One can't help but admire the cheeky directness here. The protagonist's name is a transparent effort to draw in fans of Cynthia Rothrock's 'China O'Brien' movies (which I, for one, dearly love) in which the lead actor also starred. The premise is straight out of a videogame: "Your girlfriend has been kidnapped! Fight your way to the top to save your girlfriend!" Early scenes are defined by a course of events that could fit just as easily into various electronic gaming titles, or into any similar martial arts/fighting films from the 80s or 90s (many beats rather remind of 'Bloodsport'). And the plot, suitable if unremarkable, is itself really just a pretense - like so many of 'Heatseeker's' brethren, the story is mostly just a vehicle for one fight scene after another. Throw in themes of capitalist malfeasance, the power of love - as well as grotesque misogyny, exploitation and suppression of bodily autonomy, and sexual assault - and the stage is set for a rollicking rumble.
Well, mostly.
'Heatseeker' is duly well made. I quite like the filming locations, and set design and decoration. Costume design, hair and makeup work, props, and fabricated materials representing cybernetics all look pretty great. Director Albert Pyun also illustrates a keen eye at some points for shot composition, and there's some swell use of lighting throughout. I enjoy Anthony Riparetti's music, adding to the mood and tension of various moments, and the sound design is really rather good. Acting is at most a secondary concern in action flicks like this, but I think those on hand generally demonstrate sufficient skill to carry the plot as needed. Above all, the fight sequences we get are outstanding, with fantastic stunts and choreography. It's clear that there's some genuine martial arts experience among the cast (in the very least, Keith Cooke has his own pedigree), coordinator Burton Richardson helped to orchestrate phenomenal, visceral, and exciting bouts, and we ostensibly get to see several different styles throughout the tournament. If nothing else is true about this picture, the action scenes are a blast.
Those are the curious bits, and the good news. There's actually a lot to like here, provided one is looking for a second-tier fighting romp. That's hardly to say this is perfect, however. While the performances are fine at large, some instances are unquestionably stilted, whether for lack of skill or dubious directorial guidance. If derivative and not inherently noteworthy, broadly speaking the writing serves its purpose - though the more that the screenplay tries to add dramatic beats outside the proverbial ring, the more it feels like it outright borrows from other pictures. Mostly perfunctory dialogue, and adequate scene writing, have some low points. Overall I appreciate Pyun's contribution as director, though there's an overabundance of fleeting shots - a repeated exterior view of a structure, glances at competitors' sponsors in the arena - that are entirely superfluous.
Last but not least, my biggest critique flows from the movie's chief strength: fight scenes are the welcome emphasis in 'Heatseeker,' but even as they're swift, snappy, and stimulating, there's room for improvement. 'Heatseeker' isn't alone among action films in the problem of orchestrating fight scenes with a proliferation of small shots and overzealous editing that diminish some of the utmost literal impact; compare any present-day action title to, say, any Hong Kong flick of the 70s and 80s, and the issue is immediately evident, with some glaring deficiencies of continuity even from one shot to the next. To its credit, this film is a lot better than most about spotlighting real contact in each match - but still the camera cuts away so briskly at one time or another that fast fights, lasting less than a minute, seem shorter still. And when all this is said and done, the climax and ending similarly come and go so quickly and inelegantly that it somewhat feels like the viewer has been shorted.
Still, for all its shortcomings, this isn't bad. The runtime progresses quickly as one fight sequence follows another. It's imperfect, a smidgen common, and takes no few cues from its cinematic cousins, but at the same time, anyone who sits to watch already knows what they're getting into. This has no illusions about being something it's not. 'Heatseeker' wants only to entertain, and despite its faults, it succeeds in that aim. One must acknowledge the problems, but with terrific martial arts action front and center, the good outweighs the bad. You don't necessarily need to go out of their way to see this, but if you happen to come across it, it's solidly enjoyable, and a decent way to spend 90 minutes.
