Slow Burn (1989) (TV)

Director:

John Eyres

Writer:

Stephen Lister (writer)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

In Chinatown the only thing that runs deeper than tradition is blood!

Plot:

A veteran cop is after a Mafia hitman, who killed his partner. Unbeknownst to him, a rookie cop has gone undercover to also catch the hitman...

Cast

William Smith	...	Antonio Scarpelli
Anthony James	...	Renzetti
Ivan Rogers	...	Murphy
Scott Anderson	...	Gino
Melissa J. Conroy	...	Lisa
Thom Schioler	...	Babe
Stephen Chang	...	Sun Cheng (as Stephen M.D. Chang)
Don Kline	...	Corigliano
Mervon Bowman	...	Drug Dealer
William Britos	...	Drug Dealer
Frank Wilson	...	Captain Fahey
Paul McLean	...	Patterson
Michael Tiernan	...	O'Brien
Gerry Vivash	...	Petrie
Keith Beardwood	...	Silverman

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

North American Releasing

Moderately Entertaining, Especially for a B Grade Action Pic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This review may contain some (very minor) spoilers.

I purchased this movie at my local video store for a buck, and after watching it, I have to say I got pretty much what I expected to get out of it. This movie really isn't any thing special, but it is a tough, often bloody, and only occasionally boring action movie that provides a decent time killer for fans of its genre.

It focuses on a veteran cop named Murphy (Ivan Rogers) who is determined to exact revenge on a mob hit-man named Renzetti (Anthony James) who killed his partner. However, Murphy isn't the only person with a grudge against Renzetti. Gino (Scott Anderson), a rookie cop who has gone under cover and gotten close to Renzetti's boss (a big time mobster played by William Smith), and he too, wants to off Renzetti for killing his parents years earlier. Also involved are the Chinese mafia, whom William Smith is at war with.

One thing that can be said against this film is that the plot is unnecessarily complicated. There are too many different sides involved in the proceedings, and the subplot about crime don William smith's war with the Chinese mafia really doesn't connect with the main goings on in the film and usually isn't very interesting.

However, on the whole, the films numerous shoots outs, car chases, and explosions keep one from getting bored before the short running time is finished. Another thing this movie has going for it is the presence of two great character actors, William Smith and Anthony James. Both play their roles excellently (william Smith has this great, ultra cheesy fake accent) and they both manage to keep the time spend on screen rather enjoyable. Overall, I think that genre fans should be able to get some enjoyment out of this.