Killpoint (1984)

Killpoint, released by Crown International Pictures, is one amazingly sloppy mess of a movie. What is basically a paint-by-number action film is elevated by some incredibly inpet casting decisions and baffling actor choices.

Richard Roundtree (of Shaft fame) is completely wasted and only appears for a total of 5 minutes on screen. He doesn’t care enough to try and is simply waiting for that check to clear; a man’s gotta eat.

Leo Fong, who starred in and directed a few movies of his own, is the supposed protagonist but his level of charisma is that of a piece of plywood. His acting is like the bus in Speed, it can never go above or below a certain baseline; it’s always the same no matter if he is in a fight or contemplating the loss of his wife.

Cameron Mitchell (a Grindbin all-star from Raw Force) is who truly brings this movie to life. He is clearly having fun and has taken it on himself to make this movie somewhat watchable. His onscreen choices are both surreal and hilarious - from trying to make a small dog smoke a cigarette to killing a baby for simply crying too loud - Cameron Mitchell oozes charisma while clearly inebriated for most of the production.

Stack Pierce is the other piece of the puzzle that makes this movie worth watching. Playing the tough-guy assistant (Nighthawk) to Cameron Mitchell, Pierce gives a badass performance for the ages. Whether it was intended or not, Pierce’s stone faced killer balances out Cameron Mitchell’s wacky antics in a way that creates a truly disturbing dichotomy between the two that makes their criminal organization seem like a legitimate threat. 

The filmmakers seemed to intend for a plot to develop early on and instead just either edited out all the dialogue in favor of longer action scenes, or just didn’t care to write any. Something is developed early on about Cameron Mitchell and Nighthawk stealing guns from a military armory and selling them on the streets but it’s quickly tossed to the side for more fight scenes.

Leo Fong, only days away from his wife being raped and murdered, is put on the case and does little to no police work until about 70 minutes into the movie. Mostly walking around, shooting guns at the range, and thinking about his dead wife, Leo is an unwilling protagonist that merely appears when the script demands it. 

Killpoint is a movie that certainly worth watching but be prepared for some boring stretches of mindless violence, sloppy fight scenes, and nonsensical plot. It’s all worth it though for the glorious mess that three of the main characters create.