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Tough and Deadly |  | Director: Steve Cohen
Actors: Billy Blanks, Roddy Piper, Richard Norton, Charles Kahlenberg, James Karen
Category: DVD
Buy New: $69.97
as of 11/22/2009 04:22 CST details
New (2) Used (2) from $49.99
Seller: rare_cinema
Rating:  8 reviews
Format: PAL
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 0
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5060033471647
Theatrical Release Date: 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
 Not Smart nor Dramatic, but certainly "Tough and Deadly" June 4, 2009
Mike Schorn (APO, AE United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As far as B-movie martial arts/action/buddy flicks go, the second team-up between former WWF champion Roddy Piper (They Live) and seven-time world martial arts champion Billy Blanks (The King of the Kickboxers [VHS]) is a thoroughly enjoyable time-killer. Swift-paced, ripe with hand-to-hand fights, and never taking itself too seriously, the film is a great example of how to achieve a fun time with only minimum resources and two talented, underrated stars; fans of The Perfect Weapon [VHS], Showdown in Little Tokyo, Rapid Fire, and the like will certainly find some level of enjoyment in this oft-forgotten little gem.
The story: John Portland (Blanks) is a CIA agent whose last mission ended up in catastrophe due to internal corruption. Wounded and stricken with amnesia, he enlists the help of private investigator Elmo Freech (Piper) in order to reclaim his past and eventually expose a dubious case of drug-trafficking involving officials deep within our nation's security organizations and government.
Yes, the story is one for the dogs, but it generally plays in the background while Blanks and Piper bounce off of eachother in front of the camera. While I wouldn't list them among the great acting duos of cinema, the unlikely pair has definite chemistry that was evident in their previous venture (Back in Action [VHS]) and even more so here; their charisma doesn't depend on situation and seems more sincere than any of the acting. I'd be very surprised to find out that they aren't friends behind the scenes.
Beyond this, however, there is not an abundance of great acting to be seen: the two stars carry most of the scenes on their own and their charm carries them, whereas seeing Charles Kahlenberg and James Karen (The Return of the Living Dead) as good/bad FBI agents, Lisa Stahl as Piper's quasi-girlfriend, and Phil Morris ("Mission: Impossible" series) as an all-around bad guy isn't always very pleasant. Passable, perhaps, but not great.
Luckily, we have a boatload of good action scenes to fall back on: there's only one short gunfight, but about ten assorted brawls split between the martial artist and the pro wrestler (not including a rather embarrassing one between the two). Piper manages to keep his fisticuffs entertaining, but as expected, Blanks' encounters are the more impressive ones: he doesn't have any particularly outstanding opponents, so as with Piper, most of his fights are beat-`em-up affairs, albeit spiced up with some very impressive jump-kicking and nifty leg takedowns. There's also a nifty instance where he springs up from a crouched position to deliver a one-two kick to a fellow in a chair, before which he kicks a man out of the front window of a moving car. The choreography is good, providing ebb and flow to the fights, and most of the encounters are shot without visual compromises or extensive post-production editing - it's all about what was gotten on the set, and it is good.
The limitations imposed by a DTV budget are covered up pretty well by director Steve Cohen (Martial Law [VHS]), so aside from some of the questionable dramatic performances, the only thing that works against the movie is its own god-given stupidity, but since you already knew you weren't readying yourself for anything intellectual when you bought this film, it oughtn't bother action fans. I can't speak for Roddy Piper's film career, but "Tough and Deadly" is among Billy Blanks' best film outings, alongside "The King of the Kickboxers" and Showdown; fans of his definitely ought to own it, while action devotees in general shouldn't be disappointed buying it blind.
 If you only see one movie... June 3, 2007
P. W. Allen
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you like Don "The Dragon" Wilson, then you might like Billy Blanks. This project really coalesced in 1992, when director/producer Sam Cohen envisioned the plot for Tough And Deadly in an opium den in Buenos Aries. In a legendary "pull up" scene, Piper tickles Blanks and they roll around in the park. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper actually learned English for this movie, although you would never know it. If you only see one movie named Tough And Deadly, put this one near the top.
 Tough and Deadly REVIEW September 13, 2003
Crazy Jim (Massachusetts)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
After joining forces in 1993's "Back In Action", Billy Blanks and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper reunite for this dismal follow-up. This time, Blanks is a special agent with amnesia and Piper is the bounty hunter trying to keep him alive long enough to figure out who he is. The action sequences aren't as spectacular this go around and the story gets tired fast. Fans of either may want to check out but overall, it's very underwhelming.
 The ultimate no hoper. October 3, 1999
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Billy Blanks is a poor man's Wesley Snipes.Wesley Snipes is a poor man's Eddie Murphy.A lot of people find Eddie Murphy very irritating. Even as a movie aimed squairely to demonstrate the martial arts and brawls, this is a very boring and cack handed affair.
Abysmal. September 4, 1999
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Absolutely terrible action thriller,with unconquerable martial arts man Billy Blanks and former wrestling? pro Rowdy Roddy Piper teaming up to bust some bad guys.Repetitive,incoherent and boring.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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