MOVIE REVIEW: 'KINJITE: FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS' (1989)

Whenever I hear the name Charles Bronson, "Death Wish" comes to mind. The iconic action hero who rose to stardom with the 1974 film became a legend in his own right. During the 1980's, he starred in three sequels to the classic film series, reprising his role as "Paul Kersey" (or as some might refer to as "The King of Bad Luck"), as well as a slew of action movies through Cannon Films like 'Murphy's Law' and 'Messenger of Death', just to name a few. 'Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects' marks the end of that era. Bronson plays "Lieutenant Crowe", a racist vice cop who pits himself against a smooth-talking street-wise pimp named "Duke" (played by Juan Fernández). Crowe's partner in crime, "Eddie Rios" (played by fellow 'Death Wish 4' alumni Perry Lopez), is strictly there for laughs. Together, they try to stop Duke's prostitution ring once and for all. After watching the first five minutes of this film, I had literally found myself dumbfounded. I couldn't believe I was watching "The Stone Killer" land blows not with a gun but with his own mouth! Needless to say, this was not the Charles Bronson that I grew up watching as a kid. J. Lee Thompson, who's filmography is also legendary, is the man behind the camera, and the one who's responsible for this mess. Being a fan of his 'Death Wish' entry, I felt that I couldn't go wrong with his follow-up. I was wrong. Still, one can't help but watch this tragedy unfold, especially when Charles Bronson is delivering one-liners and shoving dildos up peoples asses.

As the age of excess came to a close, big name action stars like Charles Bronson started to fade away, while newcomers like Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal started to make their way into the mainstream. Audiences weren't interested in watching the same old schtick over and over again. 'Kinjite' proves that point. To coin a phrase that Bronson's character uses in the film, people want to go back to pot roast and mashed potatoes. That being said, 'Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects' is a film that tries to be "hip" while retaining it's contemporary roots. The only thing missing is Bronson using a walker to beat up the bad guys. My rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 stars