This Filipino Vietnam war epic is a sequel to the Filipino Vietnam war epic EYE OF THE EAGLE, surprisingly enough. At first that doesn't sound too promising, but the good news is that this film manages to surpass the original film in every way! Now, that's not saying much, but for a no-budget Filipino/US co-production this makes for pretty decent viewing. The first thing apparent to the viewer is the lack of budget; for a war film, there are only a couple of Rambo-inspired gun battles, and instead the movie veers into the thriller genre as the soldier hero attempts to rescue his Vietnamese girlfriend from drug addiction and corrupt officials. Normally I criticise B-movies for their lack of action, but the fast-paced plot of this one means that it doesn't matter.
The film has plenty going on throughout. It starts off like PLATOON, introducing a bunch of green soldiers going through basic training, and then surprisingly bumps off all but one of them in a jungle shoot-out! From there on in, the hero's out for revenge and also attempting to flee the country. The film is chock-full of low-budget shoot-outs and fist-fights which are shot with some visual flair. The film may be better quality than the original due to the participation of A-TEAM star Carl Franklin, who directs and stars in a minor role; Cirio H. Santiago takes a back seat as producer this time around.
The main star is the fresh-faced Todd Field, who like Franklin has a proper Hollywood career behind him; these days he's better known as a director. The love interest is played by the unknown Shirley Tesoro, who seemed to star in about three films in 1989 before dropping off the face of the movie world; all I can say about her is that she definitely isn't shy, spending most of her time in front of the camera without clothing. Andy Wood – who looks like a cross between Michael Parks and Willem Dafoe – has plenty of fun as the gloating villain and there are lots of familiar faces from Filipino films in the cast, including yet another cameo from Mike Monty. The film won't change anyone's life and, as with ALL films involving the participation of Cirio H. Santiago, there's a "seen it all before" feel to it, but nevertheless this makes for fun viewing.
The film has plenty going on throughout. It starts off like PLATOON, introducing a bunch of green soldiers going through basic training, and then surprisingly bumps off all but one of them in a jungle shoot-out! From there on in, the hero's out for revenge and also attempting to flee the country. The film is chock-full of low-budget shoot-outs and fist-fights which are shot with some visual flair. The film may be better quality than the original due to the participation of A-TEAM star Carl Franklin, who directs and stars in a minor role; Cirio H. Santiago takes a back seat as producer this time around.
The main star is the fresh-faced Todd Field, who like Franklin has a proper Hollywood career behind him; these days he's better known as a director. The love interest is played by the unknown Shirley Tesoro, who seemed to star in about three films in 1989 before dropping off the face of the movie world; all I can say about her is that she definitely isn't shy, spending most of her time in front of the camera without clothing. Andy Wood – who looks like a cross between Michael Parks and Willem Dafoe – has plenty of fun as the gloating villain and there are lots of familiar faces from Filipino films in the cast, including yet another cameo from Mike Monty. The film won't change anyone's life and, as with ALL films involving the participation of Cirio H. Santiago, there's a "seen it all before" feel to it, but nevertheless this makes for fun viewing.
