Rating: **
Review Date: 3/16/26
Director: John Stewart
Cast: Barri Murphy, Gregory Scott Cummins, William Hubbard Knight,
cameo by William Smith
"Great, another day in Texas."
The film opens with some douchebag jerk getting it on with his girlfriend, Carmen (Barri Murphy), when they're rudely interrupted by a couple of thugs who drag the dude away and try to force him to disclose the location of some diamonds that he stole from a powerful crime boss. Carmen chases after them and is soon intercepted by a couple of FBI agents who also want to know where the diamonds are. Carmen doesn't know anything, but her boyfriend left behind some cryptic clues. But none of that matters, because the film is just an excuse for car chases, gun fights, and explosions.
Yes, it's a painfully stupid action film full of cringey dialog and head-scratching lapses in logic, but the stunt work is surprisingly competent. This shouldn't come as a surprise since director John Stewart is a stuntman himself, and the quality of the stunt work elevates the film above its B-movie trappings. If you like car chases, falls, and explosions, the film is likely to keep you entertained. Gregory Scott Cummins and William Hubbard Knight are bland, but likable heroes, and the bad guys are hilariously ridiculous. Barri Murphy starts out as a generic random bimbo and even gets topless in the first five minutes of the movie, but her character arc is pleasantly robust and she's not just a simple damsel in distress. In fact, the entire film feels like a vanity project for her, as if she were the director's girlfriend looking for her big break. Nowhere is this more evident than in a mind-boggling musical number where she inexplicably decides to sing onstage during a massive bar fight, while trying to evade her would-be assassins.
Shot on location in Waco, Texas, the film has a genuinely "real" feel to it, and is full of small town southern charm. While the insipid dialog and drama will make your eyes roll, the action scenes are exciting and energetic, and they propel the film forward. A guilty pleasure at best, and a rare gem for genre enthusiasts.