Pursuit (1991) User Reviews

Primitivist Action Sequences Unduly Softened By Absurd Dialogue.

[rsoonsa · 1/10 · 13 June 2006]

This South African produced movie includes plot patterns of a normally adequate type for inclusion in its action/adventure genre:small groups of battle hardened men stalking each other in a jungle setting that is quite forbidding upon its own terms, and here made more dire by the threatening presence of a tribe of cannibals to add a bit of grim terror into the mix. Jake Cody (James Ryan), an inactive mercenary, is cajoled into vocational reactivation by an escapade designed for him, intended for recovery of a large quantity of gold bullion stolen by another mercenary from the presidential palace of an underdeveloped imaginary African nation that intends to utilize the treasure as collateral for a loan anticipatingly channelled toward rebuilding the fledgling country's infrastructure. Cody persuades yet another mercenary, former comrade Bob Matthews (André Jacobs), to aid him in the affair, and this duo, with several other "soldiers of fortune" under their leadership, do achieve their goal of regaining the purloined bullion although, along with it, they also must assume, through plot exigency, responsibility for a female photojournalist, Samantha (Kate Normington) who has unaccountably preceded Cody, Matthews, et al, by sneaking unobserved into the encampment of the gold thieves, her presence there plainly central to having an obligatory female in the storyline. At this successful juncture, Matthews shows that he is really far more interested in keeping the loot for himself rather than sharing it with Cody or restoring it to its owners, and he shoots Jake, wounding him to prevent his partner from making a pursuit, but predictably to no avail as Cody manages to follow his erstwhile friend, accompanied only by a local native tracker. As mentioned early on, this jungly chase has elements oft found within standard action fare, but it will be difficult for a viewer to discover anything meritable about the narrative since the script is genuinely inane and efforts at humour merely serve to lessen one's potential interest in the characters, although it must be conceded that Samantha's skill in remaining neatly garbed is truly remarkable; in spite of being flattened with a right hand to the jaw, struggling against attempts at rape and other forms of physical assault, and slogging through thick vegetation and a muddy river, her clothing, even to white leggings, remains free from stain or disorder. There is little demand made upon the players from a shabbily written screenplay, while director/cameraman Parr brings little of more than passing interest to a viewer's attention, as he appears to be quaintly focused upon some type of significance from shooting extensively of the lower legs and feet of the various characters although, as it turns out, this has no more connotation for plot events than anything else in this forlorn film.

Disappointing with almost zero karate scenes from James Ryan

[jordondave-28085 · 2/10 · 30 July 2023]

(1991) Pursuit ACTION

A rather routine action movie starring karate martial artist James Ryan without the martial arts. As a matter of fact the closest thing James Ryan showed any martial arts was at the opening upon him practicing by himself. Also, upon watching this, it is like watching two different movies where it's about James Ryan conducting one assignment only to be forced to do something else.

Edited, cinematography and directed by John H. Parr with a possible coup against two South Africa leaders killed for it's gold bullion led by General Carlos De Costa (Graham Weir). We then see a guy named Samuel's (Douglas Bristow) bringing along with him is Kindwe Kato (Leslie Mongezi) wanting to employ the services of Jake Cody (James Ryan) for the purpose of retrieving gold bullion from General Carlos who wants to sell the gold to fund his cause. One of those conditions Cody wants is to put his own group that includes Bob Mathews (Andre Jacobs) his assistant protege Abu (David Mphuti) and a guy name Erza (Robin Smith). And by the time they got to the camp, they manage to garner Lucky Luke (David Butler) and his partner, Joe Doyle (Iain Winter-Smith) to participate into this raid. The next thing we know as soon as the group found out it was over a trunk container full of gold bullion, they decide to come to a vote to keep the gold for themselves which contradicts Cody's intentions of returning it. And after he is shot on the arm and knocked out, he is then nursed back to health by tribesman, David (Lucas Baloyi). And together they go in pursuit of retrieving that gold, as well as to save the life of photojournalist. Samantha (Kate Normington). The next thing we know, each one of the hired merc/ soldiers of fortune are being picked off one by one by the Saduka Tribe, resulting to a rather unmemorable final- the last last scene, the three stars don't even take the gold with them. It's truly lame I'm telling you.