★ 7 / 10
Max, Leo and Fruitcake. One of the many
John Chard
Max, Leo and Fruitcake. One of the many treasure seeking action adventure films that surfaced after Raiders of the Lost Ark reignited the flames in 81…
Max, Leo and Fruitcake.
One of the many treasure seeking action adventure films that surfaced after Raiders of the Lost Ark reignited the flames in 81, Firewalker has a somewhat iffy reputation. Yet it's a glorious cheese sandwich of a movie, a ball of laughs and high energy jinks, a pic where Chuck Norris, Louis Gosset Jr. and Melody Anderson are having fun and not taking it as seriously as some film punters have.
Standard rules apply here, two adventure seeking guys, very buddy buddy and playing off of each other with sarcasm and respect in equal measure, hook up with a sexy gal who has a treasure map - oh and she has a gift involving visions type of thing. Cue lots of scrapes, arguing, bit of romance, more peril, over the top bad guy (Sonny Landham) and a friend in need (an over the top John Rhys- Davies).
In this one we get to see some of Norris' martial arts skills, especially during an action packed bar-room brawl, while the intentional comedy hits the required part of the funny bone (a swimming sequence and the use of religious disguises are particularly fun packed). If you be so inclined then you can easily find problems and weaknesses in the production and technical aspects, but roll with it in the name of mindless entertainment and you can have a blast. I know I did. 7/10
★ 5 / 10
Raiders of the Lost Budget
utgard14
Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett, Jr. play a couple of soldiers of fortune who have lots of forced banter and get into wacky adventures. Look out fellas because…
Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett, Jr. play a couple of soldiers of fortune who have lots of forced banter and get into wacky adventures. Look out fellas because blonde cutie Melody Anderson has a treasure map and is looking for partners. Cannon's entry into the adventure film boom of the '80s. But this is no Indiana Jones or Romancing the Stone, no matter how hard it tries to be both. Norris and Gossett give their best Hope & Crosby impersonation but it doesn't work. Gossett fares slightly better than Norris at the comedy but not by much. Both are embarrassing. Looking pretty is all Anderson brings to the table, though she certainly brings a lot of that. Cheap production values (it was Cannon so you knew that would be the case), lame dialogue, and derivative plot. Still, time has granted it a charm of sorts that many '80s films have. Nostalgia I guess. Love the cave painting that appears to have been done in crayons.
★ 5 / 10
Entertaining and light comedy/adventure in which a trio of adventurers set out to find a hidden cache of gold
ma-cortes
Fun and amusing comedy about a pair of down-and-out fortune hunters cash in on high adventure . As a duo of adventurers , Max Donigan (Chuck Norris) along with…
Fun and amusing comedy about a pair of down-and-out fortune hunters cash in on high adventure . As a duo of adventurers , Max Donigan (Chuck Norris) along with his friend Leo (Louis Gosset Jr) set off on a treasure hunt . Both of whom are hired by a gorgeous girl called Patricia (Melody Anderson of Flash Gordon , whose hair perfectly intact throughout) . The girl and mercenaries set out in search for a treasure she's imagined exists . Along the way the way , they kill Native Americans attempting to protect sacred Indian grounds . The trio confront risks , dangers and other obstacles until achieve their objective . All of them try to track down an ancient Aztec/Mayan/Egyptian/ Apache horde of gold as they end up in a Mayan temple of Doom besieged by Coyote (Sonny Landham) .This is an average quality film plenty of adventures , brawls , fun scenes , a few bar fights , humor with tongue in cheek , fantasy and results to be amusing ; however , some moments being boring . Chuck Norris character is a blending between known Indiana Jones and his popular role as a tough , two-fisted man and fellow mercenary played Louis Gosset -not too distant Oscar winner for ¨An official and a gentleman¨- is very well . Both of them have great chemical as a duo of soldiers-of-wacky misfortune who take several dangers that are able to overcome with ease . In a hand , if you enjoy funny stories and have a soft spot for attractive characters and scenarios, you are in for a great one ; in other hand if you don't like Norris kicks , silly humor and bemusing situations , then this one will not be for you and get bored . Passable production , medium budget by Cannon films , Menahem Golan-Yoram Globus , and poorly realized . Producers left room for sequel but as a box office failure was never carried out . This is Aaron Norris' , Chuck Norris' brother, last film as a stunt coordinator , he began his career as a director with his next film, his brother's Braddock: Missing in action 3 (1988) . Anti-climatic musical score by Gary Chang , being composed by means of synthesizer . Atmospheric though dark cinematography by Alex Phillips filmed on location in Durango , Morelos, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Torreón, Coahuíla, and Churubasco Distrito Federal , Mexico .The fare was regularly directed by J. Lee Thomson . He previously had a nice track record in the English cinema from 1950 until 1961 , directing good Western ( McKenna's gold , White Buffalo) and all king genres as Sci-Fi (Conquest and Battle of planet of apes), terror (reincarnation of Peter Proud, Eye of the devil), adventures (Flame over India ,Kings of the sun, Taras Bulba , Tiger Bay) and Warlike ( Guns of Navarone, Von Braun , Chairman , The passage). His two biggest successes turn out to be ¨Guns of Navarone¨and ¨Cape Fear¨. Thereafter , the filmmaker's career subsided in a morass of slickly realized but middling films. He moved into the field of international spectaculars , at which point his filmmaking seemed to lose its individuality . J. Lee Thomson working from the 50s in England, finished his career making Chuck Norris (Firewalker) and Charles Bronson vehicles (Caboblanco, Evil that men do, Messenger of death, Death Wish 4 : Crackdown, Caboblanco, St Ives). Firewalker rating : Mediocre , but it will appeal to Chuck Norris fans .
8%
TOMATOMETER
· 13 reviews
33%
AUDIENCE
· 5K ratings
5.2/10
9.1K
•••
The adventurer craze. Throw this on with King Solomon's Mines and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, for a B-movie night