Candyman versus The Chairman of Iron Chef. If you could pit two legendary characters against each other; why not a supernatural horror icon against a man seeking whose cuisine will reign supreme? And if you want to make it even more interesting why not include Trinity from The Matrix movies? Where can you see three legendary characters tangle? Sabotage is an action film from 1996 that reminds us that the Chairman from Iron Chef can kick serious butt on the screen. But can he handle Candyman?
Michael Bishop (Iron Chef‘s Mark Dacascos) is on a special mission during the war in Yugoslavia. He’s staking out a building where hostages are being held by Serbian fighters and concocting a plan. But before he can do anything, he spots what appears to be a masked U.S. soldier entering the building. He throws caution to the wind and sneaks into the building to discover the masked guy is shooting up everyone including Michael. Turns out Michael knows his wannabe killer, it’s Jason Sherwood (Candyman‘s Tony Todd). While Jason blows up the building, Michael survives the blast. Three years later, the two have another fatal reunion. Michael is now a bodyguard riding in a private jet with a rich couple he’s protecting. He’s feeling a bit better about life than his time in Yugoslavia. As the plane lands at the airport, Jason is eager to give them a massive surprise. He sneaks onto the roof of a distant hotel and sets up a massive rifle that’s so powerful that the tripod has to be nailed into the roof. As Micheal and the other bodyguard usher the rich couple off the plane, Jason pulls the trigger unleashing a bullet that feels as big as a football. It tears through the bodyguard, the husband and the back of the plane. After getting the wife to safety, Michael charges up to the hotel rooftop. But doesn’t meet Jason. He does get bump into another familiar face from Yugoslavia. Nicholas Tollander (Oscar nominated for Dances With Wolves‘ Graham Greene) was a commanding officer who helped dishonorably discharge Michael from the military. Tollander is now working for the FBI. Luckily for Michael, the agent he mostly has to deal with is Louise Castle (The Matrix‘s Carrie-Anne Moss). She doesn’t like how the bodyguard wants to be part of the investigation. Things get tense when he gives her an idiot cut while demonstrating a rifle that was involved in a second attempt on his other client. Michael seeks out information from his mentor Professor Follenfant (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen‘s John Neville). He learns that his clients have a bit of shady past that might be the reason someone would pay to have them dead. Now it seems that Jason wants Michael dead too and he’ll do it for free.
Sabotage is a fun action thriller with Tony Todd and Mark Dacascos. They are all over the screen as their battle heats up. These two men even fight on ice during a major chase scene. There’s Zamboni stunts (actually whatever Olympia calls their ice scraping machine). While it takes place in Maryland, the movie was shot in Toronto which explain why a shootout takes place at a rink during a girls’ hockey practice. The intriguing conspiracy at the core keeps you occupied with the plot between action scenes. Director Tibor Takács (The Gate) keeps the film tight on the screen.
While there’s no mention of it, Sabotage must have had an influence on Carrie-Anne Moss getting The Matrix since it showed how she’d look as an agent with a weapon. She had just wrapped up Models Inc (the spin-off series from Melrose Place) where she wasn’t that armed. Now she had quality trigger action for her acting reel. Moss does a fine job as a sensible FBI Agent who’s doing her best to take care of her daughter while investigating the case. She along with the rest of the cast elevate Sabotage to be entertaining. If you’re a fan of Iron Chef or Candyman, you’ll be impressed with what happens when their stars tangle on ice.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the harsh colors of this ’90s thriller. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Stereo. You can clearly hear the rumbles of the soundtrack and the piercing of bullets. The movie is subtitled.
Interview with Actor Mark Dacascos (32:11) has him explain how he got offered the role as he was wrapping up his work on Island of Dr. Moreau with Marlon Brando. Turns out an actor had originally cast fell out (it happens). He had to fly from Australian to Toronto with a short stopover in Los Angeles to visit his house. He didn’t exactly have weeks to build a character. He had worked with director Tibor Takács on a Carol Alt movie called Deadly Past. He has done two more and wants to do a fifth. He gets into how his own attempts to figure out who the character is works for the character who doesn’t know himself until the end of the film.
Interview with Actor Tony Todd (13:24) has him list his favorite cities in Canada and why. He talks about how has he’s gotten old so staying up late to hang out at nightclubs isn’t good for him. I like how they tracked down footage of Toronto night life to illustrate the lines outside these clubs. He gets into how he chooses his next project. He doesn’t like to play the same sort of character back-to-back. There’s a clip of Tony Todd in Oliver Stone’s Platoon. He thanks his business manager who has done him right over the decades. He gets into his approach to the hitman character in Sabotage. He wanted to bring humor and fun to the role. He praises working with Mark Dacascos.
Trailer Gallery of Mark Dacascos films includes Drive, Double Dragon, Angel Town, Boogie Boy and Instinct to Kill. The one I want to see now is Boogie Boy since it has Emily Lloyd, Joan Jett and Traci Lords.
MVD Rewind Collection presents Sabotage. Directed by Tibor Takács. Screenplay by Rick Filon & Michael Stokes. Starring Mark Dacascos, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tony Todd, Graham Greene, John Neville and Heidi von Palleske. Running Time: 99 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: May 7, 2024.
