Armed Response (1986)

Armed Response (1986). 1h 26m | R

“My review was written in October 1986 after a screening at UA Twin theater in Manhattan.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Armed Responseu0026quot; punches up a mundane action-revenge film plotline with above-par casting and enough style to make the formula work for genre fans L. A.-lensed opus was filmed early this year under the better title u0026quot;Jade Jungleu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eInstead of his real-life acting clan, David Carradine here is surrounded by a dissimilar dad (Lee Van Cleef) and brothers (Brent Huff, David Goss) in a simple tale out of the u0026quot;Maltese Falconu0026quot; bag. Youngest sibling Goss is a private eye hired with his partner Ross Hagen to retrieve a stolen jade antique for Japanese gangster Mako, who must get the object and save face before a war with the Chinese Tongs breaks out. Greedy Hagen executes several double crosses, with Goss ending up dead and his family now at odds with Mako, who kidnaps Carradineu0026#39;s wife and daughter.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePapa Van Cleef is an ex-cop and Carradine a war vet plagued with recurring nightmares (weak flashback footage) of Vietnam, so both grab their weaponry and lurch into action. Helped by some effective car stunts and pyrotechnics, plus several allusions for film buffs to catch, pic delivers the action goods.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor his sixth feature film, director Fred Olen Ray steps up to a bigger budget with some stylish compositions and a few elaborate setpieces. Cast is adequate, overcoming some cory dialog, with Ross Hagen as the double-dealing bad guy making a strong impression resembling the late Gig Young.”