After previously featuring five actors in an earlier instalment of Action Stars and Movies You May or May Not Recall I thought it was time to feature five of the ladies who took a turn at playing it tough in movies released mainly to the VHS market during the 1980’s and 90’s. Action movies where the ladies took the lead playing it tough delivering their own brand of vigilante justice.

So here we go with a selection of five action features starring an ex-porn star now sporting a badge, a Vietnamese Martial Artist taking on a slumping one time Oscar Winner, a famous child actress all grown up and playing like Robin Hood, a karate specialist who does her best kicking minus clothing and finally Ed Harris’ wife of forty years seeking justice.

Intent to Kill (1993) Madacy DVD.

Following a scandalous association with the adult film industry, Traci Lords, moved over to the world of low budget “B” films with titles like Roger Corman’s Not of This Earth and Shock ‘Em Dead. All of which leads us to this straight to video effort that casts Miss Lords as a Dirty Harry wanna be. Or better still, a Dirty Harriett. Knowing a good thing when he sees it, director Charles T. Kanganis, will open the film with the camera caressing the lingerie clad Traci as she preps for undercover work as a hooker on the streets of Hollywood.

The mark is a vicious drug dealer played by Angelo Tiffe. Things won’t go as planned and what follows is a big shootout leaving a number of cops and hoods bloodied and dead. Tiffe gets away but Traci scores his loot of drugs with a street value worth five million dollars.

Enter Yaphet Kotto lending some professionalism to the proceedings. He’s the police captain and typical of the role, barks and tosses insults at Traci and the other officers over a sloppy arrest and missing out on arresting Tiffe, the main mark.

Traci is off the case which allows the scriptwriter to squeeze in some vigilante action. When Traci overhears a woman trying to report a vicious gangrape she takes it upon herself to deliver some Bronson styled justice to the five men who are clearly guilty of the crime.

Off the Tiffe case or not, Traci is clearly out to get the rising drug lord who has ideas of becoming the next Tony Montana and does a decent job of it leading me to think the actor deserved a better vehicle to play mean. Of course Traci will come gunning for him and not surprisingly following a car chase with some decent stunt work and holding onto a shotgun will ask Tiffe, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” before the coup de gras.

Always one to watch the credits, I see that near the end of the scrolling names there is a special thankyou from the director to long time actor and portrayer of Mafioso characters, Michael V. Gazzo. No idea as to the connection or the reasons why, sometimes I just can’t help myself and feel the need to point out useless pieces of trivia.

Strictly a B flick but it does try by injecting some fisticuffs into the proceedings with plenty of gunplay. Kotto adds some elegance to the film and Traci gets to play it both tough and bluesy as she deals with a fallen relationship with fellow undercover cop, Scott Patterson.

Catch The Heat (1987) Kino Lorber Studio Classics blu ray. It’s Oscar winner Rod Steiger turning up for a paycheck and looking mighty tired while at the same time reuniting with the man who wrote the Best Picture of 1967, In The Heat of the Night, Stirling Silliphant. The same film for which Rod captured the Golden Statuette.

In this outing Rod is a suit and tie drug smuggler living in Argentina and doubling as a talent agent for young women looking to go to the U.S of A. to become a big star. Enter the beautiful Vietnamese Martial Artist Tiana Alexandra.

Tiana is a Federal Agent working undercover and in the opening scene will take down trafficker Brian Thompson. Her partner/handler is David Dukes. The pair have a decent chemistry going for them as they’re obviously attracted to each other and the flirting will carry on throughout the film.

Looking for the narcotics source leads them to Rod’s operation and Tiana will go undercover as an Asian dancer named Cinderella whom Rod adds to his company of wanna be stars. Among Rod’s inner circle is the imposing figure of Toru Tanaka who handles all of Rod’s killings when needed.

Bottom line is Rod likes to hire flat chested models. The reason being he convinces his girls to undergo breast augmentation using the surgery as a way of smuggling drugs into the United States. After all, big breasted women have a far greater chance of success in the good old U.S. of A. as we all know. No fooling. I’m not making this up. Mr. Silliphant did.

I’m not sure if Tiana was much of an actress but her dumb “China Doll” act works and allows the camera to admire her over the course of the film’s 88 minutes. For action she’ll tangle with the mountainous Tanaka, participate in a highspeed motorcycle chase (or at least her double does) and beat the hell out of an army of Bond like soldiers at Rod’s estate in the country.

I liked this one and admit to finding Miss Tiana attractive which led me to do a bit of research. For starters she married the writer Silliphant and I would encourage you to check out her impressive bio at the IMDB. If I’m to connect the dots I’m guessing Tiana met Stirling on The Killer Elite. He wrote it and she appeared opposite James Caan in the 1975 release. She was at one time a teenage student of Bruce Lee! A short career on camera she went on to produce a biographical award winning documentary, From Hollywood to Hanoi in 1992.

Have a look at a promo for her Karatecize videos.

Savage Streets (1984) Code Red blu ray.

Combine the nudity and shower scenes of Porky’s with the far superior Class of 1984 and a heavy dose of Death Wish 2 and we end up with Savage Streets. A rather cruel movie and one I can’t say I enjoyed all that much.

As it is Linda Blair stars as the student turned vigilante. She hangs out with her gal pals acting tough and lighting smokes in front of her High School professors though the school Principle, John Vernon, isn’t one to be pushed too far. Also in the film are four juvenile delinquents clad in leather and looking to push around those they can easily bully and paw at and ultimately rape any girl they can corner.

Turns out Linda’s got a kid sister played by Linnea Quigley who is deaf and mute. When Linda and her gang of gals have a run in with the hoods it will only lead to the boys seeking revenge by raping and leaving poor Linnea for dead. Not a scene I’d recommend for those easily offended and one that seems to take it’s inspiration from Michael Winner and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

The film broods on with more nudity and the head thug, Robert Dryer, is becoming more unhinged and violent as the film meanders towards it’s end which clocks in at the 93 minute mark. After a topless bathtub soaking minus any soapsuds, Linda, is ready to go Errol Flynn on Dryer’s ass.

Utilizing a crossbow and some hunting gear our one time Exorcist star is on the hunt and the movie from my viewpoint finally comes alive over the last 20 odd minutes. Just took too long to get there.

No doubt the film has developed a cult following so maybe if I’d seen it in my teenage years I’d like it better than I did. I mentioned the superior Class of 1984. I did indeed see that in the theater and thought it was a great 80’s answer to 1955’s Blackboard Jungle and still do. Savage Streets less so. With the amount of nudity on hand and full frontal gals fighting in the showers maybe the scriptwriters should have gone for a Porky’s styled comedy instead. Kind of like those stories Tom Green tells in Road Trip about his college experiences.

So if you’re a fan of Linda Blair or 80’s vigilante flicks then I guess you’ll want to check it out.

**Quick trivia note. I spotted that Michael Franzese scored a producer’s credit. An interesting guy who I love to watch review gangster films and talk about his past as a member of the Colombo crime family online. In other words the Mob somehow had points in savage Streets. **

Firecracker (1981) Shout Factory DVD.

According to the trailer this is “The screen’s first erotic Kung Fu classic.” I’m not so sure about that but it does feature the very attractive Martial Artist Jillian Kesner in various states of undress as she goes about drop kicking one baddie after another. New World Pictures (Roger Corman) produced this made in the Philippines action fest which can only mean one thing. A customary appearance by the one and only Vic Diaz who is once again playing it nasty.

Jill arrives in the Philippines looking for her sister, an investigative reporter who has gone missing. Inside of five minutes into the film Jill in a nightie and panties is kicking the hell out of two men who have followed her back to her hotel room. This is an action film isn’t it with a beautiful woman starring?

Plot points as follows. Ken Metcalfe runs both a drug operation and an underground martial arts fight game where the losers lose their life. Diaz is his supplier and business partner while Darby Hinton is his featured fighter, a stud with the ladies and all around bodyguard.

Jill soon finds her sister’s trail leads to the fight club. She wants a job in the ring as cover for her real interests in Metcalfe’s operation. By the way, about every 8 minutes or so Jill is being cornered by men all over town and drop kicking her way out of danger. None better than when she’s chased late at night in a very sexy dress through a construction sight. Damn dress keeps getting caught on fences and nails. Before we know it she’s down to nothing but a pair of panties freestyling it as she beats the hell out of her two attackers leaving them a bloody mess.

Still to come is one of the most ridiculous sex scenes you’re likely to see this side of Chick Norris and Barbara Carrera’s mud slide in Lone Wolf McQuade. Following the ecstasies of love making which involved a handy dandy pocketknife Jill is going to realize that her lover is the the same man who murdered her sister.

A death match awaits.

No it’s not very good but damn it, it sure is entertaining and invokes that feeling of it’s so bad it’s good. The camera speed gets cranked up for the fight scenes and Jill’s double donning the wig does anything but convince me it’s really her doing summersaults and backflips. If you can, see this one with a friend for the full effect of it’s so bad it’s good.

Nowhere to Hide (1987) VHS.

This conspiracy thriller with a heavy dose of action features a determined Mrs. Ed Harris, better known as Amy Madigan, facing off against a Tim Horton’s Coffee Shop full of Canadian character actors and finding at least one friend among them.

Directed by Mario Azzopardi, the script lets us in on the fact that Amy can handle herself as a Rambo like character while playing paintball taking out her husband and his cronies. All of them crack military experts and helicopter pilots. Amy herself is a now retired Captain raising her son while hubby Daniel Hugh Kelly still holds his commission.

Let’s fast forward just a bit. Military choppers are crashing for no apparent reason and Kelly blaming the manufacturer and not the pilots wants the truth. He’s forcing the hands of those involved in a cover up that is costing lives. Time for a couple of adopted Canadians, Maury Chaykin and Geza Kovacs to take him out in a machine gun massacre. What they don’t find is the proof Kelly had in his possession.

All of which leads to Amy fleeing when she discovers that another well known Canadian actor, John Colicos, playing the General is in on the cover up and he’s ensuring all loose ends are being eliminated including the Toronto born, Chuck Shamata, who quietly blew the whistle on Kelly’s discovery.

With “nowhere to hide” Amy shrewdly takes out the two hitman and heads for higher ground. Paging Michael Ironside. Easily one of Canada’s best character actors over the past fifty years, Ironside, is the one friend she’s got. He’s a former military officer now living in a secluded cabin living a peaceful life but very mistrusting of any authority and quickly lends aid to Amy and her son.

Time for the big standoff when a team of mercenaries are dispatched by Colicos to take them all out leaving no survivors. It’s also time for Amy to rephrase that classic old John Wayne line….. “A woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do.” when her son’s life is in peril. And she does so with extreme prejudice.

Above average drama with plenty of action spliced in, Miss Madigan, delivers a solid performance both tough and tender complimented by this group of Canadians including Jayne Eastwood who I’m sure at one time or another all stood on the stages of Stratford just 20 minutes from me giving us their best rendition of Shakespeare.

I know what you’re thinking, “Where’s Pam Grier?” Well Pam’s always welcome here and has made a number of appearances but her ass kicking days were mainly the early 1970’s and this was meant to highlight some of the lesser known titles and action gals of the VHS era and there’s still a number of names to focus on so expect a follow up.