Double Edge (1997)

AKA: American Dragons

Director: Ralph Hemecker

Producer: Brad Krevoy, R.j. Murillo, Steven Stabler

Writer: Erik Saltzgaber, Keith W. Strandberg

Cast: Michael Biehn, Park Joong-hoon, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Don Stark, Byron Mann

Running Time: 91 min.

Plot: Murders in Seoul, Korea and in America pair two cops (Michael Biehn, Park Joong-hoon) from each of the countries together to solve the crimes. The investigation leads to a gang war between tha Mafia and the Yakuza, but one that may not be of either of their making. A shadowy assassin (Byron Mann) is killing the leaders and an Italian assassin (Don Stark) may have his own agenda.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: "Double Edge" is one of those titles where the average video-renter will pick up its box, look at it, and say things like: "Oh God...what the hell is this, another straight-to-video piece of shit?" or "Who the fuck is that oriental guy standing next to Michael Biehn...a wanna-be Jackie Chan?". I can't blame anyone for making those remarks. After all, it's an unknown flick, and other than the presence of Michael Biehn ("Terminator"), "Double Edge" is a hard movie to sell (unless you're a B-movie enthusiast who thinks Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa of "Mortal Kombat" is a selling-point).

But you know what? I know better. I've been doing my homework and can easily separate shit from the decent stuff. As much as I like (as in "I don't mind") Michael Biehn, I didn't rent this for him. I rented it to see the performance of Park Joong-hoon.

So you don't know who he is eh? Well, you probably haven't been watching enough Korean Cinema or maybe any at all. Let me tell you about him...

Park Joong-hoon, probably best known for playing a psychotic cop in Lee Myung-sae's Korean police-drama "Nowhere To Hide", is barnone, the baddest mutherfucker working in Korean Cinema today (well, maybe not to that extent. Clarence Worley from "True Romance" possessed me for a second)! I mean, I just got done watching him doing some gangsta shit in a Korean flick and loved his acting-style. So I had to check out his work in a Hollywood. The result: This guy can act.

"Double Edge" is a well made, low-budget action film with that typical buddy-cop thing thrown in. It's not bad, but I'm not gonna make this film out to be something special because it really isn't. It's a very average film that's definitely a couple of steps above cheesy films of the same genre like "Tango and Cash" and "Showdown in Little Tokyo". The director (Ralph Hemecker, who directed some of the "X-Files" TV episodes) and entire cast, including Byron Mann ("The Corruptor") all make the best of it, considering they know it's something people won't be raving about. Who knows, you might like it better than I do. If anything, you won't feel like you wasted a couple hours of your life watching it.

But like I said, Park Joong-hoon's performance is outstanding. His English is almost flawless and his overall screen presence is something that can be compared to Chow Yun Fat. Basically, if you like Park Joong-hoon, then you don't wanna miss this. If you don't know who he is, watch "Nowhere To Hide" first, then I guarantee you'll wanna see this.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 6.5/10