Kick'em In The Ghoulies

Directed By : R Ellis Frazier

Starring: Gary Daniels, Vanessa Vasquez .Michael Greco

MISFIRE

One person we have been meaning to cover more of on site has been brit-kicker Gary Daniels. Star of some of the best late eighties and early nineties B movie martial arts films from the USA.

From films like Ring of Fire, Bloodfist IV ,Rage ,Bloodmoon and many more. Now we have reviewed a couple of his films and we will get through some of the classics eventually.

But as you know many of the classic films where done many years ago ,well before this site existed.

We do concentrate more on newer films as they are released unless where doing a special feature on a star or focusing on a particular series of films from a studio or director.

So here we are with MISFIRE a 2014 film from director R Ellis Frazier and shot in Mexico with a mainly Mexican cast.

Gary Daniels plays a DEA agent named Cole , things get out of hand for Cole early on when on the job he mistakenly shoots a Mexican enforcement officer.

Taken of the job Cole sits at home, that is until a call from his brother Johnny revealing that he has been arrested for the murder of his wife ,even though there is no body ,just traces of blood.

Now Johnny is played by well known British actor Michael Greco who was Beppe in Eastenders , who like Gary Daniels moved to the USA.

First things first there could not be two actors chosen to play brothers that look like they have no family ties what so ever. Greco has a Mediterranean look whilst Gary Daniles has the typical look of a Englishman. One is dark skinned and black hair whilst the other is fair haired and paler ,though Gary Daniles looks like he has been in the sun in this film.

So from the off the mismatched pairing was a off for me from a continuity point of view. ,but then I thought OK it's a budget movie ,I'm going to get some action from Gary busting some moves ,that's why we watch these films .

Anyway we find out that Johnny's wife a reporter named Sarah was actually Cole's wife then married his brother.

Cole's goal is to find out where Sarah is ,whether dead or alive and what she was working on which might have got her into trouble.

Back at the apartment of his brother Cole looks for clues, but he stumbles on a intruder , a friend of Sarah's named Gracie ( Vanessa Vasquez ) who also is a reporter looking for her camera and also wanting to find out what happened.

After some altercation between the two in the dark they agree to help each other to find out what has happened .

We eventually find out that a local business man named Raul Montenegro who basically funds the drug cartels could be behind Sarah's disappearance as she was working on a story about politicians ,of which Montenegro was running for local office for.

Now what we should have here is a tight little story about Montenegro holding Sarah for what ever information she may have.

We should have Cole on a mission to find Sarah as he swathes a path through various henchmen to find out the truth.

Now like I said we watch these films because of one reason and that's the fighting, even if it only involves small fights spread through out the film or a build up to one big fight at the end.

Now what we have is something else , the film is not clear cut, the director seems he is trying to shoot a Documentary style drama one minute and a music video the next.

The camera is all over the place in this film. ,some really weird shots going on here. For most part Cole brandishes a gun as he gets constantly pursued by Montenegro's men who relentlessly open fire on him where ever they are..

Thing is the gun play is not that exciting , it's got no panache to it, you can rent or buy many good gun films which showcase great gun play.

This is not one of them . Plus the script of the film is lacking for the actors ,or at least the ones that actually get lines and not just grunts and moans.

Poor Michael Greco's part is so small it seemed a waste for him to go to Mexico to shoot it. May be he got a free Taco as well.

Very little is explained within the film and when it is it's often at the wrong time, but it's OK where going to see some fights are we not , well No really , Cole does not throw a punch till fifty one minutes into this film , which only lasts for about two seconds.

Now with twenty nine minutes to go all I have seen is shots fired from automatic weapons by the same henchmen across the whole of Tijuana .

Don't go to Mexico because it seems it full of teeth gritting Hombre's firing automatic weapons on every street corner, and for most part it's only the henchmen and Cole on these streets, why because everyone else has left for the USA.

One scene sees Cole and Gracie fleeing a gunfight in their car, the car is shot up ,the back window shattered , the teeth gritting Mexicans have unloaded countless bullets into this car.

But just moments later after spending a night parked up in a car park , and whilst getting it on together , Cole and Gracie are not dumbfounded when they wake up that the car is perfect , did the gremlins repair all the bullet holes and replace the window while they where having sex? Did they not notice this happening.

Of course there where no gremlins , but could they not have put some holes in the car , make it look like it had been in a fire fight .

Looked like it had been waxed as well.

So now Cole is a bit pissed , he eventually closes in on the man behind Sarah's kidnapping , yes folks she has been kidnapped and no one has used this word in the whole film..

Well with a showdown on the cards and a meet about to happen you know it's going to go down.

Cole is going to bust some moves , Oh but wait what's wrong with the camera man , why am I looking at some ones armpit when I should see two men facing of smacking each other. . I know where send Cole on a chase through the city with people jumping out from shops and public places that he has to battle off.

Yeah , oh wait lets shake the camera so it looks like a uncontrollable ape has got hold of it. Quick there about to fight ,lets zoom in on this blokes ear.

Now if I where Gary Daniels and saw the finished edit of this film ,i would not be pleased , but it seems he must have been as he has agreed and is filming another film for the same director and producer and writer which also stars many of the same actors.

I can honestly say this film was a waste of my time and a waste of my projector lamp as I view all films on a projector screen and surround sound system.

I just can not recommend this film for any fans of Gary Daniels or any fans of action cinema . It was badly shot ,badly edited and at just eighty minutes it actually seemed to drag at times.

I'm sure we will see Gary back in action in the forthcoming ''Zero Tolerance '' which sees Gary star with Scott Adkins ,Dustin Nguyen and Kane Kosugi.

But I implore every one to stay away from this film , it truly was a Misfire.

Lucky enough I get to actually return this to Lovefilm .

Review Date : May 17th 2015

Review By : Sertes Nake

Image   © Badhouse Studios Mexico 2014