Bullet Points: Crash Point Zero (2001)
In this edition of Bullet Points, I will be taking a look back at 2001’s Crash Point Zero, or as it is also known, Extreme Limits. The movie was directed by Jay Andrews, or as he is also known, Jim Wynorski…
- Thanks Tesla: The movie begins with an expedition in Siberia. Treasure hunting adventurer, Dr. Maurice Hunter (John Beck, Rollerball), his daughter Nadia (Julie St. Claire, Prey of the Chameleon) and team are in search of a weapon created by Nicola Tesla in the early twentieth century. Legend has it, that Tesla created a “death ray” that was controlled by the power of the mind. Tesla decided to test the weapon in remote Siberia, but when he realized just how destructive his “death ray” was, he decided to bury it so it wouldn’t get into the wrong hands… and by bury it, I mean put it in a hole about two feet deep inside a cave and then cover the hole with some boards. The Hunters are able to track the “death ray” with the help of their trusty Geiger counter… however greed instantly rears its ugly green head, as Hunter’s team turns on Maurice and Nadia… but not so fast, Maurice activates the “death ray” and eliminates the would be thieves. Nadia seeing the problems this “death ray” is going to cause, tells her dad he should just bury it again… but what’s to stop some other evil doers from finding it?!?! They need to get the “death ray” to the United States where it can be secured.
- Air Siberia: The plan is to take a charter flight from Siberia to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada… but the Hunters aren’t the only ones on the flight… it’s filled with C list celebrities, including a TV hostess, a supermodel and her manager (played by Sean Kanan of The Karate Kid Part III fame) , an author, and then at the last minute a trio of athletes that gave me an uneasy feeling. It turns out that these “athletes” are really after the “death ray” and when their mid-air heist doesn’t go as planned and the plane is damaged in the process, Captain Ed Lorenzo (Gary Hudson, Black Thunder) is forced to make a crash landing somewhere in the Canadian wilderness! The plane is torn to pieces, there’s injuries galore and only one of the baddies remain, Julian Beck (Hannes Jaenicke, Fallout). Dr. Hunter tries to take charge of the situation, his first order of business, give Nadia the “death ray” and have her make her way to a nearby ski resort, where she can contact the CIA and get help for the rest of the passengers… but Nadia isn’t the only one who takes off, Julian Beck isn’t far behind.
- Treat Yourself: The CIA was already prepared to send their best man, Agent Jason Ross (Treat Williams, The Substitute 2: School’s Out) in to meet Dr. Hunter in Edmonton and escort the Hunters and the “death ray” to the NORAD facility in Colorado, but the plane crash has altered that plan. Now Jason is off to meet up with Nadia at the cabin she managed to break into, while a rescue team searches for the crash site. Speaking of the crash site, while all the Nadia/Jason drama is unfolding… there’s unrest with the survivors of the crash. Half go out on their own to look for help, while Dr. Hunter stays behind with the others and hits on the aforementioned author, Barbara Esmond (Susan Blakely) and hunts a bear, that was hunting them!
- Name That Movie: The moment Jason arrives at the cabin, the action and carnage increases… Canadian agents and Jason’s partner end up dead after a helicopter attack on the cabin. Looking to prevent the same from happening to them, Jason and Nadia make a run for it thanks to footage from 1990’s Narrow Margin. Jason and Nadia make it on to a train, and it seems like it is smooth railing until Julian Beck shows up and takes possession of the “death ray” and he has a tanker truck at the ready to transport the “death ray” to its destination… fortunately for the future of the world, Jason and Nadia give chase and thanks to footage from 1996’s The Long Kiss Goodnight, the “death ray” will never get into the wrong hands.
Movies like Crash Point Zero are the American equivalent of the old “cut and paste” IFD and Filmark movies that Joseph Lai and Tomas Tang were notoriously known for.
Instead of shooting new footage and splicing it into a pre-existing movie to create the illusion of a brand new ninja movie like IFD, Crash Point Zero shot a bunch of new footage and spliced in pre-existing stock footage to give the illusion that Crash Point Zero had a much bigger budget than it actually had.
Crash Point Zero was a harmless diversion. Treat Williams had the cocky charm turned all the way up to 11, and I certainly wasn’t mad about Julie St. Claire gracing my television screen. The non-Treat/Julie scenes were a bit of a slog at times, but overall I can’t complain about the free streaming entertainment that Crash Point Zero provided.
Now allow me to provide you with some totally free Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Clean Shaven Face: George “Buck” Flower (Blood Games and They Live) was the conductor on the train, who totally fell for Agent Jason Ross’ story about hunting down a serial killer who was offing train conductors.
- Bastard Count: There were two “bastards” uttered in Crash Point Zero, both by John Beck’s Dr. Maurice Hunter. And speaking of John Beck…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see John Beck watch a friend get eaten by a bear, then Crash Point Zero is the movie for you.
