Excessive Force (1993)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Absolutely the worst movie.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

For the most part, "Excessive Force" isn't anything that you've seen before. Oh, I'll admit it has an interesting supporting cast (Jones, Hendriksen, and Young), and despite a $3 million budget the movie looks slick and very expensive, with some very good night photography. But the rest of the movie just doesn't stand out from others on the video store shelf. Griffith just isn't believable as a cop who happens to play in a jazz band on the side. And he isn't very likable, coming across as a kind of a p*ick. People will probably be more interested in his action skills, however, and they should be warned that the action in the movie is a disappointment. The martial art sequences are very badly directed, and their choreography looks like beginner level stuff. Where the movie really suffers is with Griffith's script. The whole thing about corrupt cops and mobsters is very familiar, and some plot details are either vague or totally missing. It doesn't help that the whole story unfolds at a very slow pace, with ample padding to boot. It will take a lot of excessive force for viewers to sit all the way through it.

Thomas Ian Griffith stars as Terry McCain, a hard-boiled cop (I don't think there exists a different brand in these type of movies) who looks to avenge his partner after the death of his partner at the hands of a mobster (Played well by Burt Young) however when the mobster turns out dead, despite the mercy McCain bestowed on to him, McCain seeks the ones responsible and finds a conspiracy involved. James Earl Jones lands an embarrassing role as Griffith's would be mentor. Excessive Force is one of the blandest action flicks ever made. Its low degree of style as well as witless plot contrivances make for very dull going. Griffith's performance also grates the nerves since he looks like a used car salesman, rather than one man army cop. The good cast is ultimately wasted, Especially Jones who seems bored with the role, as does Henriksen who could do his role in his sleep. The only real life comes from villain Burt Young but he is ultimately wasted as he is killed off early. Therefore leaving us with a cast to flounder with such labored material.* out of 4-(Bad)

Thomas Ian Griffith (who was introduced to film audiences as the slimy Terry Silver in The Karate Kid part III) wrote, produced and stars in this action flick about Terry McCann, a Chicago cop with a short fuse (and one hell of a kick) who becomes engulfed in an inside plot to steal $3 million in mob money from a crime scene. They don't like that. He now has to unravel the plot before it gets him killed and those he loves around him.I really enjoyed Excessive Force (1993). Griffith is a very likable and watchable action hero. The plot isn't the most original thing going for it but it moves fast and has good energy. An interesting cast was assembled for the film which included genre fave Lance Henrikson, Vader's voice James Earl Jones, Candyman himself Tony Todd, Rocky's brother-in-law Burt Young and the exotic Charlotte Lewis. The cast I think is what saved it from becoming standard action fare.

When I rented this film, I had to keep on looking at the box just to remind myself of the title. Fittingly, the generic title makes sense for this completely unoriginal film. For what it is, the action isn't bad, and there are a surprisingly high number of familiar faces, but the plot is as standard as it gets. Anyone even remotely familiar with this genre should be able to recognize how typical this movie is, and they should be able to spot most of the plot twists a mile away. Much like I had expected, this film is watchable enough, but it wasn't particularly entertaining, and it is entirely forgettable.