Avenging Force (1986)

Director:

Sam Firstenberg

Writer:

James Booth (written by)

Release Date:

13 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Martial arts expert Matt Hunter was one of the most promising operatives in Army intelligence until his parents were killed by terrorists...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | New Orleans | Mission | Violence | Racism

Cast

Michael Dudikoff	...	Capt. Matt Hunter
Steve James	...	Larry Richards
James Booth	...	Admiral Brown
William Wallace	...	Wade Delaney (as Bill Wallace)
John P. Ryan	...	Prof. Elliott Glastenbury
Karl Johnson	...	Cmdr. Jeb Wallace
Marc Alaimo	...	Charlie Lavall
Allison Gereighty	...	Sarah Hunter
Loren Farmer	...	Andrew Parker
Rick Boyle	...	Grandpa Jimmy (as Richard Boyle)
Sylvia Joseph	...	Daisy Richards
Robert Taylor	...	Larry Richards Jr.
Bruce Johnson	...	Jeff Richards
Robert Cronin	...	T.C. Cooper
John Wilmot	...	Gen. Al Wyatt

Also Known As:

Night Hunter (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:R | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cannon Films

Trivia:

In the German translation Glastenberry says "We are right" instead of "Hitler was right".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the final fight between Hunter and Glastenbury, a crew member can be seen in the stairs.

Quotes:

Larry Richards: Matt, you don't have to get involved in this part, this is my fight.
Matt Hunter: Your fight is my fight. You just remember that.

Movie Connections:

Follows Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

without a doubt, Dudikoff's best

Remember the 80s, when movies had cool titles like this?

I (and many fans) consider to this to be Michael Dudikoff's best movie, and my personal favorite of all the ones he's made. AVENGING FORCE features the Dudemeister as former secret agent Matt Hunter, who's best friend (Steve James) is a running for Senate. A white supremacist group called Pentangle doesn't like this and sets out to keep James from winning, ambushing a Mardi Gras parade he's in and killing one of his little boys. Infuriating Dudikoff and James is something you don't want to do, as the bad guys will soon find out. What follows is a pretty standard plot of revenge, but it's handled nicely by director Sam Firstenberg and offers solid action and some unexpected moments along the way. The exciting final reel of the film features Dudikoff and his little sister being hunted in the Louisiana swamps by the Pentangle baddies, a la THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Headed by the always-fun to watch John P. Ryan, the group is comprised of some very nasty individuals who delight in hunting the innocent, a sport the group partakes in quite often just for the thrill.

Being that Dudikoff and James were close friends in real life, their screen rapport is very good, and you get the feeling these are two guys who really care about each other and have been through a lot together. Dudikoff is also very good here, playing a character who isn't seemingly indestructible like in AMERICAN NINJA and some of his other films. (Not that I have a problem with him playing those type of parts, but it is nice to seem him do something different occasionally). The beatings he takes from the bad guys in the swamp, particularly the big buffed guy, reminds us that things are serious. The actress who plays Dudikoff's little sister isn't that good of an actress, but she's not too distracting. The parade attack and truck chase/shipyard fight are exciting, as is the final confrontation between Dudikoff and Ryan in the latter's house, another element taken from THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. I really wish this movie would get a DVD release in at least widescreen and surround sound, because it really deserves it. It's not just a good Dudikoff movie, but a good movie in general.