Final Mission (1984)

After spending a whole day waiting for my big scene, who finally was cancelled because of the rain and I had to walk home with a big paycheck for very little work, I just felt for watching some glorious philippino-action. So I dug up my official thai-dvd of Final Mission, warmed a microwave-pizza and made myself a cozy place in the sofa and watched this really fun and violent revenge-story!

Richard Young had is fifteen minutes of fame when because his similarity to Harrison Ford, and he also starred in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and in the ultra-expensive bore-fest Eye of the Widow the same year. But he had a proud career even before this, and my favorite is as the clean cut Deacon in this Cirio H. Santiago-directed production of pure art. Where back to 1973, and he leaves his old friend and traitor Slater (an excellet John Dresden) to be killed and tortured by the locals. 

He forgets about everything and becomes a badass police in LA that takes out bad guys one after another. He's getting more and more famous and one day Slater sees him on tv - because Slater is not MIA, he's just been preparing his revenge for all these years! He brings together a bunch of assholes and blows Deacons family to bits... and now it's time for our hero show them who's the man!

It starts with helluva great action-sequence. An ambush in the djungle with fat explosions, a graphic decaptiation, squibs and fights. Great, great stuff! Then we have the most catchy rock tune I've ever heard in one of this movies, "Always on my mind" with Steve Butler. Could have been a big hit if it hasn't been in one of these movies I guess. Well. Then it time for Deacon taking care of a group of bad guys in LA, which have great stunts, a bloody knife-fight and more violence. And there's more. Deacon takes out the main bad guys in small town somewhere, which echoes First Blood until the very last minute - but here he never gives up, just keep shooting and killing! Moahahaha!

Sure, it has it's silly bits to... for example the "we're-so-lucky-in-slow-motion"-montage of Deacon and his family, and one tacky eighties sex-scene with soft light and lot's of cheese. But we don't have to wait long until they get's blown up anyway! 

Santiago gives us here a very slick and well made movie which also is very violent. The thai dvd has okey quality, but is fullscreen. Not sure if it's open matte or not. 

(I've borrowed the cover from When the Vietnam War raged... in the Philippines)