Storm Catcher (1999)

PROBABLY THE WORST FILM EVER MADE

Ed Wood couldn't have done any worse. Shame there isn't a zero-star rating. Sub-zero stars would be even more suitable.

I can't imagine what the people who wrote positive reviews about this film have been watching lately. They must either be on the director's payroll or be related to the man. I reckon the second option is probably the case, as the film was on a low budget.

Besides the flimsy plot and the outrageously bad acting of the wife character, special note goes to the "running runner" with a torchlight behind the collapsing tent on the camping scene, the floppy-rubber machine-guns in Holloway's house invasion scene, and the blood continuity error in the stabbing that follows. Outstanding stuff. IMDB tells us that the film needed to be extended in order to comply with minimum-lenghth standards in Europe. That should explain the excessive use of slow motion and looped and out-of-synch dialogues, plus the inclusion of takes that were probably binned in the original cut.

If you enjoy spotting that kind of embarassing mistake, you might have a laugh with this film. Otherwise, snap, roll and run a mile from it! April 26, 2008

Low-budget action

I haven't seen many Dolph Lundgren movies, so I hope this one wasn't typical. For a super low-budget movie it probably wasn't bad, and if you go in with low expectations you might enjoy some of the fight scenes. But overall it was awful. The footage of the F117 Stealth Fighter was nice, but you can see that on any military website. Unless you're a fan of the actors, I say don't waste your time on this one. February 18, 2008

Watchable, but dopey...

Good ol' direct-to-video Dolph (Lundgren, that is), stars in this fanciful tale of conspiracy. His character, Major Jack Holloway (family-man and top secret stealth jet pilot), gets the blame when the new stealth jet he flies gets stolen from its secret base. The jet is just jam-packed with oodles of new stealth tech, and Dolph quickly goes on the square-jawed rampage to try and determine who stole the jet so he can clear his name. Along the way, he gets the help of his buddy Captain 'Sparks' Johnson, and a pair of FBI agents.

First off, this is not a movie that is in any danger of being nominated for an Oscar. That being said, there's actually a lot to like here, despite the Made-for-the-USA-Network feel of the production.

Yvonne Zima plays Holloway's stereotypical daughter-in-danger. Probably the best known cast member besides Lundgren, Zima played a regular character on "E.R.", Rachel Greene. She has also appeared in "Bed of Roses", and as another "daughter-in-danger" in "The Long Kiss Goodnight". She's really pretty good, and avoids the pitfalls of being the annoying, helpless kid that is the usual path for this kind of character in action movies.

As an arch nemesis, Robert Miano lends a degree of credibility to an otherwise direct-to-video offering. He has the proper weight as an actor to play a believable bad guy, and he serves admirably here. Proof that a good actor can overcome a weak script.

Mystro Clark is also pretty good as the ground controller buddy of Holloway, Captain "Sparks". Think of him as a sort of toned-down version of Chris Tucker (who himself is a sort of a toned-down Martain Lawrence). Playing both comedy and more serious moments seemed to come easily to him, and I hope he has more opportunities to both show and fine-tune his acting talents.

The best unknown of the bunch, however, has to be the lovely Kimberley Davies as half of an FBI duo of agents trying to crack the case of the mysterious anti-government conspiracy. Probably one of the most beautiful women in front of a camera today, Davies is better known for her work in the UK and Australia than she is here in the USA (hopefully this will change).

Besides the cast, I did like some of the location work, and the decent footage of what appeared to be a real stealth fighter. You won't see anything shatteringly awesome here, unless it is the shot from a camera bolted onto a van that gets blown up and flips end over end. Personally, however, I thought Airwolf could have taken out the fancy stealth plane with no problem. March 24, 2003

Very bad film.

In fact it's even worst than that. Why on earth Dolph agreed to do this I'll never know. Maybe he just had some spare time. But he could have done something more worthwhile than this bore.

The story focuses on Jack Holloway who test flies a top secret plane (badly woven-in stock footage of a real plane that is not called Storm Catcher is used as well as footage from Under Siege 2) and is framed for stealing it and hiding it in a hut out in the desert. Or something. The way the story develops is VERY cliched although I never did see the "twist" coming so it kind of did succeed there.

There are a few redeeming features. Like Mystro Clark as "Sparks" and there are 2 oddball special agents who crop up every now and again but serve no real purpose other than to look like Hugo Weaving from The Matrix. I tell ya, the resembelence is uncanny. The woman who plays Holloways wife is badly miscast although his daughter is a rather good actress.

Director (and Hugo Weaving lookalike) Anthony Hickox insists on using handheld cameras in scenes that don't them and steadicam on scenes that do. I don't know what his method or technique of film-making is but it's plain bad.

The tagline for this dreck (Convicted of treason. Sentenced to death. One chance to set the record straight) is totally wrong too and gives you the impression that the story is going to build to a more satisfying climax. But it doesn't. Dolph is neither convicted nor is he sentenced so that is a huge lie.

Watch this movie on TV but do NOT rent it and do NOT buy it like I did. Save your money for Dolph's best movie...Joshua Tree.

The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. Director Anthony Hickox's commentary is PRICELESS. He totally rips the film apart calling it all the worst names under the sun and admits how awful it is. He only made it to pay the bills apparently. Well, work is work huh? November 28, 2002

PRETTY NICE

Solid action thriller with swedish action star Dolph Lundgren.
There something that would hace wanted more in this one but still worth a look. October 4, 2001

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