This pleasingly straightforward and unpretentious low-budget sci-fi/action rehash of "Starman" and "The Hidden" depicts two alien adversaries -- brutal escaped convict Yates (the almighty Robert Forster in peak nasty form) and dedicated cop Townshend (hunky Lance Edwards) -- landing on Earth and proceeding to duke it out between themselves, causing a great deal of death and destruction in the process. Caught in the middle of the aliens' lunatic fray is Dr. Dori Caisson (the gorgeous, but extremely annoying Hilary Shepard), a fiery, tart-tongued pathologist who cuts loose with an endless stream of groan-inducing stupid one-liners ("The only difference between a brown nose and a s**thead is depth perception") and dutifully doffs her duds for the obligatory gratuitous sex scene.
Efficiently directed in a taut, punchy, streamlined fashion by underrated B-movie maestro Kevin S. ("Witchboard," "Night of the Demons") Tenney (who also wrote the derivative, but functional script), "Peacemaker" has the right rousing stuff to pass muster as a really satisfying flick: a peppy, barnstorming pace which rarely flags, accomplished, hyper-kinetic cinematography by Thomas Jewett (the manic Steadicam work is especially strong), a furiously pile-driving score by Dennis Michael Tenney, fine acting from an able cast (besides Forster and Edwards in powerhouse leads, pockmarked tough guy Robert Davi as a gruff police sergeant, Bert Remsen as an amiable coroner and Wally Taylor as a friendly hospital security guard are on hand to give sturdy supporting performances), copious and often quite gory violence, and, most importantly, the wildly out-of-control and adrenaline-charged full-bore action scenes are executed with tremendous hair-raising verve (said action includes frenetic foot chases, guys crashing through doors and glass windows, mucho painful hand-to-hand combat, frenzied firefights, heavy falls from high places, and one particularly awesome protracted automobile pursuit set piece). Only a lousy sense of tiresomely smartaleck humor detracts somewhat from this otherwise nicely dynamic, heart-racing and entertaining little winner.
Efficiently directed in a taut, punchy, streamlined fashion by underrated B-movie maestro Kevin S. ("Witchboard," "Night of the Demons") Tenney (who also wrote the derivative, but functional script), "Peacemaker" has the right rousing stuff to pass muster as a really satisfying flick: a peppy, barnstorming pace which rarely flags, accomplished, hyper-kinetic cinematography by Thomas Jewett (the manic Steadicam work is especially strong), a furiously pile-driving score by Dennis Michael Tenney, fine acting from an able cast (besides Forster and Edwards in powerhouse leads, pockmarked tough guy Robert Davi as a gruff police sergeant, Bert Remsen as an amiable coroner and Wally Taylor as a friendly hospital security guard are on hand to give sturdy supporting performances), copious and often quite gory violence, and, most importantly, the wildly out-of-control and adrenaline-charged full-bore action scenes are executed with tremendous hair-raising verve (said action includes frenetic foot chases, guys crashing through doors and glass windows, mucho painful hand-to-hand combat, frenzied firefights, heavy falls from high places, and one particularly awesome protracted automobile pursuit set piece). Only a lousy sense of tiresomely smartaleck humor detracts somewhat from this otherwise nicely dynamic, heart-racing and entertaining little winner.