Deadly Force (1983)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Aaron

Writers:

Ken Barnett, Robert Vincent O'Neill,

Stars:

Wings Hauser, Joyce Ingalls, Paul Shenar

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wings Hauser	...	Stoney Cooper
Joyce Ingalls	...	Eddie Cooper
Paul Shenar	...	Joshua Adams
Al Ruscio	...	Sam Goodwin
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Ashley Maynard
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	Otto Hoxley
Bud Ekins	...	Harvey Benton
J. Víctor López	...	Diego
Hector Elias	...	Lopez
Ramón Franco	...	Jesus
Gina Gallego	...	Maria
Big Yank	...	Jefferson
Estelle Getty	...	Gussie
Victoria Vanderkloot	...	Beverly
Richard Beauchamp	...	Tony the Bomber

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | estranged wife | punched in the stomach | ex cop | investigative reporter | 

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Taglines:

When the cops won't, and the courts can't...Stoney Cooper will give you justice!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1983 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Forza bruta

Company Credits

Production Co:

Force, Hemdale, Transpacific Media Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point Sam Peckinpah was to direct the picture, but Paul Aaron was eventually hired.

User Reviews

Wings Hauser is the man!

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.