Bring Him Back Dead
review by Bobby Blakey
I have been a fan of martial arts action star Gary Daniels since seeing him in the 1991 film Ring of Fire. Since then he has had a consistent career starring in over 80 films and TV show including The Expendables and more recently in the CW series Kung Fu. Now he is back again with the action flick Bring Him Back Dead co-starring Louis Mandylor and Daniel Baldwin, but does it bring the high kicking action fans expect or will it get lost in the forest?
Bring Him Back Dead follows a violent gang of criminals who are ordered, after a botched heist, to track down and eliminate the man who betrayed them and ran off with their loot.
I would be lying if I said I was excited to see this film for the sheer joy to see Daniels kick some ass and while that is here the film struggles to really offer up much. First and foremost this is a lower budget film, but for the story they are telling and set-up not a lot is needed to really make it work. They bring everything they need to make for a successful action flick, but sadly it never finds is way completely out of generic at best.
The cast are pretty hit and miss, but most of this just seems to be from the script itself and the dialogue they are working with. Sure some of it is the acting, but they all seem to be trying to do something here. It really is all just here to set up the different action sequences and with Daniels leading the charge my hopes were high, maybe a little too high.
There is plenty of high kicking action with Daniels doing what he does best. Most of it was pretty basic choreography and nothing overly exciting, but still fun to see him do his thing. What bummed me out more is that there is no one in the film that ever really gets to hold their own with him to create that stand out fight they deserve. That is not saying he is an unstoppable
character, but more in regards to the skill level of those around him.
While this film does deliver more for me thanks to my nostalgic love to see Daniels kick ass, the film itself is really a stumble and offers up very little to help it stand out from being pretty forgettable. Decide for yourself and check out Bring Him Back Dead when it hits Digital, DVD and On Demand August 2nd from Uncork’d Entertainment.