I've always had a fondness for low-budget actioners and THE CHAIN is no exception, a film that utilises the popular, somewhat clichéd plot device of having the two central characters chained together at the wrist. We've seen this done briefly in the likes of DRIVE and PROJECT A PART II, and also in other feature films like FLED, but THE CHAIN has an efficient – if not particularly memorable – reworking of the idea. The generally good direction is a real surprise when you realise that director Luca Bercovici cut his teeth on the likes of '80s junk like GHOULIES and, even worse, ROCKULA (shudder!).
The strength of a film always lies in the central casting, and the good news is that Gary Busey and Victor Rivers are up to the job in this film. Rivers, a Cuban star, is a decent anti-hero, an honourable criminal who underplays his role for the most part. Not so for Gary Busey, unsurprisingly. Busey always seems to play himself in films, whether it be UNDER SIEGE, LETHAL WEAPON, or this, no matter whether he's a good guy or bad. He's always got the same mannerisms, the same "huh!" catchphrases, the same facial expressions, and I absolutely love him for it. Busey begins the film in a hilarious bust where he's dressed as a clown, and he stresses and spits for the rest of the film. Just for some reason I find this actor entirely memorable and lovable, so much so that he's a highlight no matter what film he's in.
The film was shot entirely in the Philippines, so you know it's going to look cheap. At least the jungle locations are authentic and the film has a half-gritty atmosphere to recommend it. The plot is entirely predictable as our heroes face huge cliffs, prison camps, deadly snakes, vicious rebels, death by killer ant swarms and more, and are all the time pursued by a military faction who intend to capture and kill them.
The low budget action antics are pretty well shot, with lots of machine gun fire, jungle camps bursting into flames and some cheesy take-it-in-turns fist-fights. The bad guy of the movie is Filipino Rez Cortez, who's a dead ringer for BEASTMASTER's Marc Singer, and he's pretty funny in the role, either fuming or furious. The supporting cast are mostly Filipino, with the exception of TV actress Jamie Rose who is underwhelming as Busey's wife. Noted Filipino character actor Joonee Gamboa – who started off his career in the early '70s with the likes of BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT – is great as the rebel leader. However, the strength of the movie lies not in the cheesy, predictable action antics but instead in the central bickering between our two heroes, which never becomes tiring. And I stand by my belief that Gary Busey is hugely entertaining.
The strength of a film always lies in the central casting, and the good news is that Gary Busey and Victor Rivers are up to the job in this film. Rivers, a Cuban star, is a decent anti-hero, an honourable criminal who underplays his role for the most part. Not so for Gary Busey, unsurprisingly. Busey always seems to play himself in films, whether it be UNDER SIEGE, LETHAL WEAPON, or this, no matter whether he's a good guy or bad. He's always got the same mannerisms, the same "huh!" catchphrases, the same facial expressions, and I absolutely love him for it. Busey begins the film in a hilarious bust where he's dressed as a clown, and he stresses and spits for the rest of the film. Just for some reason I find this actor entirely memorable and lovable, so much so that he's a highlight no matter what film he's in.
The film was shot entirely in the Philippines, so you know it's going to look cheap. At least the jungle locations are authentic and the film has a half-gritty atmosphere to recommend it. The plot is entirely predictable as our heroes face huge cliffs, prison camps, deadly snakes, vicious rebels, death by killer ant swarms and more, and are all the time pursued by a military faction who intend to capture and kill them.
The low budget action antics are pretty well shot, with lots of machine gun fire, jungle camps bursting into flames and some cheesy take-it-in-turns fist-fights. The bad guy of the movie is Filipino Rez Cortez, who's a dead ringer for BEASTMASTER's Marc Singer, and he's pretty funny in the role, either fuming or furious. The supporting cast are mostly Filipino, with the exception of TV actress Jamie Rose who is underwhelming as Busey's wife. Noted Filipino character actor Joonee Gamboa – who started off his career in the early '70s with the likes of BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT – is great as the rebel leader. However, the strength of the movie lies not in the cheesy, predictable action antics but instead in the central bickering between our two heroes, which never becomes tiring. And I stand by my belief that Gary Busey is hugely entertaining.