Interceptors (1999)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Phillip J. Roth

Writer:

Jim Christopher (writer)

Release Date:

11 September 1999 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the near future, the government has created an elite team of soldiers specially trained in the event of a hostile alien encounter...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Olivier Gruner	...	Lt. Sean Lambert
Brad Dourif	...	David M. Webber, CIA
Ernie Hudson	...	Major McKenzie
William Zabka	...	Dave
Glenn Plummer	...	Russell
Angel Boris Reed	...	Jena Goodwin (as Angel Boris)
Mark Adair-Rios	...	Jose Perez
Stefan Lysenko	...	Rosario the Drug Lord
Perry D'Marco	...	Hector, Rosario Henchman
Holly Fields	...	Lucy, Rosario's Girl
Ruben Moreno	...	Mexican Priest
Marcus Aurelius	...	Technician
Joseph Patrick Kelly	...	Guard
Andrew Hawkes	...	Morgan
Kathleen Randazzo	...	Technician #2 (as Kathy Lambert)

Also Known As:

Interceptor Force (USA) (new title)
Predator 3: Intercepters (International: English title) (video CD title)
The Last Line of Defence

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, language and nudity.

Runtime:

UK:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Unified Film Organization (UFO)

Quotes:

Lt. Sean Lambert: Hey Perez!
Jose Perez: Yeah?
Lt. Sean Lambert: Do you know how to hot-wire a car?
Jose Perez: Right, you need to hot-wire a car, so you ask the mexican-american guy, huh?
Lt. Sean Lambert: Look, I grew up in France, right?
Jose Perez: Yeah.
Lt. Sean Lambert: So if you ask me any questions about wine and cheese, I don't think I would be offended.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Interceptor Force 2 (2002) (TV)

In Space, No One Can Hear You Laugh

There seems to be an interesting correlation between cheesy military/science-fiction movies and the F-117A fighter bomber - practically every movie that has this type of plane in it turns out cheesy. "Interceptors" is no exception. Basically this is the story of an incompetent, clumsy, immature Department of Defense contracted mercenary team sent into Baja California to recover (supposedly) a crashed F-117A. When the team is deployed into Mexico, they discover that this is no recovery operation - it's an extraterrestrial manhunt. The low budget nature of this film makes it incredibly cheesy, but particularly hilarious. The mercenaries run around in a black sport utility vehicle, wearing Walkman earphones which are actually supposed to be a radio communications system. Even better, at the end of the movie, we're to believe that it's possible to 'run' from the blast wave of a thermonuclear explosion. The list of oversights and flaws is incredible - but somehow "Interceptors" doesn't seem quite as intellectually insulting as most of its contemporaries, most likely a result of the humorous nature of the film (either by accident or design of the directors). It's hard to watch this film without breaking down into fits of wild laughter. The stupidity and haphazard flow of the movie is almost akin to the Hong Kong style of comedies. (The ending scene, in which the mercenary leader 'mistakes' a village woman for the alien entity is classic.) It's a shame "Interceptors" is one of those direct-to-video movies...it would have been an absolute riot in theatres. If viewed as a sci-fi or action flick, "Interceptors" fails horribly. But as a (accidental) comedy, it's priceless. The good point is the fact that most of the action is computer generated (albiet, the low budget CGI looks like something you'd see while playing on an Nintendo64). The directors don't use stock footage, and the aerial battle action is somewhat interesting. It's a good film to watch if you have time to waste, are home sick, or want to throw a popcorn party with your friends. The outtakes at the end of the movie are a plus.