Plot: What’s it about?
These days, it seems as though every small country has some type of nuclear device or other lethal weapon, which means there is always a high potential for trouble. As if the pressure from those small, but well armed countries wasn’t enough, sometimes those small countries sell their dangerous weapons to terrorists and other criminals. Now a band of those terrorists have possession of some poison gas weapons and unless someone can stop them, they will take aim on the United States and never look back. In an effort to neutralize the situation, the government has assembled a crack squad of mercenaries to storm the terrorists, headed up by Mike McBride (Hulk Hogan). McBride is a former Navy Seal and his crew is second to none when it comes to missions like this one. Soon they are joined by a beautiful, but well trained DEA agent named Hunter (Shannon Tweed), who is more than ready to help them in their cause. These are the best men for this task, but can even they handle this volatile situation?
I know some might chuckle when Hulk Hogan and Shannon Tweed join forces to make an action movie, but I think genre fans could do a lot worse than this film. I had my doubts as well, but I had fun while watching this one and I am sure I will revisit it at some point in the future. Of course, this is a made for cable effort so the production values aren’t massive, but the film’s limited budget never shows that much. There’s plenty of hand to hand combat, gunfire exchanges, and stuff exploding to keep most folks happy and when Hulk Hogan is doing things, it’s always a little better. The storyline is think, but this is an action movie so what did you expect? So while there are some holes to be found, the story holds up well enough to hold your attention in between action sequences. The acting is over the top for the most part, but I think that just adds to the entertainment value in the end. As far as this disc, the movie has great audio/video and has a couple extras, more than enough to warrant the asking price. If you’re an action/adventure fan looking for something new, then this is a disc you’ll want to look into.
This film was directed by Jon Cassar, who does a very nice turn behind the camera in this one. Some directors might have seen this as a mere paycheck and sleepwalked through it, but Cassar does nothing of the sort. Cassar and his crew make sure the action sequences look fantastic and as such, add a lot to the impact of those vital scenes. I mean this is an action movie after all, so it is crucial for those sequences to turn out as well as possible. The compositions look terrific and the movements are smooth and effective also. This might not be a high profile film, but Cassar treats it as if it were one. Cassar also directed the sequel to this film, Shadow Warriors II: Hunt For The Death Merchant as well as episodes of television series’ such as Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, La Femme Nikita, Amazon, and Baywatch Nights. This film sports a cast loaded with famous names, though the names aren’t always known for great acting. Hulk Hogan (No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando) takes the lead and while he is over the top, his demeanor fits the role and he ends up doing pretty well. Also featured is Shannon Tweed (The Rowdy Girls, Detroit Rock City), who also gives an adequate performance and Carl Weathers (Predator, Rocky), who probably gives the best overall performance in the film. The rest of the cast includes Martin Kove (Rambo: First Blood Part II, The Karate Kid), Trevor Goddard (Gone In Sixty Seconds, Mortal Kombat), Billy Drago (Convict 762, Phoenix), and Tae-Bo master Billy Blanks (The Last Boy Scout, Kiss The Girls).
Video: How does it look?
Shadow Warriors is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the film. This image looks much like it would on television, but sharper and a little clearer overall. The print shows minimal grain and debris, while compression errors are limited to some small traces of edge enhancement. The colors appear natural, but bright and I saw no bleeds or smears in the least. Flesh tones seem natural and warm, with no distortion at all present. The contrast shows no issues either, as shadow layering is accurate and no detail is lost, even in the darkest areas.
Audio: How does it sound?
This mix is more than adequate, but I would have loved full 5.1 surround sound remix. This movie loaded with gunshots and impact audio so the full surround would have been awesome, but as it stands, this is still an effective track. The sound effects are distinct and loud, but again without the full surround option, the speakers don’t pulse like they should. Still I have no serious complaints with this track and all the elements emerge in clear, powerful fashion. The dialogue is crisp, with no harshness and volume is always proper and consistent. This disc also houses optional Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, the film’s trailer, and some bonus trailers also.
