Bullet Points: Future Hunters
Whenever I am unsure what to watch and what to review for the site, there is always one place I know I can turn… the massive filmography of Director Cirio H. Santiago.
In this installment of Bullet Points, I will look back at Santiago’s 1988 film, Future Hunters featuring Robert Patrick in an early starring role…
- It’s Another Richard Norton Post Apocalyptic Movie: The movie begins with shots of a desert wasteland and some narration to set the stage… the year is 2025, it has been almost 40 years since the great holocaust… a group of rebels is desperately searching the forbidden zone for the spearhead from the Lance of Longinus of Biblical fame… but only one rebel is mankind’s last hope, his name is Matthew and he was played by Richard Norton. Seeing Norton in a post apocalyptic setting, wearing black leather pants with matching vest, I couldn’t help but think of other Richard Norton post apocalyptic movies, Raiders of the Sun and Equalizer 2000. Matthew is in the midst of a car chase when we first see him as he is being pursued by members of Zaar’s evil army… when his car dies, Matthew pulls out his big gun and starts taking out bad guys. But when Zaar sends in reinforcements and some tanks show up, things aren’t looking good for Matthew. But through sheer will, Matthew manages to get to the temple that houses the spearhead of the Lance of Longinus.
- No, It’s a Time Travel Movie: Matthew gets his hands on the spearhead and next thing he knows he is transported back to 1986 and that’s where Matthew is about to meet Michelle (Linda Carol) and her boyfriend Slade (Robert Patrick, Zero Tolerance). Michelle is an anthropology student who is studying the temple, but as Michelle and Slade make their way back to their dune buggy they are confronted by a biker gang. Slade tries to defend his lady, but he is knocked out shortly after trying… things aren’t looking good for Michelle until Matthew and the spearhead show up to save the day. But Matthew doesn’t come out of it unscathed… he is badly injured during the skirmish, Michelle and Slade try to race him to a hospital, but they are too far away and Matthew is too far gone… he hands the spearhead to Michelle and tells her to track down a Professor Hightower and that the future of mankind depends on it, before he dies in the backseat of the dune buggy.
- No, It’s an Indiana Jones Style Adventure Movie: Michelle is taking what Matthew told her very seriously, Slade thinks he was just crazy. But Slade starts becoming a believer after a trio of heavies led by a guy named Bauer (Bob Schott, Shootfighter: Fight to the Death) shows up at the diner that Michelle works at looking for the spearhead. After a little luck gets them out of that jam, they decide to track down Professor Hightower and they get close. They meet with an associate of Hightower named Dr. Fielding (Ed Crick, Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero). Fielding tells them that Hightower went missing after traveling to Hong Kong… which means Michelle and Slade are now heading to Hong Kong, but not until they find themselves involved in a car chase.
- No, It’s a Kung Fu Theater Movie: The couple arrive in Hong Kong and as luck would have it, Slade has a friend there named Liu (Bruce Le, Bruce Strikes Back). While Michelle gets settled in at the hotel, Slade and Liu go to Hightower’s last known whereabouts… and it is there they encounter a martial arts master named Silverfox (Jang-Lee Hwang, Secret Ninja, Roaring Tiger). Slade is no match for Silverfox, but Liu sure is and that’s when it happens… out of nowhere we get a martial arts battle between Bruce Le and Jang-Lee Hwang, complete with Bruce breaking out some nunchaku… Silverfox is shot by a sniper’s bullet intended for Slade and that causes Slade and Liu to rush back to the hotel to make sure Michelle was ok. Good thing too, because she was being questioned by three thugs who gained entry to her room pretending to have a telegram for her and they are looking for the spearhead… Liu and Slade show up in the nick of time and turn the tables on the thugs, and find out they work for a man in Manila and that means next stop for Slade and Michelle is Manila.
- No, It Really is an Indiana Jones Style Adventure Movie: Now after a few misdirects, the movie sets its final course as Slade and Michelle find out that the man who has been sending all these goons after them to get the spearhead is none other than Dr. Fielding… also Fielding is a Nazi. Now Slade and Michelle have to battle Nazis, battle Mongols, nearly die in an exploding helicopter, steal an airplane, get some help from a tribe of little people, battle an Amazonian like warrior over the pit of death, all while keeping the spearhead safe until they can find the spear shaft and make the Lance of Longinus whole again.
Future Hunters kept me guessing and kept me entertained for 96 minutes and proved that more movies should randomly have a martial arts fight between Hong Kong legends in the middle of them… and really at the end of the day, what more could a guy ask for?!?
What more can you ask for? Some Bonus Bullet Points…
- AKA: Future Hunters is also known as Deadly Quest and The Spear in the United States and in Australia it was released as Spear of Destiny.
- Written By: I was surprised to see Future Hunters was written by none other than J. Lee Thompson. Thompson is primarily known for his directorial work. We have covered a number of J. Lee Thompson directed films including 10 to Midnight, King Solomon’s Mines and Murphy’s Law.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see a tighty whities clad Robert Patrick attempt to use a lamp as weapon, then Future Hunters is the movie for you.
