Inferno (1999)

Lack of good storyline.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILERS This is a comedy-action film with an all-star "B" cast and music by Oscar winner Bill Conti. Eddie Lomax is delivering an Old Indian motorcycle to "old Indian" Danny Trejo (His joke, not mine). He stops in the middle of the desert and further dehydrates with some alcohol which leads to some bullies to take his bike and leave him for dead. Trejo nurses him back to health and Eddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) vows revenge to get the bike back, save the terrorized town, and break up the biker/meth dealers....and stop the aliens...shhhh! I loved the humor of the film with roles by Pat Morita, Jaime Pressly, Ford Rainey, Priscilla Pointer, and Vincent Schiavelli (you'll know him when you see him.) Van Damme does the worst Rodney King impersonation with his, "Can't we all get along" line. The film also had corny lines written by adolescents like, "I really want to thank you" where we all will her to drop the towel.The film was badly anachronistic. Pat Morita is reading a newspaper dating from WWII while modern jets fly overhead and girls wear tank tops and jeans. The implication of the film was this incident is what caused the "Area 51" UFO craze. In reality we know Agent Jean-Claude Van Damme Johnson was working undercover on assignment and in his free time was at said area, most likely saving the planet from aliens all the while he is making this film.Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Nikki Bokal) BTW people don't normally visit a diner right after snorting meth.

With Van Damme's trademark Inferno/Desert Heat is about a tired man (Van Damme) who looking for a old war mate (Danny Trejo) to ask permission to take his life...but before he meets with a gang who steal your old motorcycle and shooting him leaving to die in desert....your old friend a native Indian take him to your home and healing his mortal wounds...after a short recover he goes to the revenge. Watchable movie including the fine casting like Larry Drake,Danny Trejo and Pat Morita, without forget Gabrielle Fitzpatrick among others actress,in time the three old men steal the movie mainly Bill Erwin on a remarkable role of men he needs oxygen and still smoking,no connection with Yojimbo in my opinion the story is totally different and just remembered in the movie by bus driver to meeting a girl...if the producers want some connection they just wants publicity...nothing more than this!!!

An eclectic group of eccentrics living in a desert town in the middle of Nevada are greeted by, unbeknown to them, their savior(whose past regarding killing haunts his very soul)seeking after a motorcycle he intended to give to an old pal(an Indian portrayed by Danny Trejo) as a gift(wanting his permission to "go on a journey")stolen by a trio of degenerates, the Hogans, sons of a dictator-like drug dealer who demands money from those locals who run businesses or else risk his wrath. What in turn happens is that this stranger(played by Jean-Claude Van DAMME)initiates a minor feud between two foul families, the Hogans and the Heathens, who are in a partnership regarding the shipment of drugs. Ultimately, Eddie Lomax(Van DAMME)will assist the locals, engaging in a violent war with both parties, the small town a battleground.Funny how this film instigates the developing action. A drunken Lomax firing off bullets from his Colt .45, grazing the vehicle of the loathsome Hogan boys, only increasing hostilities, as he's shot and left for dead. Perfect setting up for a revenge plot. However, what I found interesting was the direction the filmmakers take with this story-line. It becomes almost a complete comedy, a nice surprise is how "Desert Heat" has a spirited sense of humor and an amusing array of oddball characters. Van DAMME looks really relaxed with this cast, enjoying himself. Like all these kinds of movies, Van DAMME starts systematically eliminating each and every thug(..and there's a fresh supply of sweaty desert uglies for him to vanquish)until a truck load are dumped in a desert hole by "handyman" Pat Morita(..in an inspired bit of casting, awaiting the return of a departing love named Berta). You have Vincent Schiavelli as a bar owner who chastises Van DAMME for killing several of his customers, despite the fact that they were profane troublemakers. Larry Drake, as patriarch Ramsey Hogan, sadly, is underused and exits the movie far too soon. Gabrielle Fitzpatrick is Van DAMME's love interest, a waitress who runs her senile father's diner and yearns for more in life. David Fralick, as Matt Hogan, is a rather limp adversary for Van DAMME(Bolo Leung, he's not)and their confrontation at the end leaves much to be desired. Jaime Pressly has an early role as another waitress, Dottie, a very tasty looker who, along with her cook brother, passed by a fallen Lomax after he had been shot as they were driving to town. Bill Erwin has a hilarious role as a gunstore owner rescued by Lomax after his nephews chained him to his bed, waiting for him to die, operating his business! A running gag has Erwin dependent upon an oxygen tank, while puffing on a cigarette when he isn't sucking air! Priscilla Pointer as a religious kook who operates a ratty motel with her husband(..she has an affinity for snakes and is always seen downing flasks and bottles of liquor!). I couldn't help but grin at the idea that this was a remake of Yojimbo. There's plenty of entertaining(..if you enjoy low brow)exchanges between Van DAMME and the townsfolk who take a shine to him. Trejo's character remains enigmatic throughout. What Trejo's Johnny and Lomax were in the past is presented rather ambiguously with the viewer having to read between the lines.

Inferno starts out in the Californian desert where Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is on his way to see his native Indian friend Johnny Six Toes (Danny Trejo) when some local thugs from a nearby town stop & take a fancy to Lomax's motorbike, they beat Lomax up & steal his bike leaving him for dead in the middle of the desert but is saved by his mate Johnny Six Toes who takes him home & nurses him back to health. Lomax is annoyed, not only was he left for dead but they stole his motorbike & he intends to get it back. Lomax travels to the town where his attackers live & soon discovers that no-one likes them & the town would be grateful if Lomax would get rid of them which gives him all the more reason to sort them out...Also known under the title Desrt Heat & originally had the working title Coyote Moon this was directed by John G. Avildsen & is yet another weak JCVD action thriller with an unnecessary comedic side that just feels out of place. The various genres don't sit well with one another & Inferno is yet another loose remake of the classic Japanese film Yojimbo (1961) in which a stranger rides into a small town & plays two criminal gangs off each other in order to wipe them both out & there's even a not so subtle mention of Yojimbo at the end. Here the Lomax character played by JCVD is surrounded by silly eccentric comedy relief character's that just end up annoying & at times feel like they belong in a different film. The action scenes are quite weak with little imagination & as soon as any of that clichéd ancient Native American Indian superstition, mysticism, chanting & nonsense started my eyes just glazed over & I lost all interest. The pace is alright but it's just predictable, a little oddball & there's not enough action here either.I will say that Inferno does look quite nice at times with some striking cinematography of the vast desert & some nice sunset shots but it's hardly worth watching for that. The action is tame with JCVD getting two or three fight scenes with the rest of the action consisting of a few explosions & some standard shoot-outs. The town in the film seems very underpopulated, we only ever see five people yet it has a motel & a diner which manage to stay open despite the obvious lack of customers.The IMDb says this had a budget of about $22,000,000 which i find hard to believe since not that much happens here. Director Avildsen cast his son Jonathan as one of the bad guy's, JCVD doesn't seem that interested while Larry Drake is wasted in a bit part.Inferno has a fairly predictable plot, weak action scenes & awkward comedic moments that just don't work. One of JCVD's worst films from the 90's.