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Dynamite Johnson
Superboy 2 - Der Blitz aus dem All / The Return of the Bionic Boy / Bionic Boy 2
Philippines 1979
produced by Bobby A. Suarez for BAS Film Productions
directed by Bobby A. Suarez
starring Johnson Yap, Marrie Lee, Ken Metcalfe, Joseph Zucchero, Alex Pecate, Franco Guerrero, Johnny Wilson, Joe Sison, Pete Cooper, Joe Cunanan, Mandy Tibayan, Gary Quinn, Domeng Reyes, Matt Miller, Ernie Estafa, Art Villalon, Chris Steplo, Dan Gregendine, Jeff Jannete, Jim Constock, Nesty Mercado, Ed Kitchens, Mike Cohens, Arthur Bernardez, James Adrian, Mike Manyak, Charlie Lenoir
story by Bobby A. Suarez, screenplay by Ken Metcalfe, Joseph Zucchero
Bionic Boy, Cleopatra Wong
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Sonny (Johnson Yap), the bionic boy, has to go to hospital because his
legs showed a malfunction. And once there, his super-hearing overhears the
delirous ramblings from a burn victim next door going on about a dragon.
That of course spikes Sonny's interest, especially when this man is picked
up the next night by someone not looking like hospital staff - so he
follows these men to a warehouse where he's threatened by several gunmen
... but he does manage to get hold of a suitcase which the whole fuzz is
apparently about. Sonny's temporary guardian Cleopatra Wong (Marrie Lee)
does not approve of his shenanigans and thinks he's making stuff up, but
when she sees him attacked by a gang of thugs (whom he easily handles),
she becomes curious and has the suitcase examined ... and it contains
plutonium. Somehow she finds a lead to a native village, and once there
she learns that it is terrorized by a steel dragon ... and soon she finds
a nearby secret paramilitary complex, Dragon Command, led by one Nazi
called Herr Kunz, and finds out about the organisation's plans to destroy
Hong Kong as a first step in an effort to rule the world - something
Cleopatra of course has to prevent by all means necessary. But then she's
captured by the baddies and tortured ... but saved by Sonny, and together
with the police force, the two of them now launch a commando operation,
beating up or shooting everyone in sight, and ultimately, Cleopatra makes
it to the inner sanctum and destroys the Dragon Command's ultimate weapon.
Herr Kunz tries to make a getaway in the steel dragon, actually a heavily
armed armoured car that just looks like a dragon, but Sonny stops the
steel dragon pretty much single handedly, taking apart the dragon's entire
weapon system with his bare hands and ultimately throwing it over a cliff. Dynamite
Johnson is by no means a good film - but as far as trashy Filippino
action entertainment goes, it's not half bad, it's rather well-paced, is
based on something resembling a plot, and there are many odd elements in
there - from the depiction of the native tribe to of course the steel
dragon. And Marrie Lee is sassy enough to bring her (rather flat)
character to life. That all said, the film loses much of its tension in
the final showdown, which just drags on too long and with each shoot-out
becomes more repetitive (even though attempts at humour grant a little bit
of change). Well, not great by any means, but fun at least.
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