Cyber Tracker (1994)

The Film

In the near future, the justic system has become computerised and cyber trackers are used to execute wanted criminals on command. Eric (Don 'The Dragon' Wilson) is working as a security guard for the head of the Cyber Tracker Corporation and Senator Dilly who is a proponent of the programme that is receiving heavy protests. A group opposed to the automated justice system try and kill the senator, but Eric is quick to kill the assassins. He changes his allegiance though when the company boss executes a woman who has been stealing secrets from the company and he finds himself on the run from cyber trackers and the company's head of security Ross (Richard Norton).

Written by PM Entertainment regular Joe Hart (Zero Tolerance (1994)), Cyber Tracker is an all-out action film with a little light plotting to give context. The storyline is pretty simple, the film never goes into detail about why crime in this unspecified American city is so bad, nor even how the cyber-justice system actually works, it seems to still require human input to specify the targets and presumably investigate the crimes. The cyber trackers are almost unstoppable robotic killing machines, who can also drive stick and who are designed to carry out on-the-spot executions, like less nuanced Judges from 2000 A.D. comics.

The first third of the film is a pretty constant mix of action scenes and vital plot - at the beginning we are a little unclear just who the heros and villains are and although we initially assume the 'terrorists' to be the bad guys, they soon turn out to be the good side - the film never develops this ambiguity though and the robotics company become your typical Evil Incorporated. The middle third suffers a bit as Eric joins forces with the protest group and the script isn't really up to the job of building characters or providing much additional storyline development. The tracker attack on the protester's hideout which is the highlight of this section is also rather flawed with the anodroid suddenly forgetting his power of precise shooting seen in the opening and just firing randomly as people sneak out and escape (being bullet proof he could surely just walk up to the people shooting and disable them?). Fortunately the final third returns us to the action with the inevitable showdowns and some neat endings to wrap things up (even if it is slightly cheesy in places).

Experience action film cinematographer and director Richard Pepin (Fist of Honor (1993)) does the business here, packing the film with some dramatic and explosion filled action scenes, the fights are a mix of martial-arts and gunplay which are edited to be always watchable (not saddled with the ADHD-editing or CGI blood of most modern actioners) - unfortunately it does fall into the trap of so many DTV films of having the action scenes almost entirely at night and even the interior scenes are lit only by (futuristic) blue lights, making them rather murky. The soundtrack is generic for the most-part although some syntehsised choral chants provide an unusual tone.

Don "The Dragon" Wilson, multiple time world kick-boxing champion takes the lead role and is a surprisingly good actor (better than most pro-wrestlers who are required to do a lot more 'acting' in their day job), most importantly he looks really good in the action scenes and his blend of martial arts styles is thoroughly believable - he is hitting people to knock them down fast, not getting into showy kung-fu brawls. Richard Norton plays his opposite number as the head of the security team, although he only gets the one good action scene, going up against Don in the finalé. Jim Maniaci is very well cast as the tracker, with a meanacing and unemotive look. The rest of the casting is solid.

It has its flaws, an underpaced middle third and a very limited storyline, but Cyber Tracker is all about the action scenes and it delivers here with some wonderfully over-top explosive car chases and well filmed (if underlit) martial-arts and gunplay. Fans of the PM Entertainment canon and low budget 90s DTV action films will find plenty to enjoy here, it is not for anyone hoping to see detailed storylines or characters.

In Brief

The DVD

Summary

• Underplotted but well served with over-the-top action scenes. One for DTV action fans only.

• A medium quality VHS looking DVD.

Links

• IMDB entry

• For explanations of technical terms, see the DVD Dictionary.

All text in this review written by Timothy Young - 16th November 2014.
Text from this review not to be used without authorization.

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