Bullet Points: Crisis (1997)

David Bradley’s acting career began in Cannon’s American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt. That got Bradley off on the wrong foot with a lot of Michael Dudikoff loyalists. I will admit I was among those Dudi loyalists who unjustly blamed Bradley for Dudikoff not being in American Ninja 3 even though that is in no way accurate. But back in 1989 that was my perception and that became my reality.

Then there was the whole American Ninja 5 thing… David Bradley was the star of that one too, but he wasn’t Sean Davidson as he had been in the previous two movies. Bradley was a completely different character and the movie was an “in name only” sequel to the rest of the American Ninja franchise. It was at some point over the last decade that I saw American Ninja 5, but once again I found myself unjustly blaming David Bradley for the movie not being a true sequel, when in reality it was the producers of the movie who decided to switch the name from American Dragons to American Ninja 5 to capitalize on the success of the franchise that Dudikoff and Cannon built.

I can’t imagine how much grief David Bradley would have received from fans if social media were a thing back when these movies were released. Bradley’s acting career may have been even shorter than it already was… Bradley didn’t even make it ten years before he called it quits. In this edition of Bullet Points I will be looking back at David Bradley’s final movie (at least up until this point), 1997’s Crisis…

• Man in Black: David Bradley kicks off the movie looking like a total badass… He’s riding his motorcycle, he’s got the shades on, he’s dressed in black and when some poor sap tries to pull a knife on him he is quickly dispatched. Bradley plays Alex, a debt collector/enforcer for the mob… but Alex’s brother, Tony (Bradley Milne, Tiger Claws II) has no idea what Alex does, in fact he thinks Alex is a shoe salesmen for the Happy Soles Shoe Company. However before the end of the movie, Tony will know exactly what his brother is capable of. You see Tony is an environmentalist, leading a group known as Green World 2000. Green World has their sights set on a chemical company that has created an unsafe filtration system but is doing nothing about it and going about their business like nothing is wrong.

• To the Extreme: These extreme circumstances call for extreme measures as far as Tony is concerned so he finds himself hooked up with a guy named Simon (Thorsten Nickel, Thunderbolt) who is something of an extremist when it comes to environmental affairs. But much like Tony has no idea what his brother does, he has no idea what Simon and his team are capable of until it is too late… and that would be around the time Simon and his team (which at this point includes Tony and Alex) go to the home of the head of the chemical company, Dr. Tom Ross, and hold his wife June, daughter Holly and sister-in-law Elena hostage! …meanwhile Dr. Tom Ross is off galivanting and bribing one of his employees to keep his mouth shut about the faulty filtration system. However he reluctantly calls home to find out what is going on and what the demands of Simon and his team have. It doesn’t take long for Tony and Alex to object to this new course of action that Simon has taken and the wheels start turning in Alex’s head… he will strike when the time is right!

• Things Get Sexy: This is about the a point in the movie where Alex and Elena are locked up in the home gym and Alex reveals what he really does for a living and is very interested in Elena’s work as a sex therapist… That is followed by Dr. Ross’s return home and where he has given into Simon’s demands and is downloading the schematics that Simon wants on to a disk. Dr. Ross wants to get a message out to the police so he uses his mistress/French maid to distract Simon by doing the whole Sharon Stone move from Basic Instinct… it does work, but the maid is shot for her trouble. While all that is going on downstairs, one of Simon’s men decides he wants to get to know Mrs. Ross a little better upstairs… if you know what I mean. But before the sexually deprived Mrs. Ross can get what she has been lacking Alex snaps the neck of the bad guy that was mounting her and then it is on to save Holly and get all the innocents up to the attic where they will be safe.

• The Final Countdown: Once Simon gets his disk, along with printed hard copies of all the schematics and data he wanted, he shoots Dr. Ross in the leg and informs him that a bomb has been planted in the basement and is set to blow up in 5 minutes. Simon really did think of everything, well almost everything… What Simon doesn’t know is that Alex has already disarmed the bomb and has taken out Simon’s crew… When Simon finds out, he takes off running and Alex isn’t far behind. This leads to a fight that Simon actually gets the better of (I don’t buy it). Then Simon makes it to the road where he carjacks a guy and it looks like he is going to get away with it… HOLD UP… is that Alex in the middle of the road with an ax!?!?! You better believe it… Alex then throws the axe, it perfectly flies right through the windshield of the car, forcing Simon to lose control of the vehicle, the vehicle flipping over and then exploding (I bought every second of it).
• Wrap it Up: At this point the authorities that Dr. Ross sent a call for help to have shown up… which is ironic because it is those same authorities who arrest Dr. Ross’ bribing ass and if that wasn’t enough June drops the bomb that she is filing for a divorce. You reap what you sow Dr. Ross… Alex lays low with the fuzz around and says farewell to Tony, who now owes everything to his brother Alex… then Alex heads down the lonely road away from all the activity on foot but before any sort of sad Incredible Hulk music can get going… Elena drives by and picks up Alex, possibly for some one on one sex therapy?!?!?!

I would categorize David Bradley in the “Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone” category. If a guy with Bradley’s look and martial arts skills were to show up today, he would be a breath of fresh air in the action movie world. But when David Bradley did start acting in the late 80s, not only did he get off on the wrong foot with a lot of people (again as unfair as it was), he also was coming up at a time when there was an overabundance of action stars churning out movies in theaters, on cable and/or direct to video… it was a crowded market for a guy who didn’t even come to Hollywood with acting ambitions, but was there to pursue a music career.

Crisis did not exactly end Bradley’s acting career on a high note, but it didn’t end it on a low note either. The supporting cast probably could have been a little stronger in some instances, but David Bradley put in the work in Crisis relying more on his acting skills than his action skills. It would be nice to get one more movie from David Bradley… but my guess is Bradley’s interest level in a comeback is non-existent. Let’s say Bradley would be open to a return, is he even in action movie shape anymore? If he has kept up with his martial arts probably, but a lot can happen in 25 years. The only thing I am confident in where David Bradley is concerned, is that was not “David Bradley” who direct messaged some unsolicited pictures to Bulletproof Action’s Instagram account… the less I say about that the better. But, some would say the more bullet points the better…

• Welcome to Where?: There are some elements on the Crisis DVD cover that misrepresent the movie but none are as egregious as the “Welcome to Thugland!” in the tag line. What does it even mean Basil?
• Directed By: Jalal Merhi was the director of Crisis. Merhi also directed (and starred along side) Bradley in Expect to Die.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see an evil henchman help someone set up their computer’s printer, then Crisis is the movie for you.
• Disturbing Quote: “You can take your finger out of your nose now.” – Alex