rewatched this last night for the first time in about ten years- it was my Cage night. The other cage was Nicholas Cage in Bangkok Dangerous, which I will review shortly. Okay, here's the dilly yo.It's a shame that not more people have seen Cage, which is perhaps Lou Ferrigno's best role and character in the mentally
handicapped Vietnam Vet Billy. Indeed, Cage is problematic in the action world because it is hard to categorize. I mean, not many action films would dare to venture into the world of the mentally handicapped, and 'Cage' can best be described as 'Of Mice and Men' meets 'Bloodsport.' This was one of those fun, cheesy 80s films I would rent when I was a kid along with the latest Don "the Dragon" Wilson feature or the newest installment of the Tiger Claws movies. The sets are cheap, the action choreography is sloppy, and the whole thing is just freakin' sweet. I don't know what the filmmakers were going for, but I can only guess that they wanted Lou Ferrigno's Billy character to be a positive role model, and gave the world, in effect, it's first mentally handicapped action hero. The story is: Billy and Scott (Reb Brown, who sports pink shirts, tight jeans, and booty shorts a lot here) were in Vietnam together. Billy saves Scott, and gets shot in the head, becoming mentally handicapped. Long story short, years later they are inseparable friends who own a bar, only the bar is jepordized and some shady gangsters want Billy to cage-fight since he's got amazing brute strength.It's hard to hate on this movie, since even a bad movie honk like myself couldn't laugh at things without feeling like I was going to hell. Ferrigno brings a great humanity to Billy that in another action star's hands might not have worked. I think it's a very warm, compassionate performance, and I give props for that. However, the fights are terrible, the acting is sub-par, and the stunts are insulting to the normal, intelligent viewer. I loved it. Reb Brown is great here- he's mister nice guy, and goes around happy-go-lucky and cool beans to everything until bad guys start messing with him and Billy- then he goes crazy and starts giving people shotgun blasts to the chest and breaking cage fighter neck. The cast in Cage is also to be commended- all star top of the line B movie cheese: you got Ferrigno, Reb Brown, Matthias Hues, Al Leong, Al Ruscio, and the man himself, Danny Trejo! All in the same movie! The only guy missing was Don the Dragon Wilson, but he didn't debut in Bloodfist until later in the year. You have probably already seen this if you're a fan of bad action movies. If you haven't- what are you waiting for? I also recommend 'Cage 2: the Arena of Death', which is my personal favorite of the two. It's not on DVD, though- so happy hunting!
February 19, 2009
