The other day I decided that I just don't have enough low-budget 80's action movies in my life. I was sadly lacking in the Gymkata's and the Thunder Warrior's (if you've ever browsed a video store for hours on end as a kid, you'll know what movies I'm talking about). To rectify this problem I promptly jumped onto my on-line DVD rental place and started adding all sorts of stuff to my list, you know the usual suspects like Kickboxer, Bloodfist, and Missing In Action. It was on this search I came across Catch The Heat. Sweet, sweet, Catch The Heat.

Looking and feeling like a movie made by genre stalwarts Cannon (who are responsible for many childhood memories of low-budget movies seen on a friends cable box), this is the type of flick that defined 80's B-level action movies: cheap, lacking in any real plot, and packed to the hilt with tons of ridiculous scenes of gunplay, a dirt bike chase, and even a karate fight in the back of a truck. It's too bad it's missing the charm a lot of these movies had.

Tiana Alexandra is Checkers, a sarcastic FBI agent who we first meet sporting a bad wig and in the middle of a drug bust on low-level thug Brian Thompson (a familiar face in these types of movies who's given fourth billing despite his 3-4 minutes of screen time). We also meet her partner, Wally (David Dukes), who is quite obviously enamored of Checkers - and who also gives her the opportunity for much back n forth of various insults (most of them being really junky sexual innuendos).

From here it's the usual "Drugs Are Evil" premise seen in lots of 80's action flicks as Checkers and Wally head-off to Buenos Aires to go after shady talent agent Jason Hannibal (Rod Steiger, who must've been hungry) who they believe is smuggling drugs into the States.

Checkers takes on the identity of "Cinderella Pu", a girl from Hong Kong who wants to become a star. This gives writer Stirling Silliphant (who actually co-wrote the "disaster flick" epics The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure) many opportunities to crack wise as he makes the Cinderella character such an obvious stereotype of the Japanese. But Silliphant never does seem to take his script seriously and packs it full of lots of lame attempts at comedy.

From here Checkers and her partner have to try and stop Stieger's baddie which leads to lots of inept goings-on as they take on henchman Dozo (Toru Tanaka, who you'll recognize from tons of movies), listen to Steiger go on a rant about breast implants (since that is how they smuggle the drugs), and see a silly as Hell finale loaded with explosions, gunfire, and mild karate.

Catch The Heat is one completely forgettable time and only for fans of this type of lowbrow filmmaking. Director Joel Silberg has no idea how to make an action scene exciting (although I guess he rules at dance sequences since he did direct Breakin') and it eventually gets tiring, but at least Alexandra survives her multiple costume changes, wisecracking, and poor attempts at conveying emotion mostly intact - she never did become the action star you get the feeling this movie was trying to make her into, but she's likeable enough and looks good in a wet t-shirt. Too bad this is all silliness while making no impression though... (Chris Hartley, 2/28/06)

Directed By: Joel Silberg.
Written By: Stirling Silliphant.

Starring: David Dukes, Tiana Alexandra, Rod Steiger, Brian Thompson.

aka: Feel The Heat.