Boba_Fett1138 It's amazing. This is actually a Fred Olen Ray movie that had a budget. Normally his movies look like they got made with a shoestring budget and are also too often completely unwatchable, mainly because of that. I don't know who ever decided to give Fred Olen Ray some big money to work with this time and I also really don't understand why. It's not like his movies ever brought in any big money or have a good reputation. But you know what, the fact that this movie had some money behind it actually also makes it a somewhat decent watch at times. It makes you wonder if perhaps Ed Wood also wouldn't have been capable of making some decent movies if he was given some more money to work with.But still Fred Olen Ray managed to mess things up. First off all, the build up of the movie takes way too long. I think this is because Fred Olen Ray is accustomed to and familiar with this storytelling approach. When you have a $0 budget to work with normally you have to become creative with your storytelling and stretch your story out as far and for as long as possible, without actually doing or showing something. But this is simply not the sort of approach you want from a straight-forward, tough, action-flick.But also the story in itself is pretty bad and formulaic but told even worse by director Fred Olen Ray. It has plenty of silly and bad moments in it. I mean, those Vietnam flashbacks were all kind of awkward and didn't really add anything good to the story. I understand why it's all in there but it feels so out of place and totally unnecessary.A reason why people still probably want to see this movie is because of its cast. It has David Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Mako and Michael Berryman. What more could you want from a movie? I must say that without their star power this movie would had probably a way worse and more ridicules movie to watch. I had never actually seen Lee Van Cleef at such an 'old' age. You probably wont even recognize him the first time you see him in this, he looks like a real genuine, balding, gray, grandpa, even though he was only in his early 60's at the time. He also died only a couple of years after this movie. Some people just age fast I guess.One thing that Fred Olen Ray also doesn't know to handle is its action. Most of the sequences really aren't shot too well and the editing also helps to make it look clumsily at times.This movie at times has some hints of a good and entertaining, silly '80's action flick in it but Fred Olen Ray still managed to downgrade this movie overall to a below average one. I still like to say his name a lot though, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Olen Ray!4/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Scarecrow-88 Father and son Chinatown bar owners, Burt & Jim Roth(Lee Van Cleef and David Carradine)become inadvertently involved in a war with the Tanaka crime family over a jade statue, quite a pricey artifact desired by a powerful Yakuza family.Clay Roth(David Goss), Burt's son/Jim's brother, is partners with a no-good, dirty, rotten scoundrel, Cory Thorton(Ross Hage, perfectly vile and two-faced)who has taken a job to exchange money for a jade statue, commissioned by powerful mobster Akira Tanaka(Mako). It would be a 5 thousand dollar payday to orchestrate what seems like an easy task, but Cory's greed and avarice throws a cog in Akira's plans. Cory is to take all of Tanaka's money, kill the thieves(an unhinged Laurene Landon and Dick Miller offers another cameo), and set up Clay as the one responsible for the botched job. But, a wounded Clay delivers the jade statue to Jim and Burt before dying. With the money, Cory goes into hiding, with Tanaka targeting the Roth family desiring to get the statue he must provide to a major Yakuza boss arriving by plane in the coming days. Kidnapping Tommy Roth(Fred Olen Ray regular Brett Huff), and torturing him with acupuncture needles, Tanaka and his men will stop at nothing to secure the statue, but waging war with Burt and Jim may not be the smartest idea despite how powerful and dangerous a threat they are. When Tanaka captures Jim's wife and daughter, as well as show him his slain brother, Tommy(..whose courageous escape attempt ends in a shot gun blast to the chest), there'll be hell to pay. Another development is that one of the thieves, Deborah(Landon)didn't die after all(..she's one tough chick)and wants the money Cory took from her.I imagine it was a dream come true for director Fred Olen Ray to obtain the star power of Carradine and LVC in his movie. To have them in a war with Mako, Michael Berryman, and a litany of mobster vermin must've been a joy. FOR also has two major action set pieces, the double-cross when Cory betrays Clay, with hired guns(..paid by Cory)blasted in their cars before they could cause any damage. There's the Chinatown showdown where Carradine faces off with Mako and his goons(..my biggest disappointment was not seeing LVC getting to partake in the festivities very long). There's also a chase where a cop pursues a wounded Berrymen, with innocent bystanders(..in their vehicles)impacted, resulting in car crashes(..and FOR gets to demolish a telephone booth). Carradine's Jim has some plot development as FOR establishes some trauma that has left scars from a combat experience in Vietnam. Berryman seems to be having fun as one of Mako's assassins. Unfortunate for me, LVC doesn't have as substantial a role in the movie as I, a major fan, would prefer, but he was on up in age by this time. When Carradine tosses grenades at Mako's gunmen, explosions hurl lots of stuntmen in the air.I think fans of low budget action, not expecting strong acting or a challenging plot, might enjoy this rather straight-forward, undemanding, uncomplicated B-movie. Carradine's revenge over Mako("Rest in Pieces.")is certain to amuse. Brett Huff has a great scene where Mako and company seek information, using torturous methods which would make most squeal, not allowing them to benefit from his anguish. LVC, in his seventies, gets a chance to kick some ass, punishing a pack of loathsome customers looking to start some crap when they enter Jim and Burt's bar. Lois Hamilton, as Carradine's wife, gets to blow away a bad guy with a machine gun in a memorable final scene after a car is driven into Jim and Burt's bar! Another rather unfulfilling scenario for me was not seeing Cory get his comeuppance in gruesome style(..while he does pay, it's not nearly the fate he deserves for the trouble he has caused).

LeatherCajun I am a truly HUGE Brent Huff fan, and have been since seeing Perils of Gwendoline.Mr. Huff looks great in this movie and though his part is short, he is seen enduring a bone-scraping torture through his bare chest that looks like evil acupuncture.Brent was one of the most handsome and sexy actors in these actioners and he could act when given half a chance. I don't know why he did not have a larger career, but I am thankful for the one he had.In some ways, he was the Mark Damon of the Eighties (though Mark got more notice for a little while during his heyday.) Mr. Damon has gone on to do very well as a producer. I hope the best for Brent as well.The VHS version has nice picture quality. I have not seen the DVD version.An 9/10 for shirtless torture sequence.The rest of the movie is okay. The actor who plays Huff's interrogator is a good one who shows up in many similar roles.

gridoon "Armed Response" is one of Fred Olen Ray's earliest directorial efforts, and it also less schlocky than some of his other ones, closer to an actual legitimate action film (it's hard to believe he would make a film as unbelievably bad as "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" only two years later). It has a fairly complicated plot, which would be hard to summarize in a single paragraph, and a cast that's a B-movie fan's dream (where else could you find Lee Van Cleef and Michael Berryman together?), though it must be noted that David Carradine is particularly awful in this movie. (**1/2)