High-Octane
Summary
Marginal by most standards, Catch the Heat is a notable experience for having the spunky Alexandra in the center of it all, and while she’s not really in the league of the Cynthia Rothrocks of the action world, she’s kind of an interesting personality if you can work with her ditsy antics and unusual martial arts abilities.
Plot: An undercover female cop goes up against a drug smuggling ring.
Review: This Trans World Entertainment release stars martial artist / dancer Tiana Alexandra as an undercover cop named Checkers who has a chip on her shoulder that stems back to the brutal death of her sister who was raped, degraded, and killed by thugs. Checkers has a personal grudge against men who treat women badly, and her latest case involves women who are being found murdered and mutilated on the streets of San Francisco. She traces the source to Argentina, where women are groomed as entertainers and then given breast augmentations, but instead of silicone, they are filled with drugs and shipped off to the U.S. where they are murdered and harvested for the drugs they carried. Going undercover as a dancer and endearing herself to the kingpin behind it all (played by Rod Steiger), Checkers goes on a vendetta against the drug ring responsible for the deaths and mutilations of many women.
Marginal by most standards, Catch the Heat is a notable experience for having the spunky Alexandra in the center of it all, and while she’s not really in the league of the Cynthia Rothrocks of the action world, she’s kind of an interesting personality if you can work with her ditsy antics and unusual martial arts abilities. Physically, she’s very slight, but her background in dance and martial arts shines through. On par with many Cannon releases of the era, Catch the Heat is a product of its time. Director Joel Silberg did Cannon’s Rappin’ and Breakin’.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of Catch the Heat will likely be the first time most people will encounter this movie, and that’s a good thing. Presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio for the first time (the original DVD from MGM was full-frame), the movie looks really nice in high definition. It comes with a slipcover, and two trailers.
