Verdict
Summary
A stunt and explosion-filled action film done in the old school style of the ’80s and early ’90s, Raven isn’t sophisticated, but if you’re a fan of men’s adventure pulp novels and real stunts, squibs, and explosions, it should do the trick.
Plot: A notorious criminal is hunted down by the elite Raven Special Forces team when things go wrong on a mission to capture stolen military hardware.
Review: The Raven mercenary team does a job in Eastern Europe and everything changes from then on for them: The leader Jerome (Burt Reynolds) is presumed dead, while his #1 Duce (Matt Battaglia) survives with one-half of a decoder device they were paid to locate for a terrorist. Two years pass and Duce is living the good life with his hot girlfriend (played by former Emmanuelle star Krista Allen), and one day he realizes that his partner Jerome is still alive … and hunting him for his half of the decoder device. Jerome has assembled a new Raven team and they’ve gone rogue, with the intent to kill anyone who gets in their way as their ethics have gone out the window in favor of getting what they want any way they see fit. Duce must face off against his old ally in an explosive cat and mouse chase.
A stunt and explosion-filled action film done in the old school style of the ’80s and early ’90s, Raven isn’t sophisticated, but if you’re a fan of men’s adventure pulp novels and real stunts, squibs, and explosions, it should do the trick. Bonus points for gratuitous sex and nudity, which peppers this “B” movie for added flavor. Reynolds seems engaged in the basic material, and Battlaglia looks like a generic muscular hero. Russell Solberg, a veteran director of shows like Renegade, gives the movie as much bang for the buck as he can. Too bad they didn’t do a sequel.
MVD Marquee recently released a nice looking widescreen Blu-ray of Raven, but it’s without any bonus features. No matter. It’s worth it anyway.
