Zero Tolerance

THE STORY: For some reason Robert Patrick keeps showing up a lot in movies I've seen recently. I had no idea who he even was until his stint in Terminator II. But in the last few weeks I've seen him in about three other movies.  Weird.

Patrick is Jeff Douglas, FBI. While bringing a dangerous drug lord named Ray Manta to the US from Mexico, Douglas and his fellow agents are ambushed. Only Douglas lives and Manta blackmails him into getting his ass to Vegas for a major drug deal. Manta has had his goons go to Douglas' home and hold his wife and two children hostage. With no way to save his family, Douglas reluctantly agrees. The only problem is Manta is EVIL...EEEEVILLLL. He gleefully has his men kill Douglas' family after he's gotten what he wanted. This being an action movie we all know what Douglas does next....he goes ballistic and begins wiping out Manta's organization. Oh I should have told you...Manta is one of the heads of a drug cartel called the White Hand. So what Douglas really does is start whacking the other members of the hand, looking forward to when only Manta is left.

Megan, another FBI agent is appalled at what Douglas is doing. In his quest for vengeance he's broken laws, (obviously) murdered his enemies and endangered innocent people. (Douglas causes a shootout in the middle of a casino) But Megan is even more sickened to find that her superiors intend to let Douglas continue his rampage. The FBI wants to destroy the White Hand and legal means have proved fruitless. The powers that be want Douglas to kill them all and they can arrest him after he's done their dirty work. So naturally she shows up to help Douglas. Actually her character wasn't that interesting. I think she was only in the movie so we could get a little exposition on what the FBI was doing about Douglas. Other than that I can't really tell if she did anything important except try to talk Douglas out of his vengeance. (With a sob story about how some guy murdered her mother and she wants to...but won't...kill the man since he's been released from prison.)

In due time, Douglas wipes out the members of the White Hand saving Manta for last. He doesn't kill Manta, though. He takes him into custody. (!?) Then he kills him, when Manta tries to escape. This wasn't a boring movie, but it damn sure bugged me. Once Douglas goes after the bad guys he's a killing machine. The manages to kill about a hundred guys and not once did I feel like he was in personal danger. Oh, he was in firefights and tight spots, but it never felt as if he might lose. That's poison to most b-movie action flicks. Once you start not caring about the hero it all falls apart. At least for the Inferno.

Miles O'Keefe puts in a part here as Kowalski, a member of the White Hand. Kowalski seems pissed about the violence and murder which makes no sense. He's a drug dealer, for the love of Mike! You can't tell me that murder and violence aren't part of his business. Mick Fleetwood is Vitch. I'm not a big Fleetwood Mac Fan so I'm assuming its THE Mick Fleetwood. (The only reason I ever liked Fleetwood Mac was the teenage crush I had on Stevie Nicks.)

Best Lines: "Hey Manta...two down three to go. You're all gonna die. "- Douglas to his arch nemesis, Ray Manta.

1.) Are drug dealer higher ups so poorly protected? In most of his vengeance Douglas just waltzes up to them and blows them away.

2.) This may sound cold blooded, but what's Megan's problem? She's upset because the FBI is going to let Douglas kill these drug dealers and then arrest him for it when the deed is done. Um, Megan...Douglas has already killed some of them by the time you find this out...so he's in deep dog shit already. Hell, let him have his revenge! He's going to jail anyway, so he might as well kill the rest of the them and save at least a few people from the evils of  "Liquid Heroin". (Yes the movie introduces a new drug, Liquid Heroin. Its not a major point though.)

3.) Manta picks the wrong time to decide to try to escape. In the middle of the courthouse or FBI HQ or wherever..surrounded by at least three law enforcement officers. If he's that stupid he deserves to be killed.

NUDITY AND SEX: None

HUH?: Why izzit that in any movie where a wanted and dangerous criminal is being extradited the authorities only send a few guys to go and get them? Manta has Douglas and two other FBI agents. The two other guys get killed when Manta's henchmen rescue him. So, didn't the FBI realize that an attempt might be made by these guys to save Manta? I mean, they don't need advanced info to figure that out. Hell, If I was there I might have tried to spring him myself! Three middle aged white guys? Why not send more agents and vehicles to this endeavor?

After killing a few million guys Douglas decides killing Manta is wrong and turns him in? Get the flipping fuck outta here! Manta is directly responsible for the deaths of his wife and two toddler aged children! You mean to tell me that this man killed the other members of the White Hand for their peripheral involvement but balked at killing the man that caused all of the problems in the first place? No way, dudes. No way. No man would do that. If you killed my cat you'd at least get a punch in the nose. Kill my wife and TWO young children? Oh, you're dead.

THE TALLY: I saw this flick on a boring weekend night with a pizza and a few cold brews. That's about the only way to watch it. Its won't rock your world but it'll help with those hours where you have nothing better to watch or do.