Guardian of the Realm (2004)

Director:

'Evil' Ted Smith

Writers:

'Evil' Ted Smith (writer)
Wyatt Weed (writer)

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There's bad blood between good and evil.

Plot:

Two demon hunters race to save the human race after an a cult accidentally releases a particularly dangerous demon. |

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Lesbianism | Female Nudity | Beautiful Woman | Lifting Person In Air

Cast

Glen Levy	...	Josh Griffin
Tanya Dempsey	...	Alex Marlowe
Lana Piryan	...	Nikki
Tom Seymour	...	Bannon
Chris Sheets	...	Gordon
Tracy Erickson	...	Ruby
Ronald Quigley	...	Chief
Stephanie Kane	...	Lisa
Robin Raedeke	...	Max
Natalie Khoury	...	Jackie
Heather Chase	...	Debbie (as Heather Ashley)
Meagan Mangum	...	Goth Girl
Isis McKenzie	...	Valerie
A. Brent Carlson	...	Nathan (as Brent Carlson)
Al Zequiera	...	Cult Leader (as Al Z)

Runtime:

Japan:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Germany:18 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Pirate Pictures

Movie Connections:

References Excalibur (1981)

Great low-budget action film that does a lot of things better than the studios

Guardian is what I always looked and hoped for when I was as kid - a buried treasure, a hidden surprise. Remember when you took a chance and rented those films with the questionable covers, and nine out of ten times, you got burned? Not this time. Guardian is obviously a labor of love, by people who love the movies, and that love, passion, and fun shows in every frame of it.

Yes, the flick is low-budget, but it does amazing things with what amounts to pro-sumer equipment that most anyone has access to. Young filmmakers, take note: you will spend many viewings trying to figure out how they did some of this stuff. Most films operating at this level are simple dramas with talking heads, or make no attempt at large-scale stunts or effects, but not the guys who made this flick - they went nuts. Check out the references to Johnny Quest, Anime, Mad Max, Chop-Socky, Ghostbusters, South Park, and if you look very closely, even Blade Runner!

Never mind all of that, however - just enjoy the flick. Glen Levy is charming and aerodynamic, Tanya Dempsey gives a star-making performance and is one of the most beautiful actresses to come along in a long time, and Lana Piryan is dead-sexy, with an accent that makes you really not care if you get possessed by a demon or not. The rest of the supporting cast is either funny, handsome, or sexy, and the plot, although a bit derivative of other things, is very well constructed, and some of the dialogue is quite funny. There is a gag involving a bottle of ketchup that has to be seen to be believed.

Guardian may be the first low-budget, indie feature that I have seen try a "Hollywood" style approach to everything, instead of hedging its' bets every step of the way. Not perfect by any means, but the best "B" flick I've seen in a long time, and hopefully not the last feature that Ted Smith will make. "Stay sharp - like a razor."