Action Jackson (1988)    Lorimar/Action    RT: 96 minutes    Rated R (language, strong violence, nudity, drugs)    Director: Craig R. Baxley    Screenplay: Robert Reneau    Music:  Herbie Hancock and Michael Kamen    Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti    Release date: February 12, 1988 (US)    Cast: Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone, Thomas F. Wilson, Bill Duke, Robert Davi, Jack Thibeau, Roger Aaron Brown, Stan Foster, Mary Ellen Trainor, Ed O’Ross, Al Leong, Michael McManus, De’voreaux White, Chino “Fats” Williams, Prince A. Hughes, Charles Meshack, Miguel Nunez, Branscombe Richmond, Richard Duran, Sonny Landham, Nicholas Worth.    Box Office: $20.2M (US)

Rating: *** ½

 It’s a low down dirty shame Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator) never got a real chance to become the next big action star of the 80s. The late actor definitely had screen presence. In Action Jackson, he plays Jericho “Action” Jackson, a tough cop who has been demoted to desk duty after nearly killing the son of powerful, rich businessman Peter Dellaplane (Nelson, Poltergeist). His nearly tearing the arm off the suspected child molester cost him his lieutenant’s stripes, gun permit and marriage. The former high school track star and Harvard Law graduate spends his days shuffling papers and promoting the department’s public image. He gets a chance to get it all back after learning Dellaplane might be behind the recent deaths of auto worker union officials.

 Is Dellaplane the guilty party? Of course he is. Look at the guy. He’s EVIL. You can tell within seconds of meeting him that he’s not playing with a full deck. He’s made more dangerous by being rich. This means he can afford to have somebody else do his dirty work. Enter “The Invisible Men”, a squad of highly trained killers who love blowing things (and people) up. Being wealthy also means having a hot wife, Patrice (Stone, Basic Instinct), and a hotter mistress, nightclub singer Sydney Ash (R&B singer Vanity of 52 Pick-Up). Both women, of course, will prove helpful to Jackson in his quest to nail Dellaplane.

 There’s no shortage of action in Action Jackson. Like most 80s action heroes, Jackson is a one-man army with a penchant for chaos, destruction and defying his uptight commanding officer Capt. Armbruster (Duke, Predator). In his case, he has no choice to go at it alone. He’s been framed for murder by you-know-who and the entire Detroit police department is after him. At one point, one of the killers tries to run him over in a taxi and Jackson chases him on foot. That is, before he takes a flying leap onto the roof of the taxi and punches the driver through the windshield. Then there’s the scene of Jackson driving a car into a house, up the stairs and into a bedroom. WHOA! Is any of this believable? HELL, NO! Is it fun? HELL, YES! This is exactly what 80s action movies are all about. Scenes like this are always fun and director Craig R. Baxley (Stone Cold) knows it. He’s a stunt guy; it’s his specialty.

 As I previously indicated, Weathers is AWESOME in the lead. I just like the guy, what else can I say? Vanity is sexy as hell as his love interest, a drug addict looking for a fix in between dodging explosions and jumping out hotel windows. Stone gives her usual wooden performance in a role that feels almost superfluous since she doesn’t add much to the story. Nelson is great as the main villain, a power-hungry creep with a vague agenda. That, dear friends, is the movie’s only real flaw. What does his character have to gain by killing union officials? He tries to explain it to Jackson in a “Talking Villain” scene, but it doesn’t really clear things up. Duke is just one of the many genre familiar faces you’ll see in Action Jackson. The cool supporting cast also includes Robert Davi (Die Hard), Jack Thibeau (Lethal Weapon), Al Leong (Lethal Weapon), Dennis Hayden (Die Hard), Sonny Landham (Predator), Ed O’Ross (Red Heat), Mary Ellen Trainor (Lethal Weapon 1-4), Branscombe Richmond (Hard to Kill), Charles Meshack (Commando), Richard Duran (Tango & Cash), De’Voreaux White (Die Hard) and gravelly-voiced Chino “Fats” Williams (The Terminator).

 Not only is Action Jackson a bad ass action flick, it’s also a nice throwback to the blaxploitation movies of the 70s. It has a groovy soundtrack that includes a great theme song “He Turned Me Out” by The Pointer Sisters. It also has humor with most of the comic relief provided by a couple of inept patrolmen, one played by Thomas F. Wilson of Back to the Future. An incompetent purse snatcher, Albert (Foster of TV’s Tour of Duty), who faints at the sight of Jackson is funny as well.

 I would have loved to see Action Jackson become a franchise but it didn’t. I guess audiences had enough of seeing Detroit destroyed by Axel Foley and RoboCop. Who needs one more maverick cop in the Motor City, right? That’s just a theory, of course. Me, I think it’s a great action flick even if the villain’s plot doesn’t make sense. I’m just in it for the action. Thanks for that, Mr. Jackson.