Rick Cowan (Wilson) is a high school teacher who lives the quiet suburban life with his teenage son, Chris (White). However, their tranquillity is shattered after a group of highly trained killers suddenly attack their home. After he demonstrates some obvious skills in the martial arts, Rick is forced to confess that he was once a CIA agent and he has more than a few enemies out to get him. Now this father/son combo will have no option but to go on the run, fighting against old foes as well as a few new ones that they once considered friends.
Although not originally titled as such, ‘Hard Way Out’ eventually became the final entry into the ‘Bloodfist’ series. Unfortunately though, it’s not much of a send-off as this is probably the worst of the bunch. Using a plot that is pretty much identical to the last few outings, the film sees Wilson (complete with ridiculous 90’s haircut) playing yet another former special agent running from yet another group of good guys gone bad. While this extremely lazy excuse for a plot is clearly a big issue, the real problem with this part is actually the atrocious acting. Sporting an assembled cast of unrecognisable talent, the film has an abundance of immensely wooden performances (especially from the obnoxious teenager), all of which make the already awful dialogue feel a thousand times more cringe-worthy.
If you were expecting the action in ‘Hard Way Out’ to make it worth your while, then you’re also in for a disappointment. As I’ve mentioned in my reviews of the previous parts, these movies aren’t exactly packed full of high quality martial arts action and this outing is certainly no exception. All of the fights feature fairly routine punches and kicks, and are edited with very quick cuts that cause a constant distraction. Wilson’s typical repertoire of kicks are also fairly mundane, and there is really only one other performer who looks capable of busting a move or two. Admittedly, the few fights that do occur are probably the best bits of the movie, but that’s not exactly saying much when the rest of it is quite so terrible.
‘Hard Way Out’ is a sloppily cobbled together mess that is littered with awful genre cliches and a collection of very bad actors. It’s a shame really, as even though the majority of the ‘Bloodfist’ movies are nothing to write home about, there are some cheesy action highlights to be found along the way.
- Blu-ray & DVD release: ‘Customs Frontline’ - November 22, 2024
- Trailer: ‘Cells at Work’ - November 22, 2024
- Blu-ray release: ‘Shawscope Volume Three’ - November 21, 2024
