Coldfire

My review was written in January 1991 after watching the movie on PM video cassette.

Wings Hauser's debut as director, "Coldfire", tries to cover too much ground but emerges as an offbeat cop drama about the drug world. Film was released direct-to-video last summer.

Like his second recently released directorial effort, "Living to Die", this film displays Hauser's interest in character development rather than narrative. Chief among numerous subplots is the relationshp of young buddy cops Michael Easton and Kamar Reyes, each too gung ho for his own good.

They're working undercover at a high school as anrcs when a new designer drug from Russia, Coldfire, hits the streets. It turns out to be an isidious plot by renegate Soviet scientisht Albert Cutt to undermine America.

Hauser's own role, as an over-the-hill fellow cop, is relatively small. Behind the camera he coaxes quality performances from the cast, which includes Cynthia Brooks as a tough-nosed fellow cop and sexy Darcy DeMoss as Reyes' main squeeze; latter graduated to female lead in "Living to Die".

Easton is particularly impressive in the lead role and easily could be up for a co-starring assignment on a youth-oriented tv cop show. Addison Randall, also a director, has a fun time playing against the macho stereotype as a gay drug kingpin.