Drive (1997)
Wild, loopy action extravaganza starts off hot and doesn't stop to breathe along the way. Mark Dacascos, the star, isn't much of an actor but he shows off some serious martial arts skills (as well as a refreshing willingness to kid around with himself -- he does karaoke at one point!); meanwhile, Kadeem Hardison manages to be not-overly-annoying as the requisite comic relief guy. Seriously warped dialogue is a plus (best line: "That guy could eat flour and shit cupcakes!"). Biggest plus, though, is Brittany Murphy (back in her quirky-character-actress phase) as a Lolita-esque motel manager named Deliverance... her character and performance seem to have wandered in from a Russ Meyer flick and her parting line is "I'd rock your uvula!" What's not to love? To the point, this is unreasonably fun stuff. If this had gotten the 2500-screen rollout it deserved rather than being dumped straight to video, Mark Dacascos would be one of the biggest action stars in America.
Grade: A-
Wild, loopy action extravaganza starts off hot and doesn't stop to breathe along the way. Mark Dacascos, the star, isn't much of an actor but he shows off some serious martial arts skills (as well as a refreshing willingness to kid around with himself -- he does karaoke at one point!); meanwhile, Kadeem Hardison manages to be not-overly-annoying as the requisite comic relief guy. Seriously warped dialogue is a plus (best line: "That guy could eat flour and shit cupcakes!"). Biggest plus, though, is Brittany Murphy (back in her quirky-character-actress phase) as a Lolita-esque motel manager named Deliverance... her character and performance seem to have wandered in from a Russ Meyer flick and her parting line is "I'd rock your uvula!" What's not to love? To the point, this is unreasonably fun stuff. If this had gotten the 2500-screen rollout it deserved rather than being dumped straight to video, Mark Dacascos would be one of the biggest action stars in America.
Grade: A-
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