Deadly Force
Stoney Cooper, a former Los Angeles police officer, is at a low point in his life. Kicked off the force because of his anti-authority attitude, he now ekes out a living as a freelancer in New York. All this changes when the daughter of an old friend is killed by serial killer terrorizing L.A. Although almost nobody in his old home town is happy to see him back, Cooper pledges to bring the killer to justice before any more innocent people die.
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- Cast:
- Wings Hauser , Paul Shenar , Al Ruscio , Arlen Dean Snyder , Lincoln Kilpatrick , Bud Ekins , Hector Elias
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Reviews
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
One of my all time favorites.
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
What we have here is a typical run-of-the-mill eighties crime/action/thriller from the somewhat lower budget regions. The plot involves a (very active) serial killer running amok in L.A. One of the apparently random victims, being killed at the very start of the movie, is the granddaughter of an ex-thief. Granddaddy then calls in the help of Stoney Jackson Cooper (Wings Hauser), a former hard-boiled cop from the L.A. police force who doesn't like playing by the rules. When he arrives in L.A., the authorities, local criminals as well as his (soon-to-be) ex-wife are not too happy with his return. But Stoney doesn't care. He's got a job to do and a promise to keep: track down the vile killer and put a stop to his activities.The story bounces to the left & the right at an uneven pace, but still manages to be quite coherent and even turn in a twist at the start of the third act (albeit one you'll probably see coming). Wings Hauser is in top shape in this one and pretty much owns the movie. One scene has him relaxing in a bath tub, and then going after the killer butt-naked after the whole loft has been shot to pieces during the killer's surprise attack. Even a pretty decent but obviously very standard climax is added to the mix (Wings vs. the killer, after his true identity is exposed). Other forms of entertainment, aside from shooting & killing, are included also, like a soft-core sex-scene (Wings & Joyce Ingalls) and an obligatory car crash/explosion. Yes, "Deadly Force" does its best to play it right.Sadly, one of the worst aspects of "Deadly Force" is the musical score. The main theme - if you can call it that - doesn't work at all. It's too rocky & funky and is used too often & inappropriately (even during the climactic fight & chase scene at the end). It gives the film a much sillier & dated vibe than it should have. A more gritty & tense analog synth score would have worked wonders, I'm sure. But in the end, "Deadly Force" is much more entertaining than it's poor rating on here would lead you to believe. And it's mainly thanks to Wings Hauser and a typical B-movie script that at least tries to make things work.
"Deadly Force" has everything you would expect from a cop kicked off the force film, and that is the problem. Wings Hauser is the renegade cop investigating a series of apparently random homicides, committed by perhaps the least developed, and least interesting villain in screen history. The overly simplistic story really has nowhere to go, so it is well padded with gratuitous car chases and explosions. I will say however, this is the first time I have seen the game of "rat roulette" played, and it looks more interesting than the rest of "Deadly Force". This strictly by the book action film might be worth a look for Wings Hauser fans but others beware. - MERK
This is Wings Hauser's follow-up to his star making role in VICE SQUAD (1982) but with him playing the cop this time. Ex-cop Stoney Cooper (Hauser) returns to L.A. to track down the X Killer, whose latest victim was an old friend's granddaughter. Immediately upon his arrival Stoney runs afoul of his old enemies - cops and killers alike - and his ex-wife. The plot is a bit convoluted and full of convenience but the film moves at such a quick pace you hardly have time to contemplate things. Hauser exudes on screen charisma (the opening cliché bit where he disarms someone in a standoff is really good) and it is a shame he never got any further in theatrical vehicles. Surprisingly, not a lot of the supporting actors are well known. Lincoln Kilpatrick does show up as the angry police Captain and Estelle Getty has a bizarre 5 minute cameo as a foul mouthed cabbie.
Early in the film, there is a great scene where Wings Hauser is confronted by a couple of thugs in a car. They punch him in the gut, put a gun to his head, shove him through the car window and tell him to go back to New York.Unfortunately he ignores their warning and the film drags on for another hour.