Project: Shadowchaser

When I was a teenager, my siblings and I would spend the night at our cousin’s on some Fridays, and I would take full advantage of their HBO recording as many of those late night action, horror, and sci-fi flicks I could get on VHS tapes. My aunt and uncle were none the wiser, and I had movies I could watch throughout the summer. My cousin lived with my grandmother and uncle so I also had that avenue to check out HBO when weekends there were available as well. I mention this because Project: Shadowchaser (1992) was just one of many B-movies you could easily find popping up late nights when I could get my HBO fix (I lived for a small period on a little street in the nearest town that had access to HBO, then moved to a more country location that didn’t have functioning cable; it was three channels, 4,9, and 7, and when the rabbit ears could be turned just right, Fox was a bit visible with some rough static).

Watching it again thanks to Encore Action (you can also see it on Youtube), P:S robs from the likes of The Terminator & Die Hard as so many movies in the 80s/90s did (and now far more blatantly and openly with movies being labeled “reimagined” and “remade”) to tell of a killer android (the “in the gym obviously 8 hours a day” Frank Zagarino, with a build cut from stone, and a look that mimics Rutger Hauer from Blade Runner) who leaves the scientific research facility where he was created, kidnapping a staff of workers (including the US President’s daughter, played by Meg Foster), holding them hostage for $50 Million. Paul Koslo works for the Federal Government as Trevanian, inlisting Martin Cove’s Desilva to lead a team of agents into the hospital to get the hostages out. What Trevanian doesn’t realize is that Desilva is not the architect of the hospital he was led to believe (the operator of the cryogenic chambers that hold prisoners selected the wrong ice box prison!). Desilva wasn’t obviously about to inform Trevanian of his true identity and ruin a release from prison. But he suffers quite a bit for concealing his identity as he must ward off Zagarino’s posse of machine gun-carrying henchmen all throughout the hospital. Zagarino also has a female killer at his side with short blond hair who seems like his twinkie.

It was cool seeing Martin Cove in a rare role as the hero. The Karate Kid (1984) obviously typecast him, and he was so good at playing a heel that it was hard to see him as anybody else. Here, he has a great opportunity to show how appealing and likable he can be when given a chance. A sense of humor, often all smiles, and taking the full on assault by an arsenal of baddies with little time for a breather, Kove seems to stay upbeat and always thumbs his nose at Zagarino and Trevanian (Trevanian, realizing Kove isn’t the man he meant to spring from the freeze, warns him to stay out of the situation), taking it upon himself to rescue the hostages. I also dug how he gets his ass kicked repeatedly (or when he engages in fisticuffs, he is on the receiving end of as much blows as he delivers) and rarely shoots anybody despite lots of back and forth machine gun fire with Zagarino’s men. He always succeeds in the end, though, and that’s what is expected of an action film’s hero. Even more amusing to me is how enthusiastic, feisty, and lively Foster is as the President’s daughter; seeing her packing heat and letting off a round at Zagarino was kind of hot. Kove and Foster had this chemistry I found rather surprising; they snap and bark at each other, mind you—the situation kind of sucks for them, so arguing over clothing attire, a mistaken attack (Foster didn’t know he was one of the good guys when he first appears to her), and a ripped dress that allows her to move through crawlspaces better happens when bullets are pointed at them—but a playfulness and sprightly banter between them allows for plenty of blithely, engaging moments that somewhat benefit this unoriginal bit of late night popcorn fodder. The Die Hard influence comes into play when we watch as Kove must move about the hospital avoiding becoming a bullet-ridden corpse. Lots of Kove dropping from shafts, peering around corners, bursting through doors, and surprising his adversaries. Soon Foster is in tow but she's not the "excess baggage" he first describes, equipping herself nicely. She's one tough mama.

The plot allows Joss Ackland to heel it up as the creator of Zagarino, arriving to take over the operation from a none-too-amused Trevanian, more concerned with retrieving his android (or so we are led to believe) than the fate of the hostages. I think it is rather clear from when he first shows up that he’s responsible for Zagarino’s “transgressions”. The operation to kidnap the President’s daughter and secure $50 Million seems a bit too orchestrated for an android, even if he might have artificial intelligence and the ability to evolve past his initial programming. Ackland’s shooting (who he believes is) the President is one of those “No he di’nt!” kind of scenes that is so absurd. A particular audience might get something out of this diversion, if just because of Kove and Foster (you can just tell they’re having a ball), and Zagarino, while not gifted with any type of charisma (never to be noticed for his acting prowess), does have at least a menacing look to him. When he walks into a scene, and you are opposite him, there’s a logical reason to be intimidated. He at least has that. For me, Foster is the pleasant delight in the film, with Kove so comfortable and at home in a role that he’s not usually associated with.