Witness to a Kill (2001)

Sadly Over-hyped

Absolutely Fantastic

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Outside of DTV enthusiasts and hardcore fans, most of Gary Daniels' movies qualify as obscure. WITNESS TO A KILL is fairly unknown even among the Danger Man's faithful, not in the least because of how well the generic DVD cover and indistinguishable cast blend in among the low-budget mass. While a viewing does reveal some unique touches, the movie isn't worth hunting down to all but the most enthusiastic Daniels fan.The story: On a mission to deliver vital dispatches to an embassy in Africa, a special forces operative (Daniels) is caught up in a terrorist operation headed by a sadistic rebel (Nick Boraine).Unbeknownst to most folks, this is actually the first (or second?) part in a short-lived franchise for Daniels that also includes QUEEN'S MESSENGER. Herein, Gary's character demonstrates strong James Bond overtones, but the disappointing screenplay helps make for a movie that in no way presents a threat to the genuine 007 series. While there are some nice touches in the form of surprising competency from the protagonist's team, there is no intrigue here at all and none of the characters are written memorably. It particularly peeves me that the screenplay seemingly goes out of its way to disempower its two major female characters – denying Eva Habermann an obvious opportunity to resolve the conflict an hour ahead of Daniels and giving action veteran Francoise Yip not even a single fight scene.Speaking of fights, the film marks another collaboration between Daniels and the Alpha Stunts crew, and as usual, what they deliver is pretty nice but there's not nearly enough of it. There are only three fights of substance, plus some shootouts, and while Gary suffers from a lack recognizable opponents, the stuntmen he takes on nevertheless contribute to some modestly exciting brawls, complete with overblown flips and falls. Despite these highlights, the sections of the film that are comparatively lite on action tend to drag, with only a plethora of accents to keep you otherwise entertained.WITNESS TO A KILL precedes the first time since his career got rolling that Daniels took a substantial break from filmmaking. After this three-year hiatus, Gary played more and more supporting roles in other people's vehicles or ensemble pieces, so in a way, this (along with the two other flicks he made in 2001) can be considered a final installment in the golden age of Daniels' occupation as an action hero. He does not seem tired at all, but perhaps the reduced focus on substantial butt-kicking indicates otherwise.

Gary Daniels is a talented martial artist, but he is not given many opportunities to show his talent in this movie: there are perhaps 3 or 4 fights in total, all under a minute long, that feel more like throwaways. The rest of the action is not particularly impressive, either. I was also disappointed with the parts of Eva Habermann and Françoise Yip: I was expecting them to get more involved in the action, but no: the former plays a somewhat spoiled German girl that Daniels is assigned to protect and the latter plays a globe-trotting TV reporter. In other words: for better Daniels, check out "Bloodmoon". For better Eva, check out "The Clown". And for better Françoise, probably any of her Hong Kong films will do the job. However, the "keep...keep talking, no...no that you idiot" scene (don't worry, you can't miss it) is pricelessly funny. (*1/2)

Without pointing out specifics, was there really a producer and director involved in this movie in any way whatsoever; 5 minutes from the end and I couldn't watch anymore.OK, so Monica has absolutely no acting skills, but none of the others have much more than that. Still, I could deal with this if the producer, director or writer or whoever could have spent some time and made some of the scenes the least bit believable.The fight scenes were so fake and there wasn't much action that I could see; or maybe it was that what there was was so bad. At times the bad guys apparently die from the lightest of touches and never ever ever fire their guns going down, and Captain Strong can apparently kick harder than a car going at 20 mph.If I wanted really fake fight scenes, I watch kungfu movies.

"Witness To A Kill" is an another movie that reinforces the fact that Gary Daniels is a very cool actor\martial arts master.The plot is about Captain Strong (Daniels) who is chosen to become the queen's messenger in Africa. When he arrives there is a ambush by terrorists. Strong also comes to realize that traitors are afoot.In the end: "Witness to a Kill" is filled to the brim with rockin' martial arts and explosions. Watch it and have a great time. With my effusive praise, one might be tempted to think I am a producer for his films. Not so. I am merely a fan. For some more action-packed, awesome, entertaining excitement, I would recommend the following movies for the Gary Daniels neophyte: "Capital Punishment", "Bloodmoon" , and "Cold Harvest".For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com