TC 2000

First:If martial arts and B-grade action is not your thing, then just take my word for it: Stay away from this movie, and don't read any further. Then, for the fans: The story in this movie is bad, bad, BAD!!!!!! It's OK that they don't focus on things like that in a martial arts movie, but they could at least have tried to use more than five minutes to come up with a plot and write the script. Hardcore action guys Matthias Hues, Bolo Yeung and Billy Blanks (plus Jalal Merhi) are absolutely hilarious in this movie. Their acting is just so bad, but that makes it just more fun to watch. We all know that it's the fighting these kind of movies are all about. Everything else is just a lame excuse for these guys to take off their t-shirts, flex their muscles and get into countless fights. They did this very well, and because of that this movie is recommended for martial arts fans.

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I kept thinking to myself "They have guns, why are they trying to do Kung-Fu on them?" And there were at least four prominent characters in the film who have no effect on the plot(HA!), but still managed to get at least 10 minutes of screen time. However, if you're a fan of MSTing films, you'll like this one. Just watch to the end of the credits. Trust me.

After seeing "TC 2000", I'm having a hard time trying to understand why Bobbie Phillips never became a bigger b-movie star. In the beginning of this movie, she is "just" a beautiful woman who can kick some a$$. But later on she is transformed into the title character, a sort of female Robocop ("80% human, 20% machine, 100% dedicated to the job"), and the combination of her sardonic, pleased-with-herself smile, stylized hair, leather outfit, high boots, multiple back flips and even more a$$-kicking make her tremendously sexy. The film is an OK cross between post-apocalyptic sci-fi and martial arts action, though the plot is a little muddled, the editing is off at times and the fighting is of varying quality. Hues (for a guy his size, he sure can throw a kick!), Blanks and Phillips fare best; on the other hand, most of Bolo Yeung's fight scenes are really quite poor. (**)

By 2020, the environment is so bad that the rich have moved underground, leaving the poor to fight for survival in the contaminated Surface World. Protecting the underground are cops known as TCs (Tracker Communicators). TC Jason Storm becomes public enemy no. 1 after his partner Zoey (Bobbie Phillips) is murdered by a surface gang known as The Picassos (yeah, The Picassos) and Storm questions who let them into the underground. To escape, Storm heads to Surface World where he runs into Sumai (Bolo Yeung), a freedom fighter who might just know why The Controller wants to go take over Surface World.

This is endlessly complex for a DTV action flick, but I have to say I enjoyed it. Blanks is an excellent martial artist, which helps bypass his stiff acting filled with blank (ha!) expressions. As always, Bolo steals the show. Frequent Blanks co-star Jalal Merhi is the gang leader Niki and I COME IN PEACE alien Matthia Hues, a damn good fighter in his own right, stars as The Controller's right hand man Bigalow. Bobbie Phillips provides the female sidekick, which takes an odd turn about halfway in when she becomes the titular half-robot TC 2000.

"TC 2000" is a ridiculous movie.

What remains of a plot after the end of the world occurs is: In 2020, the world has turned into a post apocalyptic wasteland. Officer Jason Storm (Blanks) is a tough cop who is on the run and has to go to "The Underground" (which in actuality is just a place where he fights crazy bums and there is lots of metal scaffolding...) Storm then meets up with Master Sumai (Bolo) who tells him that there is a conspiracy run by Bigelow (Hues) to bring down the "Surface World", with a "Kill Zone" device, which is a nuclear bomb of sorts.

The low-budget feel of the movie does it no favors. It's a lot harder to make a period piece with no budget. In its sad attempt to ape the then-popular "Demolition Man" (A personal favorite) it fails on all counts and winds up looking chintzy.

If you want to see something direct-to-video with Billy Blanks may I suggest Tae-Bo Volumes 3,7, and 12. In all seriousness, the movie is not kind to Bolo either. He doesn't get to fight until the end and even then it was poorly choreographed and not up to Bolo's usual high standard. If you want some prime-cut Bolo, try the Shootfighter movies. Matthias Hues joins the fray as main villain "Bigelow". His most famous role was in the Dolph Lundgren classic "I Come In Peace". I normally like Hues, but he isn't at his best here, sadly.

Director T.J. Scott also made the Meat Loaf vehicle "Blacktop" and many TV shows. This might explain some of the flat direction. The cast of mainly foreigners ensures the dialogue is even more stilted then you might expect. The best part is the reward you get at the end: The advertisement for TC products. We finally learn what "TC" stands for, which is "Tiger Claw" and the logo is on many jackets and shirts worn in the movie.

2020 isn't very far away, so if want to see a glimpse of what it is going to be like, Shoot "Blanks" with this flick tonight.

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