Bullet Points: Diamond Cut Diamond
Like many martial artists, Gary Daniels was a fan of the legendary Bruce Lee in his youth… but after seeing Daniels in 2001’s Diamond Cut Diamond, I can’t help but believe that the London native also was a fan of Bond… James Bond.
- War Games: Gary Daniels plays Captain Anthony Strong… an awesome name for a hero. When we first meet Captain Strong he is running a war games training exercise in the woods that is cut short when Strong is called upon unexpectedly by Her Majesty’s Service to complete a high priority mission. Strong has to deliver some vital documents needed for a top secret conference taking place in South Africa. Seems pretty cut and dry… but Strong is not going on this mission alone, he will be accompanied by a woman named Monica. I was (and still am) confused by the explanation the Foreign Secretary (John Standing) gives Strong as to why Monica is going on this mission with Strong, but once the duo arrive in South Africa it starts to become clear that this entire mission was nothing more than a smoke screen for the real objective.
- Bait and Switch: Bad guy Karl Wolf (Nick Boraine, Black Sails) has a diabolical plan to become richer than the Queen of England by assassinating a top ranking official and gaining control of the lucrative diamond mines. It turns out that Monica is the sister of a man that Wolf killed in cold blood and Monica was being used as bait to draw Wolf out of hiding… and it worked. Karl Wolf and his minions try to eliminate Strong and Monica in a parking garage (one of the most dangerous locations in all of action movie lore) when the pair first arrive in South Africa. When that doesn’t work Wolf and some of his crew (wearing Michael Jackson masks) infiltrate the high security hotel that Monica is staying at and abduct her… as a bonus they also abduct a female reporter Kirsten Lee (Françoise Yip)… a female reporter that has been romantically linked to Captain Strong in the past no less.
- Damsels in Distress: Now Captain Strong really has his work cut out for him, he needs to rescue Kirsten and Monica and stop Karl Wolf from carrying out his evil plan… Strong finds himself in hand to hand combat on top of a moving train, going incognito to infiltrate Wolf’s camp, discovering a mole that has been feeding Wolf information, staging an assassination and coordinating the final all out assault on Karl Wolf’s compound that ends with a standoff that only a man with the martial arts skills and exceptional reflexes of Captain Strong could pull off.
Diamond Cut Diamond was a diamond in the rough when it started and at times had some clarity issues but the movie became more polished as it went along thanks to the efforts of Gary Daniels and some fun action sequences.
Captain Anthony Strong has a reputation for always finishing his missions and I have a reputation for always finishing my reviews with some Bonus Bullet Points…
- AKA: Diamond Cut Diamond is also known as Witness to a Kill.
- Taking Advantage of the Situation Quote: “Beat it asshole!” – Captain Strong to one of the Michael Jackson masked terrorists
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Gary Daniels pull a woman out of a bubble bath, then this is the movie for you.
- Favorite Quote: “Whatever happened to the old fashioned paper and pencil… bitch?!” – Karl Wolf
- You Been Smooching With Everybody: Captain Strong managed to lock lips with both his ex-lover Kirsten and his traveling companion Monica during the course of the movie.
- Strong Sequel: Gary Daniels would reprise the role of Captain Anthony Strong in Queen’s Messenger.
- End Credits: I was a big fan of the musical selection for the movie’s end credits. It sounded like the type of music that would make a long dead Bernie Lomax find himself dancing in a conga line.
