Bullet Points: Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster

I recently engaged in a Twitter discussion about the head scratching fact that 1989’s Snake Eater starring Lorenzo Lamas had not one but two sequels. This is not to say that Snake Eater was a horrible film, but when you compare it to superior action films like Blind Fury or Action Jackson that never got a sequel… you remember that life is not fair.

• Community Service: The movie starts off with our hero, Soldier Kelly (Lorenzo Lamas, Final Impact), checking in on Speedboat (Larry B. Scott, Iron Eagle). We learn that Soldier busted Speedboat a while back and now Speedboat is making good on his court ordered community service, teaching dance classes at the local community center. Soldier and Speedboat’s visit is cut short when two of the teenagers at the community center pass out. One of the teenagers dies, the other (Speedboat’s sister) is in a coma. It is learned that both of the teenagers had cocaine cut with rat poison in their systems.

• Insane in the Membrane: With his sister clinging to life, Speedboat has worked himself up into a lather. Speedboat wants to go after the pushers who sold his sister the coke and take them out… but he’s not the only one. Soldier Kelly, despite currently being on suspension with the police department, decides to dish out some off the books justice. The end result, Soldier ends up killing four drug pushing low lifes and is arrested for these illegal actions. Soldier’s public defender convinces him to plead insanity, which means instead of prison, Soldier will be sent to the Stonehurst Psychiatric Hospital where he will receive a full psychological evaluation to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder.
• The Perfect Alibi: Once he gets inside Stonehurst, Soldier can’t help but notice some of his fellow patients eating Chinese food. When he inquires about it, he finds out there is a way in and out of Stonehurst that none of the staff know about. Soldier realizes he can do some serious drug busting now and the police would never suspect him, but this time Soldier isn’t going to go after the little fish, he’s going after the big fish in the drug game… more specifically mafia kingpin Salvatore Franco.

• The War on Drugs: Soldier and Speedboat become a formidable team, with Speedboat posing as Soldier’s lawyer so he can visit him at Stonehurst and feed him information and strategize their attacks on Franco. Phase 1 of their plan is setting fire to 11 million dollars worth of Franco’s cocaine inventory. Phase 2 is taking out one of Franco’s top men (with some help from a laxative) but Phase 3 proves to be the trickiest of them all, crashing a high level organized crime meeting being held at Franco’s well guarded estate.

Would I rather have seen an Action Jackson 2 than Snake Eater II? You better believe it… but I hold no grudge against Snake Eater II. It was an enjoyable action sequel that did not take itself too seriously. Which was not surprising since that was the same vibe of the original. The surprise factor in Snake Eater II was Larry B. Scott’s Speedboat, who had time to shine as Soldier’s more than capable sidekick.

One missed opportunity in Snake Eater II was not licensing the song “Let it Snow” for the big finale in Franco’s fortified conference room… but maybe not spending money on licensed music is one of the reasons why Snake Eater had a sequel and Action Jackson did not.

Don’t miss your opportunity to read these Bonus Bullet Points…

• Quality Slogan: Speedboat manages to procure a super conspicuous plumbing van that includes the slogan, “You Dump, We Pump!” on the side.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Lorenzo Lamas make a bomb while wearing nothing but a towel, then Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster is the movie for you.
• Familiar Faces: Kathleen Kinmont (CIA Code Name: Alexa) is a face familiar to many Lorenzo Lamas projects. In Snake Eater II she played Detective Lisa Forester. This would mark the first time Lamas and Kinmont appeared on screen together…. Ron Palillo (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives) was back as Torchy, the fire bug. Torchy is one of the other Stonehurst residents. I may have missed it, but I don’t believe that Soldier acknowledged that he knew Torchy from the first movie. Maybe he forgot he was in the first film, I know I did.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Lorenzo Lamas wheelchair joust on the roof of a medical facility, then Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster is the movie for you.
• Quality Catchphrase: “Do shit stink?” – Speedboat