Customer Reviews

Triple Impact [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story: when out-of-work fighters Dave Masters (Dale Cook, American Kickboxer 2) and James Stokes (Ron Hall, Bloodsport 2) rescue a washed-up army sergeant (Robert Marius, Bloodfist II) from a beating, he confides in them that he knows the location of a long-lost treasure located deep in the jungles of Cambodia. Hounded by the henchmen of a greedy crimelord looking to cash in on their discovery (Nick Nicholson, Raiders of the Sun), they enlist the help of Dave's old flame - Thai boxer Julie Webb (Bridgett Riley, "WMAC Masters") - to use their combined martial talents to take out whomever stands in their way to riches.

It needs to be said: this movie is cheap. Dirt cheap. I imagine that whatever budget the filmmakers had was spent flying the cast and crew to Thailand, and once there, they worked with whatever they had in their pockets. The video quality hearkens back to '70s pornos and the audio is likewise horrible - incorrectly-synched sound effects and dialogue that sometimes sounds like it was recorded from the far end of the filming area. Such poor production values mirror the quality of the acting: Cook and Hall are both world-class athletes but can't really act their way past a drive-thru window (especially Dale Cook: never before has comic relief felt more like serious constipation), while Nick Nicholson and top henchman Ned Hourani (Double Blast) should be sued for breaching some kind of overacting law. Robert Marius gives pretty much the same performance he gives in all of his movies, but there's a trace of charm in his hamminess. Bridgett Riley isn't great either, but her marginally-better performance, coupled with her physical stuff, makes me lament that she didn't get more starring roles in her career; she would've made an excellent Cynthia Rothrock-type heroine.

Though it takes a while to get there, the movie eventually redeems itself with some choice fight scenes. Much like her real-life self, Riley convinces you that women can really kick butt. Dale Cook, regularly derided for his other films, gives a strong showing this around. The real standout star among the cast, though, is Ron Hall, whose unique fighting style takes precedence more than once over the others. It's a shame that so few people know of him (and those that do nowadays will by way of the godawful Vampire Assassins), but this makes watching him a rare treat and privileged pleasure for those who've spent time tracking down this movie. The fights start off unpromisingly, but build up so that the end of the film is marked by an all-out brawl that's 100% better shot, staged, and longer than the initial bout. The choreography reaches particular heights during a series of three fights involving all of the top stars, when at one point Ron Hall catches his opponent in a headscissors and pummels him in the face until he's felled; it's a move right out of a video game and really helps to open your eyes to what these guys are capable of pulling off. Too bad they didn't see fit to list the action director in the credits; I'd love to know what other stuff he's worked on...

There are a few weirdo scenes to contend with, like when Dave and James begin an impromptu beating up of bad guys without any introduction, or when one of said henchmen punishes himself by jumping in a pool; on their own, these seem really odd but when watched in a zany B-movie mindset, they end up serving as throwaway plusses to a movie in need of all the help it can get. I can't in good conscience give this one a wide recommendation, but if you like low-budget karate flicks and know that you have the patience to sit through some questionable parts, then the chances of you having a fun time with this little-known kicker are good.

Instead of listing all the poor elements of Triple Impact, I'll name the one good thing about it, good enough to still own this title - great fight action.

Ron Hall is the key to this film. His acting has never been anything to praise, but his own unique and extremely athletic skills in martial arts is. If you have seen Bloodsport 2, I felt he was the best in the entire tournament, specifically because of these skills which he again showcases in Triple Impact. While the fights may not look realistic, and are accompanyied with poor hitting sound effects, it is nevertheless very fun to watch. While Don Cook is the main star of the film, and great at martial arts too, Ron Hall is just too fun to ignore.

The story is a little original for these types of films, but long and boring at times. Its kinda like a quest to find an ancient golden statue that both the good and bad guys are racing to get to first. Fortunately, along the way there are plenty of fight scenes, the only thing to make the movie watchable. Keep an eye out for "the ring of death" scene about 2/3 through the movie. It is a 6 minute fight where the 3 main characters go up against a coulpe of unkowns, one on one, outside in the wilderness. It is easily the best scene in the movie, and Ron Hall's best fight.

If you enjoy cheesy B-action fight movies, Triple Impact is perfect. If you don't care for story or acting, and just cool fights that don't even look realistic, its a good one to own.

Don't forget I only watch these movies because of the martial arts scenes so thats what my rating will be based on. This is an average B-movie but has good fight scenes from Ron Hall and Dale Cook but mainly Ron Hall who I think has a lot of potential as a martial artist. He always shows excellent aerial movements with a lot of spinning and kicking but never shows a lack of speed or flexibilty with his fight scenes and you can tell that he doesn't need any stuntman to do his tricks for him.

This movie is about Ron Hall, Dale 'apollo' Cook and Bridget 'Baby Doll' Riley as they join forces to form an unbeatable and devastating alliance when the prize is worth of millions in gold! This adventure takes you from the backstreets of America where brutal, full-contact bloodmatches are staged by illegal gambling syndicates to the treacherous jungles of Asia. The three must battle overwhelming opposition from other fortune hunters on the trail including Communist rebels whom they fight for their lives in the ring of death once they are captured by the rebels.