Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 22, 1995 TAG: 9507250006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
After his big-screen debut in the barely released wrestling flick, "Body Slam," he starred in John Carpenter's "They Live." That offbeat sci-fi horror/satire did no more than fair business in theaters but became a cult favorite on video. Since then, Piper has gone on to make a string of features, including the wonderfully titled "Hell Comes to Frogtown," in which he plays the last potent male on the planet. Lately, he's settled into the urban action genre - i.e. violent stories with multi-ethnic casts set in cities - and he's made some good little movies.
The producers of his newest, "Jungleground," have their star out on the publicity circuit drumming up interest. In a brief but enthusiastic phone interview, Piper said that the transition from wrestling to acting has been rocky. In fact, he was brutally honest about some of his first efforts: ```Hell Comes to Frogtown' I hate."
The newer films deliberately soften the villainous image Piper had as a wrestler, and on screen, he has demonstrated an obvious and consistent growth as an actor. "Back in Action," released a year ago, is a standard-issue buddy picture. Piper plays a cop who joins forces with martial arts favorite Billy Blanks as a Special Forces veteran to save his sister from gangsters. The fight choreography is cliched, though there are some scenes where Piper really cuts loose with full Wrestlemania craziness.
That film did well and the two stars were reteamed in "Tough and Deadly." It's a more ambitious and entertaining story about an amnesiac spy (Blanks) and a hustling bounty hunter (Piper). For Piper, the film represents "a definite step up in acting ability." He and Banks also have much better characters to work with, and there's more of that elusive "chemistry" between the two of them in the comic elements. Also, the fight scenes are more briskly paced.
Piper brings that same spontaneity to the new video release, "Jungleground," due in stores Aug. 8. He plays a cop who's forced by a drug gang to make his way across an urban wasteland before dawn. If he doesn't, they kill his girlfriend (Torri Higginson). It's a variation on Walter Hill's fine action film, "The Warriors," and Piper handles himself well. Even in the more quiet, personal moments, he seems at ease - that's a trick that other action stars, such as Arnold and Jean-Claude haven't completely mastered - and in one nice bit of comic business, Piper even manages a fine Elmer Fudd imitation.
Overall, the film's got the inventiveness, colorful characters and humor that fans expect of a good action movie, and Piper has the presence to carry it off. He credits that to his wrestling experience.
"My comfort zone on camera comes from being in front of so many people so many times," he said, "I don't have a problem with that. I know what my focus is and I don't have any stage fright or nerves. My problem is that I need to become a better actor, and the only way I'm going to do that is to work with people better than me."
Who can say whether that will pay off? Piper is certainly off to a better start than most. He's got the size and self-possession to command the camera's attention. And, despite his bad-boy reputation, he has a certain likeability that plays well on the small screen.
Of course, he's not the only actor - male or female - who'd like to be the next action hero. A full slate of martial arts/action pictures will be debuting on video over the next month or so and they'll be reviewed here.
New releases this week:
Shallow Grave ***1/2
Starring Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox. Directed by Danny Boyle. Polygram. 92 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language, brief nudity.
This exercise in suspense and character study is so consistently surprising that potential viewers should know as little as possible about the plot. It's about three roommates in Glasgow, Scotland, looking for a fourth. Comparisons to Hitchcock and the Coen brothers' "Blood Simple" are well taken. Writer John Hodge's script is unpredictable and loaded with dry black humor. Director Boyle handles the proceedings with a sure touch. This one's a genuine original that gets highest recommendations. Well worth a special trip to your favorite video store.
| M.M.
In the Mouth of Madness ***
Starring Sam Neill, Jurgen Prochnow, Charlton Heston, Julie Carmen. Directed by John Carpenter. New Line. 105 min. Rated R for violence, strong language, subject matter.
Like "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," this is a horror film about imagination, the source of all horror. But writer Michael De Luca and director Carpenter are also telling a more traditional story about a search for a missing author. That part is firmly rooted in the H.P. Lovecraft mythos. It may go too far into the supernatural to satisfy all horror fans, but it's a well made film with some genuinely creepy moments.
- M.M.
The Brady Bunch Movie ***
Starring Shelley Long, Gary Cole and Christine Taylor. Directed by Betty Thomas. Paramount. PG-13.
They're the spittin' image of their '70s TV counterparts and lots funnier, still living behind the privacy fence but venturing beyond into '90s L.A., where they seem like aliens in polyester bellbottoms. Director Thomas and the screenwriters let the Bradys be Bradys and let their encounters with the real world provide the fodder for some truly bizarre situations. Long and Cole are perfect as Carol and Mike, but the most astounding casting of all is Taylor as Marcia, who looks and sounds more like Maureen McCormick than Maureen McCormick.
- Katherine Reed
The Essentials
Back in Action
** MCA/Universal. 93 min. Rated R for violence, strong language, sexual content.
Tough and Deadly **1/2 MCA/Universal. 92 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
Jungleground
***Triboro. 90 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
by CNB