My review was written in November 1990 after watching the movie at a Times Square screening room.
"Guns" is the fifth and campiest film in the "Malibu Express" adventure series. Combo of bullets and bosoms is out of step with current theatrical tastes but shapes up as a potent video title for RCA/Columbia next year.
Erik Estrada joins the cast of regulars as an evil gunrunner using Hawaii (homebase of the Malibu team) to ship modern weaponry from China to South America. He's also carrying out a vendetta against Dona Speir, undercover agent whose cover is an air cargo service based in Molokai.
Years back Estrada killed Speir's dad and is now having her associates murdered, with his trademark Jack of Diamonds playing card left on the corpses. William Bumiller rounds up the usual team of government spooks to protect Speir and put Estrada out of business.
Filmmaker Andy Sidaris includes his usual quota of well-staged explosions and action scenes, including a nifty plane chasing motorcycle sequence.
Though the film is played ostensibly straight, several scenes and the cast of beauties' stilted acting quickly provide unintentional hilarity. By having Estrada's two hitmen henchmen (Chu Chu Malave, Richard Cansino) dressed in drag most of the time, as well as regular Rodrigo Obregon also dressing up in high heels, Sidaris poaches on Pedro Almodovar territory with funny results.
Estrada, comic relief magician/undercover man Chuck McCann and "Vegas" tv veteran Phyllis Davis (as Speir's mother, who is the attorney general of Nevada) give pro performances ut the rest of the cast of mainly Playboy magazine models, pinups and male muscle builders needs intensive remedial training with Stella Adler.
Speir's new teammate Roberta Vasquez (soon to be seen in Clint Eastwood's "The Rookie") is physically adept in the action as well as the frequent disrobing segments. She takes the place of Speir's partner in three previous films, Hope Marie Carlton, but no explanation is offered for the brunette for blonde replacement.
Another statuesque Playboy alumna, Cynthia Brimall, is literally thrust forward in a major role as a Vegas nightclub singer who warbles the title theme. Villainess Devin Devasquez gets some laughs due to pouting and her intentionally trashy outfits courtesy of designer Rina Eliashiv.
"Guns" is the fifth and campiest film in the "Malibu Express" adventure series. Combo of bullets and bosoms is out of step with current theatrical tastes but shapes up as a potent video title for RCA/Columbia next year.
Erik Estrada joins the cast of regulars as an evil gunrunner using Hawaii (homebase of the Malibu team) to ship modern weaponry from China to South America. He's also carrying out a vendetta against Dona Speir, undercover agent whose cover is an air cargo service based in Molokai.
Years back Estrada killed Speir's dad and is now having her associates murdered, with his trademark Jack of Diamonds playing card left on the corpses. William Bumiller rounds up the usual team of government spooks to protect Speir and put Estrada out of business.
Filmmaker Andy Sidaris includes his usual quota of well-staged explosions and action scenes, including a nifty plane chasing motorcycle sequence.
Though the film is played ostensibly straight, several scenes and the cast of beauties' stilted acting quickly provide unintentional hilarity. By having Estrada's two hitmen henchmen (Chu Chu Malave, Richard Cansino) dressed in drag most of the time, as well as regular Rodrigo Obregon also dressing up in high heels, Sidaris poaches on Pedro Almodovar territory with funny results.
Estrada, comic relief magician/undercover man Chuck McCann and "Vegas" tv veteran Phyllis Davis (as Speir's mother, who is the attorney general of Nevada) give pro performances ut the rest of the cast of mainly Playboy magazine models, pinups and male muscle builders needs intensive remedial training with Stella Adler.
Speir's new teammate Roberta Vasquez (soon to be seen in Clint Eastwood's "The Rookie") is physically adept in the action as well as the frequent disrobing segments. She takes the place of Speir's partner in three previous films, Hope Marie Carlton, but no explanation is offered for the brunette for blonde replacement.
Another statuesque Playboy alumna, Cynthia Brimall, is literally thrust forward in a major role as a Vegas nightclub singer who warbles the title theme. Villainess Devin Devasquez gets some laughs due to pouting and her intentionally trashy outfits courtesy of designer Rina Eliashiv.