Expect No Mercy
by Zale Dalen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Billy Blanks, Brett Halsey, Jalal Merhi, Laurie Holden, Wolf LarsonDirector: Zale Dalen
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Legacy Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Expect No Mercy
Movie Review: "My world is the electronic universe. Do you have the courage to join me there?"
Summary: 3 Stars
It's with mixed feelings that I write my review of the last of three cinematic team-ups for martial artists Billy Blanks and Jalal Merhi. In the three years they teamed together, if nothing else, they provided the DTV action scene with sustenance and created an image of themselves as two of the more consistent action heroes of the low budget section. With that said, I wasn't a fan of their last two movies and won't rave about this one either, but in retrospect, it's the best of their three collaborations for focusing on what sorta-kinda worked in their last two and remaining interesting even during the more questionable parts. In short, it's probably the best film that Blanks and Merhi could ever make together, but that's not saying much.
The story: assigned to infiltrate the mysterious Virtual Arts Academy of the eccentric Mr. Warbeck (Wolf Larson, L.A. Heat, Tarzan), federal agent Justin Varnier (Blanks, Tough and Deadly) teams up with fellow initiated agent Eric (Merhi, Tiger Claws) and deluded academy member Vicki (Laurie Holden, The Mist) to find out that Warbeck's academy is a front for a camp of assassins trained via his signature blending of virtual reality and the martial arts.
Computer graphics nowadays are so advanced that watching the low-budget offerings of 1995 is shocking. The blocky CGI backgrounds present in the virtual reality fight scenes are cool in a retro sort of way, but the gimmick gets really old after a while for a couple of reasons. Not only are the fight scenes in the VR world the worst of the bunch (thanks to a deficiency of camera angles, a complete lack of atmosphere, and a weird sparkly effect on the fighters that blurs everything they do), but the whole VR concept has minimal impact on the rest of the movie: Warbeck makes a few grandiose statements about the computer being the future of the world and stuff of the like, but nobody ever fights to the death in the virtual world and it's questionable if any of the characters seem like better fighters after training in it. It's a novel idea for the time (if we choose not to remember The Lawnmower Man), but it really seems like the only reason it's there is because writer J. Stephen Maunder wanted a gimmick to spice up an otherwise clichéd storyline.
Apart from the primitive 3D animation, the production looks pretty good - minimalistic and kinda underpopulated (shades of TC 2000?), but solid. I can't say the same for the action content, though. Jalal Merhi will always be known as one of the most lackluster onscreen martial performers, but Billy's stuff is usually pretty good...except in the movies he did with Mr. Merhi. The choreography could be better all-around, but it's the cutting and editing that really breaks a lot of the fight scenes: the filmmakers seemed to believe that showing a tight close-up is more exciting than pulling the camera back to show off the form of a kick, punch, or throw, even if it's something remarkably cool like someone delivering a flying kick down a flight of stairs. Luckily, Billy's athleticism shines through: despite needing to brave his way through an embarrassing stickfight, not even the damn post-production editing can completely ruin the coolness of some of his moves, especially during a four-on-one randori. His battle with his real-life brother Michael (Dragon Fire) steals the show for its back-and-forth fluidity and the eventual death by steam. Jalal Merhi doesn't have any fights worth mentioning, which is in accordance with his character: he's the costar by definition only, with next to no personality and very little plot significance. Personally, I think this is for the best. The fact that Wolf Larson clearly pantomimes his way through the final showdown is disappointing, though.
"Expect No Mercy" is only a two-star rating, but my three stars represent a general improvement over the faults of the earlier films. Seeing lots of Billy and generally little of Jalal goes a long way, but it's the bunch of little enhancements like marginally-better fight scenes and even the mildly amusing tidbits like the weirdo VR animation that put this one a step above the others. Watch some clips online before considering a purchase.
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