Neon City

Neon City

Neon City

Neon City

It was the cast which includes Ironside and Vanity in what is advertised as a post apocalyptic actioner. And despite how boring it was I stuck it out. On paper this should have been a low budget but fun action movie, there are numerous 90's post apocalypse movies which are a blast. But the mood of the whole film is too sombre to be fun. Too much is made of the eco disaster aspect and not enough violence and excitement. Its just far too serious for what the film makers could actually deliver in terms of action and entertainment. Because the action in Mad Max was outstanding which fitted well with the serious tone. In this the opposite is the case. And that isnt the actors fault because many of these actors has proven themselves elsewhere. For an action movie there is very little, there is maybe 2 road chases and a couple of explosions. As far as the characters go I was actually rooting for a few of them to be killed they were so annoying. Some major players die off camera which is pointless, especially when they matter to the story. Its not surprising this isn't remembered fondly from the 90's, this is one of those movies that draws you in from the VHS cover and cast. But you end up resenting the cash you paid for the rental.

While I won't pick out the articulate details of the movie, or take an active defense as to why I thought this movie is good, I will say I really liked this movie. This has to be one of the better sci-fi movies I've seen. Imagine it, you traveling across the continent to a safe-haven - the ONLY one left on Earth. Your transportation; a shoddy-looking bus with others, crammed like sardines. Your obstacles; everything. From crazed bandits to violent solar storms, this leaves you imagining yourself in place of one of the characters on that bus. Quite a thrill, isn't it? Food is heavily rationed, medical aid is meager, and death is engulfing. Great, great setup for a storyline (which could have been better in several ways, although I'm fine with it as-is).

The setting is a Mad Max style post-apocalyptic disaster land where dogs are a food staple. The lawless Outland, basically everywhere that is not an indoor fortress, is overrun by outlaws called Skins who ride low-end motorbikes and kill everybody for no reason. The viewer is not informed as to where they get fuel, a key story point in Mad Max 2. The story begins at a Bartertown-clone outpost, where bounty hunter Harry Stark (Michael Ironside in the sort of role he was born to play) has to transport wanted fugitive Vanity to Neon City for trial. The trip will be made in an armored truck, and the passenger list includes a socialite (pre-Buffy Juliet Landau), a not very talented entertainer (WKRP's Richard Sanders), and Stark's ex-wife in a not at all contrived coincidence. Driving the truck is former NFL star Lyle Alzado as a character unimaginatively named Bulk. There are a a few other passengers who may not be exactly what they claim, adding intrigue to the journey out into a hostile and unforgiving land. If this sounds like a setup for some kind of b-grade Stagecoach knock-off, well it is. On the plus side, the script is surprisingly good, with tight dialogue and sharply-drawn character business. This is unexpected in a low budget Max clone, most of which sound as if they were written by teenaged comic book nerds trying to sound tough, or (worse) by Italians who have never been to North America and have no idea how we talk. Yes, Antonio Margheriti, I am looking at you. The performances in Neon City are also surprisingly good, even from Vanity and Lyle. The drama plays out in logical and watchable fashion, uncommon in movies of this type where character interest is just filler between the action set pieces. The good cast and script unfortunately cannot overcome the film's other shortfalls. The chase scenes are poorly staged and not very interesting to watch, a fact which demonstrates a lack of understanding of action movie priorities. Action fans will overlook bad acting and clunky dialogue in the service of an adrenaline fueled stunt extravaganza, but not the other way around. Additionally, the environmental threats along the way, particle storms and hot spots, could also have been better staged and are hurt by the film's low budget. Damnation Alley this is not, despite superficial similarities. There is a decent shootout at an outpost along the journey, but not much else of interest to action hounds. Overall, Neon City is not a complete waste of time thanks to its cast and script, but has little to recommend itself as an actioner. It was directed by a TV actor and plays like a TV movie with some action movie business shoehorned in. There are much worse entries in this sub-genre to be fair. The JCVD vehicle Cyborg, for example, was certainly a waste of its admission price. But if you like Beyond Thunderdome, watch that, and if you like Stagecoach watch that. Do not settle for weak imitations.

The first 20 minutes were unimpressive and I thought about bailing on it, but the reviews here were positive so I decided to hang in there and I'm happy that I did. This turned out to be a really well done post-apocalyptic action flick with well-realized characters, strong performances from an ensemble that has believable chemistry, a tight script, and good special effects. The ending is a bit meh, primarily because the script chose not to keep a certain character's proclivities a secret--ambiguity would have been a better choice, I think. You could compare this movie to MANY others--MAD MAX chief among them--but few do it this well. If you're in the mood for serious action/western set after the world ends, check out NEON CITY.

Before seeing this I wrongly assumed that it would have been a bad copy of MAD MAX considering the poster but to my surprise it was very different from that and I ended up liking it for what it was. The story is set in 2053 North America in the State of the western federation where the few survivors of an enviromental upheaval live in some diasporas across the desolated lands, and solar rays make impossible any improvement in the environment. Bounty hunter Harry Stark (Michael Ironside) saves Reno (Vanity) from death by mutant outlaws and has to take her to Neon city, a dangerous place since the environment condition are awful. Stark and Reno go in a tank-like vehicle where they will be joined by various bizarre characters and will survive an attack by a cannibal mutant tribe named Skins. In the end Reno will fall in love with Stark and they'll go together in the search of a better place for a future together. The main reason for watch this is Michael Ironside's acting. Yes, he has many movies with low scores including this one but he often proves to be better than the movies themselves. Here especially shines just like in CHAINDANCE playing a character both gruff and yet likeable. As for the rest, yes it's still a post-apocalyptic adventure but still very entertaining especially in the assault by the Skin tribe. Overall, if you are into post-apocalyptic movies then this one is for you tho you must be forewarned that is not exactly like MAD MAX. BTW Vanity's character is named Reno and Ironside plays a former lawman now turned bounty hunter. Believe it or not this movie was made a year before they made the TV show RENEGADE with Lorenzo Lamas playing a former cop turned bounty hunter named Reno. Perhaps the writer Stephen J. Cannell saw NEON CITY and this movie inspired him for the concept and names of the characters, who knows?

By 2053, extensive ecological damage has resulted in lawless lands that are controlled by mutants. That's the world that Harry Stark (Michael Ironside) lives in, working as a bounty hunter after being a cop. One of his bounties, a woman named Reno (Vanity), ends up being the reason he travels to Neon City on a giant truck. I mean, I've seen worse setups for a movie. Everyone on the trip has some kind of secret. There's Bulk (a clean-shaven Lyle Alzado), a former friend of Starks who he once arrested. A serial killer who is acting like a doctor. The clown Dickie Divine (Richard Sanders, Les Nessman from WKRP In Cincinnati), a rich girl named Twink (Juliet Landau, Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Stark's ex-wife Sandy and an old man named Wing. The train battles through radioactive Xander Clouds, mutant attacks and even visits a diner staffed by mutants. Slowly, Stark and Reno come together while evading the killer on the train and making their way to Neon City. Television writer Ann Lewis Hamilton wrote this as an update to John Ford's Stagecoach. As she'd dealt with sexism in her career, she used the male name Buck Finch as her pen name. Unsurprisingly, despite her writing the lead as a woman, producers instead cast the male Ironside as Stark. This movie looks like a high-end TV movie, because well, it is. I'd recommend it only if you love Vanity, Michael Ironside and post-apocalyptic cinema. Seeing as how I'm cursed by all three of those afflictions, I was caught in its spell against my will.

NEON CITY is another film that openly copies the MAD MAX franchise, in particular part two of the series given that the whole second half of the film involves the main characters inhabiting a truck which is driven through a perilous landscape and chased by nameless bad guys. It's a much lower budgeted and thus inferior product when compared to the George Miller series, but cult film fans might just like this one regardless, mainly due to Michael Ironside who appears in the starring role. Ironside only plays the good guy in a film once in a blue moon but he's the protagonist here and he's excellent, as you might expect. Still a total bad ass, but on the side of good for once. The rest of the film is a mix of cheap action scenes, snowy vistas, and characters arguing and fighting amongst themselves. There's a little humour to lighten the experience and overall it's a fun enough picture, massively enhanced by the reliable Ironside.