman's neck. When they reach the mansion, the two manage to take their revenge on Dawson and his henchman before fleeing the island in a stolen helicopter. All in all, this movie delivers on the action and definitely makes us want to see big Bas Rutten kicking ass in another one.
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