Never heard of it before, but the premise read decent enough to give this one-way ticket a ride. What we get is an earnestly gritty, if unspectacular lean b-grade urban thriller that has its moments and pretty capable performances. Sometimes it had me thinking of "Exterminator 2", but not as daftly fun. The plot follows that of a mental patient being released because he has been supposedly healed and then making his way into New York's underground subway system to meet up with his old gang. There he takes control and they begin terrorising unsuspecting commuters. Hard boiled detective John Willis finds himself piecing together the evidence from a wave of random subway attacks and he's joined by feisty newspaper reporter Kim Knowles. Who painted him rather unkindly in her last article. But differences aside they go about trying to prove to the sceptical authorities that there is a subterranean tribe of homeless psychos, as they go down in to the tunnels.
The narrative constantly switches back and forth between the underground dwellers and the cop / reporter investigating. Predictably laid-out and slow-going, but quite unpleasant in its details, tightly directed and very grungy in its surroundings where it's the visuals that pack the power. There's a labyrinth of twisting tunnels, vacant underground platforms, dirty train carriages and plenty of shadows to hide the lingering danger. There was something quite offbeat about it; maybe it was the choice of the killers. Other than Lennie Loftin's broodingly understated psychotic performance ("I'm not going back."), the rest of the group didn't feel all that threatening other than you get the feeling they were pressured in to it. The acts they commit are brutally violent, as there are some explicit slicing and dicing with a constant nasty streak. Even our detective Willis has an edgy side, as he is someone who shoots first and asks questions later. There's one unnerving sequence, where after being put on suspension. He sits alone at a park bench and notices two thugs follow a lady in to the park. He gets up and watches them and when the lady starts running and screaming for help. He simply walks away. Doc Dougherty's harden performance is your typical rough around the edges maverick cop, but there's some weight there ("Bless me father. For I have sin") and B.J Geordan gives a headstrong turn as reporter Knowles after her headline. The music score consists of an ominous tenor that suitably establishes the atmosphere.
"Underground Terror" is a passably dark, murky little thriller curio.
"Here's your story."
The narrative constantly switches back and forth between the underground dwellers and the cop / reporter investigating. Predictably laid-out and slow-going, but quite unpleasant in its details, tightly directed and very grungy in its surroundings where it's the visuals that pack the power. There's a labyrinth of twisting tunnels, vacant underground platforms, dirty train carriages and plenty of shadows to hide the lingering danger. There was something quite offbeat about it; maybe it was the choice of the killers. Other than Lennie Loftin's broodingly understated psychotic performance ("I'm not going back."), the rest of the group didn't feel all that threatening other than you get the feeling they were pressured in to it. The acts they commit are brutally violent, as there are some explicit slicing and dicing with a constant nasty streak. Even our detective Willis has an edgy side, as he is someone who shoots first and asks questions later. There's one unnerving sequence, where after being put on suspension. He sits alone at a park bench and notices two thugs follow a lady in to the park. He gets up and watches them and when the lady starts running and screaming for help. He simply walks away. Doc Dougherty's harden performance is your typical rough around the edges maverick cop, but there's some weight there ("Bless me father. For I have sin") and B.J Geordan gives a headstrong turn as reporter Knowles after her headline. The music score consists of an ominous tenor that suitably establishes the atmosphere.
"Underground Terror" is a passably dark, murky little thriller curio.
"Here's your story."
