No gun?! No problem.
Action Jackson is not really a bad movie. The acting is fine, the effects are actually pretty good and the story is... not bad, just a bit cliche. If you have ever seen a movie, and I'm guessing most of you have, then you know this story. A policeman's unorthodox style is frowned upon by his department. But when a bad guy appears in town and the police don't know what is going on, Mr. Unorthodox has to take him down without any official support. BAM, we've got a screenplay, let's get on set and start shooting. So what puts it in Wasted Cinema territory? The story-holes. These are not your typical, how did they get those bags down the elevator or why can Biff travel to the future but Marty can't, plot holes. These are the un-explained decisions, lines and actions within a scene that can't possibly have happened. If you like those as much as we do then Action Jackson will tickle your fancy in all the right spots.
In this movie, Carl Weathers plays policeman Jericho "Action" Jackson and he has been stripped of his gun as a punishment for previously nearly ripping the arm off a sexual predator during his arrest. The bad guy is Craig T. Nelson, the sexual predator's father, who wants to take total control of the auto manufacturing business. Black guys and the auto industry in Detroit! What cliche?!
So what exactly is so unbelievable about the story's actions you wonder? How about leaping over a car?? Well never fear, the writers have this one covered. Jackson did track in high school. So, you know, that plus his years of police paperwork have prepared him for this kind of stuff. And my favorite part about this is. Wait. Hold on, not my favorite part, but an additional funny part is that Jackson taunts the car driver into trying to kill him with his car instead of his gun because the car is manlier. What?! What the heck is the difference between the gun machine and the car machine? And who is the police chief that sent Jackson out with no gun and no partner? He is being punished for [nearly] ripping a guy's arm off... like with his hands... not for shooting anybody. Hello, aren't you kind of forcing him to continue that kind of behavior? Argh. Where was I? Oh yeah, so not only does this dumb driver fall for the "you're not so manly" trick, but Action Jackson himself falls for this later! Seriously who wrote this, you have to make the hero learn from his mistakes not get dumber as the movie goes on, holy proper sequencing Batman.
In this movie, Carl Weathers plays policeman Jericho "Action" Jackson and he has been stripped of his gun as a punishment for previously nearly ripping the arm off a sexual predator during his arrest. The bad guy is Craig T. Nelson, the sexual predator's father, who wants to take total control of the auto manufacturing business. Black guys and the auto industry in Detroit! What cliche?!
So what exactly is so unbelievable about the story's actions you wonder? How about leaping over a car?? Well never fear, the writers have this one covered. Jackson did track in high school. So, you know, that plus his years of police paperwork have prepared him for this kind of stuff. And my favorite part about this is. Wait. Hold on, not my favorite part, but an additional funny part is that Jackson taunts the car driver into trying to kill him with his car instead of his gun because the car is manlier. What?! What the heck is the difference between the gun machine and the car machine? And who is the police chief that sent Jackson out with no gun and no partner? He is being punished for [nearly] ripping a guy's arm off... like with his hands... not for shooting anybody. Hello, aren't you kind of forcing him to continue that kind of behavior? Argh. Where was I? Oh yeah, so not only does this dumb driver fall for the "you're not so manly" trick, but Action Jackson himself falls for this later! Seriously who wrote this, you have to make the hero learn from his mistakes not get dumber as the movie goes on, holy proper sequencing Batman.
Should I use this wimpy gun?
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Or this bad-ass taxi?
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Careful! Former track stars can do this
Not only does flying over cars happen (by the way, AJ does a flip and sticks the landing. Obviously.) but so does some other mysteriously magical physics. Allow me to paint you this picture. Later in the movie, Coach and his wife are standing together when she gets shot at point blank range. And the bullet ends up going right through her into a very, very small black hole. Apparently. Because she clearly has an exit wound and the bullet does no more damage on the other side. Is that normal? Is the time-warp storyline of this movie ever resolved? Sadly, no.
Science: "Bullets travel through objects"
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Screenwriter: "Screw you science!"
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So far we've got unbelievable physics and some suspicious character decisions. But it gets better. As the climax gets under way, Action Jackson gets captured and needs some rescuing from his newly-discovered side kick. The entire scene, literally, LITERALLY the entire scene is all one-liners, and they don't even make any sense! I can't explain this any better than the scene itself, so thank you writers, here is your recreated work.
Bad Guy 1: Get the gasoline, we're gonna have us a little barbecue. (to Jackson) Tell me where it hurts.
Side-kick: Hello. I'm Mr. Ed. You called about a paint job?
(punching and fighting)
Action Jackson: (with flamethrower) Chill out.
Bad Guy 2: Shit...
Action Jackson: You looking for me? Barbecue, huh? How do you like your ribs?
See? Literally, every line. Even "Hello" and "I'm Mr. Ed" are delivered like they have symbolic meaning. What meaning could that have? Why would you say "tell me where it hurts" when you are holding a flame thrower? Even worse, why would you say "chill out?!" What sense could that possibly make?
Action Jackson's chance at a franchise just got burned
Believe it or not, I actually saved the best for last. Some of my questions about this film may have been answered. It all depends on how much of the story is being explained by Jackson's hotel managing ex-boxer friend. His accent is kind of hard to pin down. It's like a cross between a lisp and a southern, chain smoking blues singer with head trauma. See this movie. It's great fun, and then you can be the judge.
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