The Ultimate PM Entertainment Countdown
PM Entertainment had a direct to video empire back in the 1990’s. Their various titles could be found on video store shelves around the world. Over the past five years, the movies of PM Entertainment have been a big part of Bulletproof Action proving that while PM Entertainment is gone, they are certainly not forgotten.
As Bulletproof Action celebrates our fifth anniversary today, I thought it would be fitting to also celebrate the legacy of PM Entertainment and their contributions to the action genre by presenting the Ultimate PM Entertainment Countdown.
But I wasn’t going to compile this list all on my own… First, I looked to fellow members of the Bulletproof Action staff… Chad Cruise, Matt Spector, Chris DePetrillo and the newest member of the team, Todd Gaines for their opinions.
I asked for the input of members of the PM Entertainment fan group on Facebook (Thanks to Esa, Jonathan, Robb and Pasi).
Then I reached out to some kindred spirits from across the pond… Will from Exploding Helicopter (the perfect partner for a PM Entertainment Countdown)… Filmmaker and friend of the site Dominik Starke (he actually worked with PM Entertainment regular Don “The Dragon” Wilson on his movie The Hitman Agency)… and last but not least, video connoisseur James Burke.
In fact, it was in my discussion with James that he really hit the nail on the head when discussing the appeal of PM Entertainment…
James Burke: Action brings reaction, and the folks behind the PM Entertainment Group certainly knew how to get a reaction out of me with their collective filmography, no window was safe when action was called. The movies and their budgets were most probably tailored to the stars they employed, B list to some but to me they were A listers.
I couldn’t have said it any better James, so I didn’t. But I will say, lets get to the countdown…
Todd Gaines: It’s Romeo + Juliet meets West Side Story meets kickboxing as Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Maria Ford heat up the screen as forbidden lovers caught in the middle of a gang / turf / kickboxing club war. The baddies are like the kids from 90210 on roids, and there’s a character who could be the Asian Apollo Creed.
Chris DePetrillo: Ring of Fire was, of course, the West Side Story of the martial arts genre. It allowed Don “The Dragon” Wilson to give his character a little more dimension than we were used to seeing in movies like Bloodfist. I still feel like the movie ended a little abruptly, and that the series (much like most DTV martial arts series) went a little off the rails from the original premise. That said, 1 and 2 are two of PM’s better entries, though I admittedly find 3 to be a bit dull.
Chris The Brain: Don “The Dragon” Wilson’s first foray into the world of PM Entertainment had a Shakespearean quality to it mixed with Don’s incredible kickboxing skills… it was the start of a beautiful relationship between the The Dragon and Richard Pepin and Joseph Merhi.
Chris DePetrillo: A Dangerous Place may have had the most notable cast in PM history, as PM’s young mainstay TJ Roberts was surrounded by film veterans like Corey Feldman, Mako, Dick Van Patten, and Erin Gray. Plus, it’s a movie that had antagonists that were equal parts Cobra Kai and street gang, led by Feldman, and whose members included Tony from the classic TNBC sitcom California Dreams. If that’s not a movie that was tailor made for yours truly, I don’t know what is.
Will Slater: PM Entertainment transpose one of their typical ‘martial artist avenging his dead brother’ plots to a high school with spectacular results. Among the many highlights are a scenery chewing Marshal Teague as an evil karate sensei, and Corey Feldman who absolutely owns the film as the supposedly teenage (Corey was 23 years old at the time) leader of a criminal gang.
Chad Cruise: It may be an unpopular opinion but I never cared for The Karate Kid. He never seemed tough enough for me. Things may have been different if instead of just some bullying at his new school, his brother was killed and then meant to look like a suicide! While that info might have given Mr. Miyagi a stroke, A Dangerous Place uses this exact story to turn young Ted Jan Roberts into a little ball of karate revenge. Throw in Marshall R. Teague, Mako, Corey Feldman, and Principal Dick Van Patten, and you’ve got a bonafide PM hit on your hands!
Will Slater: In the world of The Sweeper, vigilante cops get paid thousands of dollars, live in a swanky mansion and drive expensive cars all on the Government’s, secretly-funded, dime. Still, such credulity stretching ideas do have one happy outcome. They’re the perfect excuse for PM to stage not one, but two terrific car chases, a rooftop foot pursuit, and an aerial fist-fight on the wings of a bi-plane. What more do you want from a 90 minute film?
Todd Gaines: C. Thomas Howell looks like he’s running late to a Color Me Badd concert, but boy does The Sweeper pack an action punch. Loaded with magnificent motorcycle riding, crazy car chases, exploding explosions, monologues about breakfast cereal, steamy showers, glorious gun fights and sick stunts; The Sweeper delivers everything us action junkies live for.
Matt Spector: The Sweeper is just how I like my C.Thomas Howell movies; with late 90’s threads and hair; with late 90’s ‘tude; with above average action set pieces; and of course with Ed Lauter.
Chad Cruise: This film might just be Jeff Wincott’s greatest accomplishment and one of the jewels of the PM Entertainment library. Filled with enough car chases and exploding things to wet your action whistle for weeks to come.
Chris The Brain: No matter the movie, Jeff Wincott gives all of his characters a depth you don’t often find in action heroes. But Jeff didn’t have to do all the heavy lifting in Last Man Standing, thanks to a supporting cast that featured Jonathan Banks of Breaking Bad fame. And it is the performances that helped elevate this movie and prevented it from being an average PM Entertainment flick.
Todd Gaines: Yes! They really go all Weekend at Bernie’s in a crazy as hell finale at the subway station. Jeff Wincott is so underrated as an action star, and when your lead baddie is named Snake, you know you’re in for a treat.
Chris DePetrillo: Underground fighting with a lead villain played by The Ultimate Warrior. I didn’t need to know anything else about this movie, and as far as I’m concerned you don’t either. Just see it!
Chris The Brain: Firepower may have had more PM Entertainment tropes than any other PM Entertainment movie. The underground fight ring, the vehicular mayhem, blowing shit up, a double dose of action stars and taking a chance on a novice actor in a major role… all the things synonymous with PM.
Will Slater: This futuristic buddy cop film, sees Gary Daniels and Chad McQueen go undercover in the lawless “hell zones” in order to break up a gang of criminals who are counterfeiting an AIDs vaccine. Naturally – given that this is a PM Entertainment film – this necessitates our cop heroes taking part in a punch-fighting contest rather than doing any actual detective work. Throw in the usual array of explosions, car flips and fights and you have another VHS-era winner.
Chad Cruise: Anna Nicole Smith is dead now but that didn’t stop her in 1996 from having great tits. Her acting is an abomination and nothing about this movie is impressive except for her bust-size and the logistics of how a top even holds those things in. Her bra must be made of spider silk or something. It gets a spot on my list for the sheer audacity of PM to let this woman have a starring role in her own movie.
Todd Gaines: I’m a sucker for Die Hard concept movies, films starring Playboy Playmates and human train wrecks. Lucky for me, Skyscraper fits all 3 categories.
Chris DePetrillo: Skyscraper (not to be confused with The Rock’s recent blockbuster) had everything it needed to draw you in right there on the VHS cover. Anna Nicole Smith holding a gun, with a helicopter and an exploding skyscraper in the background. It’s not a great movie by any means, it was very much like Anna Nicole’s Playboy appearances once Jenny and Pam came into prominence; it might not be the best of its kind, but it served its purpose well enough.
Dominik Starck: Post-T2 Robert Patrick as FBI’s action machine in a movie that co-stars Titus Welliver (these days better known as BOSCH) and Fleetwood Mack’s Mick Fleetwood. Seriously, what’s not to love about that? (Side note; still not available regularly in Germany due to violence)
Todd Gaines: You know your movie is cool when Robert Patrick rides a motorcycle. This revenge flick has Robert Patrick acting all T-1000 like as he hunts down the baddies responsible for murdering his family. Plus, it features killer knock knock jokes and Mick Fleetwood screams after he gets shot in the head. Quality PM Entertainment.
Chris The Brain: A vigilante Robert Patrick running roughshod. A rogue’s gallery of villains. I can’t help but sing the praises of Zero Tolerance and the song I’d sing would be… Ay yi yi yi… I love this movie!
Matt Spector: Who would ever think to give Gary Daniels and the 1998 movie Recoil one of the greatest car chases in movie history? PM Entertainment and director Art Camacho of course.
Will Slater: There’s a good case for ranking Recoil as PM Entertainment’s best film. The production oozes a quality and slickness that the films at the beginning and end of PM’s run typically lacked. But while undoubtedly one of PM’s best films, it’s also one of their most conventional efforts and some viewers may miss the quirkier elements that often found their way into their other offerings.
Todd Gaines: You know your car chase is fantastic when the car jumps up into the air, and crashes into a traffic light. Gary Daniels is dynamite. Baddies better watch out because he’s a one man killing machine and he’s out for justice. Oh, how I love the fight on top of the limo. Recoil is must see PM Entertainment!
Will Slater: T-Force gives you top notch mis-matched buddy cop entertainment plus a riotously explosive 90 minutes of near non-stop action. Jack Scalia is a treat as the grouchy, hard boiled, ‘shoot-first ask questions later’ cop, aghast at a future where the fun bits of his job – essentially, beating up punks and shooting people – are now done by robots.
Chris The Brain: T-Force had everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. Case in point, there’s a story with some real heart and depth and then there is also Deron McBee reading a porno mag.
Todd Gaines: A buddy cop flick with a hint of T2 and Alien Nation. Jack Scalia is silky smooth as the cop who hates robots. Bobby Johnston from Late Nite Cinemax acts his butt off as his not so quite human robot partner, and Evan Lurie from American Kickboxer 2 fame, owns the main baddie role. My favorite moment? The Middle Finger of Death.
Todd Gaines: Gary Daniels is an excellent fighter with strong kicking and gunplay skills. Mad props for having a shootout at a mall video store that only stocks PM Entertainment movies and posters. My highlights? When Baddie Fat Cop Kelly steals a school bus and plays a deadly game of chicken with Gary’s big truck and when random man with a shotgun saves the day for our hero. I love it!
Will Slater: Let’s deal with this upfront: the plot is a total mess. But overlook that, and what you have is a primo-demonstration of PM Entertainment’s mastery of stunt work. The film opens with an amazing vehicular pursuit that involves, cars, lorries, and finally a school bus before culminating in the sort of outrageous stunt that the Fast & Furious franchise has now made their own. Later there’s a ‘how did they do that?’ sequence on top of a skyscraper. Not only that, you get Gary Daniels as cinema’s most unconvincing teacher since Arnie in Kindergarten Cop. Brilliant.
Chad Cruise: Arguably the greatest Gary Daniels film of all time, and coincidentally, the greatest PM Entertainment film of all time. If you learn anything from Rage it should be that you should never underestimate anyone with a British accent. That’s pretty much how the War of 1812 lasted so long…Here, Daniels is a school teacher turned lab rat who becomes the unwitting recipient of a super serum that makes this movie a little like Jason Statham’s Crank but without all the Dwight Yoakum and public sex. Daniels gets to beat up loads of people and there is the usual amount of vehicle explosions that you should expect from a PM Entertainment movie.
