LIGHT BLAST (1985)
aka Colpi di luce
Article 5102 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 3-8-2016
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari
Featuring Erik Estrada, Ennio Girolami, Michael Pritchard
Country: Italy
What it is: Action flick

A mad physicist has developed a death ray with which he tries to hold a city for ransom. Can a policeman stop him?

There are a handful of stop-motion animated sequences where we see the flesh melting off the bodies of the victims. The rest of the movie is a rehash of the usual action-movie cliches. You’ll get a mildly funky soundtrack, lots of car crashes, bullet wounds, cars blowing up, car chases, people set on fire, a car driving the wrong direction down the freeway, gunfights, a few hints of an investigation, and a token undeveloped character whose sole dramatic purpose is to be killed by the bad guys so we can feel sorry for the cop. It’ll pass muster for the uncritical action fan, I suppose, but those of us hoping for something more (an interesting story, compelling characters, creative dialogue, anything out of the ordinary that can set this one apart from the pack) had best turn our attention elsewhere. As it is, it’s one of those movies where the stunt men and the explosions experts deserve to be listed above anyone else on the creative team; they seem to be doing most of the work. It’s just another day at the movies here.