cult film freak: JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT FIGHTS BACK IN JOHN FLYNN'S 'DEFIANCE'

Written by James M. Tate / 7/12/2023 / No comments / action , church ortiz , danny aiello , don blakely , eighties , frank pesce , jan-michael vincent , john flynn , lenny montana , rudy ramos , theresa saldano , vigilante

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT FIGHTS BACK IN JOHN FLYNN'S 'DEFIANCE'

7/12/2023 | No comment

Title: DEFIANCE Year: 1980 Rating: ***1/2

Both lead actors from THE MECHANIC would get the vigilante bug, especially Charles Bronson, two years later inadvertently igniting the DEATH WISH franchise; and right before the second of five features, Jan-Michael Vincent waged DEFIANCE directed by the always capable John Flynn, who does his best work with low budget b-flicks with big budget intensity... wherein Vincent plays a merchant seaman on leave and doesn't want to be... stuck in New York where the usual bullying gang rears from the woodwork, led by Rudy Ramos, looking a kind of stylish Zoot Suit throwback...

Soon enough this villain's hateful eyes lock on Vincent, about to enter his shabby apartment in a shabbier building that includes the token young mentored boy and gorgeous ingenue, here played with Spanish zest by zesty Italian beauty Theresa Saldana, throwing herself at Vincent's tough silent type...

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

And he just as quickly befriends local allies led by big/strong and jovial Danny Aiello with equally-rough sidekicks Don Blakely and Frank Pesce, providing Vincent a kind of street-savvy Greek-chorus along with Art Carney as a helpful liquor store owner and Lenny Montana, bigger than Aiello and... with this muscular group why did Vincent have to defend the neighborhood in the first place?

Well the BIG WEDNESDAY star was mentally and physically built for this kind of hard-edge action role, no matter how easy victory seems despite Ramos's deadly-effective turn and, overall, DEFIANCE provides AIR WOLF legend Vincent his last decent theatrical role before TV (and years of demons) took him down the long last decline.

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

Theresa Sadano in DEFIANCE

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

Rudy Ramos in DEFIANCE

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

Theresa Saldana in DEFIANCE

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

Santos Morales, Danny Aiello and Don Blakely in DEFIANCE

Frank Pesce, Danny Aiello and Don Blakely in DEFIANCE

Church Ortiz behind Rudy Ramos in DEFIANCE

Jan-Michael Vincent in DEFIANCE

Opening credits for DEFIANCE

Jan-Michael Vincent and Theresa Saldano in DEFIANCE

Theresa Saldano in DEFIANCE

Danny Aiello in DEFIANCE

Danny Aiello in DEFIANCE with Frank Pesce

From DEFIANCE

Share This Post :

Tags : action , church ortiz , danny aiello , don blakely , eighties , frank pesce , jan-michael vincent , john flynn , lenny montana , rudy ramos , theresa saldano , vigilante

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE BREAK 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6) CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER