Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take an underrated solid action flick of the 80's from Lee Van Cleef and David Carradine, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Armed Response (1986) is a good solid action film of the 80's , It has flaws but I still like it. I love action and horror movies from the 80's and Armed Response (1986) Is one of them. I am an Lee Van Cleef fan and for a Lee Van Cleef fan and his character is definitely my favorite film that I like. For a Few Dollars More (1965) and Escape from New York (1981) are two my favorite films from Lee Van Cleef, I seriously like his two characters in those two films: Col. Douglas Mortimer and Bob Hauk New York Police Commissioner are two of Lee Van Cleef's characters I like, but now I love his character Burt Roth retired police officer, the father of his three sons. I like this action film, for a cheaper action film it was really decent it had nice shoot outs and a nice car explosion and the twist around. I love the Music theme by Thomas Chase and Steve Rucker. Almost everyone who was involved in making this movie is dead now. David Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Mako, Lois Hamilton all past away are no longer with us anymore.Plot: One of Tanaka's underlings has stolen a rare statuette that he had planned to use as a peace offering between the local Yakusa and Chinese Tong. He hires two private investigators to exchange ransom money to recover the statuette, but the trade goes down bad and Clay Roth is killed. This angers Roth's brothers and father, all combat veterans, and they go after the people responsible.Jim Roth (Carradine) is a Vietnam veteran, family man, and owner of a bar. His father Burt (Van Cleef) hangs out there, as do other brothers Tommy (Huff) and Clay (Goss). It's a close family, as Jim's wife Sara (Hamilton) and young daughter Lauren (Chodan) also stop by on occasion. But the Roth family is about to encounter some trouble in the form of Yakuza boss Akira Tanaka (Mako), who desperately wants a valuable statue and will stop at nothing to get it, mainly because he will use it as a bargaining chip to prevent a Chinatown mob war with the Tongs.When Clay stupidly gets involved with Tanaka (and his evil bodyguard F.C. (Berryman), it sets off a chain of events where various members of the Roth family get in trouble - and Jim, who suffers from Vietnam flashbacks and nightmares, must team up with his father, Burt, to go back into an American-Asian war by gearing up to blow away the Yakuza. Add into this mix the slimy Cory Thorton (Hagen), as well as other various and sundry unsavory characters, and there's going to have to be an ARMED RESPONSE! The acting performance from this movie is solid, the script is terrible but the action in here is pretty good. This movie is more about a betrayal, stolen statue, family and a theft of a half of million dollars. Laurene Landon is also as extra in here as a thief in this movie, she has only two scenes, she was also cast in Maniac Cop 1 and 2. I seriously love movies from the 80's, they are part of my life and the two main heroes in this movie are decent. David Carradine is the main hero and his father Lee Van Cleef is the hero who does everything that keeps his only son alive. This film isn't about revenge and honestly I think Jim Roth (David Carradine) is well written character, honest, loyal and decent. He is not selfish he returns the statue to Tanaka (Mako) and he didn't want to killed him, even tough Tanaka was responsible for his two brothers death.The shootings and the action scenes were great I like it, the automatic weapons are a lot and they are used well. You have one car explosion. You also have Michael Berryman in it as another villain from Wes Craven's classic horror films The Hills Have Eyes 1 & 2, you also have a flashbacks on a Vietnam war when Jim is having another nightmare on his past life as a Vietnam Vet soldier, what he had to do, to surviving the war. He even has a wife and a young daughter. I also like the fighting sequence when Jim is fighting off a few drug dealers, while he is searching for Cory Thorton. I like that Lee Van Cleef kills 2 bad guys. One in a bar when he was holding Jim as hostage and one in a shoot out, while he was helping his son Jim saving his wife and his daughter. Burt shoot the bad guy and killed him, the baddie fall in an electric wire and was electrocuted. Overral: This action flick is forgotten and is not bad for cheaper film, it could have been a better action film but because of the money they couldn't make such a big action film that would get a higher rating or would be famous. This movie get's an 8 by me mainly for Lee Van Leef and David Carradine awesome action performances.Armed Response is a 1986 action crime film, starring David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef and directed by Fred Olen Ray. This is the first action film made by CineTel Films which would become famous in that genre.8/10 Grade: B Studio: CineTel Films Starring: David Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Mako, Lois Hamilton, David Goss, Ross Hagen, Laurene Landon Director: Fred Olen Ray Producer: Paul Hertzberg Screenplay: Peter T.L. Lankford Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 26 Mins. Budget: $1.500.000 Box Office: $1,368,912

The Roth clan gets wrapped up in underworld double and triple crosses after youngest son Clay (David Goss) is shot by his P.I. partner Cory (Ross Hagen). Seems the duo was hired by Tanaka (Mako) to reclaim a jade statue from some thieves (Dick Miller and Laurene Landon) and Cory felt it was the perfect ticket to good life. So ex-cop/drunk Papa Roth (Lee Van Cleef) corrals his two remaining sons Jim (David Carradine) and Tommy (Brent Huff) to get some family revenge. This action flick was technically my first Fred Olen Ray film as I remember my dad renting it back in the day. I don't know why, but knowing that FOR pulled one over on my pops with the allure of Carradine and Van Cleef makes me smile. Anyways, I barely remembered it so tonight's revisit was almost like watching it anew. This moves fast and is actually better made than some of the films Ray made right after it. It is simple stuff plot wise but I enjoyed it and there are a few good shootouts here and there. The biggest surprise is that the leads are really there for the whole film and Carradine and Van Cleef really give it their all. Trying to swallow Lee as David's dad is kinda funny though as they were separated by roughly 11 years in real life. Lots of great character actors in supporting roles like Michael Berryman as a fortune cookie giving hit-man, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a long-haired torturer, Bobbie Bresee as a stripper (who stays clothed), Michelle Bauer as a stripper (who doesn't stay clothed), Conan Lee in the first five minutes, and Dawn Wildsmith (aka Mr. Olen Ray at the time) as a barroom tough girl.

I am a truly HUGE Brent Huff fan, and have been since seeing Perils of Gwendoline.Mr. Huff looks great in this movie and though his part is short, he is seen enduring a bone-scraping torture through his bare chest that looks like evil acupuncture.Brent was one of the most handsome and sexy actors in these actioners and he could act when given half a chance. I don't know why he did not have a larger career, but I am thankful for the one he had.In some ways, he was the Mark Damon of the Eighties (though Mark got more notice for a little while during his heyday.) Mr. Damon has gone on to do very well as a producer. I hope the best for Brent as well.The VHS version has nice picture quality. I have not seen the DVD version.An 9/10 for shirtless torture sequence.The rest of the movie is okay. The actor who plays Huff's interrogator is a good one who shows up in many similar roles.

"Armed Response" is one of Fred Olen Ray's earliest directorial efforts, and it also less schlocky than some of his other ones, closer to an actual legitimate action film (it's hard to believe he would make a film as unbelievably bad as "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" only two years later). It has a fairly complicated plot, which would be hard to summarize in a single paragraph, and a cast that's a B-movie fan's dream (where else could you find Lee Van Cleef and Michael Berryman together?), though it must be noted that David Carradine is particularly awful in this movie. (**1/2)