Gunmen - Hetzjagd durch den Dschungel

This is a very light, entertaining movie for its B budget action format. I think performances by all the big name actors are quite good and even the lesser known actress Brenda Bakke puts in a decent performance. Van Peebles and Lambert have good chemistry on the screen though it was not as easily appreciated in the Highlander movie.

I recommend it for light-hearted action fans if only to catch the segment towards the end where they "trade" First-Aid kit back and forth. :)

Mario Van Peebles is cast as Cole Parker, a DEA agent in Mexico, who busts kooky smuggler Dani Servigo (Christopher Lambert) out of prison. Why has he done this? Because Dani's brother Karl was an associate of drug kingpin Loomis (Patrick Stewart) who absconded with the kingpins' $400 million fortune, and he thinks that Karl may have given Dani information as to the whereabouts of the money. Cole is also on a mission to find out who killed his father. Meanwhile, Loomis has sent an even worse bad guy, hired gun Armor O'Malley (Denis Leary), after the two of them.

"Gunmen" was an early screenwriting credit for future director Stephen Sommers, who went on to make big studio efforts like "Deep Rising", "The Mummy" (1999), and "The Mummy Returns". Here, you could already see that action and violence with a generous dose of humour was part of his style. The director of this one is Deran Sarafian, whose future credits include "Terminal Velocity" and lots of TV work. Deran casts his father, veteran filmmaker Richard Sarafian (best known for "Vanishing Point" himself), in a brief role as Van Peebles' superior.

Mostly, this is routine stuff, albeit reasonably funny, action-packed, and very swift (it clocks in at 92 minutes). The soundtrack is enjoyable, and the flick does have a suitably gritty look going for it. It's also full of violence, but not that much actual gore.

The main value lies in this cast, although Stewart doesn't get to leave much of an impression. He's been better utilized in other projects. Leary really is the main villain of the piece, and he's in fine form. The enticing Brenda Bakke is quite easy to watch as one of Leary's gang. Van Peebles is fine, but doesn't have a particularly great character to play. Lambert gets to have more fun; he always seems to be at his best when he gets to play an off the wall role. He and Van Peebles do make for an entertaining team. Kadeem Harrison has his moments as a talkative pilot, but much like Stewart, Sally Kirkland is wasted in a brief part as a gun runner. You may also recognize Robert Harper, who was crate monster fodder in "Creepshow", as a DEA agent. A handful of rap stars appear onscreen performing (Doctor Dre, Ed Lover, Eric B. & Rakim, etc.). Deran Sarafian himself has a small role as Bishop.

"Gunmen" entertains adequately for action-movie fans, with some standout moments along the way, such as a recurring motif of characters being buried alive.

Six out of 10.

It is a shame Gunmen didn't get fair treatment when it was brought to DVD. Originally shot in 2.35:1 widescreen, the DVD and obviously, the video are only available in 1.33:1 full TV screen format. Almost half the picture is missing, and it shows. Even ignoring the lush scenery cut off, too often the characters' faces are missing from the frame. Even worse is that the DVD transfer is rotten. It may have been from a S-VHS master from what it looks like. It is full of film grain which compresses awfully on DVDs, making the entire movie look muddy.

This is a terrible shame because Gunmen is a fun, lightweight flick of two guys, one good, the other bad, forced to work together against a common enemy. There are many funny one liners, and the action scenes are pretty good, though low budget. Denis Leary is always fun to watch when he's angry or evil, and he's almost always both in Gunmen.

This film is certainly uneven, and borrows from obvious Sergio Leone westerns, but you should find it entertaining. Worth seeing, if for no other reason, to see Patrick Stewart playing a crippled south american druglord who buries alive his disloyal wife in his opening scene. Another scene that will have you shaking your head in disbelief is when two main characters shoot each other in the leg in an attempt at humor.

GUNMEN is a brilliant action movie, and of course very funny. Once again, the great Mr. Denis Leary shows he has the chops to be a great screen villain. As with JUDGMENT NIGHT, he excels as a wonderfully nasty bad guy.

As for our leads, Mario Van Peebles and Christopher Lambert work brilliantly together as they joke and shoot on the way to find some laundered drug money. I don't know what everyone's problem with Lambert is because he's been brilliant in every film I've seen him in. I hated what I saw of HIGHLANDER 3, but that was just because the film sucked, not because of Lambert.

Strangely, there's no love interest for our heroes. But that's no problem. Patrick Stewart pops up in what is basically an extended cameo as Leary's boss. He's okay, but I'm glad that Leary is the main villain of the piece.

GUNMEN does not disappoint as there is non-stop action and side-splitting comedy on offer. Enjoy.