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I always expect mountains of explosions and an invincible hero in view whenever I see a Cannon action film, and that expectation does not disappoint. However, when there is a movie that has the stoic David Carradine, for example, ‘Kill Bill’, I am on the other hand not so persuaded that I will view an action-packed spectacle. But what happens when they meet as in the 1986 P.O.W. the Escape? Canon wins out of course. The P.O.W. the Escape movie unsurprisingly depicts the tale of P.O.W.s on the run in the final days of the Vietnam War. And I have never been so surprised by David Carradine (except how he died) than when I saw the what’s holy mundane David Carradine gave some NVA belligerents by the balls to ensure, “everyone goes home.” So, let me take you for a ride to watch P.O.W the Escape, it is a lesser-known but exceptional Vietnam War film, and if that’s not enough for you there is also Steve James to consider who plays a supporting role.
Chilling with Colonel Cooper The mission that Colonel Jim Cooper (played by David Carradine in Future Force) is a part of, is the rescue of a few American POWs. Since it is near the end of the Vietnam War, the Army brass want a loud show of force. Col. Cooper would rather prefer to go in quietly. But then, I am thankful the Army chose the other way around because the opening of the film gives us plenty of helicopters and explosions at the prison camp. Unfortunately, the camp turns out to be empty because the NVA have set a trap. But, that doesn’t stop the American soldiers from firing round after round into nothing.
Who Saves the Savers? Cooper lives by the motto, ‘Everyone goes home,’ and tries to save every soldier of his men only for the last chopper to get blown up a mere seconds after he gets to it with a few men. Cooper goes in for the rescue and ends up being a P.O.W. himself. Sgt. Johnston (Steve James Riverbend), currently one of the prisoners at the camp, is the kind of soldier who you would want on your side during a conflict. One of the highlights of the James portrayal in P.O.W. the Escape was watching Steve James demolish a Vietnamese soldier who was at least two feet shorter and 100 pounds smaller than Steve. And when I say demolish, I really do mean give a major beating to.
Here Comes Mako At the Vietnamese prison camp, Captain Vinh, played by Mako from Sworn to Justice, is the one in charge. He’s absolutely thrilled to catch himself a full Eagle colonel as a POW. He is not happy about having the most senior American officer P.O.W in Vietnam in his camp because, like the high-ranking communists in Hanoi, Vinh will gain a military edge, but rather, because he thinks that Cooper will help him get out. After all, Vinh does have family in Miami, and like so many other retired Americans, he wants to spend his twilight years in Southern Florida. To Cooper, the rest of the P.O.Ws can just rot away in the prison camp. Cooper, however, talks on a different wavelength. That is the part Vinh misses Cooper has a mantra which is “everyone goes home.” Vinh simply has no choice but to agree to Cooper’s terms, soar to freedom together and leave their shackles behind.
Sparks Will Fly Amongst the other prisoners, there is ‘Sparks’ (Charles R. Floyd in his only feature film) and he has reached the end of the road of captivity and does not want to wait for Cooper’s plan to escape. He tries to escape with another inmate McCoy (James Acheson). Sparks and Company do not get very far as it appears some guerrilla style Rambo traps are set up and the end result is that McCoy is dead. Later in Vinh ‘s plan, Sparks comes across Vinh’s stash of gold (by the way who knew there was so much gold US servicemen carried with them on patrol in Vietnam) and plans on escaping with the stash Vinh’s planned earned him.
Follow That Gold Cooper and his men manage to travel out of Vinh with Sparks. Sparks prided himself in evading capture but was swiftly proven wrong by Cooper. Now, there is a race to reach the evacuation point with both Cooper and his men and Sparks being chased by Vinh who is convinced that Sparks has the gold. To make things even more interesting, Cooper stumbles upon more american forces that are currently under fire. Most of these ex P.O.Ws want to look the other way when it comes to the skirmish, but “everyone goes home” is something they clearly haven’t thought of, so we are treated to another splendid firefight.
Everyone Goes Home Every single person makes their way to the perimeter be it Cooper, Vinh, Sparks or anyone present at the evacuation site. It is always a pleasure to see some explosive action from Cannon. In this portion of the action film, one character undergoes a major change in the story arc, perform beautifully and hurl a great deal of punches, which is what David Carradine does. If you are a fan of Cannon, P.O.W. the Escape will keep you entertained. However, you might find it difficult to enjoy the film if you prefer to watch a more accurate representation of war. Nevertheless, Cannon did make one such film along with another underappreciated Vietnam war movie, Platoon Leader. Just like all the other bullet points, this is equally mindnumbing, “everyone goes home” but this time, you get to go home with a bonus bullet point, which in my eye is a lot better than stolen Vietnamese gold.
They’re Dynamite Just like with the lamabada, ninja and breakdancing films, P.O.W. the Escape is also known for being the very first of Cannon’s Behind enemy lines blockbuster.
Did you watch P.O.W. The Escape and Lethal Weapon? – Murtaugh’s quote in 1987’s Lethal Weapon is slightly altered. However, it is usually stated incorrectly; so this is a little peculiar. In 1986 P.O.W. The Escape, there is a unique quote from the movie – “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Going to Vietnam is not something I envision. I wouldn’t want to watch a documentary of the Vietnam War without there being both, cockfighting and prostitution. In my opinion, Cannon is not capable of producing one that is void of these two vices.
Quote That’s Better for Selling Cars But Wasn’t Adams (Phil Brock) stars as the classic “smart guy” and “ nerd” but for whatever reason does not know how to get “a date with mammary glands the size of Buicks.”
Jungle Boogie I believe P.O.W. the Escape has some of the best jungle chase music to offer. However, there is much more offered in the film such as darker tunes which are not well sampled in other films.
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