Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Firewalker

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • Firewalker



    Released by: Olive Films
    Released on: April 21st, 2015.
    Director: J. Lee Thompson
    Cast: Chuck Norris, Louis Gossett Jr., Melody Anderson, Sonny Landham
    Year: 1986
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    Directed for Cannon Films by J. Lee Thompson, Firewalker stars Chuck Norris as an adventurer for hire named Max Donigan. He and his partner, Leo Porter (Louis Gossett Jr.), are lamenting their lack of financial success in a dive bar one day when a beautiful blonde woman named Patricia Goodwin (Melody Anderson) approaches them with an offer: she's got a treasure map and needs two men to help her find the loot. If they can pull it off, they'll split the reward. Without knowing anymore they agree… after all, the bartender vouched for her.

    And so with that, our trio of treasure hunters head into the brush to find the treasure. Things get off to a decent enough start when the map brings them to a hidden cave where Max finds a golden ceremonial dagger, but they all know that there's more booty to be plundered than just that single piece. In need of more information they consult with a safe old Native American named Tall Eagle (Will Sampson), bribing him with a bottle of whiskey and interrupting his I Love Lucy marathon viewing session. When they have what they need (and are warned of a 'firewalker'!) they head back out to keep looking, unaware that the sinister El Coyote (Sonny Landham) is watching and waiting with evil intentions…

    Firewalker is fun. No more, no less, just seriously fun entertainment that's pretty much suitable for the entire family. The humor is constant and more often than not pretty effective and the action easily stays within the confines of the film's PG rating. Those expecting the strong violence of some of Norris' other outings with Cannon Films might be disappointed in that regard, but the movie makes up for it with some clever one liners, nicely decorated sets and costumes and a real sense of camaraderie throughout the picture.

    If Chuck Norris doesn't exactly have the range of, say, Sir Laurence Olivier he handles this material well. Delivering some seriously silly lines with a very dry sense of humor and he Louis Gossett Jr. basically play your typical 'buddy cop' duo, albeit in a different and more exotic environment. Running gags, like their being chased by an angry Chinese general (Richard Lee-Sung), help to hold our attention while the back and forth between the two men affords Robert Gosnell's screenplay ample opportunity for amusing quipping, bickering and bantering. The two action movie stars do fine work here and Melody Anderson fits right in. None of our trio is going to break records on an IQ test anytime soon but they have an enjoyable chemistry together, enough so that when they delightfully evil Landham gives chase we want them to win the day and make it out not only alive, but with the treasure.

    Thompson's direction isn't flashy here but his workmanlike style is entirely appropriate to the material at hand. The movie is well paced and engaging and ílex Phillips Jr.'s cinematography does a nice job of capturing the different locations. Throw in an appropriately adventurous sounding score from Gary Chang (fresh off of 52-Pick Up!) and this is one that comes together nicely.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Olive Films gives Firewalker its Blu-ray debut in a nice AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. Detail and texture are definitely advanced over previous presentations not only in close up shots where you'd no doubt expect it but in medium and long distance shots as well, where the grit of various locations comes into play visually speaking. Grain is present throughout but never overpowering or distracting while black levels look good. Minor print damage shows up here and there throughout the movie but it's never more than small specks and such. Skin tones seem accurate and colors are nicely reproduced. No noise reduction or edge enhancement is ever noticeable, this is a nice picture.

    The only audio option on the disc is an English language DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo track and it sounds pretty solid. Clarity is good while hiss and distortion are non-issues throughout playback. The score and effects, gun shots in particular, have good presence. No problems to report here, this no frills mix gets the job done quite nicely.

    There are no extras on the disc, just a static menu offering chapter selection.

    The Final Word:

    Firewalker is good clean fun, a family friendly adventure film that does a nice job of mixing up action and comedy performed by a cast of actors who really do seem to be enjoying themselves. Olive's Blu-ray release might be barebones, but it does offer a nice upgrade over the previous DVD release in both the audio and video departments.

    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!




















      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X