Movie Review: Bail Out

Bail Out a.k.a W.B., Blue and the Bean a.k.a Wings of Freedom 

Starring: David Hasselhoff, Linda Blair, Tony Brubaker, Thomas Rosales Jr., John Vernon, Gregory Scott Cummins, Wayne Montanio, Jack Jozefson, Sheree Bodoff, Valerie Swift, Joe Tornatore, Bob Minor, Caroline Barclay, Clay M. Lilley, Fred Scheiwiller, Robert F. Hoy, Ginger Caples, Richard Cansino, Said Faraj, Timothy Brown, Maurice Sherbanee, Karen Michaels, Roy Jenson, Gary Lee Davis, George 'Buck' Flower, Jovin Montanaro, Dick Durock, Daniel O'Haco, Jeff O'Haco, Daniel K. Moore, Charles Croughwell, Debra Lamb, Taylor Lacher, Jerry Craig, Danny Trejo, Cecilia Camacho 

Director: Max Kleven 

Movie Group, The, USA, 1989.

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Aram Haronian (Charlie Brill) is a bail bond agent running the office with his assistant Charlie (Jack Jozefson). The bum in front of their office looks familiar. Do you still remember Buck?

Local bum

Aram Haronian

Aram's "muscles" are former football player & boxing expert Mason 'Blue' Walcott (Tony Brubaker), family man Casper 'Bean' Garcia (Thomas Rosales Jr.) and tennis instructor & ladies' man Roger 'White Bread' Donaldson (David Hasselhoff). They bring in the customers who fail to appear in court. They get paid poorly as Casper gets only $50 for arresting a dangerous offender. 

Mason 'Blue' Walcott

Roger 'White Bread' Donaldson

Casper 'Bean' Garcia

White Bread is sent to pick up Annette 'Nettie' Ridgeway (Linda Blair) who is involved in messy case of drug smuggling. However Nettie is first kidnapped by her dad's men and then by Colombian mobsters gunning the other kidnappers down. The bounty hunter trio decides to solve the crime themselves and get big bucks. Nettie's dad Matthew Ridgeway (John Vernon) thinks the kidnapping was a prank and that White Bread shouldn't be worried. Mum's the word! 

Annette 'Nettie' Ridgeway

Matthew Ridgeway

As White Bread's original payment for bringing in Nettie was about $850, it is uncertain for Bean and Blue how they will get paid for saving Nettie. The plan seems to be: 

1. Save the girl
2. ??????
3. Profit!

Bean gets information about South-American men who have rented warehouses recently. Disguising as gas men the trio infiltrates the warehouse where Nettie is being held. After White Bread saves Nettie she is soon kidnapped again by Mr. Zalazar (Gregory Scott Cummins). Zalazar wants ransom for the girl.

Badges? I ain't got no stinking badge, man!

Blue and W.B. in action

Zalazar

The trio travels to Mexico. There they meet Danny Trejo as local airfield attendant. Also a helpful local Felix (Wayne Montanio) joins them. After some adventures the heroes save the girl with guns blazing. Nettie shows some her shooting skills that she learned in daddy's gun club.

Airfield attendant Mean

Felix

End battle

The movie is cheezy fun but not very memorable 80s action film. The dialogue is fun with corny one-liners. The characters are parodically stereotyped, there is gay car rental clerk Brucie (Richard Cansino), sombrero-wearing Mexican Felix (Wayne Montanio), former black football star and miserly bail bond agent, not too overdressed Motel Clerk (Debra Lamb) etc. Linda Blair is quite fun to watch. Hoffmeister's character is not very far away from Michael Knight in "Knight Rider", just with more guns.

Big gun

Brucie

Not too overdressed Motel Clerk (Debra Lamb)

Rating: Average

Movie Review: The Devil on Wheels

The Devil on Wheels 

Starring: Noreen Nash, Darryl Hickman, Terry Moore, James Cardwell, Damian O'Flynn, Lenita Lane, William Forrest, Sue England, Robert Arthur, Ann Burr, John Hamilton 

Director: Crane Wilbur 

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), USA, 1947. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Micky Clark (Darryl Hickman) is building  a fast car with his friend Todd Powell (Robert Arthur). Micky's pilot brother Jeff (James Cardwell) knows a lot about cars. The boys have girlfriends Rusty Davis (Terry Moore a.k.a Jan Ford) and Peggy Andrews (Sue England). Micky's dad John Clark (Damian O'Flynn) buys a new car. Mr. Clark witnesses a terrible car accident. He warns the boys against hot rod racing.

Todd and Micky

Rusty and Peggy

John Clark

However Mr. Clark himself is a reckless driver. He scratches another car. Of course there is no fault in Mr. Clark. The police and judge see it another way. Judge gives him a warning but soon he almost bumps into another car. Judge Tanner (William Forrest) has a daughter Sue Tanner (Noreen Nash), Jeff becomes interested in her.

Daddy shows bad example

Judge Tanner

Sue Tanner and Jeff Clark

Micky finishes his car. His friends urge him to attend the hot rod race. Although his father forbade him from racing, Micky attends the race. The police stop the race and Judge reprimands them and their parents. This does not stop Micky from speeding. Driving with Todd in his dad's car Micky escapes police. The boys end up in front of morgue. 

Illegal hot rod race

The police catch the offenders

Speeders end up here

The boys and their girlfriends smooch on the beach. They hear a radio bulletin about a unidentified dead hot rod driver. At night The nervous teens sneak in to morgue to see if they can identify him. Night guard almost catches them so they flee. Rusty is trapped in the morgue. Todd's car crashes with another vehicle. Micky does not know that his mother was in the other car. Finally Micky has to face the consequences of his actions. But also Mr. Clark is to blame because he showed a bad example. 

The morgue is a scary place

The movie is like a Public Service Announcement against speeding. It sure is preachy, but at that time the traffic death rates were terrible. The acting is good and driving scenes also. The movie is quite good juvenile delinquent melodrama. Also slight horror elements were included to scare off speeders. Possibly to attract teens some sex appeal was included as this was one of the first movies with female leads in bikinis. Drive safely, folks!

Sue Tanner in bikini

Rating: Good

Movie Review: In Hot Pursuit

In Hot Pursuit a.k.a. Polk County Pot Plane 

Starring: Don Watson, Bobby Watson, Paul Benefield, Randy Mewbourn, James Crews, Paul Weiner, Sandy St. Armour, Don Pierce, T.C. Jones, Jack Hathaway, Willard Burnam, Jerry Burnam, Wilona Mills, Ralph Hamilton, Corabell Hamilton, Betty Morris, David Gadd, I.L. Davis, Jack Davis, Jack Roach, Rison Corley, G.E. Ham, Howard Smith, Bob Deyton, C.R. Armstrong, Jim Whozitt (= Jim West as Big Jim), Debbie Washington 

Director: Jim West 

Westco Productions, USA, 1977. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Rednecks Oosh (Don Watson), Doosh (Bobby Watson) and their friends Bubble Eye (James Crews) and fourth guy (Mike Skinner?) are not smuggling moonshine. They are getting an air delivery of marijuana. Pilot Big Jim ('Big Jim Whozitt' a.k.a. Jim West) lands his plane on a field and throws the sacks to the boys. The police try to bust them, but the plane gets away knocking over a police car. Oosh & Doosh try to escape with their camper. The boys get finally arrested. 

Oosh

Doosh

Bubble Eye

Local mob boss Mr. King (Paul Weiner) helps the boys to escape. The mobsters question his competence and retire Mr. King. Sandy (Sandy St. Armour) becomes the new boss. Sandy wants the boys to deliver an eighteen wheeler full of drugs. The police get a tip again but this time the boys are lucky. Sandy gives them seven days to pay back the money that was lost with the first shipment of pot.

Camper chase

Mob boss Mr. King

No stunt men were used

The Watsons plan to rob armored truck. The robbery turns messy and Bubble Eye and the other guy get killed. After a chase with lots of crashed cars the Watson's pay their debt. Big Jim has still one job for them. Apparently the police forget the Watsons as soon as they get out of their sights.

Another unhappy cop

Grand Theft Auto Southern style

Big Jim

Based on the opening sequence I expected "Cheech & Chong" style stoner comedy mixed with "Smokey and the Bandit" style car chases. Only half was right as although there are some comical moments, the movie tries to be a more serious crime film. Although most of the crew were amateurs, sound mixer David Terry, film editor Angelo Ross (known for "Smokey and the Bandit") and also camera crew were professionals. The actors pulled their own stunts making some crazy looking car stunts and also some with helicopter. One of the crazy scenes was driving a truck through a house. No stunt men were used in this film!

Another wrecked car

Denise

The music ranges from hillbilly banjo music to 70s thriller funk. Not much good about acting can be said, no effort is made in characterizing any of the characters. Oh, Doosh has a girlfriend Denise (Wilona Mills). The dialogue is terrible but fun to listen because of the thick Southern accent. The car action is entertaining. "Grand Theft Auto" games owe a lot to these kind of films. The movie is loosely based on true drug smuggling attempt in Polk County in 1975. The plane used by the smugglers was bought by politician, inventor & director James (Jim) Ira West, Jr (1930-2014) and used in the movie. Jim West himself piloted the plane in the film. This is in no way a good film in artistic sense, but a powerful example of indie grindhouse film-making. 

Rating: Good

Movie Review: Killing Cars

Killing Cars a.k.a Blitz 

Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Senta Berger, Agnès Soral, Daniel Gélin, Stefan Meinke, Peter Matic, Bernhard Wicki, Osman Ragheb, William Conrad, Axel Scholtz, Marina Larsen, Klaus Mikoleit, Wolf Gaudlitz, Oliver Rohrbeck, Uwe Hacker, Willie Richter, Dieter Kursawe, Richard Süssenguth, Rene Hennig, Georg Tryphon, Heinz Hoenig, Jörg Koch, Marjorie Lewis 

Director: Michael Verhoeven 

Futura Film, Sentana Filmproduktion 

West Germany, 1986. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Ralph Korda (Jürgen Prochnow) street races at night with his sunglasses coolly on. His real profession is car designer. He refuses some business deals and drives away giving a lift to a random hot girl. In addition to being a playboy and working as a sub-contractor for BAG car company, he also manufactures stuff like ping pong balls. 

Ralph Korda

Von der Mühle

Worldcar

BAG company plans to build a new factory demolishing a local youth club. Punk rockers demonstrate and riot. Police batters hippies with batons. Ralph has designed an electro-chemically powered Worldcar (a modified Albar Sonic) but there are still problems with overheating power accumulators. Someone spies the project and steals the accumulator files. Ralph suspects the BAG company and his superior Von der Mühle (Bernhard Wicki). Von der Mühle denies taking them, it is BAG CEO Dr. Hein (Peter Matic) who took them for "rechecking". He opposes the Worldcar project so Ralph threatens to leave the project. 

Dr. Hein

Aspiring street musicians

The punks vandalise some parked cars. Thief Schulz (Uwe Hacker) steals Korda's papers. He and shady businessman Kellermann (Daniel Gélin) try to sell the papers. Hein's secretary Marie Landauer (Senta Berger) tells that Hein is about to do some business with Arabian Sheik Al-Atassi (Osman Ragheb). Marie has an one-sided crush on Ralph. Then there is a random accident with lorry and the punks. This encourages them to torch cars. 

Marie Landauer

Kellermann

As Hein is ripping Ralph off, he finally gets enough and tries to take the test car. Ralph considers selling Worldcar to Kellermann instead. Also American Mr. Mahoney (William Conrad) in interested about the car. Reporter Violet Blum (Agnès Soral) says that Kellermann is an evil arms dealer. But as a fanatic environmentalist Violet wants to ban all cars. The punks get more violent and steal the test car and everyone blames Ralph. Eventually punk Niki (Stefan Meinke) and Violet help him to find the car. After that there is a shootout and still couple more double-crosses. Maybe the ping pong business is safer after all.

Violet Blum

Niki

The movie is directed by Michael Verhoeven, who is son of German director, actor and writer Paul Verhoeven who is NOT the more famous Dutch director. The movie begins with cool 1980s music video aesthetics. Then it turns into a messy tale of industrial espionage. Just about everyone tries to dupe unlucky Ralph. Mixing in some oil barons, bumbling security guards, environmentalists and anarchists does not improve clarity. William Conrad is wasted here, in addition it was confusing that he looked a bit like Uwe Hacker in some scenes. The movie has some elements as German detective series, but everything is overstretched and feels just pointless. 

Rating: Bad