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RIOT
(1996)
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
In
a genre where very few British actors are present, it's always
nice to see a superior martial artist like Gary Daniels flying
the flag for England. After seeing him put in strong
performances in films like 'City
Hunter' and 'Fist
Of The North Star', I was more than happy to hand over the
low asking price for this straight to DVD (or video) movie.
When
the British Ambassador's daughter is kidnapped there is only
one man he can rely on to deliver the ransom and attempt a
rescue; Shane Alcot! A retired member of the SAS and
holder of numerous Martial Arts trophies, Alcot is also an
ex-boyfriend which gives him an alterior motive for accepting
this mission. Unfortunately, it looks like he will have
to enter gangland territory armed with little more than his
fists and pray that luck is on his side.
If
you don't expect too much then you can't really go wrong with
a film like this. It's quite clearly low budget and the
acting is often cheesy to say the least but it comes packaged
with some fun action and a no-brainer plot that all allow you
to emerge with a favourable opinion. Daniels is easily
the most enlightening performer involved and waltzes through
the movie displaying some lightening kicks and punches that
would be equally suited in any of the top class productions.
He is accompanied by former pro-boxer Sugar Ray Leonard who
shows his fists of fury in his first film role and puts in a
commendable debut but would perhaps be more suited to an
action television series rather than trying to make it on the
big screen. They are consequently surrounded by numerous
recognisable television bit-part players that all help to
lower the tone of the movie but still do enough to keep the
whole affair moving at a relatively good pace.
Ultimately,
as is so often the case with American fight flicks, it's the
editing that lets the film down. Daniels' moves are
clean and precise with some fresh looking combinations but
each time he makes contact with his opponent the camera
inexplicably switches to an alternate angle that completely
obscures the point of impact. No one knows why American
directors seem to insist on doing this (the stuntwork can't be
that obvious can it??) but it is so often the downfall of a
potentially enjoyable film such as this. The audience
wants to be able to see the talent of the actors (or stuntmen)
displayed properly and not have them stifled by an awkwardly
cut selection of shots so please, for the sake of my sanity,
stop doing this!
Despite
this, 'Riot' is certainly worth a watch for fans of Gary
Daniels but just don't expect this to be his breakout movie.
It's far from original with some cringeworthy acting and
serious stereotyping of various cultures (particularly in it's
poor portrayal of the English and Irish) but it does follow a
successful action movie formula and provide a night off for
your brain.
Rating:
 
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