Maximum Impact

Director - J. R. Bookwalter (Robot Ninja, Ozone)

Starring - Ken Jarosz (Zombie Cop, Chickboxer), James Black (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5), and Michael Cagnoli (Ozone)

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Action

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I ordered this SOV Six Pack there was a few movies I thought would not be for me but one that I was really excited to see was 1992's Maximum Impact.  I'm a sucker for no budget action flicks and seeing one directed by Bookwalter really excited me.  Sadly, this one was a rough one to finish.  I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it.  

     The film follows a business man who travels away for a business meeting.  That night he visits a friend who works with him and witnesses a woman shoot him in the head as part of a snuff film.  He helps get the woman away from the man recording and goes home to until he can figure out what to do next.  However, the company behind the snuff film knows about him and sends a group of hit men to kill his wife and get the girl back.  What they don't expect is the arsenal he keeps in his home.

     I was really fucking excited to dig into this one.  This is one of J.R.'s movies that I've wanted to see for years but never had the opportunity.  Sadly, it was nowhere near as fun as his other films.  He had a great start but fizzled out about mid-way through.  I wish I could like this one but I couldn't.  The acting in this one is solid but there was times where the cast really hams it up.  They overreact during some scenes and underreact during others.  The characters are little more entertaining than a few of the other films in this set but the acting is very inconsistent.  The story for this one starts out super strong and sleazy.  We have a company that specializes in child trafficking and snuff where are lead gets caught up in their illegal actions.  Once this happens the film slows down drastically.  The "action" scenes are pretty plain and uneventful which resulted in a difficult film to finish.  If the story could have kept the energy from the first half it would have been something worth your time.  Finally, this one has some bloody moments with some fun action style kills but the practical effects are minimal.  They work for the scene but they are nothing that memorable.  Overall, Maximum Impact started with a bang but quickly dried out.  I really liked where the story started but not where it went.  The last half of this hour long film is a bit of a tough one to finish.  I think this is my first negative review for a Tempe release but this one just wasn't for me.