Forced To Kill

FORCED TO KILL (1993)

Directed by: Russell Solberg
Written by: Corey Michael Eubanks
Starring: Corey Michael Eubanks and Michael Ironside

Forced to Kill is a perfunctory action film, so eclipsed by ordinariness, it barely registers at all. A little seen film from PM Entertainment, it features the age old plot device of a gifted fighter brawling his way through a ‘Bloodsport’ type fighting tournament. However, this time the fighter is a kidnapped repo man who must fight in an illegal competition in order to protect his wife from a bunch of rednecks straight out of Hillbillies 101. Michael Ironside is on hand as the chief bad guy and a few car chases liven things up briefly for what in the most part is a dull, monotonous and by the numbers action flick.



The film’s star, writer and producer, Corey Michael Eubanks (a world renowned stuntman) is so completely lacking in any charisma or conviction that he, and the rest of the proceedings, just appear dull. His screenplay ticks off every fighter/action movie cliché going and, despite the promising opening, is dull and uninspiring. The same can also be said for director and fellow stuntman, Russell Solberg’s direction. No tension is built and scenes often end abruptly, robbing the film of any sense of flow. The fights are little to get excited about, being repetitive and badly filmed. Not even the appearance of Ron Howard and Patrick Swayze’s lesser known siblings, Clint and Don, can add anything to this tepid mess.

The underrated, Michael Ironside acts everyone off the screen and there are several exhilarating car stunts, but this isn’t enough to save this missed opportunity. What should have been a solid action film is instead a soft, and often boring, disappointment.