Johnny (Sabato Jr.),Larry (Munro),Molly (Smart),and Sam (Mains) are a bank-robbing gang and they sure do love their guns. Their luck runs out when a particular bank that they rob is a front for the Vietnamese mafia. Now Victor Phan (Cheung) and Harry (Lew),among many other goons, are after them. So is a biker named Bulldog (Zabka). Of course his name is Bulldog. The final showdown occurs at a run-down hotel managed by Carlo (Sabato Sr.) - who will come out on top in this gang war?



In 1998, we were all living in a post-Tarantino, post-John Woo world. Director Isaac Florentine seemingly decided he should try his hand at a mélange of the two directors' styles, but complete with his own trademark "whoosh" sound effects. Thanks to fight choreographer Koichi Sakamoto and Florentine himself, the fight scenes are well-done and fun to watch. Hence, High Voltage shouldn't be classified as a Tarantino slog, necessarily, but in the non-action scenes, it gets fairly close.



Yes, there is a lot of inconsequential, post-dubbed dialogue in between the action scenes that viewers probably won't really care about. But then a, frankly, High Voltage action scene will arrive and things perk up a lot. Thrill's Antonio Sabato Jr. not only flies sideways while shooting two pistols, he flies frontwards while shooting two pistols as well. There's plenty of top-notch stuntwork going on and the action setpieces are very enjoyable.



Thankfully, William Zabka screams while shooting a machine gun. The movie overall could have used more Zabka. He sports a very 90's "grunge" look throughout the film, as it was the 90's after all (though if memory serves, grunge was fairly well out the window by '98. That didn't preclude the inclusion of a song called "Trashgrunge" on the soundtrack, however).





Also helping things are the presences of fan favorites James Lew, George Cheung, and an uncredited Donald Gibb as a bartender. It was also nice to see Antonio Sabato Sr. join the fray. Interestingly, Amy Smart, as you probably well know, was in Crank: High Voltage (2009). Surely this must mark one of the few, if only, times an actress appeared in an action movie, then, over ten years later, was in another film with the same title (although, granted, it's a subtitle in the latter case). Still, worthy to point out, I think.



Featuring a "greatest hits" recap before the credits, not during them as certain Jackie Chan films do, High Voltage has its flaws - pretty much the plot and dialogue department - but makes up for it in the action department. That being said, it was probably one of the best things coming out on video store shelves at the time - the late 90's/early 2000's being a notoriously fallow time for quality DTV product. For the action scenes, we say give High Voltage a watch.

Here is yet another movie that I liked better then most people did. I do have to say High Voltage is not a Martial Arts Classic likes Kickboxer, The Hunted or Enter The Dragon ( although High Voltage does have Bruce Lee's Shannon Lee ( Jane)). What makes it work is that besides being a Martial Arts movie, it is a gangster film ( the Vietnamese mob),and a relationship movie. The main star is Antonio Sabato jr ( Johnny Clay),the leader of a gang of bank robbers, who try and rob a Vietnamese bank ( unsuccessfully) and find out that their biggest problem is not failing ( or even the police ( the police are under orders not to get involved)),but it is a bank controlled by the Vietnamese mob, and there is a contract out on them. Spoilers ahead: One thing Johnny notices when he robs the bank is the manager ( Lee) is warning him and NOT the one who trips the alarm, and might actually be helping them. He actually goes to her apartment and confronts her, and she explains about the bank and that there is a stash of drug money that they can take. She also explains that she is a prisoner and a sex slave of the boss; and in exchange for her help, she wants to go with Johnny and his gang. Johnny understands, so she is welcomed into the gang. Of course, there are betrayals, fights ( martial art and gun),and Johnny and Jane do end up wealthy and as a couple. There is also a cameo of Antonio Sabato sr as Johnny's uncle and he says to him "You are just like your father." ( very nice touch). Ordinarily I would give it 7/10 stars ( good but not great),but that scene bumps it up a star. So I give it 8/10 stars. Again I liked it.

High Voltage which has enough action and fight scenes to satisfy anyone who isn't really concerned about a story. There are certain plot similarities to Don Siegel's classic caper film Charley Varrick which starred Walter Matthau. A light years better bit of cinema.

Antonio Sabato, Jr.'s crew decides to rob a bank and they discover the place is a laundering establishment for the Vietnamese mob headed by George Cheung. At first they try to make some amends, but Cheung ain't having it so the inevitable violent climax occurs.

Just run this one back to back with Charley Varrick and you'll know what a good story and good plot do for a film. High Voltage is for violence junkies.