I'm delighted someone enjoyed this film, as it was the worst hellscape of a production I've ever worked on. I had no idea this was ever released until just now, when I looked up Ollie Wood on a lark. He was great to work with, Mike Starr was awesome, Aaron Barsky was easily one of the two most brutal ADs I ever worked for, and there were entire WEEKS shooting on highway 27 when the honey wagons had no water. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
6 Reviews
There's really nothing to dislike about it.
tarbosh2200014 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Chase (Feraco) is a cool dude with an attitude. His attitude is warranted, however, because some baddies framed him for car theft and he was left to rot in jail for six months. All Chase wants to do is work as a sort of "car courier" who delivers cars from Vic's (Serra) garage to their wealthy clientele. But the evil Bradford (Sedgwick) is in cahoots with corrupt cop Hackett (Starr) in a nationwide car theft ring. When the baddies realize it's not so easy to get rid of the appropriately-named Chase, they kidnap Yolanda (DaVon), the niece of his buddy Carlos (Palomino) and Chase's love interest, and Carlos's girlfriend Virginia (Blake). Now Chase and Carlos have to save the cars, the girls, and the day. With the odds stacked against them, Chase may still have one certain trick up his sleeve...but will he be the NASTY HERO everyone expects him to be?
Nasty Hero is a completely enjoyable 80's gem that is unheralded and just waiting to be rediscovered. It's a sort of cross between Banzai Runner (1987) and No Man's Land (1987), but with a strong dash of Miami Vice thrown into the mix, thanks to its locations in and around the Miami area during 1986-87 when Miami Vice was at its height. The female leads, DaVon and Blake, both appeared in episodes of 'Vice.
Scott Feraco makes for a strong central hero, and he has a great voice, which shines during the opening voiceover. The score by Ross Levinson is superlative and perfect for the subject matter of the film. So right from the jump, from the audio aspects alone, the viewer is sucked in and the movie never lets go. It's a shame that Feraco only has six known acting credits to his name, and doubly a shame that none of them are with Vince Murdocco. The posters would be amazing: FERACO and MURDOCCO in...Blood Justice. Or something like that.
Further praise must go to the lighting, which is colorful and 80's-tastic, and Feraco is always shown in a heroic and dramatic shadow. The camerawork must be singled out for accolades as well, which has a lot of Sam Raimi-esque energy to it. Amazingly, Nasty Hero is the only credit for director Nick Barwood, who clearly had talent and a big future in filmmaking. What happened we may never know, but Barwood delivered the goods here and more people need to see that and appreciate it.
The icing on the cake is that Nasty Hero is a mere 79 minutes. It's actually more like 75 before the credits. We're always saying how movies are too long, and now someone is finally, FINALLY listening. It has to not be a coincidence that fun, enjoyable movies like Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Nasty Hero are 79 minutes and they breeze by, while ponderous, self-indulgent opuses that shall remain nameless are what Hollywood seems to prefer. Nasty Hero can proudly say it's in the tradition of "have some fun and get out" films that don't take up much of your time, but they're worthwhile because they pack in all the good stuff that you want to see.
Nasty Hero has a good good guy, a bad bad guy, car chases, beat-ups, and the time-honored nightclub scene. There's really nothing to dislike about it. Vinegar Syndrome should release it on Blu-ray, so then it will be out of VHS purgatory and more readily available for all to see.
Nasty Hero is a completely enjoyable 80's gem that is unheralded and just waiting to be rediscovered. It's a sort of cross between Banzai Runner (1987) and No Man's Land (1987), but with a strong dash of Miami Vice thrown into the mix, thanks to its locations in and around the Miami area during 1986-87 when Miami Vice was at its height. The female leads, DaVon and Blake, both appeared in episodes of 'Vice.
Scott Feraco makes for a strong central hero, and he has a great voice, which shines during the opening voiceover. The score by Ross Levinson is superlative and perfect for the subject matter of the film. So right from the jump, from the audio aspects alone, the viewer is sucked in and the movie never lets go. It's a shame that Feraco only has six known acting credits to his name, and doubly a shame that none of them are with Vince Murdocco. The posters would be amazing: FERACO and MURDOCCO in...Blood Justice. Or something like that.
Further praise must go to the lighting, which is colorful and 80's-tastic, and Feraco is always shown in a heroic and dramatic shadow. The camerawork must be singled out for accolades as well, which has a lot of Sam Raimi-esque energy to it. Amazingly, Nasty Hero is the only credit for director Nick Barwood, who clearly had talent and a big future in filmmaking. What happened we may never know, but Barwood delivered the goods here and more people need to see that and appreciate it.
The icing on the cake is that Nasty Hero is a mere 79 minutes. It's actually more like 75 before the credits. We're always saying how movies are too long, and now someone is finally, FINALLY listening. It has to not be a coincidence that fun, enjoyable movies like Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Nasty Hero are 79 minutes and they breeze by, while ponderous, self-indulgent opuses that shall remain nameless are what Hollywood seems to prefer. Nasty Hero can proudly say it's in the tradition of "have some fun and get out" films that don't take up much of your time, but they're worthwhile because they pack in all the good stuff that you want to see.
Nasty Hero has a good good guy, a bad bad guy, car chases, beat-ups, and the time-honored nightclub scene. There's really nothing to dislike about it. Vinegar Syndrome should release it on Blu-ray, so then it will be out of VHS purgatory and more readily available for all to see.
Almost as good as Snake Eater.
whitemattk14 July 2002
Nasty hero is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Its full of homosexual characters, cheesy guys in really cheesy cars, and scenes that could not ever take place in real life. EVER. This movie is non-stop entertainment at its finest. I recommend it to everyone. Especially you.
Action good, but not much else
superhero_fantasy_scifi_14 October 2005
This movie is exciting. Lots of nice cars scenes, the bad guys look a little queer, but Chase is one cool dude. I would recommend this movie to anyone who would like a good action movie and doesn't have to think while watching it. The bad guys are really wimpy, and the plot sucks, but the action is good. The bad guys fight like little sissy girls, but Chase kicks their butts. Carlos is a good fighter too and some of the dialogue is good. Mike Starr is a great bad guy in this. He's the only one who looks like he actually is a bad guy. The car dealer guy is really wimpy. He looks like he could easily beat the bad guys up, but he's afraid of them. Once again, the action is good, but the rest is just okay.
Open a six pack, fire up the Jamaican woodbine, have I got a film for you!
charliesafari25 August 2022
OK, let's face facts, the 80s was a hell of a decade, and this takes every cliché in the book, covers it with cocaine and just fires them at you.
I have no idea how this got made, it feels like the script was made up daily, and the actors were simply grabbed off the street.
I loved it!
I switched off my brain, finished a six pack and laughed my way through the entire thing.
Is it high art? No, but if somehow you find this obscure gem by accident, chill out and enjoy it for what it is, an action movie from the 80s, that absolutely went direct to video.
If you remember those days with fondness, take a little time off, and rejoice in a little $1 rental from the days when the video shop was king, and you watched films with your mates and got wasted.
Thank you Adrianne Barbeau for producing this little snapshot in time ( I have absolutely zero idea why she did this, but I feel I must find out)
I have no idea how this got made, it feels like the script was made up daily, and the actors were simply grabbed off the street.
I loved it!
I switched off my brain, finished a six pack and laughed my way through the entire thing.
Is it high art? No, but if somehow you find this obscure gem by accident, chill out and enjoy it for what it is, an action movie from the 80s, that absolutely went direct to video.
If you remember those days with fondness, take a little time off, and rejoice in a little $1 rental from the days when the video shop was king, and you watched films with your mates and got wasted.
Thank you Adrianne Barbeau for producing this little snapshot in time ( I have absolutely zero idea why she did this, but I feel I must find out)
Lousy action pic
lor_7 May 2023
My review was written in February 1990 after watching the movie on RCA/Columbia video cassette.
After three years on the shelf, Florida-lensed "Nasty Hero" emerges as a subpar direct-to-video feature in the action vein. Scott Feraco, who looks a lot like Bill Paxton of "Aliens" and "Near Dark", is the brooding antihero. He's in Miami seeking revenge for having been set up in a hot car he was driving as part of his auto delivery job .
Sluggishly paced pic pits Feraco against young baddie Robert Sedgwick in an escalating vendetta. Climax is okay, set in scenic fashion aboard Miami's elevated Peoplemover.
"Nasty Hero" is pointless. Boxer Carlos Palomino as Feraco's best friend has a nice screen presence, and as his beautiful Vanity-esque niece, Rosanna DaVon is an eyeful. Feraco is boring in the lead role, however.
Pic went into production with Kiwi helmer David Blyth announced in the director's chair, but screen credit for director goes to one Nick Barwood.
After three years on the shelf, Florida-lensed "Nasty Hero" emerges as a subpar direct-to-video feature in the action vein. Scott Feraco, who looks a lot like Bill Paxton of "Aliens" and "Near Dark", is the brooding antihero. He's in Miami seeking revenge for having been set up in a hot car he was driving as part of his auto delivery job .
Sluggishly paced pic pits Feraco against young baddie Robert Sedgwick in an escalating vendetta. Climax is okay, set in scenic fashion aboard Miami's elevated Peoplemover.
"Nasty Hero" is pointless. Boxer Carlos Palomino as Feraco's best friend has a nice screen presence, and as his beautiful Vanity-esque niece, Rosanna DaVon is an eyeful. Feraco is boring in the lead role, however.
Pic went into production with Kiwi helmer David Blyth announced in the director's chair, but screen credit for director goes to one Nick Barwood.
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