Bullet Points: The Expert (1995)
Jeff Speakman was born on November 8, 1958 in Chicago, IL. Speakman’s rugged good looks, natural athletic abilities (he was an All-American in high school) and his high level of skill in the martial arts earned him a shot in Hollywood.
Speakman made his presence felt in 1991’s Perfect Weapon… it was a perfect debut as a leading man, but with every subsequent release Jeff Speakman started slipping off the radar and his movies were getting lost in the DTV shuffle.. movies like 1995’s The Expert…
- That Old Chestnut: The movie begins with John Lomax (Jeff Speakman) getting the jump on a police tactical unit… if you think that would be an odd thing for an action hero to do, you’d be right and there is a perfectly good explanation. The whole thing was a training exercise and Lomax is the instructor. This is a device that I have seen in a number of action movies, but the execution of here was far from expert level. Back in the classroom, John gets a quick visit from his sister Jenny and sadly that will be the last time John sees his sister alive.
- You So Crazy: Jenny goes to the law library to do some research for a judge when she runs into trouble with the copier. There to save the day is an annoyingly chipper young man named Martin (Michael Shaner). But Martin isn’t all he seems to be and this becomes evident when we see Martin steal Jenny’s wallet while her back was turned. Martin isn’t a kleptomaniac, he is much worse… Martin shows up at Jenny’s door later that evening, with the whole nice guy routine on max power. Here he is, returning her wallet… but Jenny is no dummy and while she is thankful Martin returned her wallet she is not honoring his request to come inside to use the bathroom and she sends him on his way… moments later Martin manages to get inside, Jenny defends herself, but Martin eventually overpowers her and then murders her. The unhinged Martin leaves and is nearly run over while crossing the street by John, who is returning home completely unaware of the tragedy that is about to greet him.
- Death Warrant: The good news, if there is any, is that Martin is not going to get away with Jenny’s murder. The physical evidence all is a perfect match to Martin and John is able to pick Martin out of the police line up in what is easily the best scene in the entire movie and the best police line up scene in any movie or television show that I have ever seen. During the hearing we learn that Martin is suffering from multiple personality disorder… Martin Kagan may be standing trial, but it was “Martin Murman” who committed the murders. That’s not enough to sway the judge and Martin Kagan is not only going to jail, he is going to fry in the electric chair. But wait…
- Doctor Feelbad: The prison that Martin is being sent to is experiencing an administrative shake up in the form of Dr. Alice Barnes (Alex Datcher, Passenger 57). Dr. Barnes believes in a kinder and gentler prison, so it is no surprise that she singles out Martin Kagan, and his well documented mental conditions, as the perfect candidate for a new program that would take Martin off death row and into a state mental hospital. When John hears this news he flips out and starts conjuring up a plan to take out Martin before he is transferred out of prison.
- Break In, Break Out: While John is working on his plan to break in, Martin has already been laying the groundwork for his unexpected plan to break out! What are the odds that the break in and break out will happen at the same time? Pretty damn good! John and Martin end up being more than two ships passing in the night, which spells trouble for the prison staff and inmates that get in their way and it becomes clear that only one man will successfully carry out their plan.
The third time was not the charm for Jeff Speakman as a leading man in The Expert… the movie had some good elements, with the police line up scene alone making The Expert worth watching. But even an action movie novice could see the quality of Speakman’s films was trending downwards at this point and we were only three movies in. Things did level off for a while, but unfortunately Speakman never achieved The Perfect Weapon level again.
Congratulations, you have achieved the Bonus Bullet Points level…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Jeff Speakman’s silhouette kick some ass, then the opening credits of The Expert are for you.
- Familiar Faces: James Brolin of Savate and The Car fame, plays Warden Munsey, who finds his more traditional ways of dealing with inmates challenged by Dr. Barnes… Elizabeth Gracen of Marked for Death and Kounterfeit fame plays reporter Liz Pierce. Liz is trying to get a story on John Lomax’s training techniques, instead she gets a dinner invitation… Last but not least is Jim Varney, who plays an old buddy of John’s and John’s hook up for the arsenal and gadgets he’ll need to break into prison.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see some backwoods people show up armed and dangerous for a clemency hearing for one of their kin, only to have Jeff Speakman eliminate each of them in the most violent way possible, then The Expert is the movie for you.
