A group of Islamic terrorists infiltrate & forcibly take over a US nuclear missile base in Nebraska, killing everyone inside except for their insider. They set up a computer to obtain nuclear launch codes & manage to locate the two nuclear launch keys in order to launch the nukes. But their plan goes awry when a former Navy SEAL turned low-level courier accidentally stumbles onto the plot whilst delivering a classified message to the base. Discovering what is going on, the courier uses his skills to seize back the base from the terrorists.
The Bloodfist series has been one of the 1990s' most enduring minor B-grade franchises & a perpetual money-spinner for producer Roger Corman. Originally a martial arts showcase, the series quickly turned into a generic action series, with the only holdover for the entire series being champion kickboxer turned minor action hero Don "The Dragon" Wilson.
While I thought that the Bloodfist series was somewhat negligible in the grand scheme of things, I found this entry to be probably the worst entry in the series – tying with Bloodfist IV: Die Trying. Ground Zero is one of the cheapest Die Hard knockoffs I have seen, although it did have a small sum for a budget, allowing the filmmakers to utilise some limited special effects. The story is a bit on the implausible side – how the terrorists manage to circumvent the nuclear base's security in order to take complete control is never fully explored – even if they had an insider in the base (which was in this case), this doesn't fully explain their plan. Even if you believe this plot device, the ease with which they manage to do so is still highly unlikely.
Having said that, the film delivers on the action angle, although the low-grade action theatrics are nowhere even close to the quality of your average Die Hard clone. Don "The Dragon" Wilson is not exactly a good actor but he has been steadily improving over the series & here comes off as technically passable. His martial arts skills are underutilised, with the fights mainly using simple kicks & punches & a lot of gunplay.
Another thing I thought was odd for this film was having the military's hierarchy – in particular Wynn Irwin's general – engaged in sexist & misogynistic behaviour. Robin Curtis's major is talked down to & even finds a male sex doll in her office. This would in real life result in a sexual harassment lawsuit but here nothing is done about it. Speaking of improbabilities, the idea of having Wilson shoot the crap out of the launch computers after discovering his abort code won't work is ridiculous to say the least. Ground Zero was also one of Cat Sassoon's last films.
The Bloodfist series has been one of the 1990s' most enduring minor B-grade franchises & a perpetual money-spinner for producer Roger Corman. Originally a martial arts showcase, the series quickly turned into a generic action series, with the only holdover for the entire series being champion kickboxer turned minor action hero Don "The Dragon" Wilson.
While I thought that the Bloodfist series was somewhat negligible in the grand scheme of things, I found this entry to be probably the worst entry in the series – tying with Bloodfist IV: Die Trying. Ground Zero is one of the cheapest Die Hard knockoffs I have seen, although it did have a small sum for a budget, allowing the filmmakers to utilise some limited special effects. The story is a bit on the implausible side – how the terrorists manage to circumvent the nuclear base's security in order to take complete control is never fully explored – even if they had an insider in the base (which was in this case), this doesn't fully explain their plan. Even if you believe this plot device, the ease with which they manage to do so is still highly unlikely.
Having said that, the film delivers on the action angle, although the low-grade action theatrics are nowhere even close to the quality of your average Die Hard clone. Don "The Dragon" Wilson is not exactly a good actor but he has been steadily improving over the series & here comes off as technically passable. His martial arts skills are underutilised, with the fights mainly using simple kicks & punches & a lot of gunplay.
Another thing I thought was odd for this film was having the military's hierarchy – in particular Wynn Irwin's general – engaged in sexist & misogynistic behaviour. Robin Curtis's major is talked down to & even finds a male sex doll in her office. This would in real life result in a sexual harassment lawsuit but here nothing is done about it. Speaking of improbabilities, the idea of having Wilson shoot the crap out of the launch computers after discovering his abort code won't work is ridiculous to say the least. Ground Zero was also one of Cat Sassoon's last films.