Description

When a mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) descends on San Franciscoit's up to two men to uncover his plot and find the massive bomb hiddensomewhere in the city.Steven Seagal stars as the Zen leades of thebomb squad and Tom Sizemore is a vice cop out for vengeance.Featurningspecial appearance by pop sensation Chilli. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

An atrocity
The "Ticker" trailer included on the disc actually starts out with a serious sounding voice over saying, "A cop on the edge...." I couldn't believe a trailer would rely on an action film cliché such as this one. A cop on the edge? Didn't that phrase exhaust itself sometime back in the early 1980s? Actually, the phrase fits director Albert Pyun's 2001 low budget action flick to a T, a flick so loaded with rote formulas we have seen before that it the rip-off factor boggles the mind. Did "Ticker" have a theatrical run? I doubt it. If it did, the box office take must have been minimal. No, this reeks of straight to video release. Come to think of it, I doubt an Albert Pyun film has had a theatrical run since he released "The Sword and The Sorcerer" back in the early 1980s. How this continues to work is beyond me. I've seen several of this hack's films before and sort of admire his unflinching reliance on standard clichés. It just goes to show you that you can have minimal talent and still have a somewhat successful career in the Hollywood B budget movie market. "Ticker" proves this truth.

The cop on the edge in "Ticker" is Ray Nettles (Tom Sizemore), a vice cop with an attitude carrying the horrific memories of witnessing his wife and child perish in an explosion. He spends most of his day hanging out with his partner Art "Fuzzy" Rice (Nas), busting women of the night in San Francisco's dirty slums. Just so we know what Nettles and Rice do all day, and presumably to tell us Sizemore's character isn't a bad guy, "Ticker" supplies with the obligatory scene of a bust where Rice and Nettles catch Lilly (Chilli of TLC fame) with a client. The two cops let her go rather than run her in yet again after she pleads with them to let her go for the sake of her kids (!). A few minutes later, Fuzzy takes the big fall in a gun battle with a trio of brutes in a warehouse. Nettles swears to avenge his partner's untimely demise despite interference from Captain Spano (Joe Spano) and an obnoxious underling who has it in for Nettles. Yep, you heard it right. The conflicts between Nettles and the department establish the classic "cop on the edge" theme. Locked out of the investigation, Ray only has Claire (Jaime Pressly), a girl brought in because of the warehouse shooting, as a possible way to keep his hand in the case. He subsequently turns to the bomb squad for help.

The bomb squad in "Ticker" is a bunch of guys who work outside the normal police channels. Led by Glass (Steven Seagal), an expert on every sort of military and non-military explosive, the crew is a goofy bunch of smart alecks with little time to deal with the rest of the department. They treat Ray Nettles like he's dirt under their shoes-which he is to some extent, or at least he looks like he is-but decides to take the detective under their wing when he shows them an explosive device he found in the warehouse shooting. Seagal finds the break he's been looking for: a series of bombings in the city have flummoxed the higher ups, but with this new evidence Glass and his crew begin to put the pieces together. Turns out Claire has information on a guy named Swann (Dennis Hopper), an Irish terrorist and one of the premier bomb makers in the world. Swann isn't happy about Claire hiding in the police station, so he starts a new campaign of bombings in order to free her. She's got some secrets about his operation and what he's ultimately planning, secrets Glass and his pals would like to learn so they can capture the guy. Eventually, the cops let Claire go so they can trick Swann into coming in, but things go horribly wrong and she gets away. Witness the exciting (yawn) plot twist that follows. The movie wraps up with Seagal and Sizemore working together to bring down the baddies.

"Ticker" should rightly be classified as a disaster movie because that's exactly what it is. The script, acting, action scenes, and plot are terrible. Seagal always strikes wooden poses and delivers lines you'd find in a fortune cookie like he has a mouth full of lead, so picking on him isn't too original. Dennis Hopper, on the other hand, should have known better. Not only does he sport the worst Irish accent ever captured on film, his performance is uninspiring. Does Hopper need a paycheck this badly? Heck, I'd loan him some money if he's this desperate for cash because I hate to see a good actor hit the skids. Perhaps it's not the performers' fault since Pyun's uninspired cinematography and pacing virtually insured the film would tank. This director, at least with this picture, subscribes to the "tell don't show" school of film. We don't even get to see most of the explosions, just someone walking around in the wreckage afterwards. Worse, the booms we do see are shot in such extreme close-ups that you soon realize Pyun didn't have a decent budget to lens shock and awe type pyrotechnics.

Extras on the DVD include the aforementioned "cop on the edge" trailer, production notes, cast and crew biographies, and a few other goodies of questionable interest. This is one of the few films I have seen lately where I actually wished the picture transfer wouldn't be that good. "Ticker" might well classify as the worst action film made in the last ten years. If that interests you, and it should if you like bad films, go ahead and give it a shot. All others need to steer clear.

poor waste of film
This is the first movie I ever saw where I believe the actors didnt care and made up thier lines. This movie had to have been completly free lanced by the actors. Seagal has doomed his career to a plumeting firey death. This is one bad bad movie. why it was ever released is the mystery of the ages.

ho hum
If you are a Seagal fan looking for an exciting action flick you might want to try something else. This is watchable, but nothing special. I rank this with The Patriot, Out For A Kill and The Foreigner as Seagal flicks which miss the mark. All actors have bad films. Seagal has 12 movies I really like, but this ain't one of em.

Another bad movie from the maker of Wrecking Crew & more
Albert Pyun might not have the bad cameras and low budget that he had in Ice-t's Millenium-series (Urban Menace, Wrecking Crew & The Corrupt) but he still is disabled to write a good script.
This isn't even good by low-action-standards, it's one of the worst action movies in years.

Steven Seagal is as bad as only he can be (bad at acting that is).
I wanted to see it couse of the rapper NAS (belly) but he came and went in the time of 4 minutes.
Now that's even less screentime then what Snoop had in the HOT BOYZ, which by the way is 30 times better than this one.

Looks Can Be Deceiving!!
I only bought this movie because it had Nas featured on the cover of the dvd box. It even stated "Starring Nas." Later learning that Nas had very little to nothing to do with the film. He is only featured in the entire movie for a couple of minutes, with a minor role. This wouldn't be so bad if the movie was half-decent, but there is absolutely nothing unique or thrilling about the film. The company that has developed the movie is committing a huge crime of false advertising. Be prepared to see numerous 10 to 15 second cameo appearances from music superstars and actors. So I guess this movie is just like 1993's "Meteor Man?" Do not buy this movie. You WILL regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Direct-to-video stylist Albert Pyun sets this plotless, gun-crazy frenzy to the mambo beat of Prez Prado and runs with it. Mobster Ice-T calls dozens of associates to a newly built prison the day before it's dedicated, locks them in, and pits them against one another for a prize of $10 million, which the last three survivors will split. Bleached blond Christopher Lambert is a grinning psycho having a little too much fun, while the soul of the group belongs to the craggy-faced Michael Halsey, a ruthless killer with an odd sense of purpose and a code of honor. The story is merely an excuse for unending gunplay and giddy violence and Pyun rises to the occasion, executing everything from riotous free-for-alls to elaborate chases to Western-style standoffs (complete with a haunting spaghetti Western style guitar and trumpet theme). The video titles, dingy lighting, and dusky color give away the low budget and ultimately the script doesn't make any sense, but Pyun wisely avoids the confusing plot (which he himself sometimes loses) and concentrates on his particular strength: wild, wicked, practically nonstop action driven by a restless camera and rat-a-tat editing. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Best action movie of 1998 and one of the best ever!!!
This movie is really awesome, I dont like to look at it as just a b-movie but maybe just a low budget action movei, low budget isnt always necessarilly a b-movie. The acting is excellent I think. Christopher Lambert is an outstanding actor and I dont care what anyone says about him, he can play any type of role. Ice-T is in top form, playing the all time bad guy. This movie is very cool, not necessarilly plotless or pointless. Just shows alot of the things mercenaries do, and what they will do for it. This movie has alot of humor, often sexy, even a bit dramatic especially towards the end. And is of course filled with nonstop action, and one of the best. Very enjoyable anybody who likes awesome action movies then check this one out, its killer. And as for the bongo music, I dont normally like that kind of music, but it fits quite well for this movie.

Quick, dirty, and oddly contemplative.
MEAN GUNS stars Christopher Lambert and Pyun regular Michael Halsey, and has only the merest shred of plot to propel the story: a powerful crime syndicate wants revenge on those who betrayed them, so it's set up a free-for-all in an empty prison where the condemned must fight to eliminate one another in six hours, or less. The three left standing get to walk away with some big money in their pockets.

Like most Pyun films, Mean Guns doesn't stand up to intense logical scrutiny, but that's not the point. The movie ends up being oddly contemplative, as the script draws out a handful of troubled characters thrust into a grotesque situation. While the emphasis is clearly on the action -- and there's plenty of it, well-shot as usual -- there are surprising moments of quiet where the audience is allowed to get close to these "bad guys" and come to at least part of an understanding of what their lives are like, what they think and feel. Lambert and Halsey are particularly good here, as a killer who's come unhinged because of a familial tragedy and another who's lost all hope of ever walking away clean, respectively. Good stuff, marred only by a very poor full-screen presentation.

Good Stuff
I am not going to sit here and analyze this movie as some people here who have no jobs and plenty of time do. I am very critical, and at first glance I was like what the hell am i watching over here. But then i just got hooked, something about the movie lures people ain and makes them want to watch it. maybe its the way the mambo music is scripted into the movie or the intersting chracters. Either way its a good movie to have around and laugh at every once in a while

Pulse Pounding This Ain't
You really must hand it to Christopher Lambert. After showing great promise in the action film "Highlander" back in the 1980s, his career rapidly took a nosedive. Lambert could have been the next big action star if he had played his cards right, but instead he followed up his initial success with the lengthy and oftentimes plodding "The Sicilian." Actors who make this type of mistake rarely call it quits; they merely head into the realm of B movies where all things are possible if one is willing to throw such antiquated notions like dignity and art to the wind. The 1997 film "Mean Guns" shows Christopher Lambert at the heights of his nadir. To be honest, Christopher shouldn't carry all of the blame for this lifeless excursion on Mount Boredom: Albert Pyun, a noted hack responsible for numerous dead on arrival film projects, directed this plodder. The fusion of an aging and desperate Lambert with Pyun's questionable abilities virtually insured that this movie would disappoint. What is so sad about the whole thing is that the idea behind "Mean Guns" is an intriguing one that, with a little bit of imagination and a bigger budget, could have been one of the best B movie action films made in the last ten years.

A powerful, and as sometimes hinted at, supernatural crime syndicate decides it is time to take out the trash that has been bleeding the operation over the years. This organization sends out invitations to the top killers who have worked for them in the past, inviting them to a meeting set to take place in a recently constructed prison. None of these thugs know exactly what is in store for them, but they all know that when the boss calls it pays to listen. As the criminals file into the penitentiary, they soon learn what's going on: each of these men and women must use whatever skills they possess to kill all of the others. To add a little spice to the contest, the syndicate stashed ten million dollars in cash somewhere in the prison as a reward to the last three people left standing. Heading up this operation is a platinum toothed Ice-T, a goon of especially unsavory reputation whose role is that of master of ceremonies. T rigged the prison with cameras and cellular phones so he can watch and hear the unfolding carnage as the murderers go at each other with gusto. The syndicate even supplies loads of guns and metal baseball bats at the start of the game to help things move along. Is this whole thing a trick or is the syndicate actually willing to shell out millions to figure out who is the best of the best?

Regrettably, "Mean Guns" fails on so many levels that it is difficult to outline all of the problems. I recognize that many people really enjoy this film as it is, but it could have been so much better. First, a movie that promises not stop action should have some nice, bloody shootouts. Forget about it. "Mean Guns" is as bloodless as an episode of "The A Team." People are beaten, shot, and stabbed with nary a popping squib to show for it. I had to go back and check the rating on this film after watching it because I simply couldn't believe that a 'R' rated film would be this prudish with the sauce. People taking a shotgun blast at close range do have a tendency to bleed, but not here. Sam Peckinpah could have worked wonders with this idea, but in the hands of the stingy Albert Pyun, it simply falls flat. Moreover, the director fails to properly design or photograph the massive gun battles that occur with great regularity throughout the film. Again, using Peckinpah's slow motion mayhem technique would have remedied many of these flaws. I don't know if film fans today just aren't used to seeing bloody action films intelligently captured on celluloid, but this movie had great potential to paint the prison red and it failed completely. What a shame.

The characters suffer due to a tedious, hackneyed script. You simply don't care what happens to most of these characters at any point during the film. Sometimes, films can make criminals interesting if the writer and director take a psychological approach to their subject. Look at "The Godfather" or "Casino" as examples. In "Mean Guns," most of the characters are simply cardboard cutouts serving as mere cannon fodder. An attempt to make Lambert's character, a bleach blond killer who cackles and clucks his way through the movie, suffer from some sort of flashback about the death of a child fails because it really isn't all that interesting either in its execution or in its explanation during the film's final showdown. Don't watch this movie thinking you will see smart characters expertly developed, although Pyun regulars will note the presence of leggy Tina Cote, an actress who appeared in "Omega Doom" and a few other Pyun films. Her head catching on fire provides the only sustainable laughs in this film, and only because it is so incredibly cheesy.

What do you get with the "Mean Guns" DVD? Not much, really. Some trailers and cast bios for Lambert and Ice-T is about it. The transfer looks acceptable at least, and if you like mambo music you're in luck as the whole soundtrack to the picture consists of nothing but mambo tunes. Bloodless gunfire and mambo; that is about the only thing I will remember about this movie. If you want to see a good Christopher Lambert film, watch "Highlander" again, for only die hard fans of the man with the French accent will appreciate this clunker.

mambo, mambo
really great story and I liked the way it played out, though theres some stupid bits and characters that really are just dumb, like Deborah Van Valkenburgh's role, the chick who lives at the end, she was stupid. Lambert is so insane in this one and his fight and gunplay scenes rock ass. Ice-T contributes some knife and gun skills as well. people get smashed, bashesd, gunned down, hung, stabbed, strangled, hit by bats, hit by frying pans and other cool ways to die. vicious fight scenes ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great story with an excellent Charles Sheen
The story could have been written by Stephen King: Psychologically down because of the emotional stress of his job ex-investigator and bestseller author James MacGregor (Charles Sheen) moves from America to the Scottish Highlands. But instead getting some peace to sort out his life he becomes the target of an serial killer who sends him faxes to announce upcoming murders. A dead girl found in his garden makes him the local police's No.1 suspect. This means back to work for MacGregor to find the true killer. Charles Sheen's performance is absolutely brilliant, another proof of his wide spread talents as an actor. Seems he easily plays every role, no matter if it's comedy or serious material.

good crime flick
Good comeback role for Sheen.About a messed up kid who has an inkling towards dead women,and the Scottish investigators and washed out American detective/writer who tracks him down.Plays like a fast-paced episode of "The Bill" and lots of morbid connotation.Overall while lacking the original touch present in crime movies these days,it still has a slight edge over it American counter parts. ... Read more

Description

BLACK MASK: Action has a new superhero - Black Mask - in this dazzling and explosivemartial arts extravaganza!Following his harrowing escape from asecret, superhuman commando unit known as Squad 701, Black Mask takes ona new identity as a quiet librarian named Tsui Chik.His life ofnormalcy is shaken when a murderous rampage against all of Hong Kong'sdrug dealers is linked to Squad 701, forcing him to return as the BlackMask in order to stop their campaign of murder before it's too late! TICKER:When a mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) descends on San Francisco it's up totwo men to uncover his plot and find the massive bomb hidden somewherein the city.Steven Seagal stars as the Zen leades of the bomb squadand Tom Sizemore is a vice cop out for vengeance.Featurning specialappearance by pop sensation Chilli. ... Read more