“We both want to forget what we do at the
end of the day”

Crooked (AKA Soft Target) is a
film from late in Don Wilson’s prime career – that is, from before his hiatus
around the turn of the decade. Overall, it goes to show that it wasn’t a bad
time for him to take a break, not necessarily because he no longer had the
stuff but because the DTV action circuit seemed to have left him behind. The
movie is weak sauce, for despite its strong supporting cast, it’s lacking in
style and substance. I’ll say it now: this one’s for completionists, only.

The story: Two police detectives – Tyler
(Wilson) and Yordan (Olivier Gruner) – are assigned to protect a witness to an
underworld murder (Diana Kauffman), but their efforts are hampered by internal
corruption.

The film’s primary selling point is its
cast, which also includes Gary Busy, Martin Kove, and Fred Williamson. However,
don’t get your hopes up: while Wilson and Gruner make the most of their team-up,
Williamson and Kove have a combined screentime of maybe five minutes and Busey
doesn’t even get in on the action. Personally, I was expecting this – Martin
Kove has particularly been irritating me for a long time with his reluctance to
do fight scenes – but it could be very disappointing to someone who thinks
they’ve come across a B-movie supergroup. That’s not to take away from the
memorable performances delivered by lead villain Michael Cavalieri and Martin
Morales as a flamboyant pimp, and Gary Busy manages to be memorable, but it’s not
what viewers wanted to see.

Speaking of things unwanted, I’m sorry to
say that the movie is ugly in more ways than one. Production-wise, the movie toes
the line of an indie feature. The way it’s been shot makes me think it had a
very rushed schedule: endless nighttime scenes, shaky camerawork, inharmonious
editing, and a lot of ADR lines. All of this amplifies the sleazy tone of the
story, which really turned me off. Few of the characters are endearing, with
Yordan in particular doing all he can for the viewer not to like him. Violence
against female characters and sexist dialogue is recurrent. As usual, Don
Wison’s character is a paragon of morality, but he’s on in his own in that
regard, amidst all of these other slimy critters. Basically, this isn’t the
kind of film you watch to put you into a good mood.

The same is generally true for the action
content, though it has its redeeming qualities and ends up being the one
passable aspect of the film. There are four shootouts and five full-length fistfights,
and while the former are overlookable, the latter can be decent. Don Wilson and
Olivier Gruner don’t fight each other and that’s pretty disappointing
(especially when the film teases it), but they do fight alongside each other and
that’s pretty cool. A direct comparison favors Gruner: even though both
performers are former pro kickboxers and have been listed among the authentic
“tough guys” of martial arts movies, Wilson plays his fights very safe with
relatively slow choreography and a lot of cuts, whereas Gruner performs a more
dynamic and rougher-looking style of brawl that more accurately conveys his
real-life strength and ability.

Crooked isn’t a film for casual martial arts fans. It *might* pass for a
slow night on cable, but that’s only if you really want to see the two lead
stars and are tolerant about shortcomings.

Crooked (AKA Soft Target) (2006)
Directed by Art Camacho (Assassin x)
Written by William C. Martell (Virtual Combat)
Starring Don Wilson (Out for Blood), Olivier Gruner (Nemesis), Diana Kauffman (The Mailman), Gary Busy (Lethal Weapon)
Cool costars: Michael Matsuda (X-Treme Fighter), Jason Yorrick (Transmorphers: Fall of Man), Eric
Perrodin (Street Crimes), Joe Perez (Silicon Towers), McKay Stewart (Vampire Assassin), Glen Levy (Confessions of a Pit Fighter), and Sam
Hargrave (Unlucky Stars) are
real-life martial artists and play various fighters throughout the film. If I
were in a better mood, I’d include Fred Williamson and Martin Kove on here
without a qualifier, but I’m too irritated with them right now.
Title refers to: (SPOILER) The
actual title is a reference to Gary Busey’s character, who’s a crooked cop. Its
alternate title presumably refers to Diana Kauffman’s character, who’s an
at-risk target of the villain.
Potential triggers: Violence towards
women, sexist dialogue
Copyright Soft Target, Inc.