There is only one reason why we have decided to watch this movie. No, it is not Charles Napier who gives a rather convincing performance as boozing detective J.J. Stryker, while pursuing a killer who specializes in murdering prostitutes. The reason is killer himself – recently deceased favorite of ours- Robert Z’dar.
Greatest tagline ever!
This nifty 80s cop action outing has a much similarities with Roots of Evil. They are both sleazy, straight to video thriller/ horror flicks. And he very beginning of this movie is as sleazy as it can be. It starts with a young, prostitute and Robert Z’Dar- he starts soft and cuddly but soon transforms into a raging beast.Girl tries to save herself and even menages to shoot Z’Dar straight to the chest but seemingly to no effect We cut to our hero, old blond cop who wakes up in sweat. He tries to get a burger but ends up fighting some gang member and even menages to kill a dude. All in a day’s work.
Our Hero!
He then joins (or tries to join) his compatriots in a murder investigation. Strangely he then proceeds to the party organized by prostitutes for their non- hooker friend. He makes a scene, ask a few questions and hooks up with a (ex?) prostitute himself. Stryker and his partner chase a few leads and menage to kill another man but it gets him nowhere. After the murders continue cops organize the stake up but that ends bizarrely with one of the cops getting a blowjob by a prostitute without ever noticing that a prostitute is not a- she.
“Just asking a couple of questions”
After another drunken binge that sees him end up with his whore- girlfriend Stryker passes out.. In the meantime the more conscientious of two, his partner Vic menages to finally track down the killer, unfortunately too late to save the girl.Things then go from bad to worse as Z’Dar suprises him and beats him down before throwing him through the window. Z’Dar’s strength seems supernatural, almost on par with Jason Vorhees.
Now with his partner gone J.J. Stryker faces a clear choice- he needs to get revenge for his friend or finally drown himself to death with alcohol. He chooses alcohol. After another drunken binge his whore- girlfriend shows up and tries to reason with him. Then out of nowhere a lady-psychologist appears and solves the case for them. Turns out Z’Dar was her patient and after being seriously wounded developed obsession with immortality. He abandoned treatments to study with an Asian Master who teaches him to kill animals and absorb their life energy. Turns out he couldn’t stop with animals.
Styker finally gets going and police lays a trap for Z’Dar. Turns out Z’Dar is smarter than they anticipated because he menages to steal a police car with an ex-hooker and her strange non-hooker blonde friend. Eventually Styker and the team menage to catch up to him and chase him down to the abandoned warehouse. Their the shootout evolves into full on man vs Terminator scene but after some pathetic attempts Stryker menages to take him out by throwing him into a giant furnace. But – as our heroes leave we still hear the familiar Japanese chant from the fire.
We hoped for a sequel because for all it’s unoriginal and ridiculousness this movie was good fun but it just wouldn’t be the same without “The Chin” as a charismatic and indestructibly villain.
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