This will be enjoyable only for fans of these 2 actors. I like Michael Pare from Greatest American Hero, Eddie and the Cruisers, Streets of Fire, World Gone Wild, etc. And I'm also a huge Jan Michael Vincent fan too (See Buster and Billie, Tribes, Winds of War, Airwolf, etc). So having these 2 in a movie together was very cool! Granted this came out in 1993, past the hey-day of either of them, but both do themselves justice in this flick. Pare looks to be in great physical shape still, as does Vincent. This is one of the last flicks Vincent did before he deteriorated more with alcohol problems. He puts in a very decent performance here is a former CIA toughie. It's great to see a final display of his action-star charisma before he vanished from the screen. By the end of the movie, Vincent really seems to be enjoying himself, flashing a boyish smile which makes you remember his charming quality in so many great 70's/80's movies. It's also fun to laugh at the plastic-weapon-wielding terrorists who are waaaaaaaay over the top!
16 Reviews
A familiar brew of violence and strife
dinky-47 May 1999
This is one of those good-guys-on-a-daring-mission-against-impossible-odds movies that offers the expected bursts of violent action just often enough to maintain the interest of its intended audience. Remember when Michael Pare showed promise back in the underrated "Streets of Fire?" He's come down from those days but still makes a suitable hero and is keeping himself in shape. Note how good he looks in the torture scene where he's stripped to his undershorts, tied against a wall, and subjected to punches, kicks, and a few electrical shocks. Titillatingly, some of these shocks are applied directly to his nipples though the contact is just a flash and can't compare to the slow, agonized way in which Steve Durham's nipples were "fried" in "Born American." Pare's undershorts, alas, keep off-limits the more sensitive and vulnerable areas of his male anatomy -- a bit of prudishness which doesn't make much sense when the whole idea is to subject him to the greatest possible pain.
Contrived nonsense, bad acting, and another deranged Drago performance ....
merklekranz6 August 2012
"Deadly Heroes" is a true test of bad movie endurance. Even fans of Billy Drago, Jan-Michael Vincent, or Michael Pare, will be severely tested. Throw in an astonishingly bad performance by the female lead, Claudette Mink, plus a story that brings new meaning to the word contrived, and you might be living with the fast forward button. I actually admired the cab driver's acting, compared to the cardboard acting by the leads. In summary, a totally unbelievable script, bad performances all around, and zero redeeming qualities. This was a movie that I didn't even want to like, because the plastic gun hijacking set in motion one of the most contrived story lines ever put on film. Not recommended, even for admirers of the actors. - MERK
I haven't laughed this hard in years!!!
creativeguy012330 October 2002
I was flipping channels today and was drawn into this celluloid vortex of unintentional hilarity. It was like a ghastly car wreck, I knew I shouldn't look...but I couldn't help myself. For me, the most hilarious element of the movie was the fact that they couldn't afford professional stunt people, so these poor actors (I use the term "actor" loosely) had to do their own stunts!!! And believe me, when you see Grade D actors doing their own stunts, it's pretty funny to watch. My wife and I were rolling on the ground with laughter at the terribly choreographed fight scenes and special effects. There's one scene where Jan Michael Vincent tries to do a "wheel kick" to take down a terrorist and he literally stumbles and falls onto the guy! And they didn't edit it out! LOL For me, "Deadly Heroes" (even the title is hilarious) has become the contemporary "Plan Nine From Outer Space," in that they take it so seriously...and yet it's such an amateurish train wreck. If you appreciate truly bad dialogue, you'll love this film. Pretty much every third line is an "oucher." I'm going to try and find this film on video and invite some friends over for a hoot of a time. If you're the type that enjoys movies that are so bad they're good, I highly recommend this film. Cheers!
One of those action films which are barely worth sitting through, and are instantly forgotten
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews11 October 2004
You know those really bad action films of the late 80's and early 90's? Some of them had big star names like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis or Norris. This one only has semi-known Billy Drago, and everyone else are just no-names(I certainly didn't recognize anyone else). The film has just about every action-cliché known to man; the tough guy hero, the female lead who can't do anything at all by herself, and is merely there to give the hero someone to save, the bad guy who's like the meanest damn SOB you could possibly imagine; not only is he a killer, a terrorist and an A-hole, he's also a rapist. The male lead was probably chosen for the role because he has muscles and a ridiculously deep voice. The female lead was chosen because she's attractive, willing to do nudity, and because she can look helpless and attractive at the same time. The action is straightforward with no surprises. The plot is ridiculous and unoriginal. The acting is laughable. The characters are clichés and stereotypes. The film is thoroughly predictable and the action is so simple and unexciting that its only possible use is eye-candy. All in all, the film has nothing at all to offer. Everyone should just avoid this... unless of course you're a really big fan of B-movies. I recommend this solely to fans of B-movies. Everyone else should just avoid this. 1/10
Heroes who never die...
fmarkland321 August 2006
Michael Pare and Jan-Michael Vincent star as two commandos who look to fight it out against middle eastern terrorists who have hi-jacked a bus as well as kidnapped Pare's wife in this highly unlikely tale. Someone wrote me to ask what makes a guilty pleasure different from a laughable bomb. I had never thought about it but it had to be that the movie was goofy yet competently made, where as a laughable bomb is just goofy. Deadly Heroes is a laughable bomb because the movie starts with hijackers taking over a bus with plastic guns (I'm serious) I'm not even going to go into what it takes to actually make something penetrate the skin and kill, mainly black powder and the pressure which is highly explosive. Indeed one can't think of worse thing to make out of plastic. The movie actually proceeds to get even dumber as Billy Drago surfaces as a the head honcho villain. Indeed it is weird but it is only Jan-Michael Vincent who seems suited to his part. Where as the rest of the cast (Even the usually respectable Michael Pare) are uniformly bad. Still this is hilarious to watch and somehow this clunker plays on TV every summer for some unfathomable reason.
* out of 4-(Bad)
* out of 4-(Bad)
Absolutely awful. Don't bother.
rcp0228 June 2003
Gee, what can I say?
Nowadays I'm trying to prevent watching really really bad movies, because it is just a waste of time usually. I saw this movie by accident on TV when cooking and eating my dinner on a lazy saturday night, and so I actually saw this movie without being forced to. But at least I spend my time eating, which is good.
This movie has no qualities, period. It's a complete waste of time for anyone, anywhere. Absolutely incredibly bad acting by basically every single person in the movie, horrificly predictable plot-changes, ridiculous script, and a lobotomized monkey for a director (Yes that's you mr. Golan) make this an insult to anyone with even the slightest bit of brainmatter. I can't believe ANYONE would want to tie his name to this piece of crap.
This is the type of movie that gets aired by the TV networks because it came as an in-the-box gift of a box of cornflakes. I couldn't force myself to watch the rest of it when I was finished eating. And if you're wondering if I got sick of this movie, it's just too lame to get sick from.
This movie gets a 1 only because they won't allow negative scores on this database. If you're curious about this movie, ignore your curiousity and go do something more entertaining, like torturing yourself with a kitchen utensil or rearranging your socks. Trust me.
Nowadays I'm trying to prevent watching really really bad movies, because it is just a waste of time usually. I saw this movie by accident on TV when cooking and eating my dinner on a lazy saturday night, and so I actually saw this movie without being forced to. But at least I spend my time eating, which is good.
This movie has no qualities, period. It's a complete waste of time for anyone, anywhere. Absolutely incredibly bad acting by basically every single person in the movie, horrificly predictable plot-changes, ridiculous script, and a lobotomized monkey for a director (Yes that's you mr. Golan) make this an insult to anyone with even the slightest bit of brainmatter. I can't believe ANYONE would want to tie his name to this piece of crap.
This is the type of movie that gets aired by the TV networks because it came as an in-the-box gift of a box of cornflakes. I couldn't force myself to watch the rest of it when I was finished eating. And if you're wondering if I got sick of this movie, it's just too lame to get sick from.
This movie gets a 1 only because they won't allow negative scores on this database. If you're curious about this movie, ignore your curiousity and go do something more entertaining, like torturing yourself with a kitchen utensil or rearranging your socks. Trust me.
What a flaming rubbish of a movie
haggar24 July 2002
I have, in all honesty, never seen a movie with worse acting, script and directing, and I have seen very many movies in my life.
This movie does not deserve more words for a comment, neither it needs more. By any means, try to see this movie, try to see the first 20 minutes. If you are human, you'll cry in pain because of the sheer stupidity yielded by this motion picture.
This movie does not deserve more words for a comment, neither it needs more. By any means, try to see this movie, try to see the first 20 minutes. If you are human, you'll cry in pain because of the sheer stupidity yielded by this motion picture.
A mixed bag.
tarbosh2200019 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
American hero Brad Cartowski (Pare) is vacationing in Athens with his wife Marcy (Mink) and young son Paul (Dean Bloch) when a band of terrorists storms the airport, hijacks a plane and takes everyone hostage. They demand the release of their imprisoned leader, Jose Maria Carlos (Drago), who's not just a terrorist, but also a creepy pervert. The USA actually gives in to their demands and Carlos is released. The terrorists then get away - but Marcy Cartowski is left behind with them. Carlos "falls in love" with her instantly and holds her captive in his mansion.
Meanwhile, Brad teams up with hard-nosed fellow ex-Navy SEAL Cody Grant (Vincent) to hunt down Carlos and his terrorist gang and save his wife. Will these heroes be as deadly as promised? This movie is an exercise in silly, implausible action that's a lot of fun to watch, but it overstays its welcome at a punishing 104 minutes. The movie, in the second half, becomes repetitive, seemingly for no other reason than to needlessly extend the running time. Perhaps this was an attempt to seem more like a Hollywood movie, which are usually longer than DTV product. This was a mistake, because had Deadly Heroes been a tight 80 minutes, it could have joined the pantheon of greats (at least as far as silly action movies are concerned), joining such movies as American Kickboxer 2 (1993) and Night of the Kickfighters (1988). But a lot of the sense of fun dissipates towards the end.
The terrorists with the plastic guns at the airport, the fact that Jan-Michael Vincent wears sunglasses almost the whole time, stock footage, funny, glaring continuity inconsistencies, and the stellar performance by one Dean Bloch as the young Cartowski (sadly his only screen performance to date) would seem to indicate a laugh-out-loud good time. Also the utterly ridiculous "stylized" face paint Pare and Vincent wear and the appearance of "mini-subs" (don't ask) contribute to the wackiness. Indeed, these are all good things, but the overlong nature of this odd duck of a movie (even the title hints that something is a little off-kilter) doesn't help matters.
Naturally, there is the torture scene with Pare, who's at his wooden best, and the supposedly tough Vincent, who barks all his lines, seems a bit confused. Drago, whose expertise is playing baddies, really goes to town here as the evil terrorist/murderer/molester/kidnapper/hijacker/rapist. We always say a good action movie needs a strong bad guy, and, well...here you go.
While on the plus side it's great to see Pare, Vincent and Drago all in a movie together, and there are some standout moments of unintentional comedy, some missteps along the way make this a mixed bag.
For more action insanity, please visit: www.comeuppancereviews.com
Meanwhile, Brad teams up with hard-nosed fellow ex-Navy SEAL Cody Grant (Vincent) to hunt down Carlos and his terrorist gang and save his wife. Will these heroes be as deadly as promised? This movie is an exercise in silly, implausible action that's a lot of fun to watch, but it overstays its welcome at a punishing 104 minutes. The movie, in the second half, becomes repetitive, seemingly for no other reason than to needlessly extend the running time. Perhaps this was an attempt to seem more like a Hollywood movie, which are usually longer than DTV product. This was a mistake, because had Deadly Heroes been a tight 80 minutes, it could have joined the pantheon of greats (at least as far as silly action movies are concerned), joining such movies as American Kickboxer 2 (1993) and Night of the Kickfighters (1988). But a lot of the sense of fun dissipates towards the end.
The terrorists with the plastic guns at the airport, the fact that Jan-Michael Vincent wears sunglasses almost the whole time, stock footage, funny, glaring continuity inconsistencies, and the stellar performance by one Dean Bloch as the young Cartowski (sadly his only screen performance to date) would seem to indicate a laugh-out-loud good time. Also the utterly ridiculous "stylized" face paint Pare and Vincent wear and the appearance of "mini-subs" (don't ask) contribute to the wackiness. Indeed, these are all good things, but the overlong nature of this odd duck of a movie (even the title hints that something is a little off-kilter) doesn't help matters.
Naturally, there is the torture scene with Pare, who's at his wooden best, and the supposedly tough Vincent, who barks all his lines, seems a bit confused. Drago, whose expertise is playing baddies, really goes to town here as the evil terrorist/murderer/molester/kidnapper/hijacker/rapist. We always say a good action movie needs a strong bad guy, and, well...here you go.
While on the plus side it's great to see Pare, Vincent and Drago all in a movie together, and there are some standout moments of unintentional comedy, some missteps along the way make this a mixed bag.
For more action insanity, please visit: www.comeuppancereviews.com
Not enough money for good actors, but at least they had a bottle of ketchup by the side
stamper28 October 2001
You know those mid-eighties, cheap Chuck Norris rip - off films with a dull hero, a bad villain, a crapped on piece of paper for a script and an idiot who think it is good behind the camera? Well this is the mid-nineties version. All the actors, except those who play the really tiny parts and who die only to leave a track of ketchup on the wall, look and act like they've been pulled out of a crappy film to star in this even bigger load of crap. I mean there are A flicks, B flicks and even C flicks, but I truly believe the alphabet does not cover enough letters to give this film one. Even a Z would be too good a letter (plus I'd embarrass the Z). It sure as hell deserves a 0,2 out of 10, but since that cannot be done here those people are very, very, very lucky to get as much as:
1 out of 10
1 out of 10
Deadly Heroes
BandSAboutMovies15 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Sure, Deadly Heroes is pretty much The Delta Force and it has the same chase scenes from Killing Streets, but if you've learned anything from Cannon Month, it's that I forgive Menahem Golan on a level that I only extend to Joe D'Amato, Bruno Mattei and Jess Franco.
A young kid learns named Paul Cartowski learns that terrorists are taking over a flight out of the Athens airport with plastic guns. He tells his dad Brad (Michael Paré), a former CIA agent and Navy SEAL, who tries to stop them and is injured. The terrorists take his wife and head to North Africa, with Cartowski in hot pursuit along with his former SEAL buddy Grant (Jan-Michael Vincent). Our hero is taken and tortured - I mean, what action hero didn't get electroshock trauma in the direct to video era - but he comes back with a ton of SEALs and everyone dies.
That said, the bad guys seem badder because their leader, Carlos, is Billy Drago. Man, Drago is from Kansas and is part Native American, but I never have any idea where his accent is coming from other than being lunatic Drago. Whether he's Frank Nitti in The Untouchables or fighting Chuck Norris in Delta Force 2: The Columbia Connection, he's always menacing in a way that seems non-acting.
Damian and Gregory Lee wrote this, using the secret name Joseph Goldman. Damian is probably best known for the movies Abraxas and Ski School.
The main reason to watch this is that it's a Menahem-directed movie. Nearly all of the film's crew members were Israeli, including cinematographer Yelhiel-Hilik Neeman, art director Avishay "Avi" Avivi and actors Alon Abutbul, Uri Gavriel and Galit Giat, who is Alya, the female terrorist who tortures Paré. This was her first movie and she's incredible. Gabi Arami, who was the awesome cab driving in Killing Streets, has the same role here due to this using so much of that footage.
I mean, this is very nearly a Cannon movie. How do I know? Yehuda Efroni is in it. And wow, there's Menahem himself as a fisherman!
A young kid learns named Paul Cartowski learns that terrorists are taking over a flight out of the Athens airport with plastic guns. He tells his dad Brad (Michael Paré), a former CIA agent and Navy SEAL, who tries to stop them and is injured. The terrorists take his wife and head to North Africa, with Cartowski in hot pursuit along with his former SEAL buddy Grant (Jan-Michael Vincent). Our hero is taken and tortured - I mean, what action hero didn't get electroshock trauma in the direct to video era - but he comes back with a ton of SEALs and everyone dies.
That said, the bad guys seem badder because their leader, Carlos, is Billy Drago. Man, Drago is from Kansas and is part Native American, but I never have any idea where his accent is coming from other than being lunatic Drago. Whether he's Frank Nitti in The Untouchables or fighting Chuck Norris in Delta Force 2: The Columbia Connection, he's always menacing in a way that seems non-acting.
Damian and Gregory Lee wrote this, using the secret name Joseph Goldman. Damian is probably best known for the movies Abraxas and Ski School.
The main reason to watch this is that it's a Menahem-directed movie. Nearly all of the film's crew members were Israeli, including cinematographer Yelhiel-Hilik Neeman, art director Avishay "Avi" Avivi and actors Alon Abutbul, Uri Gavriel and Galit Giat, who is Alya, the female terrorist who tortures Paré. This was her first movie and she's incredible. Gabi Arami, who was the awesome cab driving in Killing Streets, has the same role here due to this using so much of that footage.
I mean, this is very nearly a Cannon movie. How do I know? Yehuda Efroni is in it. And wow, there's Menahem himself as a fisherman!
Is the litter riddy?
Weenola17 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I was channel switching on TV and then i noticed this movie. I think like most of the people have done to see this movie, seen it by accident. I don't believe you will rent this or even buy it from the budget case.
I jumped in midways and i didn't had the idea i was missing something. I saw a man tossing a coin to distract some hostiles and later tossing his shoe to set up his master plan to knockout some bad guy's.
So i red the info in the magazine, 2 soldiers need to secure a plane hijacked by terrorist but unfortunately one of the soldiers wife is held as a hostage.
If you see those scenes and then read the info you know you should just turn of your TV or watch something else, but for some reason you just don't and you really want to know why and keep watching, hopefully it will become clear.
And to be honest, the acting isn't really that bad. Michael Paré and Jean Michael Vincent are doing their best to make it worth the effort and is acceptable for a low budget mid 90ies B-Film.
OK, there are some really stupid scenes in the movie which just don't make any sense, especially the RPG launcher in the hotel room scene is just hilarious, same as the voice acting and language by the terrorist is so extremely bad that it is fun to watch.
Deadly heroes is a mediocre mid 90ies B movie and good for a few laughs. So you have a B movie which is mediocre from the mid 90ies and still good for a few laughs?
Yes it is!
And i think that is the reason why i kept watching, for some fun and a few laughs, but i agree that there are better movies for that!
I jumped in midways and i didn't had the idea i was missing something. I saw a man tossing a coin to distract some hostiles and later tossing his shoe to set up his master plan to knockout some bad guy's.
So i red the info in the magazine, 2 soldiers need to secure a plane hijacked by terrorist but unfortunately one of the soldiers wife is held as a hostage.
If you see those scenes and then read the info you know you should just turn of your TV or watch something else, but for some reason you just don't and you really want to know why and keep watching, hopefully it will become clear.
And to be honest, the acting isn't really that bad. Michael Paré and Jean Michael Vincent are doing their best to make it worth the effort and is acceptable for a low budget mid 90ies B-Film.
OK, there are some really stupid scenes in the movie which just don't make any sense, especially the RPG launcher in the hotel room scene is just hilarious, same as the voice acting and language by the terrorist is so extremely bad that it is fun to watch.
Deadly heroes is a mediocre mid 90ies B movie and good for a few laughs. So you have a B movie which is mediocre from the mid 90ies and still good for a few laughs?
Yes it is!
And i think that is the reason why i kept watching, for some fun and a few laughs, but i agree that there are better movies for that!
Very good movie!
Movie Nuttball8 July 2004
I thought that this movie here, Deadly Heroes was actually a decent movie. The casting was a different assembled one and how many movies does Billy Drago, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Michael Paré star in a film all together? Three unique actors all in one movie! Drago played a great and unusual psycho here in this movie which I think he is a great bad guy actor! Vincent played a good part and Paré was good as usual. Galit Giat who played the female baddie was really good. The action in the movie is good and the film starts off with a bang. It may seem like a different Delta Force movie since Billy Drago plays another and very similar psychotic drug lord but only this time his hair is shorter and a different color. I don't think that this film is bad at all and in fact I was quite interested through out the flick. Give this one a chance especially if you are a fan of the actors I mentioned above because I recommend it!
Grade "Z"
Jmwbooks6 February 2005
This film was so bad that it was laughable but because it was so silly, we were almost fascinated looking for the inconsistencies. Corny, obvious and resembling a bad student movie with mostly unknown actors, poorly disguised locations. Actually, student movies are often better because beginning yet clever film-makers know their financial limits and work within them. This cheaply made film tried to be more than it was and even the actors looked embarrassed to be participating. I can't imagine that anyone saw this movie in a theater. It was probably sold direct-to-VHS. I'm all for giving a foreign director (Israeli in this case) support as long as he can produce a quality film.
"We're SEALS. We don't do things by the book!"
hwg1957-102-26570421 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
After a hijacking incident our hero Brad Cartowski loses his wife Marcy when she is carted off by the terrorist gang who hijacked a plane to release their leader Jose Maria Carlos. He follows her to a guarded island where she is being held prisoner assisted by Cody Grant, a US government operative. In the end the two 'Deadly Heroes, attack the island supported by some SEALS. It runs 1 hour and 45 minutes and is rather dull despite the explosions and the shootings. Directed by prolific producer Menahem Golan who as a director was better as a producer.
Most of the acting is bland. Michael Paré as Cartowski goes through the motions and is unconvincing and as Cody Grant the immobile faced Jan-Michael Vincent even less convincing. Everyone is overshadowed of course by Billy Drago who plays the terrorist leader. He is riveting and scary, probably too scary in this lightweight film but always a treat to watch and the best thing in it.
Most of the acting is bland. Michael Paré as Cartowski goes through the motions and is unconvincing and as Cody Grant the immobile faced Jan-Michael Vincent even less convincing. Everyone is overshadowed of course by Billy Drago who plays the terrorist leader. He is riveting and scary, probably too scary in this lightweight film but always a treat to watch and the best thing in it.
From the producer of Cannon Films...
DigitalRevenantX713 October 2013
Story Synopsis: Former US Navy SEAL Brad Cartowski is travelling home from a holiday with his wife & son when, while waiting in Athens Airport, the son discovers that the plastic toy guns that a group of people are carrying are actually real ones disguised in order to bypass metal detectors. The people carrying the weapons are terrorists planning to hijack a plane in order to demand the release of Jose Maria Carlos, a feared terrorist who was captured by the CIA in Guatemala a while before. They succeed in hijacking the plane despite Brad's best efforts to stop them, taking his wife Marcy as an insurance policy. After Carlos is released, they travel to North Africa where Carlos & his henchmen plan to celebrate, using Marcy as a love slave. Brad turns to his former colleagues at the Navy in order to launch a covert mission to rescue Marcy & defeat the terrorists. But the terrorists, who have something of a lucky streak as well as being unusually smart for a bunch of maniacal killers, certainly don't make it that easy for him.
Film Analysis: During the 1980s, Israeli film producers Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus formed Cannon Films, a studio that would become a powerhouse of cheap B-grade action & fantasy during the whole of the 1980s. Despite the majority of their films making a lot of money, they always ran at a loss. After a disastrous alliance with director Tobe Hooper, Cannon went bankrupt, although their last theatrical release – the Albert Pyun-directed Van Damme vehicle CYBORG came out shortly afterwards.
After they went belly up, Golan & Globus kept on making films, with their creation of 21st Century Film Corporation (which would make the likes of the final Death Wish film DEATH WISH V: THE FACE OF DEATH & the remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) lasting for a short while. Deadly Heroes, a film helmed by Golan himself, was one of these releases.
Deadly Heroes is nothing more than a typical 80s film made in the 1990s. The action scenes are serviceable & have a mild intensity that works in the film's favour – the film's running time goes by in a flash. The beginning of the film is quite intriguing, with the terrorists being given modified weapons by a mad scientist before moving on to the airport massacre which starts off after a young boy learns of the weapons' true purpose & alerts the security guards.
The film is fast paced & has some ingenious plot devices – namely the 'toy' guns – but is not smart enough to rise above the flood of the 1990s' DTV action film genre (although it does manage to completely avoid using the flood's stock MacGuffin of illicit drugs, something which was extremely pervasive throughout that genre at the time). Golan keeps things going with admirable skill & has an eye for action, although the film is not exactly a corpse-fest. If you find this film in the discount bin of your favourite DVD retailer, purchase it. It'll be a good buy for the low price (if you live in Australia like I do, it can be bought from the local $2 shop for at least $2).
On the acting front, Michael Pare brings a rough charm to the proceedings, as well as a dogged determination. Jan Michael Vincent appears to be giving the film a degree of contempt while Billy Drago has a lot of fun playing the terrorist head honcho with his unique brand of unpredictability.
Film Analysis: During the 1980s, Israeli film producers Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus formed Cannon Films, a studio that would become a powerhouse of cheap B-grade action & fantasy during the whole of the 1980s. Despite the majority of their films making a lot of money, they always ran at a loss. After a disastrous alliance with director Tobe Hooper, Cannon went bankrupt, although their last theatrical release – the Albert Pyun-directed Van Damme vehicle CYBORG came out shortly afterwards.
After they went belly up, Golan & Globus kept on making films, with their creation of 21st Century Film Corporation (which would make the likes of the final Death Wish film DEATH WISH V: THE FACE OF DEATH & the remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) lasting for a short while. Deadly Heroes, a film helmed by Golan himself, was one of these releases.
Deadly Heroes is nothing more than a typical 80s film made in the 1990s. The action scenes are serviceable & have a mild intensity that works in the film's favour – the film's running time goes by in a flash. The beginning of the film is quite intriguing, with the terrorists being given modified weapons by a mad scientist before moving on to the airport massacre which starts off after a young boy learns of the weapons' true purpose & alerts the security guards.
The film is fast paced & has some ingenious plot devices – namely the 'toy' guns – but is not smart enough to rise above the flood of the 1990s' DTV action film genre (although it does manage to completely avoid using the flood's stock MacGuffin of illicit drugs, something which was extremely pervasive throughout that genre at the time). Golan keeps things going with admirable skill & has an eye for action, although the film is not exactly a corpse-fest. If you find this film in the discount bin of your favourite DVD retailer, purchase it. It'll be a good buy for the low price (if you live in Australia like I do, it can be bought from the local $2 shop for at least $2).
On the acting front, Michael Pare brings a rough charm to the proceedings, as well as a dogged determination. Jan Michael Vincent appears to be giving the film a degree of contempt while Billy Drago has a lot of fun playing the terrorist head honcho with his unique brand of unpredictability.
See also
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