Expect to Die

This was just as bad as Merhi's "Expect No Mercy" - maybe worse. Merhi's acting makes Chuck Norris deserving of an Academy Award, with not just being unable to show emotion, but with a thick accent that sometimes makes it impossible to figure out what he's saying. The computer graphics are utterly laughable, the production values make it look as crummy as a typical Canadian TV drama, the weather keeps changing from winter to summer and back again over several days, and Merhi gets in no fights in the first half of the movie! Yet another loser from Le Monde pictures.

Capable Kung Fu cops Blake (Merhi) and Stone (Evan Laurie) attempt to apprehend a crazed, monomaniacal virtual reality developer (David Bradley) whose failed AI system caused the death of a soldier. With Evan Lurie, Jalal Merhi, and David Bradley one would expect some righteous beatdowns, which excitingly, it does! The purloined plot & stock dialogue is unleavened B-grade bosh, but no one rewatches 90s DTV actioners for the enlightened poetry, it is the cathartic plenitude of bullet-blasted, bone-breaking, rib-wrecking action that keeps 'em coming back for more! Merhi is a competent genre filmmaker, a solid martial artist, and a one-dimensional actor, but he is ably supported by a quality cast, with studly Sensei David Bradley giving an energized performance as the axe-happy comic book baddie Dr. Vincent MacIntyre.

In reality, the VR inflected actioner Expect To Die provides more of a blazing bullet-bonanza than a relentless Martial arts spectacular, but the fights are certainly lively enough. Beefy B-Hero Evan Lurie is usually seen as 'sinisterly scowling henchman No3.', and he equips himself well as likeable, hard-hitting wiseacre cop Stone. Merhi's entertaining, competently made, (then) high-tech shoot 'em up 'Expect To Die' remains a pretty fun ride, and concludes rousingly in a slam bang Bradley/Merhi showdown. (Lazar Rockwood fans might also care to note that he makes a brief, yet inimitable, appearance.)

Probably the best film to date that Jalal Merhi has produced. Although some of the performances were lacking, the fight scenes were great and the story was interesting. Favourite scene: Where Jalal discovers that his wife has been kidnapped. Great performance by Joseph Clark as the kidnapper who gets kicked across the room and delivers the ultimatum to Jalal. Lazar was a treat to see as I enjoyed his performance in Black Pearls.