Bounty Hunters (1996)

Pretty Good

Load of rubbish!!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Daniel "Jersey" Bellini (Dudikoff) is a former Navy SEAL turned bounty hunter who always gets his man. Deimos (Ratner of White Tiger and Breach of Trust fame) is the newest, most evil crime lord on the block. Bellini is a bit strapped for cash so he takes the risky assignment. However, his former girlfriend and fellow bounty hunter B.B. (Howard) also wants to take down Deimos. So B.B. and Bellini reluctantly re-form their partnership. But they also have to dodge the mafia as well. They meet plenty of interesting characters along the way, from Jersey's sassy next door neighbor Word (Ashanti Williams), to hooker Starr (Fitzgerald). Will Jersey and B.B. be able to avoid all pitfalls and get along with each other long enough to bring Deimos in for good? Here we get to see the more humorous side of Dudikoff, as he makes a bunch of surprised, bug-eyed faces, and gets himself embroiled in a bunch of silly situations. There's still action in this movie, but it all has a very jokey tone which some viewers might not like. Not all action has to be gravely serious, and all action stars should get a few chances to work their comedic chops. So in this sense, Bounty Hunters is pretty harmless, and the dumbness might actually work to its advantage in this case.When this movie was shot, it was a pre-Dog-The-Bounty-Hunter world, so it was clearly made before bounty huntering was cool. But why didn't Jersey Bellini get his own show? It would be perfect for syndication, like Walker Texas Ranger or Renegade. But we did get Cobra with Dudikoff, so that's good. But Jersey would have made a good TV star. It's surprising enough that there is a sequel to this movie. Who knew it did so well as to warrant that? Movie highlights include Jersey's home security system, his relationship with his neighbor, Word, who clearly brings out his childish side, the visit to the rap club inexplicably named "Meat", and the complete and total lack of subtlety of any kind. Also Jersey has his weapons in a foam-lined case, and in the foam the shape of the weapon is cut out (you know the kind) - but in Jersey's case he has special cut-outs for his cigars amongst his guns and knives! It's silly moments like that which keep Bounty Hunters from ever becoming boring.Also noteworthy is a scene in a video store, which we always love seeing. There are prominent posters for Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster (1989) - and guess who directed that? You guessed it, Bounty Hunters director George Erschbamer. Nice in-joke.On the negative side, the movie is too long and the ending scenes seem like they're in the wrong order. There's the climax, then a bunch of other stuff happens. Erschbamer also does this in Snake Eater (1989) - it can't be a coincidence. It must be his style. But Jersey and B.B. return in the sequel, so if you can't get enough of their wacky antics, there's more on the way.Bounty Hunters has humor and inoffensive action, which should please viewers who want a break from more serious viewing.

Watchable yet highly forgettable Dudikoff film, in this one he's a bounty hunter who teams with rival bounty hunter, B.B., to protect an informant from the mob. Dudikoff's action sequences are perfectly fine if underwhelming, but Lisa Howard who play BB is laughably bad in hers. The chemistry between the two is passable though. Meanwhile a neighborhood kid only exists to be leverage against Dudikoff's character. In a somewhat related gripe, seeing Michael in a backwards hat is just wrong. It's a shame because the opening of the film lulled me into thinking that this direct to video flick would be better than it turned out being.Eye Candy: Tina McKiney and Carla Elders both get briefly topless

BOUNTY HUNTERS isn't among my favorite Dudikoff movies, but I wouldn't place it among my least-favorites one either. It's sort of in-between, as I have stuff I like and dislike about it. The pacing is pretty bad, and a lot of parts just seem to drag. Dudikoff and Lisa Howard make a good team, but since in this movie they're paired together for the first time, their characters argue and bicker a lot, and it actually gets a little tiresome after awhile. They're better in the sequel, HARDBALL (also known as BOUNTY HUNTERS 2: HARDBALL). The two accidently get involved with a mobster when they come across a kidnapped woman during one of their busts. The main bad guy is quite lame, and Freddy Andreiuci as Izzy is really annoying, though I like how Dudikoff handles him during the chop shop sequence. The film's strongest asset is it's humor, which is even better in the second movie. Dudikoff working on his home security system, visiting a porno movie shoot looking for someone, and trying to fit in at an all-black night club are very funny moments. But it's just not enough to help sustain the film's bad points, of which there are just enough to make me watch this one less than the sequel.

Give me some money. I'll write this thing, direct it, and shoot it ALL NEXT WEEK."Action movie"? Where?? Not in this box. Without the little *WHACK* and SLAP noises whenever somebody gets hit, there's really no way to tell what's a hit and what's a miss. And did you know? If you point a gun at somebody, and just kinda kills whatever's over there, unless it's your friend. The gun knows, man. Yeah yeah yeah. WHAT?Oh, wait, wait, maybe it's a comedy! Nope, it's just random.The script sucks. Character history? Nah, who needs it. Costs too much, anyway. The plot makes no sense. The actors did uhh, an ok job, I guess. They must've had contracts or something, that they couldn't break. I don't know how they maintained a character through the gauntlet of this script. The directing must've been really good, for them to have any chance. But wait? Same guy wrote it and directed it? Wow, ok, the actors are pretty good, I guess.Man... Wow. This surpasses even Deep Blue Sea, in how much it sucks.Oh, I guess the wardrobe is nice, though it doesn't fit the reality that the script completely failed to mimic. But it isn't really aesthetically pleasing as a whole.It, like the rest of this movie, is like a puzzle put together with a five-pound sledge hammer.And I guess the actors were all, uh, aesthetically pleasing too, unless they were supposed to be stupid. Then they weren't. Because, you know, when you're dumb, you get ugly. That's just how nature works. There are little cells that get killed by neurons firing, called ugly cells. So it's TRUE! The dumber you are, the uglier you get! Ha! I learned something from this movie! And wait! I just lost 5 pounds!Ahhhhhh... Do NOT see this movie.