Movie

Double Impact (1991)

When I put together my list, Cory Everson’s muscular henchwoman Kara – one of two “enforcer” roles she played in her career – was an obvious choice. On reflection, Kara dropped down the rankings quite a bit, but still does enough to be legendary. Amazingly, Kara barely features until the latter half of the movie, but then comes into her own with three impressive scenes to savour.

Before that, there’s the setup with two loving parents murdered by Chinese criminals in Hong Kong. That leaves their bodyguard / security man Frank (Geoffrey Lewis) to look after their twin infant sons Chad and Alex. Actually, he only rescues Chad, and the family maid takes care of the other boy. She gives up on the idea, though, and drops Alex off at the local orphanage.

Chad grows up in relative luxury in California, and twenty-five years later works as a fitness instructor. Since Jean-Claude Van Damme plays both grown-up brothers, this is an excuse to show off his trademark leg split. Frank persuades Chad to go to Hong Kong, and they soon run into Alex, who’s not too friendly, especially after he catches his twin with girlfriend Danielle (Alonna Shaw).

There’s simmering friction between the brothers that’s continually brought up, but eventually they work together. Van Damme times two? The villains really should have killed these boys when they were babies.

Alex – now a criminal smuggler – gets into a shootout on his boat following a deal gone bad. Chad, who gets mistaken for Alex, has a run-in with the gang leader who killed his parents. That would be Zhang (Philip Chan), who has a brutal bodyguard named Moon (bad guy regular Bolo Yeung). Moon gets the better of Chad in a very one-sided fight, but Zhang leaves the hero alive (yes, that mistake again) so inevitably there will be a rematch later on.

Meanwhile, Danielle searches her office for clues, because it just so happens she works for the other main villain, Nigel Griffith (Alan Scarfe). Both the actor and the character are British, naturally. This is where Danielle has her first encounter with Kara (finally!), who handles security for Griffith. Only a few seconds long, but it’s their second office scene that viewers remember.

Villainess

Kara (Cory Everson)

The action intensifies after the brothers raid a drug shipment (thanks to information Zhang gave Chad earlier!) and cause a lot of damage. This is typical action hero stuff with lots of gunfire and near-death moments, and since there are two heroes – plus Frank as backup – it’s no surprise the place goes up in literal smoke.

Griffith isn’t too happy with his employees for screwing up, and that’s Kara’s cue to stick a knife in some poor guy’s chest. She flexes her muscles, and the skimpy outfit means we get to see her powerful legs as she kneels over her terrified victim. Anyone who thought this woman was there for show should think again. No wonder the men at the meeting look scared as Kara returns to Griffith with her bloody knife.

The brothers crash the party and are seen together for the first time. Zhang and Griffith know they’re up against a double dose of the Muscles from Brussels, and they need to up their game. So Kara gets the job – and the satisfaction – of frisking Danielle in the office. This is more than a customary pat-down and closer to sexual assault. A leather-clad strong woman gropes a terrified assistant – the imagery is pretty clear, and Kara clearly enjoys it. Danielle does the expected thing afterward and calls Alex while the villains and their henchwoman listen in.

Kara is strictly the enforcer from that point. The action shifts from a restaurant (and secret back room) to the streets of Hong Kong and moored sampans. Kara’s action is limited to kicking a civilian and long-distance shots of her in pursuit of Chad. After that, she takes to the skies in a helicopter to search for him and Danielle, and follows their boat back to the island hideout. Don’t expect her to be involved in the raid, though. That’s left to Zhang and his henchmen.

Alex and Chad fall out over… what else? Danielle. Alex imagines her having sex with his brother, though they never did in reality (an excuse to show Alonna Shaw naked). The twins put aside their quarrel to rescue Frank and Danielle from a cargo ship. This final sequence is a long string of fight scenes. Alex and Chad waste the goons pretty easily, then come the bigger battles against a spur-heeled killer and Moon. The last one ends with an obvious death by electrocution (the junction box was in shot for a good half minute beforehand).

Eventually, both Zhang and Griffith are defeated. Not much fighting compared to what came earlier, but their ends are suitably brutal considering the pain they’ve inflicted. From a villainess’ perspective, the highlight is Alex against Kara. The muscle woman has changed into an all-black outfit and leather gloves now, and enjoys steaming Frank and threatening Danielle at Griffith’s request.

Knowing one hero is coming for her, Kara leaves Danielle alone with a henchman who molests her. His reward is a headbutt from Alex, but then the enforcer gets the drop on him, trapping his neck between her thighs. Somehow he gets out of that, leading Kara to draw her blade in anger. She cuts Alex – while Danielle watches helplessly – and grabs her opponent by the crotch. Does she want to inflict pain, or feel like groping Alex’s private parts? We’ll never know.

Alex punches her in the face. Kara loses her cool and kicks out in anger, damaging a steam pipe. It’s then a straight test of strength, but no female – even an Amazon like Kara – is a match for Van Damme. She briefly gains the advantage thanks to support fire from Zhang, but Alex turns Kara’s own knife against her and finishes the villainess with a belly stab. Overall, the fight is about a minute and a half long. Not great, but better than many other efforts.

Honourable Mention: Cory Everson

Ballistic (1995) (aka Fist of Justice) – Claudia (Cory Everson)

This review is a Cory tribute, as her other notable film gets an honourable mention. Her climactic fight scene in this direct-to-video action flick is better, but Kara is the strongest overall villainess. I previously owned a terrible VHS copy with poor quality, low-resolution footage. A DVD was released in Germany weeks before I wrote this review, and had an English language soundtrack, which was unexpected.

Good thing Cory stars, because the movie is bland otherwise. Detective Jesse Gavin (Marjean Holden), the statuesque martial arts heroine, is out to prove corrupt cops framed her father (Richard Roundtree). There’s a lot of dirt in the department, from the rookies to the captain. Gavin’s only allies are another female called Lynn and her boyfriend (who’s a handy fighter himself).

The villain is Braden (Sam J. Jones) who deals in drugs and illegal weapons, and arranges rigged fights for money. All the generic bad guy motives rolled into one, which makes the story feel tired. There’s also a witness who gets silenced while Gavin is protecting him, and a busty assistant for Braden to have sex with. Michael Jai White plays a henchman named Quint, but his fights aren’t really that impressive. So it’s left to Cory to save the show, which she does admirably.

Besides being the silent, glaring type whenever Jesse shows up, Claudia is the villain’s chief henchwoman for eliminating problems. She bests a corrupt cop who knows too much, and knees the guy in the groin just to show her superiority. Then Claudia tosses the guy around his apartment and breaks his neck, leaving a dead body for Jesse to explain. The charges don’t stick, though she is suspended.

This all leads to a climax at Braden’s warehouse hideout. Once again, the main villains are easily beaten – albeit with a big explosion – and it’s Claudia who provides Jesse’s only real test. Holden and Everson get a rewarding and lengthy fight scene, with Claudia in red spandex and Jesse in black. It’s an even contest with the women trading blows and insults. Boxes are used as makeshift weapons, and Jesse’s exonerated father shows up with a gun. Fortunately, he stays out of it.

Jesse gets her opponent in a chokehold, then Claudia regains the advantage with an overhead kick. The overconfident villainess puts her arm around Jesse’s neck, ready to snap it, but lets her guard down and allows the heroine to turn the tables. After a struggle, Jesse inverts the hold and snaps Claudia’s neck. Few impressive scenes in the movie, but this makes up for it.