Nightblade

Director(s) - Jim O'Rear (Camp Massacre, Ghosts of Tennessee) and Scott Tepperman (Magnetic Hightway: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of the Independent Video Store)
Starring - Jim O'Rear, Scott Tepperman, and Todd Bridges (Monsters on Main Street, Dead Ringer)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror/Drama
Tagline - "No clues.  No motives.  A city full of suspects.  Solving this case is going to be murder"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      Looks like I was lucky enough to be spared from the curse of the evil threes.  When I watch a bad movie for review I typically find myself in a three film rut.  I like to call this the shit ditch where all three films are horrible.  The last time this almost happened was when I saw The Orphan Killer which was a huge let down before I moved on to Wolf House.  Lucky for me I was able to dig my way out of that rut when I watched Death Race 2050.  It was fantastic but all good things must come to an end.  The next film on the chopping block was Jim O'Rear and Scott Tepperman's Nightblade.  Was this going to start a whole new streak of bad films or would I find something entertaining in this 80s style horror thriller?

     The film follows former cop Andy (Tepperman) who travels to the west coast with his childhood friend Nicky (O'Rear) to help him run his strip club.  Andy was recently removed from the force after his wife and child was murdered during a heist gone wrong.  He agrees and moves there to line the club out and to restart his life.  However, things take a bloody turn when their strippers start getting attacked and murdered by an unknown killer.  Now the police are investigating them forcing the two club owners to take the law into their own hands and hunt down the sick bastard before he kills again.

     I was looking forward to checking this out with hopes that it would blend an 80s buddy cop comedy with horror but I didn't have high expectations.  The film was actually able to combine the two and deliver a solid film that was a little rough around the edges.  The acting in this one just didn't have me sold on the characters.  The cast has a tremendous amount of experience and most of the scenes sold me on their on screen talent but a good portion of the dialogue just left me feeling unimpressed.  Especially at the beginning of the film with the dialogue between Jim O'Rear and Scott Tepperman.  I don't know what their relationship is off camera but on camera their dialogue is awkward to watch.  It does get better as the film progresses but the opening scenes are a little rough to watch.  The remainder of the cast is brilliant.  Their supporting cast does a great job carrying the film and they really bring the story to light.  The story for this one is a love letter to the late 80s and early 90s dark thrillers that you can find a dime a dozen at the local video store.  Fans of Night Game know exactly what I'm talking about.  They are able to take this style of film and bring it all together with the buddy cop comedy angle which plays out pretty well. With that being said, the film has several slow spots that needed something added to it to hold the viewer's attention.  Finally, the film has several kill scenes that are bloody but nothing that stands out or memorable.  We get some slashings and a stabbing or two but nothing we haven't seen before.  The effects we see are very effective but nothing complex or impressive.  Overall, Nightblade was an enjoyable experience.  The film is a great love letter to 80s cop films and late at night murder thrillers.  Check it out.