'Immortal Combat' aka 'Resort To Kill' has all the sights, sounds and feels of a dtv 90's action flick. Capable b-movie leads in pro wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper and 70's martial arts star Sonny Chiba. Plus notable supporting faces & a fun but stupid story that turns boring, convoluted in a heartbeat. Question becomes are the good elements enough to make the rest worth it. The answer is ... not really.
Cop John Keller (Piper) explains the circumstances under which he & partner JJ (Chiba) were at a private party that resulted in the death of a fellow cop. A serial killer (Deron McBee) is on the loose and the owner of a chemical company Quinn (Meg Foster) is behind him. She's created a compound that allows people to be brought back from the dead and has built an army of beefy fighters to do her bidding. Now they must shut 'em down.
Think 'Universal Soldier' or 'Dead Heat' mixed with 'The Most Dangerous Game' and pad it with tropes of low budget flicks. Ninjas & fighting tourneys. The setup is decent, but believe me and everyone else who says things take a progressive dive off a cliff soon after. There's a one note reporter slash love interest (no nudity), a helpful foreigner and some seriously daft pacing issues.
Piper makes for a likable guy and has real chemistry with Chiba. The latter though is saddled with a downright weird subplot involving his stepdaughter. Foster makes for a chewy villain and allows the former 'They Live' stars to share the screen again. Between Piper firing guns, smashing people and Chiba going full blown ninja (at the end) there's some smiles. McBee conducts a masterclass in overacting, grunting and relishing one note dialog, killing folks.
It's cheese thru and thru complete with squibs & blood work plus a few laughs. If you're fond of dtv action or subscribe to the notion that bad movies can be a fun time there's some merit. It's not the best thing I've seen the late Piper in and the start is certainly stronger than the finish. A few small fixes and it might have been a different story.
