FINAL ROUND (1994) **

Lorenzo Lamas and his then-wife Kathleen Kinmont were the Bogey and Bacall of early ‘90s straight-to-video kickboxing movies.  This isn’t one of their finest hours, but it’s an acceptable time waster for fans who don’t mind unimaginative Most Dangerous Game variations.  After directing Lamas in three consecutive Snake Eater movies, George Erschbamer once again collaborated with Lamas for this flick.  Sadly, the touches of humor that made those films so much fun are used sparingly.  

A team of “Hunters” with cameras attached to their eyeballs chase unwilling contestants through an abandoned industrial complex while people around the world watch via satellite and bet on the outcome.  Kinmont is a spotter for the underground gambling corporation who picks Lamas to be the next contestant.  Naturally, Lamas bucks the odds as he takes out more and more Hunters.  Before long, people are placing bets on him to survive the game, which puts the livelihood of the corporation in jeopardy.

This was mostly a long slog, but there are one or two funny bits that kept it from being a total snoozer.  I highly enjoyed Lamas’ bar fight where he picks a guy up and sticks his head in a whirring ceiling fan.  He also gets a long Skinamax style sex scene with Kinmont that seemingly goes on forever.  My favorite moment was when a fellow contestant referred to the pair as “Sleazy and Cheesy”, causing Lamas to pause a moment and ask, “Wait, which one of us is ‘Cheesy’?”

Too bad the subplot that explores the business side of the underground gambling operation slows things down considerably.  Every time the film switches away from the action to focus on random phone operators taking bets or the head of the organization getting into a beef with his former underworld employer, it takes the wind out of its own sails.  Seeing the intricacies of the organization at work aren’t nearly as successful as the similar scenes in Hostel 2.  All they do is get in the way of the fun of seeing Lamas kickboxing and flambeeing dudes with cameras in their faces.  

At one point, Lamas says, “I think I’ve seen this movie before.”  You’ll probably feel the same way.  

Producer Robert Vince later went on to direct dozens of Air Bud movies.  

AKA:  Human Target.