Laser Mission

Last updated
Laser Mission
Laser Mission poster.jpg
Directed byBeau Davis
Screenplay byPhillip Guteridge
Story byDavid A. Frank
Produced byClaus Czaika
Starring
CinematographyHans Kuhle Jr.
Edited byE. Selave
Music byDavid Knopfler
Production
companies
  • Zimuth-INterfilm
  • IMV Vertrieb Intl.
  • Medien & Karat Film Intl.
Release date
  • November 1989 (1989-11)(West Germany)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageEnglish

Laser Mission is a West German action film directed by Beau J. Davis. [1] It stars Brandon Lee, Ernest Borgnine and Werner Pochath in his final film role. The film was released under the title Soldier of Fortune.

Contents

Plot

The plot concerns a mercenary named Michael Gold (Lee) who is sent to convince Dr. Braun (Borgnine), a laser specialist, to defect to the United States before the KGB acquire him and use both his talent and a stolen diamond to create a nuclear weapon. Dr. Braun is captured by the KGB and Gold is sent on a mission to rescue both him and the diamond. He has to enlist the help of Dr. Braun's daughter Alissa (Debi A. Monahan), whom he eventually falls for. The pair confront Col. Kalishnakov (Graham Clarke), whom they kill by hitting him with a truck in the climax of this story.

Cast

Release

In the United States the film was released on home video in 1990 by Turner Home Entertainment. [2]

The film was released in Australia directly on video in 1994. [3]

Box office

In the US the film was a financial success. [2] [4]

After Brandon Lee's untimely death in an accident on the set of The Crow, movies such as Laser Mission saw a surge in video sales. [5]

Reception and legacy

From contemporary reviews, Variety described the film as a "lively, well-made actioner with humor" that had both Brandon Lee and Debi Monahan left to "struggle with a mediocre script." [6] Jon Casimir of The Sydney Morning Herald did not like the film finding the acting poor, with the plot and action scenes unconvincing. [7] Pat Gillespie of The Age found the direction clumsy but said that Lee's and action films fans would find the film entertaining. [3]

From retrospective reviews, Jim Vorel and Kenneth Lowe of Paste Magazine did not like it and found the continuity disorienting. [8] Dan Colón of Talk Film Society said the film is great for those with an appetite for action orientated B movies. [9]

RiffTrax spoofed the film on October 3, 2011. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Borgnine</span> American actor (1917–2012)

Ernest Borgnine was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular performer, he also appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Lee</span> American actor and martial artist (1965–1993)

Brandon Bruce Lee was an American actor. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed what was to be his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the supernatural superhero film The Crow (1994). However, Lee's career and life were cut short by his accidental death during the film's production.

<i>Santa and the Three Bears</i> 1970 American TV series or program

Santa and the Three Bears is a 1970 animated feature film, which aired in syndication on television regularly during the holiday season.

Soldier of fortune or Soldier of Fortune may refer to:

<i>Merlins Shop of Mystical Wonders</i> 1996 American film

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 American fantasy horror film written and directed by Kenneth J. Berton.

Bruce Baron was an American actor.

<i>Maniac</i> (1934 film) 1934 film by Dwain Esper

Maniac is a 1934 American independent black-and-white exploitation horror film directed by Dwain Esper and written by Hildagarde Stadie, Esper's wife, as a loose adaptation of the 1843 Edgar Allan Poe story "The Black Cat", with references to his "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Esper and Stadie also made the 1936 exploitation film Marihuana.

<i>The Badlanders</i> 1958 film by Delmer Daves

The Badlanders is a 1958 American western caper film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Alan Ladd and Ernest Borgnine. Based on the 1949 novel The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett, the story was given an 1898 setting by screenwriter Richard Collins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RiffTrax</span> American audio company

RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) cast members and writers, RiffTrax also produces several live shows each year which are broadcast to movie theaters. The style of commentating originated from MST3K, their earlier television series, in which they would similarly mock films aloud while watching them. As of September 2024, RiffTrax has riffed 554 feature films, 488 short films, and 16 TV episodes.

<i>Samson and Delilah</i> (1984 film) 1984 American TV series or program

Samson and Delilah is a 1984 television film adaptation of the biblical story of Samson and Delilah directed by Lee Philips and starring Max von Sydow, Belinda Bauer, Antony Hamilton, Daniel Stern and Victor Mature. Mature played Samson in the 1949 film and had a small cameo as the father of Antony Hamilton's Samson. This was his final acting role. Based on the 1962 novel Husband of Delilah by Eric Linklater, Samson and Delilah originally aired on ABC.

<i>Hillbillys in a Haunted House</i> 1967 film by Jean Yarbrough

Hillbillys in a Haunted House is a 1967 American musical horror comedy film starring Ferlin Husky and Joi Lansing, and directed by Jean Yarbrough. The film is a sequel to The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), with Joi Lansing replacing Mamie Van Doren in the role of "Boots Malone".

<i>Truckers Woman</i> 1975 action / trucker / exploitation film by Will Zens

Trucker's Woman is a 1975 action film directed by Will Zens and starring Michael Hawkins.

Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon was an American film director, cinematographer and producer.

<i>Batman and Robin</i> (serial) 1949 film serial

New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, also known as simply Batman and Robin, is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1943 serial Batman, although with different actors. Robert Lowery plays Batman, while Johnny Duncan plays Robin. Supporting actors include Jane Adams as Vicki Vale and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon.

<i>Uninvited</i> (1987 film) 1988 film by Greydon Clark

Uninvited is a 1987 American science-fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Greydon Clark and starring George Kennedy, Alex Cord, Clu Gulager, Toni Hudson and Eric Larson. The film primarily takes place aboard a luxury yacht owned by a criminal multimillionaire and bound for the Cayman Islands, whose passengers and crew are terrorized by a mutant cat.

The Stranger Wore a Gun is a 1953 American Western film directed by Andre de Toth and starring Randolph Scott and Claire Trevor. Based on the short story "Yankee Gold" by John W. Cunningham, the film is about a war criminal wanted for the slaughter of women and children who moves to Arizona to join a gold robbery but reconsiders and decides to change his life. The film is one of the first 3-D western movies; it earned an estimated $1.6 million at the North American box office in 1953. The supporting cast includes Joan Weldon, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin, and Ernest Borgnine.

<i>A Talking Cat!?!</i> 2013 film by David DeCoteau

A Talking Cat!?! is a 2013 American independent family comedy film directed by David DeCoteau. The film was released direct to DVD on February 18, 2013, by Phase 4 Films and features Academy Award–nominated actor Eric Roberts as the voice of Duffy, the titular talking cat.

<i>McHales Navy</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Edward Montagne

McHale's Navy is a 1964 American technicolor comedy film based on the 1962–1966 black and white television sitcom McHale's Navy starring Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway and Joe Flynn, which had in turn originated with a one-hour anthology drama starring Borgnine entitled Seven Against the Sea. The film version was directed by series producer Edward Montagne and its supporting cast includes Carl Ballantine, Gavin MacLeod, Jean Willes, Claudine Longet, and George Kennedy. The film was followed by a sequel entitled McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force which did not feature Borgnine or Carl Ballantine. A remake entitled McHale's Navy, was released in 1997 and features an appearance by Ernest Borgnine playing a 75-year old McHale. The filming location for New Caledonia is the same as the one used in the series. For more information on the main characters see the TV series McHale's Navy. The movie was released on DVD for Region 1 on January 31, 2011.

<i>Things</i> (film) 1989 Canadian film

Things is a 1989 Canadian independent direct-to-video horror film, directed by Andrew Jordan and written by Jordan and Barry J. Gillis. The film was shot in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario, with a cast consisting of co-writer Barry J. Gillis and pornographic film star Amber Lynn. Its plot follows two friends who, while visiting a relative's house, encounter a horde of hostile creatures that are the results of experiments by a demented doctor.

References

  1. Turner Classic Movies
  2. 1 2 Hartl, John (17 August 1990). "Chong's 'Far Out, Man!' is en route to rental stores". York Daily Record. Vol. 229.
  3. 1 2 Gillespie, Pat (28 July 1994). "Basinger and a bevy of bad guys". The Age.
  4. Alvarez, Max J. "Big names look for bright lights in videoland". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  5. Hunt, Dennis (May 9, 1993). "A Resurgence of Interest in Films of Brandon Lee". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-12-03.
  6. Kind. 1991.
  7. Casimir, Jon (1 August 1994). "Sly gets the joke in action spoof". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. 48, 957.
  8. "Bad Movie Diaries: Laser Mission (1989)". pastemagazine.com. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  9. "Schlock Value: Laser Mission (1989)". Talk Film Society. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  10. RiffTrax

Sources