yatahaeshadai

AKA "THE DEBT". This role is the farthest reach you can imagine for Lorenzo Lamas. It is definitely not his usual fare BUT it is a great performance by both him and Michael Pare. They play childhood friends/current antagonists. 15 years ago they got in trouble together. But Mitch (Lamas) got out, went straight. Boyle (Pare) never forgave him for deserting him and vowed to pull him back. Now the squeeze is on Boyle and Mitch will come back or die! It is hard to picture Lamas as a victim until you see him play this role. He makes you uncomfortably aware that each person has within him the capability of being the victim and/or the hero. So much depends on what life does to us at an early age. When people make us afraid of who we are the outcome is sad. There is a difference between redirecting energy and breaking someones spirit. There are many stories here and each time you watch it you see another dimension. But for all that I still prefer Lamas as the action hero with a large smattering of high kicks to keep the excitement high.

Lamas has dual roles as Det Dan McKenna and Russian Mafia liaison Lyle Mason. An FBI surveillance gone wrong gets McKenna's wife killed but not before she takes Mason with her. FBI agent( Billy Dee Williams) notices that Mason and McKenna look alike and with a little help from plastic surgery McKenna becomes Mason. Pain killers that seem to have the side effect of causing McKenna to become violent help to keep the charade going. The violence is never ending - the story line takes a back seat - and Lamas shows off all the right martial art moves.The ending looked like they were hoping for a sequel but it never happened.

They say movies are magic. It must be true. There must be a magic ingredient beyond script and actors that make movies work. This movie does not have the magic! Parker Stevenson and Billy Dee Williams star as TV detectives that get cancelled and decide to try it for real. On their first case they have to use a movie prop as a gun ( There is a waiting period to buy a gun). It should work. You are rooting for it to work! But it never does. It reminds you of a pilot for a TV series. Maybe that's what it needed. A little more time for the characters to grow and the plot to develop.