Recommendation: Avenging Force
A shockingly prescient film
There’s no shortage of films and movies exploring the idea that humans are the ultimate prey.
If The Most Dangerous Game is the OG, and Predator and Hard Target co-represent the apex of the genre, then the 1986 B-movie classic Avenging Force is the perfect avatar for our troubled times.
Starring the dreamy, brooding Michael Dudikoff as the white savior and the lovable and talented Steve James (R.I.P.) as the charismatic, sacrificial black dude — both of American Ninja fame — this gritty, stylish, hyperviolent action flick still proves distressingly relevant.
To be clear, this is a bad movie. But, if you’ve got time to kill, the themes remain sadly topical, and the final action set piece delivers.
Even if you’re totally disinterested (fair), I urge you to check out the primary antagonist’s monologue at the twenty-three-minute mark. Who could’ve predicted a low-budget Golan-Globus production would provide the political platform for the present-day GOP?
You can watch the film in its entirety on YouTube.
Content warning: virulent racism, racial epithets.
Author's note: I watched this movie at least fifty times between the ages of seven and ten, which explains a lot.