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Albert Pyun Roulette, Part 6
Dollman -
Despite a clever premise and another strong Tim Thomerson performance, this movie offers little - no pun intended - to write home about. With such a short running time, I expected something lean and mean, but I only got the former...in terms of content, that is. Whether it's the overly long montage of Dollman's new home, the Bronx, the seemingly endless footage of his new gangster enemies waiting for him to show up or the end credits, which have footage of characters like the mayor who only have a few minutes of screen time unironically, there's no shortage of filler. I also went in knowing the budget is low, which normally isn't a problem since Pyun was a guy who could do more with less, there's not a whole lot of ingenuity, especially when it comes to our hero. There's forced perspective, the model of his ship, and...that's about it. It's not a good look when movies that are 30-40 years older than this one do the miniaturization thing better. Also, besides one moment involving Frank Collison's floating head villain, whose performance is another one of the few bright spots, it's nothing if not predictable.
Again, Thomerson and Collison shine, as does Kamala Lopez's mom (who oddly doesn't mind Dollman's brand of vigilante justice despite seeming to prefer actual justice, but I digress), and the way the movie shines a light on gang activity and the government's lackadaisical attitude towards it deserves applause...not a standing ovation, though. Other than that, it’s not on my short list of Pyun’s best work. If it's any consolation, though, I would not be opposed to checking out the followup, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys.
Dollman -
Despite a clever premise and another strong Tim Thomerson performance, this movie offers little - no pun intended - to write home about. With such a short running time, I expected something lean and mean, but I only got the former...in terms of content, that is. Whether it's the overly long montage of Dollman's new home, the Bronx, the seemingly endless footage of his new gangster enemies waiting for him to show up or the end credits, which have footage of characters like the mayor who only have a few minutes of screen time unironically, there's no shortage of filler. I also went in knowing the budget is low, which normally isn't a problem since Pyun was a guy who could do more with less, there's not a whole lot of ingenuity, especially when it comes to our hero. There's forced perspective, the model of his ship, and...that's about it. It's not a good look when movies that are 30-40 years older than this one do the miniaturization thing better. Also, besides one moment involving Frank Collison's floating head villain, whose performance is another one of the few bright spots, it's nothing if not predictable.
Again, Thomerson and Collison shine, as does Kamala Lopez's mom (who oddly doesn't mind Dollman's brand of vigilante justice despite seeming to prefer actual justice, but I digress), and the way the movie shines a light on gang activity and the government's lackadaisical attitude towards it deserves applause...not a standing ovation, though. Other than that, it’s not on my short list of Pyun’s best work. If it's any consolation, though, I would not be opposed to checking out the followup, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys.