Inferno

The other comments on this film sum up fairly well the dramatics of it. Don "The Dragon" Wilson is an Interpol agent whose best buddy is killed in an opening shoot-em-up scene. Still hunting terrorists, Wilson is sent to India (helmer Fred Olen Ray sits in for a cameo as Don's boss at Interpol), where he gets into a tangle that leads to a couple of revelations.

There's not much to distinguish this from any other quickie, straight-to-video actioner, except that much of the stunt work seems a little anemic. Nonetheless, I highly recommend the DVD edition of this film (which is entitled "Operation Cobra") to all fans of low-budget movies. One might say, "War, Pestilence, Plague, and Famine -- the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!" but a close runner up for the fifth spot on that team might -- at first blush -- seem to be "With Director Commentary track by Fred Olen Ray." That conclusion would be a definite mistake.

The director's commentary track is the most fascinating part of the DVD package. Ray pulls relatively few punches in discussing the movie. We learn that the whole film was shot in Hyderabad, India, and Fred tells us that it was the first American movie to be filmed completely in India. (Was "Maya," in the 60s, not all shot on location?) We also learn that although Hyderabad is not among the scenic high lights of India, one of the producers owned a studio there, which made for economical filming! Ray also discusses the ins and outs of low-budget film-making, pointing out where specific locations were used for multiple purposes, and noting the Indian actors who had to be dubbed for the American release. We also learn a good bit about the crew's drinking habits and the outbreak of dysentery on the set, as well as the logistics of the big action finale sequence, which was filmed under less than ideal circumstances. (I got two words for ya -- Flies! Flies!) There is likewise a short on-set featurette, which is mostly home movie footage and not nearly as informative as the commentary track.

Fred Olen Ray makes straight to video/straight to cable movies for less money than Brad Pitt's personal assistant gets paid. Ray is not likely to win an Oscar any time soon (I always felt he should have at least been nominated for "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers"), and he's not remotely pretentious here. You wanna know about making movies for peanuts in a difficult overseas location? Here it is.

I watched the film once for story, then ran it again with the commentary track. Cut out the middle man and go straight to the commentary. Anyway, Ray throws in enough of the plot (sometimes puzzled by it himself) that you can follow the story with no problem. You can find the DVD, if you shop around, for somewhere in the neighborhood of $5, and if you love Poverty Row movies as much as I do, you'll think it a bargain at twice the price. Forget about the plot and concentrate on America's most prolific non-porn filmmaker at work.

A surprisingly enjoyable combo from Don Wilson and Fred Olen Ray; a better one from both their resumes. This reminded me a lot of the mainstream Chris Hemsworth film EXTRACTION, with our hero tasked with going to India to take down some villains. Good scumbags for him to battle against and fun fights throughout, although a bit too much of the Playboy-style sex scenes.

On the surface 'Inferno' looks the part of your run-of-the-mill Don Wilson dtv cheapie. However dig deeper and you get quite a few recognizable faces, shot entirely in India and it looks a lot better than most b-movies I've watched lately. Maybe in due part because of cinematographer Gary Graver and the 1080p release it scored itself. Story wheeled out is standard and cliched, but has enough action and laughs (intentional or not) to pull off a mildly fun time.

Interpol agents Kyle Conners (Wilson) and Trevor (Rick Hill) close in on Davaad (Evan Lurie) just as he is about to complete an illicit deal. Unfortunately it goes sideways leaving Trevor dead while the target escapes. Placed on leave, Kyle then travels to India where Davaad has already set up shop hoping to avenge his partner. There he meets MI6 operative Callista (Tane McClure) who can lead him to Davaad, but only if he kills boss Grayson (Michael Cavanaugh) first.

Wilson was never an actor with great range, but does his physical fisticuffs here well. Tane gets to rip a spotty British accent and get naked twice. Lurie changes it up by being a soft spoken bad guy while Cavanaugh will always be Cpt. DeSoto (Star Trek: TNG) to me. Madhavan does a nice job as the local police inspector and Deepti Bhatnagar provides beauty as a mystery woman / love interest.

Most flicks from cheapo director Fred Olen Ray are crap, but he scored a b-winner here with 'Inferno'. Perhaps in large part due to the foreign flavor and not seeing LA for the millionth time. Of course the requisite martial arts, some female nudity and a plot twist within didn't hurt neither. If you find yourself searching for a 90's dtv actioner a little outside the norm this might be the ticket.

The fourth of nine films bearing the title INFERNO, most of which are straight-to-video or "Z" grade flopperoos.

Before watching this alleged martial-arts but in reality actionless no-brainer, you gotta ask yourself, what DOES director Fred Olen Ray have in common with compatriots Bill Carson, Sam Newfield, Roger Collins, Freddie Valentine, Nick Medina and the incomparable Ed Raymond? Give up? well you will be underwhelmed to discover that they are ALL the same person! Not a promising start! But there again these ARE the people responsible for the timeless classics DINOSAUR GIRLS, EVIL TOONS, THE BRAIN LEECHES and who can forget BAD GIRLS FOR MARS?

So armed with this knowledge (and I was deprived of this vital information on my first viewing) you can sit back and watch Olen-Ray's INFERNO. Don "The Dragon" Wilson "stars" (I use the term loosely) as Connors - our chop-sockey hero who seems more adept with guns and wigs than anything else. Actors appear in different roles, none of which matter, they are so stupefyingly amateurish.

Why the hell am I reviewing this trash?

It kind of had different actors wearing different wigs playing different parts through out the movie, it was quite distracting to watch, I would not recomend this movie to anyone really as most of the acting was very shoddy and the main action seemed to consist of the main actor pulling a gun (from only knows where) and letting off several shots then somehow managing to take home several women in one night. st33z - -