Why so much hype?

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Hauser plays a sadistic & cunning drug-lord in this one. He's a real madman & he's clearly having a lot of fun playing one. Sybil Danning plays a hard-boiled ex-cop turned bounty hunter out for revenge. Out to get Hauser, that is, because years ago he killed her partner. This flick really isn't that much worse than some of the early works of Steven Seagal, JC Van Damme or even Arnie Schwarzenegger. So, know what to expect and you'll have some fun with it. It's all nonsense, naturally, but we get some bloody shoot-outs (western-style, even), car chases, torturings & female nudity. Not much to complain about. One to watch if you're a Hauser fan for sure. He's stealing the show here.

A L.A. mayoral candidate is kidnapped by psycho Cavanaugh (Wings Hauser) and held for a $500,000 ransom. On the case is Ruger (Sybil Danning), a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter who has a past with, of course, Cavanaugh. This was one of Danning's last vehicles before retiring in the late 80s and it is quite a change of pace for her. The story is credited to Danning ("Hey, let's make a movie where I am a bad ass.") and it is unlike any female action flick I can think of, mostly because her character is so tough and there is no focus on her sexuality. Ruger is the strong, silent type and only has maybe 7 lines in the entire film (IMDb trivia here says Danning only speaks 31 words throughout the picture). Director Worth Keeter was a product of Earl Owensby's North Carolina studio and handles all of the action well. The real highlight is, naturally, Wings Hauser in another trademark unhinged performance. Wings was doing lots of low budget cop hero roles around this time, so it is cool to see him slide back into the sleazy VICE SQUAD/Ramrod style. Quick supporting players include Robert Quarry, Branscombe Richmond, Bob Minor and Blackie Dammett.

This is the last film Sybil Danning made before "retiring" from the screen for about 18 years (and making a comeback now, in 2007). Starring, writing the story and co-producing, Sybil fashioned herself here as a female Charles Bronson - "the strong, silent type", as even another character calls her. The problem is that her character is such a blank that she isn't interesting - maybe a few one-liners and / or arrogant smiles would have helped. The other problem is that she relies almost exclusively on her guns and doesn't get to throw even a single punch. She does handle her weaponry in a very professional, serious-minded manner, but I, for one, was disappointed that she didn't have even one tiny fight. Wings Hauser tries very hard to make his villain eccentric, but his performance is only slightly less uninspired than the rest of the movie. The production is cheap and low-grade (though the stuntmen do a good job), and the big "twist" of the plot is ludicrous. (*1/2)

In the 1980s Sybil Danning gained a small cult following playing tough women, whether wearing sandals and carrying a sword, in uniform with a gun, or flying spaceships in some sci-fi future. Here she stars as Ruger, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter, out to avenge her partner, killed by crime-lord Cavanaugh (Wings Hauser). Heard the story before? Yes, and you've seen this film before too, at least a dozen times. There are no surprises here and no attempt at anything original. That's the downside.On the other hand, it's pretty well made. The plot is slight but hangs together, sets, dialog and direction are OK, and some of the acting is surprisingly good. Hauser has made a lot of films and it's easy to see why. As a demented Chris Walken style bad guy, he's both nasty and charismatic. The various cops and heavies and the main female victim do fine in support, and then there's Danning. She wrote and produced this film, and rarely can a star have created a role for her/himself with so little dialog. Even when spoken to, she simply doesn't reply. She broods silently, stalks about with a big gun in her hand, and, when she fires it, rarely misses. Not the world's greatest actor, Danning knows her strengths and brings this off better than most tough-guy actors could. But if this character does anything else at all (eat maybe? sleep? make love?) we never find out about it.Female action heroes are common enough nowadays (though not so much back in the 80s) but in movies like Kill Bill and The Long Kiss Goodnight, they're always given some point of vulnerability. Here there is none. Ruger is a hard and competent winner, which is great – it's just a shame she was given no other life or personality at all.There's no particular reason to go looking for this film, but if you like tough women or mindless action entertainment, you should enjoy it. It's fun and much better than the low rating suggests.