THE HUNT FOR EAGLE ONE: CRASH POINT (2006)
Directed by: Henry Crum
Screenplay: Michael Henry Carter
Starring: Mark Dacascos, Theresa Randle & Jeff Fahey
Much like the first Hunt for Eagle One this quickie sequel stacks on some sweet military jungle action despite a threadbare budget and plot. Dacascos and Randle are back as their characters from the first flick but good ole Rutger Hauer seems to have jumped ship and been replaced by good ole Jeff Fahey. He’s the gruff general on the sidelines barking orders and delivering a monotone voiceover. Meanwhile, Dacascos and his crew are sent off into the jungle and various shantytowns looking for an evil despot who has a device that is capable of crashing commercial airline jets. Having been the damsel in distress in the first film, Randle tags along with Dacascos and his team getting in on the action this time around. Gunfire aplenty follows.
Again much like the first film, Crash Point takes a good twenty minutes or so before it really gets going with some cheap looking credits, lots of stock footage and Fahey rambling on before the soldiers are sent on their mission. Once out in the jungles the flick sets a good pace and production values seem to improve, the filmmakers obviously spending their money (or what money they had) on the hunt-for-the-bad guy mission part of the story. It’s all pretty straightforward tough and gruff military stuff with some cheesy tough talk thrown in. The cast don’t get much more to do than run and shoot and Fahey pops up now and again to tell everyone how important the mission is.
Despite the low rent feel The Hunt for Eagle One films are pretty entertaining. Crash Point arguably has superior, tenser and better-sustained action scenes than the first film, with several running gun battles adding some much needed oomph to proceedings as well as effectively padding out the running time. A big gun battle that takes place at the enemy’s jungle compound (a set/location recycled from the previous film) and the epic chase/shootout through the maze like streets of a shantytown are the highlights and are impressively staged. Incorporating military tactics with chase thrills (and lots of gunfire) these action scenes are exciting stuff. As mentioned Randle gets in on the action this time around and Dacascos even gets a nifty little fight scene towards the end, an aspect which was sorely missing from the first instalment.
The Hunt for Eagle One films are low budget Roger Corman produced films for sure (meaning they are equal parts naff and awesome!) and will probably appeal more to the military action nut but with an always watchable genre cast and decent amounts of well executed action they’re worth a look.
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