The Protector is a 1997 American action film written by Jack Gill, Dee McLachlan, Stuart Beattie, and Andrea Buck, and directed by Gill. It stars Matt McColm as Kenneth James Conway, an ex-commando and a private detective investigating the disappearance of a virologist. Supporting cast includes Ron Perlman, John Rhys-Davies, and Carol Alt.
| The Protector | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jack Gill |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Steven Paul |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Robert Hayes |
| Edited by | Steve Mitchell Beebe |
| Music by | Mark Holden |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
Cast
edit- Matt McColm as Kenneth James Conway
- Ron Perlman as Dr. Ramsey Krago
- Carol Alt as Agent Monica McBride
- Annabel Schofield as Marisa
- John Rhys-Davies as Rasheed
- Morgan Brittany as Sloane Matthews
- Clint Howard as Hutch
- Michael Paul Chan as Dr. Anthony Mane
- Rodger LaRue as Agent Leo Dumass
- Jack Gill as Dr. Stanley Erhardt
- Terrence Stone as Myles Vale
- Henry Kingi as Van Driver
- Patrick St. Esprit as Security Guard
- Kane Hodder as Guard
Production
editIn 1996, stuntman and actor Matt McColm has been labelled by Los Angeles Times as "Hollywood's next-generation action star," following in the footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.[1] His previous entries in the action genre included Red Scorpion 2 (1994) and Subterfuge (1996). The Protector gave McColm a chance to impress the audiences with both his perfect musculature and martial-arts skills—since he has a black belt in Kenpo Karate.[2][3][4][5][6] Prior to the filming director Jack Gill worked primarily as a stuntman, stunt coordinator, and second unit director.[5]
Release
editA-Pix Entertainment released the movie in the United States on VHS in 1997.[7] The following year the film was released in Canada by Coscient Astral Distribution, under the title Conway.[8]
Reception
editDouglas R. Pratt reviewed The Protector in his 2004 guide Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, Volume 1, noting, "the story is an adequate backdrop for the gunfights, car crashes, and other activities this sort of movie can be depended upon to deliver."[9] In a journal for Dammaged Goods—a cinema-related website—The Protector was called a "quasi exploitative action film" that "makes good use of its resources, has some fun in the process and doesn't try to be something it's not."[5] Furthermore, the central performance is praised: "Stunt performer turned leading man Matt McColm plays Conway with rogue charm while flexing his muscles and martial-arts prowess. Ruggedly handsome, McColm doesn't take things too seriously and is a likeable enough hero."[5] Yippee-ki-yay! editor Albert Nowicki complimented McColm in his leading role, calling his character a "convincing cinematic tough guy", with a "stunning musculature" and good magnetism. He went on to berate other cast members, though, and called Carol Alt an "expressionless beauty".[10]
Cinema.de provided a negative note, giving it one star out of five.[11] Movies Room described the movie, along with Subterfuge, as "tacky and second-class" but also "enjoyable".[12]
References
edit- ^ "MOVIE TRENDS / What's happened to all the shoot-'em-up films? Who's the next Sly or Jean-Claude?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "MATT MCCOLM IN THE CANNON FILMS-WORTHY 'SUBTERFUGE' (1996)". Ultimate Action Movies. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "ACTION REWIND: Matt McColm Delivers the Fisticuffs and Firepower in the 90's Action Gem BODY ARMOR!". Action-Flix. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "Movie-type who shuns partying". New Straits Times. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Crappy + Action Movie = Craption! Body Armor". Dammaged Goods. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Body Armor – The Unknown Movies". The Unknown Movies. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Body Armor – VHSCollector.com". VHSCollector.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Conway – VHSCollector.com". VHSCollector.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Pratt, p. 178
- ^ Nowicki, Albert (March 12, 2015). "Bad ass protector, czyli kaskader w natarciu". Yippee-ki-yay!. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Virus Attack (1997)" (in German). Cinema.de. TV Spielfilm Verlag GmbH. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ Nowicki, Albert (December 6, 2015). "Ranking. Gwiazdy kina akcji, które zgasły prędzej niż rozbłysły". Movies Room (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2016-01-14. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Pratt, Douglas R. (2004). Doug Pratt's DVD: Movies, Television, Music, Art, Adult, and More!, Volume 1. 178–179. Harbor Electronic Publishing. ISBN 1932916008.