CyberTracker (1994)

Here's a lively actioner with plenty of firepower but not much brain power behind it. Yep, we're back in the world of '90s straight-to-video cheapo science fiction thrillers and CYBER TRACKER shamelessly rips off THE TERMINATOR for much of its action sequences and plot ideas. Yes, the plot is light and merely an excuse for copious amounts of action, ranging from numerous explosions, car crashes, martial arts mayhem and extended shoot-outs, and you just end up wanting more out of the film in the end. I've lost track of all the flicks like this that were made in the '90s, mindless entertainment which doesn't register at all and which I probably will have completely forgotten about in a few days time. It's not that the film is that bad, it's not, and at least all the cast and crew have a minimum of skill behind them. It's just that the ambitious (but unimaginative) storyline is severely hampered by the low budget which states that all action scenes must take place in the dark in cheap-looking sets.Thanks to the lack of imagination on the part of the scriptwriters, the film's fate hangs on the strength of these action scenes which are pretty but very routine; it's amazing that so much action can be so unexciting. Pepin seems to have an obsession with filming cars flying up ramps and crashing down in flames which is nice the first time but soon becomes plain stupid. One time, a huge black van hits a car facing horizontally across its path and instead of ramming it to one side or flipping it in the air, the van instead flies OVER the bonnet and crashes into flames. There seems to be no logic behind these vehicle stunts.The "Trackers" of the title - there are about half a dozen, all played by the same big butch bald guy - are very unimpressive creations; somebody obviously hoped to emulate Arnie's menace but Jim Maniaci is a poor man's substitute for Schwarzenegger. He just looks like a typical street thug you see in a lot of movies with no visible intelligence. The minimal robot special effects involve the Trackers getting limbs blown off, shot and exploded, which leads to some cheap mechanical make-up effects and some weird animation of a "polymorph" substance inside these cyborgs (huh? what rot!). You've just gotta laugh at the opening shot, which rips off the beginning of TERMINATOR 2 as a Tracker enters a nightclub and surveys the crowd for possible threats complete with green robo-vision! The extended shoot-outs are monotonous and stupid, because the Trackers only hit their targets when it's convenient (ie. killing a minor character), and excessively violent as injured innocents are repeatedly shot in the chest in a cold-hearted manner. The martial arts scenes are okay but unimpressively shot, despite the best efforts of the cast. And what of the cast mired in this no-budget display of ineptitude? The lead is straight-to-video action man Don "The Dragon" Wilson, who has about half the acting ability of your average Van Damme but is pretty good at showing off his high kicks. Stacie Foster is the worthless love interest, and along with her the rest of the supporting good guys are so wooden and uninteresting characters that you don't give two hoots when they get massacred. The bad guys are far more interesting, led by the slimy John Aprea and Joseph Ruskin as a slimy corporate reptilian dude who unmistakably looks like Reggie Nalder. Also hanging around as a heavy is Australian martial artist Richard Norton. Sadly, this can't save what is undeniably cheap and tacky bottom-of-the-barrel slice of home video entertainment.

Dragon 'The Don' Wilson is a hardcase bodyguard working for OCP, I mean Cybercore, creators of Robocop, I mean Cyber Tracker, big robotic fellows who are definitely not like Terminators at all, who go around around executing (and definitely not terminating) convicted murderers. Turns out Cybercore, and the local senator guy, are all corrupt and stuff and are secretly executing some bunch of do-gooders protesting against the Trackers. This doesn't sit well with Don "The Wilson" Dragon, who becomes a turn coat and gets a tracker set on him as a result. All he wanted to do was pine after his departed wife while talking to his robot house, Agnes 4000 (Agnes?).So now The "Dragon Don" Wilson is being chased by a Robo-Tracker of the Cyber Cop variety, and that would be enough to put a dampner on someone's day, but he's also got another enemy on his tail: Richard Norton of City Hunter fame. Richard (great hair man, great hair) thinks that these cyber skinheads aren't too good (and he's right) and he also thinks that he would be better at kicking Dragon Ball 'W''s arse (and he's wrong), which leads to a bizarre half kickboxing, half rolling around on the floor fight.Full of cars and trucks exploding, people firing several tons worth of bullets at each other, kickboxing and evil company bosses, Cyber Tracker probably contains enough action to keep your mind off your life for an hour and a half. They even through in a shower scene with Dragson Won Ildon for those who like to see Kickboxing champions have a shower.Bears no resemblance at all to Robocop, Terminator, Cyborg Cop, Cyborg Cop 2, Cyborg, Atomic Cyborg or Gofrey Ho's Robo Vampire (where it all started, I believe).

Plot Synopsis: Los Angeles in the future. Crime is kept under control by Core Trackers, android assassins dispatched by the United States Computerized Judicial System to execute the guilty. Secret Service agent Eric Phillips prevents an attack on his boss, Senator Robert Dilly (the man who set up the USCJS), by the Union for Human Rights, a group of anti-machine activists. Dilly attempts to initiate Phillips into his private circle but the SS agent goes on the run after witnessing Dilly murder a UHR agent in cold blood. Dilly sends Core Trackers after him. Phillips joins the UHR group & helps them uncover a conspiracy involving Dilly."Cyber Tracker" is the first of a number of sci-fi / action hybrids directed by Richard Pepin, co-founder of PM Entertainment, a powerhouse of action films during the 1990s. Other Pepin films include "Hologram Man", "T-Force", "The Silencers" & "Dark Breed". Pepin films typically start with a major action sequence which lasts about 10 minutes before allowing the plot to kick in. The script for this film has a few plot holes – it is never clear what the conspiracy the heroes are trying to stop actually is. As for the acting, Don "The Dragon" Wilson may be tough but cannot act for beans, with little charisma. His co-stars are a lot better. The film's best bet are the action scenes, which throw up some impressive artillery fire, a huge bodycount & not one but three moments where a vehicle flies through the air, flips & hits the ground, exploding. The visual effects border on the cheap side & the musical score is low-key & shrill.

Oh, dear! This has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen. It's unbelievably repetitive; every scene seems to consist of people being gunned down, running round screaming, or being kicked in the face, which quickly becomes very dull. I wouldn't mind if the combat was even any good, but it isn't; the main character Phillips pushes the various goons over with ridiculous ease, and no matter how often he stands in full view of the Tracker, he never gets hit, even though extras and minor characters are being shot and blown up all around him. I've rarely seen a worse cast of actors (especially Don Wilson, if you can even call him an "actor") but that's not really surprising, given the dialogue they have to work with (sample line: "Computers killed my brother!"). The plot is a sub-par ripoff of the excellent Terminator; the special effects are laughable. Overall, this film is just utterly dreadful. And why does everything explode?