Bullet Points: Terminal Entry
As a huge fan of Yaphet Kotto, I have tried to see everything he has ever been in. That is why years back I actually bought a VHS copy of a movie I had previously never heard of until seeing it on Mr. Kotto’s IMDb page, 1987’s Terminal Entry.
Recently when Terminal Entry popped up on YouTube, I took it as a sign that it was time to revisit the movie and give it the Bullet Points treatment…
- Border Patrol: International terrorists are making their way on to United States soil. Col. Styles (Yaphet Kotto, Eye of the Tiger) and his men have been tasked with trying to prevent more terrorists from making their way across the southern border of the United States… especially since leaders from around the world are set to be meeting with the President of the United States on his ranch. Capt. Danny Jackson (Edward Albert, Red Sun Rising) is Styles’ best strike team leader and as the movie begins we get to see Styles and Jackson in action, taking down four terrorists looking to join the cause led by a man named Mahadi (Kavi Raz).
- Cyber Sex: After the action in the open, we see a voluptuous woman taking a shower, while Bob (Patrick Labyorteaux, Ski School) is watching her while eating a Twinkie. It turns out it is all a fantasy that Bob is dreaming up while playing an interactive computer game with his high school friends Chris (Heidi Helmer), Howie (Sam Temeles) and Tom (Rob Stone not from Marilyn Manson fame). A bit later when Tom gets a list of new games to play, among the options are TERMINAL ENTRY… but when Tom is denied access, his hacker spirit kicks in and he is determined to get in on the game. After all, if someone went to the trouble to make it so tough to access the game, it has to be a pretty awesome game. The whole scenarios is a perfect excuse for Tom, Bob and their friends to have a crazy fun weekend at a cabin in the woods.
- Ball Buster: Danny Jackson and Col. Styles’ boss, Stewart (Paul L. Smith, Desert Kickboxer) don’t exactly get off on the right foot with one another. Jackson overhears Stewart reading the riot act to Styles on a Zoom call (in 1987?). Styles is trying to plead his case telling Stewart that he needs more men, but Stewart is all but ignoring the request. Stewart can’t ignore the insults and matter of fact way that Jackson speaks to him and he informs both Styles and Jackson that he is heading to Los Angeles, where he can bust their balls in person and take charge of the operation to eliminate the Mahadi threat. Shortly after he arrives, Stewart tries to make nice with Jackson and after the two get on the same page, they are nearly run down by one of the terrorists… although truth be told, if a car hit the large and in charge Stewart, I think the car would have more damage than Stewart.
- Mission Accomplished?: The trio of Jackson, Styles and Stewart prove to be effective as they are able to locate and shut down Mahadi’s base of operations in the United States and prevent a full scale Mahadi attack, but what they weren’t able to shut down is Mahadi’s satellite network that is used to send orders to the various sleeper cells located all over the United States… the same network that Tom, Bob and friends think is some sort of hot new interactive computer game. In fact, when the Russian representative who was set to attend the meeting with the POTUS is assassinated it’s not because Mahadi ordered it.. it was Tom playing the TERMINAL ENTRY game. Same goes for an oil refinery in California that is destroyed because Chris chose that as a target in the game. The next day when they hear the news on the radio, they realize they aren’t playing a game… if only Bob had heard that news first.
- Hit List: Bob thought it would be fun if he made him and his friends the next target in the game. When he fesses up after they find out this shit is real, the decision is quickly made that they need to get the hell out of there… unfortunately their car won’t start so they are going to have to defend themselves with whatever they can find in the cabin, some strobe lights and a sound system. Fortunately, the good guys intercepted the terrorist transmission and they make their way to the cabin too setting up the final battle and giving Tom, Bob and friends an actual chance of surviving!
Terminal Entry borrowed from War Games and Red Dawn and threw in some teen comedy elements to create a unique slice of cinema that unknowingly had its finger on the pulse of future technology. The premise is ridiculous to say the least, but that is something that could be said for a high percentage of movies from the 1980s.
Fans of 80s ridiculousness or any member of the cast will want to give Terminal Entry a whirl, otherwise you’ll probably want to skip it. Nobody should skip these Bonus Bullet Points however…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Yaphet Kotto pull a dead girlfriend prank on Edward Albert, then Terminal Entry is the movie for you.
- Missed Opportunity: Speaking of Yaphet Kotto, the first time we see Col. Styles he is chomping on a cigar and riding shotgun in a helicopter… unfortunately James Brown’s “Gravity” was not playing.
- Familiar Face: Yvette Nipar played Bob’s love interest in the movie, Tina. I most recently saw Nipar in the TV movie, Rolling Thunder. She was also a regular on the RoboCop TV series and in both of the Kevin Sorbo led Walking Tall movies.
- End Credits: The end credits feature some narration by Patrick Labyorteaux’s Bob talking about his future plans, just in case anyone felt there was not enough Labyorteaux comedy in the film.