Sin piedad

Cool action B movie from the 90's with Robert Patrick

ZERO TOLERANCE was a recent "bargain bin" DVD purchase and in all honesty I threw it into the player this weekend as an antidote after watching "World Trade Center," figuring that after watching such a heavy-duty drama I needed to see something empty-headed as a chaser. In that regard, ZERO TOLERANCE didn't disappoint. It's a by-the-numbers revenge fantasy whose "plot" (scumbag drug dealers kill an FBI agent's family, so he goes rogue and hunts them down one by one) was probably written on a cocktail napkin, but there's so much wall to wall violence, carnage, and gunfire going off during its short running time that you barely have time to notice how silly the whole thing is. Robert Patrick of "Terminator 2" fame plays our FBI hero, who racks up some pretty impressive frequent flyer miles as he criss crosses the country picking off the heads of the "White Hand" drug cartel in Las Vegas, in New Orleans, and all points in between. My wife and I found it extremely funny after a while that there are dozens and dozens of goons firing thousands of rounds of ammunition at our hero throughout this movie and none of them even come close to hitting him, meanwhile Patrick can pop up from his hiding spots with two nine-millimeters clutched in his hands, fire off two shots at a time, and yet he hits his target every time. I didn't bother to try and keep a body count for this movie but I'm sure the grand total must've been astronomical. Nothing here hasn't already been done before in countless other shoot-em-up action movies like the "Death Wish" or "Punisher" films (to name but a few) but it sure is a fun ride while it's playing! If you find "Zero Tolerance" for less than five bucks (like I did) then by all means, take the ride.

If you're looking for an action movie then look no further, with high-adrenaline action scenes from start to finish, Zero Tolerance is the ultimate action flick. Robert Patrick has the starring role as FBI agent Jeff Douglas and yet again he shines. I am always amazed by the emotion he is able to put through in any character he plays and Jeff is no different, you really feel for him and what he's going through. Watching Robert in this film is actually almost like watching a young John Doggett (his character in The X-Files), some familar mannerisms can be spotted, as well as his trademark intensity. The supporting cast is also good, particularly Kristen Meadows as Megan, and also keep an eye out for Barbara Patrick (Robert's real-life wife) playing his wife Wendy in the film. I must admit that I originally hired this film purely because it starred Robert, who is my favorite actor, but I enjoyed it so much that I had to purchase my own copy. If you're a fan of Robert or just action movies in general, I highly recommend checking this one out.

Though I will always recognize PM Entertainment and director Joseph Merhi for being the main producers of karate B-movies from the 1990s, a flick like ZERO TOLERANCE reminds me that they were in fact more versatile when it came to the action department. This is an ambitious, occasionally cool but ultimately mild shoot-em-up picture that foolishly takes a "less is more" method when it would have been better off embracing excess. Particular fans of Robert "T-1000" Patrick may apply.

The story: When his family is murdered and his own life endangered by a powerful drug cartel, an FBI agent (Patrick) becomes a vigilante deadest on revenge.

As much as I like ol' Joe Merhi, I wish that a more inventive director had helmed this one and brought more life to the potential-filled plot. PM regularly made films that were a lick or two above the dramatic average of competitors, but here, it unsuccessfully attempts to navigate a precisely-balanced screenplay. John Flynn or Andrew Davis might have taken the screenplay and coordinated it into an escalating action-thriller, whereas Merhi bloats the first half of the picture with plot while skimping on action, then reverses the formula for the second half. It's a competent film, definitely, but the dramatic scenes appear awkwardly-placed and the actors often underwhelm in their performances.

Action-wise, the movie does well enough but could achieve more. Much to my surprise, there was a smattering of fight scenes, though none of them particularly stood out. The highlights are several exhibitions of bullet ballet, clearly modeled after John Woo's output. Viewed in a vacuum, the handful of large-scale shootouts is furious and entertaining. However, other films have had better results in westernizing the HARD BOILED standard: NEMESIS and even HARD JUSTICE are both relatively cheap films that alternatively did a better job of aping Woo's style and improvising with the resources they had. ZERO TOLERANCE features occasionally cool stuntwork and a handful of unique guns, but I've seen much better.

Strong production values are balanced out by a surprisingly grim tone, making this an interesting action flick to watch but not necessarily a fun one. I declare it to be on the low side of average: worth catching on TV, maybe worth renting digitally, but probably not worthy of purchase.

Reading the other reviews, I didn't have high expectations. Boy, am I glad I watched anyway. Robert Patrick & Titus Welliver are EXCELLENT! If you have a problem w gratuitous violence, this is is NOT the movie for you. But if you like a good action/revenge movie, without a deep plot, then you'll like this. It's also recommend for anyone looking for '90's action.

There are a few problems... Robert Patrick's suicidal ideation is not realistic. It wanted to be Mel Gibson's scene in "Lethal Weapon," but it fell short. Patrick probably didn't have enough real pain to draw on for this scene.

The second problem... Mobsters don't kill family members & they don't kill cops. It just brings too much heat. I thought they we're going to reprimand Welliver"s character for this, but...not really. Gangsters also don't blow up cars in the middle of the Vegas strip, for the same reasons. I hate to see this, because then it moves it into Steven Segal territory.

The third problem... Why are all women in these types of movies useless simps? I'd like to see just one of these movies with a woman like me in it, instead of a nagging harpy. I thought the female FBI agent in this movie was going to back him up, but noooooo. All she does, is get her ass kicked, get in his way & then goes and narcs on him to his superiors. Useless. Her character could & should have been eliminated.

The fourth problem... The ending is ridiculous. Not the lone man seeking & getting revenge, but how this movie goes about it. There are so many other ways this could have ended, that would make it more believable, & less Segalesq. Because of the ridiculous plot twist, I dropped it 2 stars.

Overall, an enjoyable '90's action thrill ride. If you like that kind of fare, I recommend it.