Wizard-8 My expectations were pretty low when I sat down to watch "Under Oath", since it was a Roger Corman production, and in the '90s Corman produced a lot of cheapie stinkers. But I was surprised by this movie. While it's clearly low budget, it doesn't look as cheap as other Corman movies of the period; director Dave Payne clearly squeezed every last penny from the budget. But the real strength of the movie is the screenplay. It is far from predictable, with several good surprise twists, and until the end I kept wondering if the central figures would get away with their scheme or not. The acting is also pretty decent, and you get to see Richard Lynch in a rare good guy role. If you want to see a movie that overcomes its low budget to become genuinely compelling, this sleeper is a good bet.

merklekranz Out of nowhere comes "Under Oath", with a clever script, fine acting, and believability. This is DVD gold for those seeking an unknown movie to "wow" your friends. The fast moving story has plenty of action, twists and turns, and well developed characters. The low budget never gets in the way, and the camera work is totally acceptable. My only objection, and is not a big deal, is that several of the stunt scenes are marginal at best (can you really miss that many times with an automatic weapon?). For all the times you took a chance on an unknown noir, and were disappointed, "Under Oath" should regain your faith, and encourage your quest for those hidden gems. Highly recommended. - MERK

rm91945 I don't believe that this movie got a wide release or a lot of publicity. It's the kind of film that usually finds it's audience on video. That said, I enjoyed this movie, a lot. It had everything you'd want from a simple little cop thriller, hot guys, intriguing plot with several twists and lots of gun play.The story revolves around two cops, played by Jack Scalia and Eddie Valez, who are less than thrilled that their promised raise has been nixed by city hall. Grousing about how the bad guys always have cash and they never do, they decide to get in on their action. They plot to sell some guns they've recovered in a bust by stealing them from the police property room and doing a deal with a local gun runner.What they don't know is the gun runner is really an ATF officer and when they discover this, they take off, with the officer as their hostage. Things go from bad to worse when, while struggling over a handgun, the ATF officer is killed. But things start to look up for the partners when their captain assigns them to the case! They decide to make all the evidence against them disappear, but as they try to cover their tracks, other ATF officers, bent on revenge, tighten the noose around their necks.The acting in this was great, not one actor did a bad job, even the Huggy Bear want-to-be was good. Scalia was at the top of his game as the tougher of the two cops while Valez elicits sympathy from the audience in his guilt ridden actions. It was interesting to see Richard Lynch play a good guy as he RARELY gets that opportunity. He was very convincing as Saltarelli, the boss of the ATF cops. Nice to know he can play a good guy as well as he can play his bad guy psycho roles.Won't spoil the ending for you but it's one of the best!

shark-101 Every once in a while you rent something you've never heard of with the off chance that you'll discover an unheralded masterpiece. This one comes awfully close. This tight thriller concerns two cops who decide to get their hands dirty and profit on one of their drug busts. When the dealer is accidently killed and turns out to be an undercover DEA agent, the cops are assigned to the case. They must bury the trail leading to them as they create new evidence to pin the crime elsewhere. This movie sucks you in. Great performances by James Russo, Eddie Velez and Jack Scalia.