In 1995, Fred Olen Ray had a successful formula where he would cast actors who still had a tad of name recognition and pair them with an up and coming b-movie actresses. It was a great way of doing things because movie nerds like myself were always interested to see what our childhood heroes were up to. Back then, we also followed the careers of the actresses who had built an industry by marketing themselves as both sexy and fun. These girls were more than just eye candy as they seemed to really like what they were doing. Magazines like Femme Fatales and Draculina made this even more apparent through interviews and articles. When combining this style of stunt casting with his obvious love of old b-movies, Ray usually ended up providing us with a night of entertainment. While these movies are not for everyone, those who appreciate them will understand exactly what I am talking about and what the appeal is.

Marc Singer stars as Jack Ford. Jack is a droid gunner which means that he is paid to track down androids who have gone missing. If this sounds somewhat like a blade runner, it is because it is. Ray is never one to shy away from thinly veiled "homages". When four pleasure droids are taken by a cool dude smuggler named Hawks (Matthias Hues), Jack is hired to find them. He is paired up with a sidekick named Beth (Rochelle Swanson) who he sees as more of a hindrance than a help. As with most buddy movies, their relationship evolves so that they find a way to work together. It is a bonus for the audience that Beth needs to dress up as like a trashy prostitute for most of the flick. The two eventually team up with Hawks when they discover that they can make more money by joining forces so they collaborate to screw over the oppressive leader of the new world.

Cyberzone has all of the elements for a successful Ray movie. Singer was well-known to genre fans for his roles in The Beastmaster and the TV series "V". Swanson had appeared in a number of erotic thrillers and worked with Jim Wynorski around the same time on the western Hard Bounty with Kelly LeBrock (Weird Science). I thought Swanson was going to have a much longer career as she had a more sophisticated beauty to her than some of the other girls but she has pretty much disappeared since the late 90's. Matthias Hues is perfect as the laid back, confident Han Solo-like character but his size is almost distracting as he towers over the other actors. He certainly leaves an impression. Having a decent cast is what makes these movies fun along with some effort put forth to tell a story as well as random references to other movies such as a blatant Terminator character. In recent years, Ray seems to have lost some of his passion for movies which was the driving force to giving him a name in the first place.

Look for Ray regulars Ross Hagen, Peter Spellos, and Richard Gabai in small roles. You can also spot Brinke Stevens as the stripper who hisses at Singer and later helps him. She is wearing heavy make-up like a futuristic vampire. You can spot Ray pulling a Hitchcock in a small walk-by in the first bar scene. Seventies horror fans will recognize Count Yorga himself, Robert Quarry, as Chew'Bah whose character is an obvious reference to Jabba the Hut. I don't say this very often but I felt a little sorry for Quarry as this is a pretty lame role. Scream queen fans will recognize Tammy Parks (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold) as the runaway wife who doesn't speak but does get naked. Finally, on a sad note, the main pleasure droid is played by Lorissa McComas who died in 2009 of a painful disease. She was one of the main b-movie attractions in the 90's especially in magazines like Scream Queens Illustrated as well as many direct-to-video movies. (Josh Pasnak, 1/7/11)

Directed By: Fred Olen Ray.
Written By: William C. Martell.

Starring: Marc Singer, Rochelle Swanson, Matthias Hues, Robin Clarke.

aka: Droid Gunner; Phoenix 2.