Rage

Rage (1995)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Joseph Merhi

Starring: Gary Daniels, Kenneth Tigar, Peter Jason, Fiona Hutchison, Mark Metcalf

From: PM Entertainment Group

My return to the world of PM Entertainment Group was LONG overdue, although not as long as my knowledge-thanks to a messageboard thread-that British martial artist turned actor Gary Daniels had a trilogy of worthwhile direct to video films in the 90’s: Rage, Recoil, and Riot. They share nothing in common aside from the star, studio, and titles starting with “R.”

The plot is hogwash concerning a right-wing militia, evil cops, and a corrupt tech company who experiment on illegal Mexican immigrants to create a “super soldier”-insert your own comments if you wish! “Limey” Daniels (portraying a 2nd grade teacher) becomes involved solely because one of the Mexicans carjacked him and he’s a ripped dude. There’s the hero, his friends, the villains, and a television reporter who is one of the few that believes our hero is innocent.

The plot and characters-even the one portrayed by Peter Jason for a few scenes-are as deep as a puddle but that’s irrelevant for B-movie fans. Daniels is a Man on the Run and this allows for an onslaught of action scenes. PM Entertainment Group focused on this aspect, specifically giving stuntmen & stunt coordinators steady work by presenting OOT beats where you swear that those stuntmen were maimed or killed on screen.

Rage featured: Defenestrations, more broken glass than in Another 48 Hrs., kicks, punches, gunfights, squibs, people hanging off helicopters, people hanging off of skyscrapers, explosions, a dominatrix (!) and two wild stunts. The first is an original Chevy Blazer corkscrewing in the air as it launched over a semi on its side as it explodes. Even more brain-melting is that when a school bus hits a tanker truck head-on, a stuntman standing on top of the truck is lit on fire and flies through the air, out of control!

The stunts are impressive even compared with what was seen in Hollywood at the time. Motion pictures like this are naturally only appealing to a niche audience-thankfully I’m part of that crowd. The finale’s setting of “90’s mall” is expressly pleasing for an Old Man like myself.