(1992)
Dir - Richard Stanley
Overall: MEH
While Dust Devil is admirably ambitious and refreshing in how it spends virtually zero time during its first act to ease the viewer into any kind of conventional coherence, Richard Stanley's follow-up to Hardware gets increasingly disappointing as it goes on. Stanley initially presented a 120 cut of the film, which was then shortened to a 110, then given a screening at 95, only to be very briefly shown in one theater during one week at a mere 87, finally getting official "directors cuts" put out at both 105 and 114 minutes. The confusing number of versions unleashed certainly does not help make the movie any more forgiving. While it is remarkably photographed on location in the South African country Namibia, (which became recently independent at the time), and some of the mystifying mood carries some scenes through better than others, the story seems rather incomplete. All of the characters are underwritten and by the time that they start yelling cliched dialog and pull guns on each other practically out of nowhere near the end, it gets into schlock territory quite jarringly. Even at the film's most generous running time, there are still some key ingredients missing that one could ponder were never there to begin with.
(1994)
Dir - Stephen Norrington
Overall: MEH
By the mid 90s, virtually all testosterone-driven action movies had become parodies of themselves and Death Machine, (the debut by special effects artist turned writer/director Stephen Norrington), embraces its goofiness in all details. Performance-wise it is comedic with every character being so over the top, yelling all of their cornball dialog to the point that they are literally shaking on screen. None of the players are more jacked-up to eleven than Brad Dourif whose role as an anarchist hacker was not only tailor made for him but also one of the most 1990s things ever. To say that Death Machine is derivative of any and every trapped in a building/robot on the loose/computers are things/evil corporations/everything is blue and made of metal action movie is an understatement. It is difficult to enjoy how moronic all of its shameless, B-movie components are even when it routinely proves not to be taking itself that seriously. Norrington would follow this up with the wildly superior first entry into the Blade franchise, but he also ended his career thus far with the infamously wretched The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen flop which rather cancels out anything good in his filmography. For fans of Dourif's steady and true overacting and all things loud, explody, and dumb, this one effortlessly delivers.
(1995)
Dir - Lewis Gilbert
Overall: MEH
The only horror film by prolific British director Lewis Gilbert, (who had helmed three in the James Bond franchise before, as well as many other things), was the James Herbert novel adaptation Haunted, a movie which ultimately comes undone by a generous amount of plot holes. While some of the effects have not aged all that well, there are thankfully very few of them and it is more the haunted mansion, supernatural skeptic, and "family with a dark secret" cliches that make the film too generic to really standout against the hordes of others that are so very similar in nature. Gilbert does not necessary prove to have that keen of an eye for interesting horror set pieces, shooting most of the ghostly scenes in non-atmospheric light while relying heavily on rather stock "scary" music. Meanwhile, the same stuff we have experienced a thousand times like loud banging noises and children standing/walking in the distance are meant to represent the chilling bits. The script has a handful of unsettling and macabre twists, but the main revelation makes everything prior crumble like a house of cards, taking most of the impact away from it. On the plus side though, it is strong performance-wise with Aidan Quinn and a young Kate Beckinsale standing out as the leads.
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