Nothing unique or ambitious about Riding The Edge. A teenage dirt-biker is recruited to help negotiate the release of his scientist dad, held hostage in the middle east, and ends up mounting the entire rescue all by his lonesome. Well actually he has more than a bit of help from Catherine Mary Stewart who has, as the video box describes it, "surprising skill in hand to hand fighting", and the dirt-biker is also aided by a courageous young (12 year old?) Afghan local. Of course, anyone even remotely familiar with Catherine Mary Stewart knows that hand to hand fighting is as foreign to her as a Big Mac (not meant as an insult! She's in great shape), so all we get are a couple of waist level karate kicks. The film did manage to hold my interest until the end so I guess it ranks at least a 3. And two very interesting things did happen at the conclusion, a well staged dam burst, and the dirt-biker shows his gratitude to the Afghan youngster by leaving him wounded and behind as everyone else climbs aboard a helicopter and flies off!
3 Reviews
Absurd, but Entertaining.
tarbosh2200023 September 2005
"Riding The Edge" is a fun movie. The plot is about John Harmon who is a scientist. He has invented a solar power satellite. But then he's kidnapped by middle eastern terrorists, the only person who can save him is his son Matt. Matt is a dirt-bike champion who uses his skills to defeat the terrorists while also figuring out who are the spies in the government.
The only problem with the movie is that the second half is too slow. Besides that, The movie is fun. The performances are average. There's one Afghan boy named Lawrence, that's not very believable.
In the end: The movie is silly, but it keeps your interest.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
The only problem with the movie is that the second half is too slow. Besides that, The movie is fun. The performances are average. There's one Afghan boy named Lawrence, that's not very believable.
In the end: The movie is silly, but it keeps your interest.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Dull youth actioner
lor_1 April 2023
My review was written in April 1989 after a screening on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
"Riding the Edge" is a weak entry in the current cycle of youth wish-fulfillment films, wherein a boy ventures overseas to rescue his dad. Its soft-R rating aims it mainly for home video and pay-tv usage.
Raphael Sbarge is a young motocross enthusiast whose chopper skills come in handy when terrorists kidnap his scientist dad (Lyman Ward) in North Africa and demand that the boy act as courier. Rather dubious plot peg has a little arguing against putting the kid in danger (mostly by Sbarge's mom Brooke Bundy), followed by Sbarge heading to the Middle East with full government and corporate approval.
He's delivering a secret microprocessor to the terrorist in exchange for springing daddy. Along the way he teams up with a beautiful U. S. not-so-secret agent (Catherine Mary Stewart), a bit young for an older woman role) and a cute Arab princeling (Benny Bruchim).
Pale adventure in the vein of "Iron Eagle" and "The Rescue" mixes Israeli and California locations atmospherically but is sunk by dumb dialog and flat direction. Climax set at a vast dam (looking more like Hoover than Aswan) is rousing, however.
Acting is so-so, with Sbarge overly emphatic and Stewart once again wasted. Erstwhile director Michael Sarne ("Myra Breckinridge") is unconvincing in his acting with fake German accent as an Eastern European baddie, and pic's helmer James Fargo pops up as the leader of the terrorists. Tech credits are adequate.
"Riding the Edge" is a weak entry in the current cycle of youth wish-fulfillment films, wherein a boy ventures overseas to rescue his dad. Its soft-R rating aims it mainly for home video and pay-tv usage.
Raphael Sbarge is a young motocross enthusiast whose chopper skills come in handy when terrorists kidnap his scientist dad (Lyman Ward) in North Africa and demand that the boy act as courier. Rather dubious plot peg has a little arguing against putting the kid in danger (mostly by Sbarge's mom Brooke Bundy), followed by Sbarge heading to the Middle East with full government and corporate approval.
He's delivering a secret microprocessor to the terrorist in exchange for springing daddy. Along the way he teams up with a beautiful U. S. not-so-secret agent (Catherine Mary Stewart), a bit young for an older woman role) and a cute Arab princeling (Benny Bruchim).
Pale adventure in the vein of "Iron Eagle" and "The Rescue" mixes Israeli and California locations atmospherically but is sunk by dumb dialog and flat direction. Climax set at a vast dam (looking more like Hoover than Aswan) is rousing, however.
Acting is so-so, with Sbarge overly emphatic and Stewart once again wasted. Erstwhile director Michael Sarne ("Myra Breckinridge") is unconvincing in his acting with fake German accent as an Eastern European baddie, and pic's helmer James Fargo pops up as the leader of the terrorists. Tech credits are adequate.
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