User reviews

The sheer awfulness of this movie is difficult to fathom. To start with, the plot is almost non-dimensional: a skid row cop teams up with a tough female rookie to catch a serial killer who video tapes his victims. The killer rides around in space-age comfort in a night-black van, and tasers his victims so that he never has to leave his TV monitors which can seemingly see into any bedroom in the city. In an attempt to expand this tiny plotline, we discover that the killer has an accomplice on the police force! Who could it be??

It is difficult to find the entire point of this movie: It's not a sex movie, as there is about 20 seconds of bosom in the whole film. It's not a fighting movie, as Cynthia Rothrock (famous for various Jackie Chan-style films throughout the 80's and 90's) delivers about 5 kicks throughout the whole movie. The acting in this film is awful, so I suppose it's a good thing that no-one attempted to develop any of the characters. The technical aspects and realism of the film fall flat in so many places, from Cynthia's "computer knowledge", to the killer's video monitoring system, to the 40-bullet shootouts where no-one gets hit or runs out of ammo.

Oh, and one more thing: what does anything in this movie have to do with "night vision"??

It is truly difficult to believe that a movie this bad was made in 1998 - it is remniscent of the bad cop movies of 20 years ago. I would recommend watching water evaporate before I would recommend this movie to anyone. I gave it (barely) 3 out of 10.

Fred Williamson, one of the two or three top blaxploitation stars. Cynthia Rothrock, one of the two or three top American female action stars. Imagine a film with these two together for the first time! Now imagine THE WORST film that could possibly be made with these two together for the first time. Welcome to "Night Vision". Of course, this movie was made in 1997 and they were both past their prime, but that doesn't mean they didn't have what it takes anymore - they just needed the help of good writing and direction. They got neither here. Rothrock does get to throw a couple of kicks near the end, but this film is so atrocious that you probably won't be awake to see them. (*)

Fred Williamson is back in another B movie action flick but this time its along with fellow B movie behemoth Cynthia Rothrock and for the rap fans Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys. If you hadn't already guessed its a B-movie, with B-movie actors, production budget and values. If you don't like B-movies or were expecting Silence Of The Lambs from this team you are barking up the wrong tree, which seems to be common imdb when these movies are reviewed. This is not so much a revenge movie more of a hunt for a killer who is abducting women and couples who are having affairs. Its also a buddy cop movie with Fred being the main character while Cynthia is a the side kick. This is another of her movies where the martial arts is secondary to her acting, so don't expect Hong Kong style action sequences. Sure its easy to pick holes in the story or action however the standard of this movie is not to bad for its genre. The cast had a few surprises and it was entertaining enough. Its the kind of movie you can just switch off to as its not too taxing or violent to watch. Sometimes you just want something that isn't too emotionally draining and fun and this was fine on both counts.

The first clue that should tell you that "Night Vision" is not a good movie is that it was made by Texas filmmakers - Texas has made more than its share of bad movies. The second clue is that it has Cynthia Rothrock in its cast, and no (American) movie with Cynthia Rothrock is any good. The third clue is with Fred Williamson producing this movie, whose Po' Boy production company has made a string of bad movies. Yes, "Night Vision" is indeed a bad movie. In fairness, I will say that for a VERY low budget, the movie looks good. The colors are strong and there is some decent night shooting. And there are at least SOME production values, something you can't say for all Fred Williamson movies (such as with Williamson's "Black Cobra".) But most of the rest of the movie is pretty pitiful. It's a slow, sluggish movie, even in the action scenes. (And speaking of action, why cast martial arts actress Cynthia Rothrock when she gets to do almost no martial arts?) The atmosphere is sterile. Scenes seem to be missing. And Fred is seen in his underwear twice! And Robert Forster is wasted; he made this the same time that he made "Jackie Brown", and I hope he worked on this mess before making the Tarantino movie.

Trying to catch a serial killer, did they ever think of tracking the license plate number of the black van or fingerprint the video tapes he sent? Oh brother the plot of this movie was so full of holes it was pathetic. Now I know why there are bad movies in the world. This one however was one of the worst.

the only reason i bought this DVD is because cynthia rothrock is in it.now everybody knows she is the queen of martial arts b movies.the trouble is this is not a martial arts movie.cynthia rothrock has about a minute or so of fight scenes in this stupid movie.now if you were a film maker and you had cynthia rothrock in your movie would'nt you want to have a lot of martial arts action? all she does in this movie is walk around looking bored just like i was when i watched this pile of crap.i own a lot of her movies and they are all b movies but at least they had some cool fight scenes in them.if you are a martial arts fan avoid this no matter what.i'm still mad i wasted 4 dollars to buy this DVD

A truly awful movie. I gave up at one point then went back a couple of days later to see if it got any better, it didn't in fact it seemed to get worse. Acting is terrible, the story line is terrible, the special effects are terrible and the only reason I gave the film 2 stars is because of Cynthia Rothrock but even she couldn't save the film. It did do one thing for me it made me realise that I could probably write a better film script than tis.

Low budget action movie that tries hard to have some substance (but doesn't leave out gratuitous breast shots). While they scored some once successful actors for this one,the real draw is kick butt Cynthia Rothrock. Rothrock has done some movies that make this look big budget but she never fails to please...her acting is actually fairly good this time around and her martial arts skills top notch. Two major actors from Jackie Brown might seem to be a draw for renters looking for a good movie but be warned; this type of film is an acquired taste. For Rothrock fans, take a look through her filmography and you'll find a number of films where she's more prominently featured as well as early work she did in China.

This is that rare '90s film that definitely feels like a straight to video release but with a lot of great character actors also thought in. This film may be a by-the-numbers action film but it has a great cast that keeps the rudimentary plot entertaining and fun. Cynthia Rothrock (the reason why I decided to watch the film in the first place) goes toe-to-toe with Brad Dourif, Fred Williamson, and Robert Forester, to name a few, so that alone was well worth the watch. She holds her own even though it's mostly a Williamson film but we all know who is the real powerhouse of this film. Overall, it's still just a typical cop thriller but if you enjoy the cast as much as I did then the whole film is worth a watch.

This B movie has a distinctly 70's feel about it,belying the fact it was made in 1997,and too often resembles soft porn,(due to the de rigeur shots of bare tits,which gave it it's 18 certificate.) It was entertaining enough but I couldn't help feeling that the story had the potential to me made much more of,if it had had a bigger budget and better actors.

Still,it will please those who enjoy such fluff.

This can't even be called a movie, it was so bad. First of all, it was BORING. I was so bored, I kept waiting for something to happen and it didn't! The music was awful, like something out of a 70's porn flick. The acting sucked. Everything about the whole thing sucked. There wasn't one redeeming quality to this movie. Not even the last five minutes with Cynthia Rothrock doing the usual martial arts bit. Run from this movie!

Unlike most of the reviewers of this particular movie, I'm really not the much of a Cynthia Rothrock fan, to say the least. However when I saw that the movie had Fred Williamson and Robert Forster (both great actors), I just had to watch the film. Williamson is a Dakota Smith, an alcoholic cop who is demoted to scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush and even worse having to team up with Cynthia at the behest of the captain (Robert Forster). Forster is always watchable, it's just a crying shame that the movie itself is so damn trite and clichéd. It also features one of the least terrifying villains ever to be committed to celluloid. Williamson would return to the Dakota character in a few more films, the next one being "Down N Dirty"

Eye Candy: Nina Richardson shows some T&A; Mary Kapper goes topless

My Grade: D

Where I saw it: Showtime Extreme

You may wonder why - but on the other hand with a main cast like that, does it really matter? Fred Williamson and Cynthia Rothrock .. that sounds amazing in and of itself. Of course as other already have pointed out: do not get your hopes up. On paper or rather the idea of those two sounds awesome - what you get in the end though ... well maybe not so awesome after all.

That being said, it is not like this is a bad movie alltogether. Not bad in the sense of not good - no pun intended. No the movie is mediocre - it has some highlights but also feels like it is dragging on at times. The two main actors seem to have fun though, so maybe that helps you enjoy the movie too. Action/stunts are decent I'd say, nothing to get too excited about either.

I couldn't finish it. The cheese, and the bad got too much for me. The opening scene the music was awful, it lasted a really long time, and was a really repetitive music that was the cheesiest, and considering how serious the film was trying to be. It just didn't work.

I could see the plot holes opening up, and honestly with the overall bad quality. I doubt they closed them. I'm normally stubborn, but I just couldn't watch it to the end.

I have no idea how the title and the movie can make any connection. I think they are referring to the audience. No one but the night is watching. The movie is bad. I mean like some other movies, the action sequences were ridiculously pitiful, and the main villain looked like a pitiful reversion of Frank Nitty played by Bill Drago. I saw this at around 3 in the morning, about the time where there is usually nothing else, and even then it was pitiful enough for me to cry.

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson delivers another cheaply made movie. He might have set a new standard for himself. Look for the painfully obvious special effects mortar cannon that is visible in the street during a chase scene. You don't see it just once, you see it several times. Look for the out of focus shot in one scene and the camera operator try to fix it as the scene rolls on. Watch this with a group of people and make your own Mystery Science Theater!

Amazingly awful plot holes, zero character development, and at least a bunch of clichéd stale jokes, permeate this stinker. A repetitive anti alcohol message is both redundant, boring, and likely to drive one to drink. Cynthia Rothrock gets in a few kicks, and Fred Williamson gets to smoke a few cigars, but what is in between is pure garbage. Rothrock, after Williamson blows a guy's head off "I got brains all over me". Unfortunately whoever slapped together this mess thought the audience would lack brains and common sense. Even the chase scene, which is totally devoid of downtown traffic is stale. Avoid this for sure. - MERK

This movie is great for the brilliantly choreographed chase scenes and the invigorating soundtrack. What Gil Bettman has here is a cinematic masterpiece. The sex scenes in this movie are not gratuitous like other films, but are important to the storyline. The classic one-liners will go down in history as some of the greatest ever, especially the "holy f***" line in the church. Cynthia Rothrock shows off her incredible rear end and also her finely tuned acting chops, comparable to the late Audrey Hepburn. A highly underrated classic for the ages.

Night Vision is a decent enough B grade action thriller with a fantastic cast. In fact the cast of Fred Williamson, Cynthia Rothrock and Robert Foster is the best thing about the movie and to sweeten the deal Bushwick Bill from The Geto Boys is also in this. With that cast alone, this should be the best movie ever. Night Vision is obviously not that, but there is enough action and trash talking from Fred Williamson to keep me occupied for the duration of the film. Our heroes are cops that are working on a case of a serial killer. This is not on the same level as something Clint Eastwood would star in. Keep that in mind and you will think this is alright. Also, don't expect much martial arts from Cynthia Rothrock. Night Vision is not the best movie of its type, but for it's budget level it could have been much worst. Overall, I thought this was alright. Just keep your expectations low on this one.

Silly, routine, Texas filmed B action picture stars Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as Dakota "Dak" Smith, an ex-detective who's ended up as a motorcycle cop, thanks to his problems with the bottle. One day he's pursuing a serial killer known as "The Video Stalker" (Robert Prentiss), a crafty sicko who delves into the lives of his victims and films his crimes. Dak screws up big time, so what happens to him is that he must switch a motorcycle for a car and be partnered with a young female cop, Kristin O'Connor (Cynthia Rothrock), who's also in hot water.

Die hard fans of the stars and the genre may be forgiving towards this ridiculous movie, which is funny often enough to make one think that producer / star Williamson, screenwriter Michael Thomas Montgomery, and director Gil Bettman had their tongues in their cheeks to some degree. Still, this is pretty inept, overall. The action is uninspired, and those viewers hoping to see Rothrock doing what she does best will have to wait until the story is almost over. A mild sex quotient, mostly consisting of bare breasts, might satisfy some people, but as for the violence, this isn't all that graphic.

Williamson and Rothrock do seem to get along alright. Robert Forster, the third star attraction, is typically likable and adds some much appreciated levity to the proceedings. Two other performers that one might recognize are veteran character actor Frank Pesce, as one of Daks' colleagues, and Rodger Boyce, who later turned up in "No Country for Old Men". Prentiss is an amusing villain and gives the best performance in this thing.

If you're like this viewer, and watched this on the basis of the star trio, you're advised to keep your expectations VERY low.

Four out of 10.

cynthia rothrock is a good actress but she can't save a movie with a budget that is almost equal with 0.robert forster joines her but he has just a minor role.if the movie had been rounded on her moves and more robert foster's acting ability i think this movie would have been the best from her carrer.it's a shame that American directors don't know how to put in light cynthia rothrock's talent.the movie has a little potential because of cynthia and forster but the others killed it.all in all i think this movie deserve ** out of *****.now i just can watch her best movies from 80's and early 90's cause i don't think there will appear a good cynthia rothrock movie