Assault on Dome 4 (1996) (TV)

Director:

Gilbert Po

Writer:

Hesh Rephun (writer)

Release Date:

15 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Low-budget Die Hard clone in which mad terrorist Alex Windham takes over a small scientific community...

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Bomb | Futuristic | Die Hard Scenario | Terrorism

Cast

Joseph Culp	...	Chase Moran, Peace Keeper
Bruce Campbell	...	Alex Windham
Jocelyn Seagrave	...	Lily Moran, Chase's Wife
Brion James	...	Chairman
Ray Baker	...	Dan Block, Chief of Staff
Jack Nance	...	Mellow, Dome 4 Oldtimer
Mark Bringleson	...	Sigmund, Windham Henchman
James Lew	...	Quaid, Windham Henchman
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Goon #1
Rudolf Weber	...	Goon #2
Matthew Chontos	...	Goon #3 / Peace Keeper #3 (as Matthew J. Chontos)
Shawn Hoffman	...	Peace Keeper #1
Brandon Scott Peterson	...	Peace Keeper #2
Michael Auteri	...	Bob Bowen, Dome 4 Administrator
B.J. Barie	...	JD

Also Known As:

Chase Moran

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:18 | UK:18 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Avatar Filmworks

Quotes:

Alex Windham: Fortunately, I don't have to worry about you anymore... because I have your wife. Say hello to hubby.
[Alex removes Lily's gag]
Lily Moran, Chase's Wife: Take...
[stuff rag back in her mouth]
Alex Windham: Ah ah ah! We get the idea.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Name Is Bruce (2007)

The whole situation is ridiculous!

Like most people (I would imagine) that have seen this film, my only reason for doing so was the fact that it stars Bruce Campbell. It's a good job Bruce is on board too; otherwise this cheap mess would be a complete dead loss. It's clear that the film's main influence was the classic action flick Die Hard, and indeed Assault on Dome 4 is basically a carbon copy of said film, except instead of being set on a skyscraper, it's set on a research facility somewhere in space. Bruce Campbell plays Alex Windham; an intergalactic terrorist. He breaks out of jail (it's supposed to be a very high security prison, but in my opinion the security is rather lax) and escapes into space along with a load of other convicts he has freed. They set their sights for Dome 4; a research facility that Alex wants to capture and use for his own special research program. Meanwhile, and unbeknown to Alex, Chas Moran - an ace 'peacekeeper' (futuristic cop) is visiting his wife, who happens to work at Dome 4. The terrorists take the place hostage, while Chase attempts to bring them down on his own.

I am extremely glad that Bruce Campbell is in this film; his scenes are really the only ones worth watching and he does seem to relish his role...but if I'm honest, he was the wrong choice to play a terrorist. He spouts off one-liners and its lots of fun, but he doesn't look like a terrorist at all. On the other hand, Joseph Culp, who plays the 'hard as nails' hero, doesn't look the part either! ...so the whole thing is a bit difficult to swallow. Still, there's plenty of fighting and shooting (maybe even too much) and some of it is decent; although director Gilbert Po would do well to lay off the slow motion. The plot itself does basically run in exactly the same way as Die Hard does, so anyone who's seen that (which should be everyone who has seen this) is likely to know exactly where it's going to go. A major problem for this film, though, is the fact that it's so difficult to like the hero - Chase Moran is just dull, and I found myself cheering on Bruce Campbell's terrorist for most of the film. Anyway, the ending is not too bad and while this film is cheap and hokey, it's worth a look for Bruce Campbell fans.