This movie is just a rip off of every action film of the 80's. It has very little plot, bad guys who hate America, and the rest is all shooting. Everything about it is just incredibly 80's, from the music to plot to everything else. Its good for a laugh and a look at a different time for action films, but not a good film itself. If you want to watch a B-level 80's action movie that doesn't care about being anything else than you might get a kick out of Merchants of War. But don't count on it.
3 Reviews
Brauner's Back!
tarbosh2200027 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Merchants Of War (1990)-** Directed by: Peter M. Mackenzie Starring: Asher Brauner, Jesse Vint, and John Barrett "He was the one man who made war on the war makers." He's back...for some reason! The monosyllabic mullet-head returns for the better of his two headliners. And you thought his hair was his only headliner (Groan).
Asher Brauner, of American Eagle (1989), as if you didn't know, is back this time as Nick Drennen, a mercenary badass called in to do "one last mission" - dismantle a middle-eastern terror sect in Angola. While there, he is captured and subjected to the prerequisite tortures. While there, he befriends a young boy and names him "Bugsy" because his African name is too complex for him (and because when they first met Drennen was eating bugs to survive. Bugsy gave him some Ostrich jerky and their bond was formed).
Let's not forget Drennen has some brothers in arms from his days in 'Nam to help him fight his way through the baddies. Jesse Vint plays Frank, and John Barrett appears as Tom. Barrett is always nice to see and has had a relatively under-reported-on career in action cinema. He also has a credit as Stunt Adviser on the film. Click on his tag to read more about his other films on our site.
Will Drennen and the gang be victorious against the legions of anti-American baddies after the Government cuts their ties with the mercs? The good news is that this film is a pretty big improvement over American Eagle. Interestingly, it seems that THIS movie should have been called "American Eagle" and the other one should have been called "Merchants of War". But anyway, the direction is tighter and more professional, and the whole production seems more controlled. And it all kicks off with one killer of a theme song. Imagine a cross between Final Mission's (1984) immortal "Always on my Mind" crossed with "Livin' on a Prayer". The singer, Chris Thompson bellows about "Merchants of Waaaaaarrrrr" with an almost-perplexing level of passion. He really cares. A little too much perhaps. But we loved the enthusiasm of it all.
Luckily, Merchants has some of the things that make action films worth watching. For some unexplained reason, a team of drunken rednecks is assembled to fight international terrorists. During a recon mission where Drennen gets some local help, he just happens to have an exploding camera. Drennen should have gone after Castro. Another great weapon in his arsenal is a dart in a slingshot. Hey, it's more original than a gun. One of the main baddies, Abdul, has absurd hair that seems to be one of the more obvious wigs we've seen. One of Drennen's comrades is oddly named "Vincent D'Onofrio".
During the extended torture/imprisonment section of the film, Drennen is subjected to the dreaded "daily laughing". Every day, a man appears in a window solely to laugh at him, then he walks away. Chilling stuff.
It all comes to a head at the "Third World Convention". Just imagine a convention of all the hellhole countries where the leaders come to the podium and rant and rave against America. Actually you don't have to imagine the U.N. Just try and keep me away from this convention. Where do I sign up? Drennen isn't having any of this anti-American dross so he crashes the party and lets his missile launcher do the rebuttal.
For classic-era dumb action entertainment, Merchants will fit the bill solidly.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Asher Brauner, of American Eagle (1989), as if you didn't know, is back this time as Nick Drennen, a mercenary badass called in to do "one last mission" - dismantle a middle-eastern terror sect in Angola. While there, he is captured and subjected to the prerequisite tortures. While there, he befriends a young boy and names him "Bugsy" because his African name is too complex for him (and because when they first met Drennen was eating bugs to survive. Bugsy gave him some Ostrich jerky and their bond was formed).
Let's not forget Drennen has some brothers in arms from his days in 'Nam to help him fight his way through the baddies. Jesse Vint plays Frank, and John Barrett appears as Tom. Barrett is always nice to see and has had a relatively under-reported-on career in action cinema. He also has a credit as Stunt Adviser on the film. Click on his tag to read more about his other films on our site.
Will Drennen and the gang be victorious against the legions of anti-American baddies after the Government cuts their ties with the mercs? The good news is that this film is a pretty big improvement over American Eagle. Interestingly, it seems that THIS movie should have been called "American Eagle" and the other one should have been called "Merchants of War". But anyway, the direction is tighter and more professional, and the whole production seems more controlled. And it all kicks off with one killer of a theme song. Imagine a cross between Final Mission's (1984) immortal "Always on my Mind" crossed with "Livin' on a Prayer". The singer, Chris Thompson bellows about "Merchants of Waaaaaarrrrr" with an almost-perplexing level of passion. He really cares. A little too much perhaps. But we loved the enthusiasm of it all.
Luckily, Merchants has some of the things that make action films worth watching. For some unexplained reason, a team of drunken rednecks is assembled to fight international terrorists. During a recon mission where Drennen gets some local help, he just happens to have an exploding camera. Drennen should have gone after Castro. Another great weapon in his arsenal is a dart in a slingshot. Hey, it's more original than a gun. One of the main baddies, Abdul, has absurd hair that seems to be one of the more obvious wigs we've seen. One of Drennen's comrades is oddly named "Vincent D'Onofrio".
During the extended torture/imprisonment section of the film, Drennen is subjected to the dreaded "daily laughing". Every day, a man appears in a window solely to laugh at him, then he walks away. Chilling stuff.
It all comes to a head at the "Third World Convention". Just imagine a convention of all the hellhole countries where the leaders come to the podium and rant and rave against America. Actually you don't have to imagine the U.N. Just try and keep me away from this convention. Where do I sign up? Drennen isn't having any of this anti-American dross so he crashes the party and lets his missile launcher do the rebuttal.
For classic-era dumb action entertainment, Merchants will fit the bill solidly.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Trite actioner from South Africa
lor_3 June 2023
My review was written in September 1990 after watching the movie on Vidmark video cassette.
"Merchants of War" is a cornball mercenaries' adventure made in South Africa. Feature had a brief theatrical run via Triax in January 1989 ahead of current home video availability from Vidmark.
Arthur Brauner, who was much better in the subsequent South African-lensed film "American Eagle", toplines as anex-Vietnam warrior and ex-CIA operative assigned to a photo reconnaissance mission in Angola. Supposedly an Arab faction from the Middle East is in the former Portuguese colony setting up a training camp to export terrorism to Ireland and elsewhere.
Brauner is captured by rebels and his buddy Jesse Vint is supposedly killed. Naturally, the American government denies any knowledge of the abortive mission.
What follows is a very unconvincing series of events, with Brauner escaping and organizing a team of old buddies to to in and rescue Vint, with several phony twists and turns.
Acting booby prize goes to Adrian Waldron as an evil Arab named Musa, a caricature that is particularly annoying. Brauner's macho posturing is misjudged.
"Merchants of War" is a cornball mercenaries' adventure made in South Africa. Feature had a brief theatrical run via Triax in January 1989 ahead of current home video availability from Vidmark.
Arthur Brauner, who was much better in the subsequent South African-lensed film "American Eagle", toplines as anex-Vietnam warrior and ex-CIA operative assigned to a photo reconnaissance mission in Angola. Supposedly an Arab faction from the Middle East is in the former Portuguese colony setting up a training camp to export terrorism to Ireland and elsewhere.
Brauner is captured by rebels and his buddy Jesse Vint is supposedly killed. Naturally, the American government denies any knowledge of the abortive mission.
What follows is a very unconvincing series of events, with Brauner escaping and organizing a team of old buddies to to in and rescue Vint, with several phony twists and turns.
Acting booby prize goes to Adrian Waldron as an evil Arab named Musa, a caricature that is particularly annoying. Brauner's macho posturing is misjudged.
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