It says something that Ted V. Mikels's first film - this low budget black and white thriller about a forest ranger who encounters a murderer - is probably the best of his career. The tale is a short and poorly paced effort which has an arresting opening scene concerning a forest fire, and a fine hostage-in-peril climax. It looks and feels like an ordinary studio film, and unlike the amateur stuff that Mikels later put his name to.
It's certainly not a perfect film, because the middle section of the picture is very talky and very dull as a result. The film lacks the presence of strong actors who are able to bring their characters to life by inhabiting their roles but the ones we do get are just about adequate. Despite being shot in black and white on cheap cameras, STRIKE ME DEADLY has a semi-professional feel to it even though overall it's a disappointment due to those aforementioned pacing issues.
It's certainly not a perfect film, because the middle section of the picture is very talky and very dull as a result. The film lacks the presence of strong actors who are able to bring their characters to life by inhabiting their roles but the ones we do get are just about adequate. Despite being shot in black and white on cheap cameras, STRIKE ME DEADLY has a semi-professional feel to it even though overall it's a disappointment due to those aforementioned pacing issues.