Product: Mean Guns [VHS] (1997)
Rating: 4.0
Don't call it a "B" Movie!!!
Despite an obviously limited budget (no building-busting explosions, cars plunging off freeways, or helicopters flying through train-tunnels) and some lack of realism (not as bad as most action movies, but noticable), this movie is a screen gem. Imagine a modern day version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" with individuals and teams chasing after a cash prize of millions; only this time it's hidden inside a prison complex instead of underneath a pair of palm trees and the losers end up pushing up daisies. When the chase begins you'll find yourself picking favorites and rooting for them to win. The movie also borrows tastefully from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "The Wild Bunch", with it's many showdowns and shootouts. The main characters are surprisingly well written and acted out (especially Marcus and Lou)in such a way so that you get a very good look into the personalities of each one without seeing a great deal of personal history on screen. And, of course, if you do watch it and wind up agreeing with none of this, the least you'll have to admit is that the musical score rocks! The mambo music playing over the prison PA system was a wonderfully original touch. Check this movie out. The violence may not make it everyone's cup of tea (I personally loved it, fast paced and gritty yet not bloody), but it has more than enough pluses to make up for it.