I had high hopes for Rachel McLish's starring vehicle 'Raven Hawk' after seeing her in 'Iron Eagle 3'. Unfortunately this revenge tale centered around murder and the stealing of Indian land has one note greedy racist villains, surface level only themes. It's not a complete loss, but this action trip is mostly by the numbers.
Rhyia Shadowfeather (McLish) watched her parents be murdered as a young girl by men (Michael Champion, Dick Warlock, Mitch Pileggi, William Atherton) who wanted them to approve land for development. With false testimony & help of the corrupt Sheriff (Ed Lauter), she's blamed for their deaths & remanded to a mental hospital. That is until 12 years later she escapes a transfer to prison and immediately picks up making these men pay for what they have done one by one.
Once they start getting picked off, three hired killers are brought in to take her out in typical action movie fashion. There's a half Indian Federal Marshall (John Enos III) subplot used for story beats, but it's really Rachel's show. Her buff look, cast of faces (Mitch Ryan & John De Lancie too) and memorable freefall stunt work go in the plus column. Desert scenery, treks among the cliffs and some aerial photography stand out too.
'Raven Hawk' with some Western elements ultimately has nothing new to say and the action isn't always shot that well. Perhaps a troubled production (not a first for director Albert Pyun) is partly to blame. The ending is certainly nothing to write home about. Dtv fans might wanna give it a go, but you'll have to agree McLish's inclusion is what got you here in the first place.
