The Protector (1997 film)

Last updated
The Protector
Directed byJack Gill
Written by
Produced by Steven Paul
Starring
CinematographyRobert Hayes
Edited bySteve Mitchell Beebe
Music byMark Holden
Production
companies
  • Crystal Sky Worldwide
  • Krago's Island Inc.
Distributed by
Release date
  • December 23, 1997 (1997-12-23)
(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million

The Protector is a 1997 American action film written by Jack Gill, Dee McLachlan, Stuart Beattie, and Andrea Buck, and directed by Gill. It stars Matt McColm as Kenneth James Conway, an ex-commando and a private detective investigating the disappearance of a virologist. Supporting cast includes Ron Perlman, John Rhys-Davies, and Carol Alt.

Contents

Cast

Production

In 1996, stuntman and actor Matt McColm has been labelled by Los Angeles Times as "Hollywood's next-generation action star," following in the footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. [1] His previous entries in the action genre included Red Scorpion 2 (1994) and Subterfuge (1996). The Protector gave McColm a chance to impress the audiences with both his perfect musculature and martial-arts skills—since he has a black belt in Kenpo Karate. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Prior to the filming director Jack Gill worked primarily as a stuntman, stunt coordinator, and second unit director. [5]

Release

A-Pix Entertainment released the movie in the United States on VHS in 1997. [7] The following year the film was released in Canada by Coscient Astral Distribution, under the title Conway. [8]

Reception

Douglas R. Pratt reviewed The Protector in his 2004 guide Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, Volume 1, noting, "the story is an adequate backdrop for the gunfights, car crashes, and other activities this sort of movie can be depended upon to deliver." [9] In a journal for Dammaged Goods—a cinema-related website—The Protector was called a "quasi exploitative action film" that "makes good use of its resources, has some fun in the process and doesn't try to be something it's not." [5] Furthermore, the central performance is praised: "Stunt performer turned leading man Matt McColm plays Conway with rogue charm while flexing his muscles and martial-arts prowess. Ruggedly handsome, McColm doesn't take things too seriously and is a likeable enough hero." [5] Yippee-ki-yay! editor Albert Nowicki complimented McColm in his leading role, calling his character a "convincing cinematic tough guy", with a "stunning musculature" and good magnetism. He went on to berate other cast members, though, and called Carol Alt an "expressionless beauty". [10]

Cinema.de provided a negative note, giving it one star out of five. [11] Movies Room described the movie, along with Subterfuge, as "tacky and second-class" but also "enjoyable". [12]

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References

  1. ↑ "MOVIE TRENDS / What's happened to all the shoot-'em-up films? Who's the next Sly or Jean-Claude?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ↑ "MATT MCCOLM IN THE CANNON FILMS-WORTHY 'SUBTERFUGE' (1996)". Ultimate Action Movies. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ "ACTION REWIND: Matt McColm Delivers the Fisticuffs and Firepower in the 90's Action Gem BODY ARMOR!". Action-Flix. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Movie-type who shuns partying". New Straits Times. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Crappy + Action Movie = Craption! Body Armor". Dammaged Goods. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Body Armor – The Unknown Movies". The Unknown Movies. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Body Armor – VHSCollector.com". VHSCollector.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Conway – VHSCollector.com". VHSCollector.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ Pratt, p. 178
  10. ↑ Nowicki, Albert (March 12, 2015). "Bad ass protector, czyli kaskader w natarciu". Yippee-ki-yay!. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Virus Attack (1997)" (in German). Cinema.de. TV Spielfilm Verlag GmbH . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  12. ↑ Nowicki, Albert (December 6, 2015). "Ranking. Gwiazdy kina akcji, które zgasły prędzej niż rozbłysły". Movies Room (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved November 4, 2020.

Bibliography

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