Is it strange how much Dangerously Close feels like the last few years of life? I mean, life is high school, right? And aren't The Sentinels, the far right student villains of this movie, pretty much anyone that does their own research and demands to know why they can't have white history month? Man, between this movie and Avenging Force, Cannon was hitting this subject head on while also getting to roll around in the muck, which is how all good exploitation must behave.

Written by Scott Fields (who also wrote Under Cover),John Stockwell (who stars in this and yes, also wrote Under Cover and directed it too) and Marty Ross (who was one of the New Monkees a year later and that fries my brain) and directed by Albert Pyun, who would make Cyborg, Alien from L. A. and Down Twisted for Cannon, Dangerously Close is the kind of weird movie I get obsessed by.

I mean, Roger Ebert said that the Pyun "devoted a great deal of time and thought to how his movie looked, and almost no time at all to what, or who, it was about."

That's my jam.

At the private school Vista Verde -- a nightmare for me, as my parents frequently debated sending me to a school just like this -- The Sentinels have gone from a student group to a military unit that assaults the undesirables of the student population thanks to the leadership of Randy McDermott (Stockwell).

I'd like to think that I'd have been Donny Lennox (J. Eddie Peck, who was Kevin "Blade" Laird in Lambada),a poor kid who got in because he knew how to write. He and punk rocker Krooger Raines (Branford Bancroft, 3:15, Bachelor Party) are just two of the kids who don't fit in and they're soon joined by Brian (Thom Matthews, Tommy Jarvis himself),who has left behind the group after they go too far and McDevitt's ex-girlfriend Julie (Carey Lowell, Law & Order),who splits from the group leader after she screams at him that all he cares about is using her mouth and wow, that language is shocking exploitation dialogue even years after this was made.

Let me tell you, I love this movie. It's so odd because the town where it takes place is perfect and yet has more fog than any place in California other than the Sunset Strip. It's got a cast that includes Debra Berger, Angel Tompkins (The Teacher playing a teacher?),Dedee Pfeiffer (making this a mini-The Allnighter cast meet-up with Bancroft, who played Bartender Joe in that Susanna Hoffs vehicle),March 1982 Playboy Playmate of the Month Karen Lorre, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. (making this a Return of the Living Dead reunion with Matthews),Don Michael Paul (who would go on to direct so many direct-to-video sequels like Kindergarten Cop 2, Death Race: Beyond Anarchy, The Scorpion King: Book of Souls and Tremors: Shrieker Island) and Gerard Christopher (the syndicated Superboy). Everybody in that group is way too attractive to play high school students and teachers. And it has a wild soundtrack, with everything from T. S. O. L., The Lords of the New Church, Lone Justice, Fine Young Cannibals, Depeche Mode and The Smithereens, whose "Blood and Roses" is nearly the theme song for the film.

Also, the Keanu Reeves and Kiefer Sutherland made-for-TV movie Brotherhood of Justice is strangely the exact same story and also has Don Michael Paul in it.

More people should be talking about this movie.

Standard bubblegum high school thriller in the vein of "Massacre at Central High", "Wolfpack" and having a touch of "The Most Dangerous Game". This little, gritty b-grade outing from Cannon productions and low-budget filmmaker Albert Pyun is a true time capsule of the 80s period, where a whole bunch of films of a similar ilk flooded the screens. However these exploitative teen revenge films ("Savage Streets", "Class of 1984", "The New Kids", "3:15" and such) acted on its nastiness. However Pyun's film while it can be unpleasant, actually felt a little more thoughtful (despite formulaic and simple minded) in its narrative and struck up a mystery angle (even though predictably done) that added another element to it. This probably took away a bit of mindless fun, by upping the talkative nature; sticking with a grim air and deliberately letting the pace mellow out. As our protagonists (J. Eddie Peck and Carey Lowell) try to put the dots together, but we the audience are always ahead of them to the very final frame. There it pulls out a twist in an anticlimactic finale, only to top that one with another freeze frame closing. Foreseeable, but nonetheless bleak. The plot follows that of a group of students known as "The Sentinels", who combat the vandalism occurring in their school. However it's what they do outside of school, as this deputised group has turned into a violent neo-fascist army who pick out the kids that don't fit in. School newspaper editor Danny Lennox finds himself caught in the thick of it, as his best friend Krooger is a trouble-maker, but the "The Sentinels" leader Randy wants to get Danny of his side. It's a promising set-up, but not as exciting as it could have been. It feels all build-up and it takes a while to really get into it, so when it comes to it there's little in the way of a pay-off. Pyun presents some impulsively atmospheric scenes, especially when the "The Sentinels" are toying around with their victims. These guys really do love their school. But for most part it never gets out of first-gear. The performances are acceptably done (although there are some unconvincing looking high school students). John Stockwell (who also co-wrote the story) is fitting as Randy, who underneath that cool persona boils a menacing edge. J. Eddie Peck and Carey Lowell are agreeably likable in their parts. Bradford Bancroft (who was in "3:15") adds some defiant energy. Also for "Return of the Living Dead" fans; Thom Mathews (one of "The Sentinels" who begins to have second thoughts) and Miguel A Nuriez Jr. (one of their victims) add to the curiosity. A bubbly Dedee Pfeiffer also pops up. Then there's game support by Carmen Argenziano, Madison Mason, Anthony De Longis, Greg Finley and Karen Witter. Then we got this pumping rock / punk soundtrack, which have some notable tracks - namely Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love".

Nothing we haven't already seen before, but in its abuse of power it has its moments and a capable cast to boot.

"What an arsenal."

Donny Lennox (J. Eddie Peck) is a kid who is so poor, he can't afford a new fish bowl for his fish which is too big for the current bowl. Luckily, his journalism abilities have given him a chance to go to the upscale high school for rich kids called "Vista Verde" in the magnet program. He is on the school newspaper.

You know Vista Verde is a spoiled school for the upper class because they have a salad bowl in the cafeteria where kids can just take from.

Donny is friends with Krooger Raines (Bancroft star of "Damned River" (1989) and "Time To Die" a crude dude with an attitude.

He has a mohawk haircut and a Knight Rider-type car. His license plate says "Beast" and everyone in town knows him as the "Kroog-Warrior". He listens to punk and ska music and he has a brash personality.

The only problem is that there is a group of teenagers at Vista Verde known as the Sentinels. They go around hazing and terrorizing their enemies and sometimes they end up dead. Krooger defies them and they get into a punch-up in the Café, and in the scuffle they knock over the precious salad bowl. Then they to try to lynch Krooger, but he just might be too wily for them.

The leader of the Sentinels is McDevitt (Stockwell of "Born To Ride" fame). As the Sentinels ramp up their criminal activities, one of the followers, Brian (Thom Matthews) feels it is going too far, so he ends up on the hit-list. McDevitt is abusive to his girlfriend Julie (Lowell) so she teams up with Donny to get to the truth. As it turns out The Sentinels have a hideout with a command center with lasers, monitors and VCRs and they tape all their dastardly deeds. Whose side is harderned 'Nam vet Principal Corrigan really on? In the tradition of 80s high school movies such as: "Pump Up The Volume", "The New Kids", "Class Of 1984",and most notably "Heathers", "Close" is a lackluster mélange of all the above. If you put the aforementioned movies in a blender and dump the results in a sewer, the end result might resemble "Dangerously Close". Even Lowell's out-of-the-pool introduction is an echo of "Fast Times As Ridgemont High". This movie was ahead of its time in three ways: The banter of the rich, spoiled high schoolers in the L.A. presages "The Hills" (yuck and ugh) and the fact that the Sentinels filmed their pranks predates Youtube. Thirdly, the 45-year-old "high schoolers" predates "Beverly Hills 90210" One of the odd touches in the film is a road sign that states: "Vista Verde 3km" What is this? Europe? Despite the fact that it comes to an anti-climatic conclusion, one of the bright spots is the killer 80's soundtrack which is proudly announced on the VHS box in type bigger than the actor's names. I know if I saw this movie contained the hit song "Addicted To Love" by Robert Palmer I would be renting it immediately.

Get "Dangerously Close" to renting this classic tonight!

Comeuppance Review by: Ty & Brett

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