Bullet Points: Raiders of the Sun
Richard Norton may be one of the more unusung action stars of all-time.
In front of the camera, Norton has proven to be effective as both a hero and a villain… Behind the camera, Norton has proven to be a highly skilled fight choreographer and stunt coordinator.
Richard Norton may not have achieved the level of fame and fortune that some of his action contemporaries have, but Norton’s quality contributions to the action genre have provided him with steady work and career longevity.
Today, in honor of Richard Norton’s birthday, I am looking back at one of the numerous films Norton made with director Cirio H. Santiago, 1992’s Raiders of the Sun…
- Insurrectile Dysfunction: A democratic society known as the Alpha League has risen from the ashes of nuclear war. But there are those who oppose the League, including the traitorous Colonel Clay (William Steis) who is looking to topple the Alpha League and insert himself as supreme leader. But Clay and his army find themselves out gunned and on the run thanks in great part to two key members of the Alpha League’s forces… Brodie (Richard Norton, Rage and Honor) and Talbot (Blake Boyd). After the war is won by the Alpha League, Brodie is immediately given an assignment to find more gun powder to replenish the Alpha League’s inventory, but Talbot is looking to get out of the game…
- Village of the Damned: With the war between the Alpha League and Clay’s rebel forces seemingly over, Talbot’s tour of duty has come to an end and he has plans on heading home to his wife, Vera (Brigitta Stenberg, Rapid Fire). But before Talbot can get back to Vera, his home village is raided by a gang of Mad Max types led by a maniac named Hoghead (Rick Dean, Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight). There’s plenty of carnage and Vera is ultimately captured and locked up in Hoghead’s stockade. Brodie, who was on his way to find more gunpowder, passed by a moment too late and saw Vera get taken away. When Talbot shows up Brodie fills him in on what he saw and the two head to a notoriously rough town known as Valentine where the Hoghead gang is known to frequent.
- Unholy Alliance: Brodie and Talbot aren’t the only ones joining forces… Colonel Clay is not done with the Alpha League just yet… but with more than 300 of his men dead and another 250 injured, Clay realizes that he is going to have to bolster his ranks. So Clay turns to his “brother” Hoghead. I am going to guess that Clay and Hoghead aren’t blood brothers and instead Clay is just one of those guys who calls everyone brother. Hoghead agrees to lend some of his men to Colonel Clay… but Clay still needs more gunpowder if he’s going to make another run at the Alpha League.
- My Bloody Valentine: When they arrive in Valentine, Brodie and Talbot go their separate ways… Brodie meets a mountain girl named Sierra and finds out her mountain village has a whole mine full of gunpowder… Talbot meets some of Hoghead’s lieutenants at the local watering hole, posing as a guy looking to join Hoghead’s ranks. Talbot impresses Hoghead’s underlings with his cobra killing skills and soon Talbot finds himself being invited back to Hoghead’s lair, which will get him once step closer to rescuing Vera.
- The Hunt for Black Powder: Brodie ends up at Sierra’s mountain village where he does his best to claim the gunpowder for the Alpha League, but Sierra’s father (the village elder) is not interested in turning over the mine to the Alpha League, even though Brodie warns them others will be coming for the gunpowder… and sure enough that’s about when Colonel Clay and his freshly stocked army show up and start shooting up the place and stealing a shit ton of gunpowder. Now Clay is ready for round two with the Alpha League! But is Clay ready for Brodie and a station wagon full of gun powder and little people?
Raiders of the Sun felt a lot like another Richard Norton/Cirio H. Santiago post apocalyptic film that I reviewed some months ago, Equalizer 2000, and for good reason… some of the footage used in Raiders of the Sun was recycled from 1987’s Equalizer 2000 as well as 1985’s Wheels of Fire.
The key thing that seperated Raiders of the Sun from Equalizer 2000 was the inclusion of Blake Boyd’s Talbot character. Talbot has his own individual storyline and his scenes almost feel like a bonus and speaking of bonuses, here’s some Bonus Bullet Points…
- AKA: Raiders of the Sun was released as Rescue Man in Germany.
- If You Ever: …wanted to watch a movie with a prison guard named Meatball, then Raiders of the Sun is the movie for you.
- Personal Question Quote: “What’s a matter son, you got an itch in your jock strap?”
- If You Ever: …wanted to see an army filled with soldiers wearing modified football helmets, then Raiders of the Sun is the movie for you.
