Bullet Points: Danger Zone
There are certain actors that when I find out they show up in a movie there is a pretty good chance I am going to watch. When a movie has more than one I am locked in. The 1996 movie Danger Zone stars Billy Zane and Ron Silver and I know those two have been in some stinkers but I can’t help but enjoy their work. Throw in Robert Downey Jr, and like I said. I am locked in.
- Miner Trouble – Billy Zane (The Phantom) stars as Rick ‘Captain’ Morgan, an American working in mines in the fictional African nation of East Zambezi. When Morgan’s old buddy Jim Scott (Robert Downey Jr.) shows up the proverbial shit hits the fan. The main reason being that Scott shows up with not only a truck full of what is believed to be toxic waste but Robert Downey Jr. has one doozy of an accent and I am all for it. I also am for the shootout and explosions that take place at the mine. The attack is led by Chang, played by a bulletproof vest styling, ponytail sporting, beret wearing son of a gun Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa. We are on the highway to the danger Zane!
- Silver Lining – In the aftermath of the attack, Scott is presumed to be dead and Morgan is blamed for the toxic waste and forced to leave the country. One year later and Morgan is now a drunk in America, but his fortunes change when a consul to East Zambezi, Maurice Dupont (Ron Silver, Cutaway) shows up to offer Morgan a chance to find the toxic waste. Of course, when you have Ron Silver show up with his smarmy factor turned up to eleven, there is no way he isn’t a bad guy… is there?
- A Man Walks Into an African Bar – Morgan makes his way back to East Zambezi, but is not well liked because the population thinks he is responsible for deaths due to the toxic waste. How do we know that? An old lady spits on Morgan right when he leaves the airport. Classy. The first stop Morgan makes in East Zambezi is to the bar and you better believe that he gets in a fight.
- Doctor WHO – Dr. Kim Woods (Lisa Collins) from the World Health Organization, or WHO for those in the know, is sent to join Morgan to make sure everything is safe. Of course, Woods and Morgan don’t get along from the start, but there is no way that will change… is there? During their journey, Morgan and Woods start to discover that maybe everything is not what they were told and the intrigue is turned up when Scott turns out to be alive in a rebel camp, sporting an awesome ponytail and going by Isanto. Oh yeah, Dupont and Chang are working together, color me shocked.
- Company Business – The truth gets revealed and I won’t spoil all the surprises that I definitely didn’t see coming, but I will let you know that the CIA is involved and there really isn’t any toxic waste. Classic move by the CIA and some ex-CIA operatives to take advantage of the civil war in East Zambezi. But to be fair, the East Zambezi government has been pretty terrible to some of the people. All you need to know about the ending is that there is a huge waterfall and a good old fashioned on horse train robbery. Giddyup, Billy Zane.
After watching Danger Zone it confirmed my belief that I should be watching more movies with Billy Zane and/or Ron Silver. They both delivered and the accent that Robert Downey Jr. chose was worth the price of admission and there is not a better villain that can mean mug like Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa… is there? There is a ton of South Africa based action, which as this was from Nu Image should come as no surprise. The plot definitely has some twists yet still seems a little formulaic but having an environmental heartbeat never hurts. In my book there is no danger in giving Danger Zone 90 mins of your time. There is also no danger in having the Danger Zone Bullet Points ending without Danger Zone Bonus Bullet Points.
- If You Ever… – Wanted to see Billy Zane sing African songs with miners then Danger Zone is for you.
- Favorite Pun – What does Morgan think of Scud missiles? “Dis-scuds-ting.”
- Familiar Face – Russel Savadier plays the bar owner Nando who is both a familiar face from movies like Steel Dawn, Gor II and Tarzan and the Lost City, but dare I say an unsung hero in Danger Zone.
- Acting – Billy Zane and Lisa Collins not only played an on screen couple in Danger Zone but were married in real life from 1989 to 1995.
