Director William Girdler died at the age of 30 when the helicopter he was travelling in hit electrical lines.
Directed by William Girdler
Written by Galen Thompson and Gordon Cornell Layne
Starring Leslie Nielsen, Nancy Kwan, Gary Lockwood
Unrated • 1976 • 90 minutes
by Deeky Wentworth
Leslie Nielsen used to be a serious actor. Back before he became famous for playing blundering jackasses, he specialized in dramatic films like Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure. By 1980 he'd racked up over 250 film and television credits. But when you're working in bulk like that, some of your films are bound to suck.
Project: Kill is one of those films.
John Trevor (Leslie Nielsen) is a trainer of ninjas and assassins who has grown sick of the way his work has been corrupted. He wants out. Project: Kill has lost its charm for Trevor, so he runs off to the Philippines to get away from it all.
Why the Philippines? Because, quite clearly, that is the cheapest place on the planet to film a movie. In Manila, Trevor meets up with some old army buddies (including yet another mute, black sidekick), finds romance, and tries to kick the mind control drugs he's been on for the last six years.
 |
 |
But life isn't all Mai Tais and adobo for Trevor. The local cops think he's a thief, Project: Kill has sent Lassiter, Trevor's own protégé, to bring him back (or, failing that, kill him). Plus a group of gangsters from Hong Kong, headed by the Chinese version of Peter Lorre, is looking to make him an offer he can't refuse.
The Hong Kong gang makes short work of Trevor’s friends and contacts. They even take on the cops and Lassiter (Gary Lockwood) in hopes of getting to Trevor. Really, it’s a lame plan, since shooting at the cops is in no way going to help them track down their prey. But it gives Lassiter and the cops something to do while Trevor beds his girl (Nancy Kwan).
This eventually leads to the big showdown between Trevor and his adversaries, between the Hong Kong faction and the Manila PD. As I said before, this film sucks, but it may be the only Leslie Nielsen kung-fu film out there. What a showdown it is.
All material © 2006 - 2008 by El Topo Entertainment