Light Blast

LIGHT BLAST (1985)

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari
Written by: Enzo G. Castellari & Tito Carpi
Starring: Erik Estrada

Erik Estrada plays, well, Erik Estrada in this looney-toon Italian produced, American shot action/sci-fi extravaganza. Low rent, low budget and low on logic, Light Blast is, ahem, a blast of crazy action from the original Inglorious Bastards director, Enzo G. Castellari. Italian cinema was big back in the 80s and the Italians shot a lot of their films in the US with US actors. Light Blast is one of Castellari’s attempts at an all out American cop action flick, albeit with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. Estrada is a no-nonsense cop after some crazy scientist who has an even crazier lazer gun that melts the faces off people in an over-the-top gory and, yes, crazy way.

So we get heaps of low tech but packed full of dangerous stunts car chases; lots of shotgun blasting shootouts; face melting a la Raiders of the Lost Ark; Estrada in a wicked fight with an extremely tough nurse(!); a finale involving a souped up dune buggy; more shootouts (cool!); and Erik Estrada in his underpants thwarting some terrorists with a gun hidden inside a roast chicken (don’t ask!). The film makes rarely a lick of sense and despite the obvious low budget benefits from actually being shot on 35mm and on location in San Francisco. The action is pretty tight as well. The initial car chases are a bit slow in execution but feature mucho car smashing and are made up for with the insane dune buggy chase. The shootouts and fights are pretty solid though and you are never far away from the next action scene. Plus, who doesn’t want to see Erik Estrada fighting a buffed up nurse?

The Italians sure knew how to make them back in the day: violent, action packed and crazy as hell. High art Light Blast ain’t but action packed, bonkers fun it is. If you have to see only one Italian made sci-fi, action film starring Erik Estrada featuring lots of face melting, make sure its this one. Actually, I think this is the only one.