Angel Town (film)

Last updated
Angel Town
Angel town movie cover.jpg
Directed byEric Karson
Written byS. Warren
Produced byAsh R. Shah
Eric Karson
Starring
CinematographyJohn LeBlanc
Edited byDuane Hartzell
Music by Terry Plumeri
Distributed byImperial Entertainment
Release date
  • February 23, 1990 (1990-02-23)
Running time
102 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$855,810 [1]

Angel Town is a 1990 martial arts film directed by Eric Karson and starring Olivier Gruner, who made his film debut as a French martial artist and foreign exchange student who helps his borders by using his skills against a local gang.

Contents

Plot

Jacques Montaigne is a French college student who heads to Los Angeles not only for school, but to help train an Olympic team of fighters. He shows up a few days late (for a rendezvous with a girlfriend in France) and is given a list of houses where they may have rooms for rent. He comes across to a house where single mother Maria Ordonez lives with her son Martin and her mother. Maria tells Jacques that they were supposed to have taken their house off the listings due to being in an unsafe neighborhood. However, Maria decides to let Jacques stay.

That night, on his way to a college social, Jacques finds himself confronted by two neighbors, Chuy and Jesus. Brandishing a small knife, Jacques warns the duo not to mess with him. At the mixer, Jacques gets the attention of fellow student Sarah as well as the graduate dean, who is unimpressed with him. As Jacques walks Sara home, they are stopped by Jesus and Chuy, who are with their gang boss, Angel and other gang members. When some of the gang members start to cause trouble, Jacques intervenes and uses his martial arts skills. This scares Angel and the gang away. However, when Jacques returns to the Ordonez home, he is met again by Jesus, Chuy, and more of Angel's gang. An attempt to ambush Jacques leads them to a nearby bush, where the gang members beat themselves up while Jacques walks away. This impresses Frank, a former war vet who lives across the street, but is also upset at the fact that he's paralyzed from the waist down from the war.

It's been revealed that Angel wants to recruit Martin to his gang. When Martin constantly rebuffs Angel, it only makes him even more mad and threats soon follow. Jacques decides he must help Martin out of his ordeal. During an attack at the house, Martin's grandmother passes out from the stress and is taken to the hospital. With Maria working, Jacques decides to take Martin to a local martial arts school run by good friend Henry, who is the one who convinced the Olympic Committee to bring Jacques to L.A. Henry knew Martin's father Pedro, who had protested vehemently against Angel and his gang and was ultimately murdered by Angel, which Martin doesn't know. Jacques decides to teach Martin some self-defense along with Henry and tells him the ramifications of what can and will happen should Martin decide to join Angel's gang.

Upon returning home, Martin is in shock to learn his grandmother had passed. It was because Angel's goons once again started trouble and Frank tells Jacques that she ended up having a massive heart attack, yelling for Martin. Maria has learned what Jacques had been doing and she realizes that she can trust him and divulges the truth about Pedro's death and why the streets are no longer safe. When Maria and Jacques are shot at by Angel and his gang, Jacques turns to Henry and his wife to help protect Maria and Martin. Henry finds a connection with Mr. Park, a Korean gang boss who knows of all the gangs. He warns Henry and Jacques that Angel can be intimidated, but it is his gunfire that gives him his power.

On his way to campus, Angel sends men to get rid of Jacques but they fail. Jacques has had enough and wages war on Angel and his crew. He goes as far as killing Angel's female driver to send him a message. However, Angel declares war and begins with a vicious assault on Maria, who is taken to the hospital. Martin, having had enough, goes back to his house and arms himself with a shotgun. With the help of Frank, who arms himself with a machine gun, the duo begin to shoot at any of Angel's gang who invade Martin's house. When Angel and the rest of the gang show up, they slowly begin their assault. However, just when Martin runs out of ammo, one gang member throws a stick of dynamite but is stopped by a returning Jacques.

Jacques has also brought Henry and some of Henry's martial arts students. They begin their own assault, using their martial arts skills to dispatch most of Angel's gang. Jacques puts dynamite in Angel's car and Angel narrowly escapes when the car explodes. Jacques and Angel begin to fight and just when Jacques is about to knock Angel out, Henry convinces him that it should be Martin who should fight Angel. Angel puts up much of the fight but Martin, finally having the advantage, beats Angel and kicks him while he is on the ground repeatedly until he is unconscious. Jacques finally tells Martin he did what he had to and the police show up, including a helicopter whose light shines on Angel.

Cast

Production

The film's budget was under $3 million. [2]

Release

The film opened February 23, 1990 on 59 screens in Los Angeles and San Diego. [2] Its first weekend of theatrical release was marked by a gang brawl at a drive-in theater in Westminster, California. [3] It expanded to New York, Miami and Detroit on April 13, 1990. [2]

Reception

The reception from critics was mixed. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>China OBrien</i> 1990 film by Robert Clouse

China O'Brien is a 1990 martial arts film produced by Golden Harvest studios and starring actress and martial artist Cynthia Rothrock with co-stars Richard Norton and Keith Cooke. The film was directed by Robert Clouse, the fight choreography was by Nijel Binns, and it was executive produced by Raymond Chow. Rothrock plays a former cop who runs for sheriff after her father, the previous sheriff, is killed.

<i>It</i> (novel) 1986 novel by Stephen King

It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his 22nd book and his 17th novel written under his own name. The story follows the experiences of seven children as they are terrorized by an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown to attract its preferred prey of young children.

<i>Centennial</i> (miniseries)

Centennial is a 12-episode American television miniseries that aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. The miniseries follows the history of Centennial, Colorado, from 1795 to the 1970s. It was based on the 1974 novel of the same name by James A. Michener, was produced by John Wilder.

The elderly martial arts master is a mentor/teacher stock character in fiction, especially Wuxia, Chanbara, and other martial arts films. Typically an East Asian male, he is a near-invincible master of the martial arts, despite being advanced in age and presumably having a decrease in physical strength. Often he possesses the rank of sensei and is referred to as such by his student. The elderly master most often teaches either generic kung fu or an exotic style specific to the fictional period. During the films, the master often becomes close with their student, with the master becoming a guardian figure to the trainee, who is, in turn, looked upon as the master's child. Usually, when the master is captured or killed, or an iconic portrait of the deceased master has been desecrated by some villains, the student will take it upon themselves to rescue or avenge their master.

<i>Jesse James Meets Frankensteins Daughter</i> 1966 film directed by William Beaudine

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter is a low-budget Western horror film released in 1966, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional granddaughter of the famous Dr. Frankenstein. The film was originally released as part of a double feature along with Billy the Kid Versus Dracula in 1966. Both films were shot in eight days at Corriganville Movie Ranch and at Paramount Studios in mid-1965; both were the final feature films of director William Beaudine. The films were produced by television producer Carroll Case for Joseph E. Levine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivier Gruner</span> French actor and kickboxer

Olivier Gruner, also named O.G, Оливье Грюнер in Russian, and 奥利弗·古鲁内尔 in Chinese, is a French former naval commando, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, martial artist and pilot. Born in Paris, France, he moved to the United States in 1988. His career began in 1987 at the Cannes Film Festival, France, where he was discovered.

<i>No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers</i> 1990 film directed by Lucas Lowe

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers is a 1990 American action film directed by Lucas Lowe, and starring Loren Avedon and Keith Vitali. While financed by Seasonal Entertainment, the film does not continue the story of the original film No Retreat, No Surrender or the sequel, both directed by Corey Yuen. It is the third film in the No Retreat, No Surrender franchise.

"House Arrest" is the 18th episode in the third season of M*A*S*H. It originally broadcast on February 4, 1975.

<i>Devils Angels</i> 1967 film by Daniel Haller

Devil's Angels is a 1967 American outlaw biker film written by Charles B. Griffith and directed by Daniel Haller. It stars John Cassavetes.

<i>Más sabe el diablo</i> Television series

Más Sabe el Diablo is a successful Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo. This melodrama features lovers embroiled in intrigue, betrayal, vengeance and unbridled passion. It stars Gaby Espino, Jencarlos Canela and Miguel Varoni. Telemundo says that about 1 million people tuned in each weeknight.

Ninja Turf is a 1985 martial arts film, starring Jun Chong and Phillip Rhee. Loren Avedon, Thomas F. Wilson in his feature film debut, and Peter Malota appear in this film in small roles.

<i>Savate</i> (film) 1995 film

Savate is a 1995 martial arts Western film directed by Isaac Florentine and starring Olivier Gruner, promoted as the allegedly true story of the world's first kickboxer.

<i>Punisher: In the Blood</i> Limited edition comic book series

Punisher: In the Blood is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. The Punisher faces the final battle against Jigsaw. The series was released in 2010 written by Rick Remender.

<i>North Star</i> (1996 film) 1996 film

North Star is a 1996 American Western film starring James Caan, Christopher Lambert and Catherine McCormack. Directed by Nils Gaup, it was written by Sergio Donati and loosely based on Henry Wilson Allen's 1956 Western novel The North Star. Lambert executive produced the film.

<i>Shotgun</i> (1955 film) 1955 film by Lesley Selander

Shotgun is a 1955 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Sterling Hayden, Yvonne De Carlo and Zachary Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul "Jesus" Monroe</span> Fictional character

Paul "Jesus" Monroe is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead, as well as the television series of the same name, where he is portrayed by Tom Payne.

<i>American Kickboxer</i> 1991 film

American Kickboxer is a 1991 South African-American martial arts action film directed by Frans Nel and written by Emil Kolbe, based on an original story by the film's lead actor, John Barrett.

Superfights is a 1995 martial arts film directed and choreographed by Tony Leung Siu-Hung. The film stars newcomer Brandon Gaines, Chinese actress Yu Feihong, and martial artists Keith Vitali, Chuck Jeffreys, Cliff Lenderman, and Brian Ruth amongst others. The film was the first American production by Hong Kong-based Seasonal Film Corporation since their 1991 film American Shaolin.

Street Soldiers is a 1991 American revenge martial arts film written, produced, and starring taekwondo master Jun Chong, and directed by Lee Harry. The film would be the only production to feature actor Hwang Jang-lee, who is credited in the film as "Jason Hwang".

<i>Mary of Nazareth</i> (film)

Mary of Nazareth is a 2012 Italian-German-Spanish television movie directed by Giacomo Campiotti. It focuses on life events of Mary of Nazareth, Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene.

References

  1. Angel Town at Box Office Mojo
  2. 1 2 3 "Limited release works out for 'Angel'". Variety . April 25, 1990. p. 14.
  3. "Film Pulled After Battle at Drive-In : Violence: The premiere of a movie about Latino gang life is marred by brawl at a Westminster theater that involved up to 100 suspected gang members". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  4. "MOVIE REVIEW Angel Town' Misses the Mark". Los Angeles Times . February 23, 1990. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  5. Mietkiewicz, Henry (May 15, 1990). "Feet of power overstep dumb plot". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2013-03-07. . . . the surprise is that it's not half bad. . . . What audiences want is to see Gruner flailing away with four deadly limbs, and on that score, Angel Town delivers. (pay site)