Midnight Ride (1990)
A Cannon production starring Michael Dudikoff and Mark Hamill in an action thriller road movie with slasher elements - yeah, I think you know what to expect here. This is long forgotten, going out of print on VHS way before the advent of DVD, never receiving a release on this format, let alone getting the Blu-ray treatment.
This is a shame because it’s actually pretty good fun, despite questionable cheesy moments (it is Cannon after all) and some iffy dialogue.
HAMill is clearly having a blast as the film’s villain - a deranged hitchhiking serial killer, and proving there’s more to this terrific veteran character actor than Luke Skywalker and the best voiced animated Joker. Dudikoff, as a cop with an injured leg and marital problems, chasing after his wife who Hamill has kidnapped, shows he has more range than just
American Ninja. He might have become a bigger mainstream star if he had been given the chance, instead of being just remembered as the likable B movie cult action hero with the traditional Hollywood star look. I like how the film looks due to the night setting and lighting techniques, it's never boring with a pace that zips along, it has some extremely well-executed action set-pieces, the slasher influence offers some nasty imagery, and there’s good humour here. All this makes for an entertaining time for a midnight movie watch. Even the legendary Robert Mitchum phones in a cameo for a paycheck as Hamill's doctor.
If you want to see it, there’s a good quality pan and scan VHS rip on YouTube, and it's also available on torrent sites on the Matroska format. Don’t feel bad about it, as it's very rare; it can’t be officially bought anywhere, and it will probably be very hard to find a second-hand videotape. If it weren't for file sharing, ultra-rare films like this would be lost.
*** out of *****