White Fire

Rating:
Summary: Fred Williamson can't save every turkey
Review: Even the presence of Fred "The Hammer" Williamson can't save this turkey of a movie, WHITE FIRE, starring Robert Ginty. Ginty's character, Bo, and Bo's sister Ingrid, are orphans in the debt of an older friend; when they wee children, he saved them from the Russian army.

As adults, they plot with their friend to steal diamonds from the Turkish diamond mine where Ingrid works. Somehow, they become aware of a legendary huge diamond, the "White Fire" diamond, which exists in the mine. Only late in the plot does Williamson's character enter the movie, as a bounty hunter trying to capture one of the main characters. At this point, the inept cinematography, laughable dialogue, and confused plotting have all but destroyed the movie. You have to wonder if Fred Williamson even got paid for his work in this movie.

Robert Ginty's character winces throughout the movie like he's got hemorrhoids, and he recites his dialogue as though it doesn't matter one whit what he says.

The female lead's portrayal of Ingrid is unremarkable, save one or two nude scenes. Bo lusts after Ingrid openly; what's going on here? They're siblings, for crying out loud. You have to see it to believe it; I can't truly convey how creepy the scene feels.

One example of the muddled amateurism at work: part of the plot concerns the death of a major character, though I won't spoil it by telling you which one. Then, another actor mysteriously appears (astonishingly resembling the newly departed) and is trained and modified (through plastic surgery; we all know the Turks have top-notch cosmetic surgeons!) to become a near-replica of (and assume the identity of) Character-A, even though the diamond-theft plot doesn't rely on appearances at all.

If you feel the need to see all of Fred Williamson's films, you won't want to miss this one. Unfortunately, this is also MST3K material, for the pathetic dialogue and overall abysmal quality.

ken32

Rating:
Summary: Fred Williamson can't save every turkey
Review: Even the presence of Fred "The Hammer" Williamson can't save this turkey of a movie, WHITE FIRE, starring Robert Ginty. Ginty's character, Bo, and Bo's sister Ingrid, are orphans in the debt of an older friend; when they wee children, he saved them from the Russian army.

As adults, they plot with their friend to steal diamonds from the Turkish diamond mine where Ingrid works. Somehow, they become aware of a legendary huge diamond, the "White Fire" diamond, which exists in the mine. Only late in the plot does Williamson's character enter the movie, as a bounty hunter trying to capture one of the main characters. At this point, the inept cinematography, laughable dialogue, and confused plotting have all but destroyed the movie. You have to wonder if Fred Williamson even got paid for his work in this movie.

Robert Ginty's character winces throughout the movie like he's got hemorrhoids, and he recites his dialogue as though it doesn't matter one whit what he says.

The female lead's portrayal of Ingrid is unremarkable, save one or two nude scenes. Bo lusts after Ingrid openly; what's going on here? They're siblings, for crying out loud. You have to see it to believe it; I can't truly convey how creepy the scene feels.

One example of the muddled amateurism at work: part of the plot concerns the death of a major character, though I won't spoil it by telling you which one. Then, another actor mysteriously appears (astonishingly resembling the newly departed) and is trained and modified (through plastic surgery; we all know the Turks have top-notch cosmetic surgeons!) to become a near-replica of (and assume the identity of) Character-A, even though the diamond-theft plot doesn't rely on appearances at all.

If you feel the need to see all of Fred Williamson's films, you won't want to miss this one. Unfortunately, this is also MST3K material, for the pathetic dialogue and overall abysmal quality.

ken32

Rating:
Summary: among the worst
Review: WHITE FIRE has to be among the worst videos of all time. It looks low-budget, with grainy film and uneven editing. The script is terrible, with dialogue that sounds too poor to be written. The movie has marginal "so bad it's good" value, with relatively few laughs to be derived from the abysmal material.

The plot: Robert McGinty's character, Bo, and Bo's sister Ingrid see their parents gunned down by Russian soldiers. Fast forward to 20 years later, where Bo and Ingrid work for a multinational diamond mine in Turkey. The headquarters is so high-tech that the guards look like Darth Vader, and the doors open and close like those on the starship Enterprise.

Anyway, Bo and Ingrid steal some diamonds from the mine offices, then hatch a plot to steal "White Fire," a huge diamond which some think to be only legendary. Late in the movie, Fred Williamson enters as a bounty hunter intent on interfering with Bo's plans.

This movie has a good deal of gore (an action, grab-the-available-weapon scene even includes the use of a chainsaw as a weapon), and a very long and gratuitous nude scene. These both serve to date the movie as late 1970s or early 1980s. The marginal production values and ridiculous plot (I haven't written the worst of it here, I'd hate to spoil it for you) do nothing to redeem the movie. Even the presence of the great Fred "The Hammer" Williamson can't save WHITE FIRE.