‘The ultimate team of woman and machine.’
Cyclone is a 1987 American science-fiction action film about a young woman whose inventor boyfriend is murdered over a high-tech motorcycle. She now has to prevent the futuristic bike from falling into the wrong hands.
Directed by Fred Olen Ray from a screenplay written by Paul Garson, with additional material by T.L. Lankford, the Cinetel Films production stars Heather Thomas, Jeffrey Combs, Ashley Ferrare, Dar Robinson, Martine Beswick, Robert Quarry and Martin Landau.
Reviews:
” …89 minutes of fun. The chase scenes are pretty top-notch and the special effects aren’t bad either when you consider this was in no way a major studio blockbuster. We even get a catfight, if you are into that sort of thing.” Bulletproof Action
“It appears fairly tongue-in-cheek in the classic Fred Olen Ray way. Thomas carries the movie on her looks alone, but she is amply supported by an army of B-movie names in this somewhat fluffy outing. It ends with some impressive stunts and explosions, after the prerequisite chase scenes.” Comeuppance Reviews
“MVT: Heather Thomas. She may have been flaky in spots, but she was good overall and held her own. She played the eye candy up to the camera but handled herself well when it came to the action […] Make or Break: The finale. It saved the film for me. Honorable mention goes to the car chase in the middle, where the goons’ car gets ripped in half.” The Gentlemen’s Blog to Midnite Cinema
” …it’s no surprise that Ray shows off some spectacular stunts, car chases, and explosions in Cyclone, and though it’s nothing close to a great movie, let it be said that even on a cost-cutting project like this, Ray’s action sequences still look better than a good chunk of the CGI silliness that moviegoers inexplicably accept in $100 million movies today.” Good Efficient Butchery
“The action scenes aren’t even 80s television quality, the dialogue is stiff, top-billed Heather Thomas never even gets close to naked, Martin Landau slumming, silly story with a dumb as hell ending, cheap-looking sets, an ear-destroyingly bad “punk” band and Jeffery Combs as a serious actor… hahaha, well alright that was pretty funny and the high point of the film. ” Happyotter
“Where a much-better budgeted film would have thrown in numerous action sequences, Olen Ray only gives us a total of two car chase sequences throughout. To their credit, these are both reasonable action scenes. The rest of the film is padded with the in-politicking and betrayal between the various agencies…” Moria
” …the appearance of aged Bowery Boy Huntz Hall provides a little amusement in itself. But perhaps because Thomas might have proven to be a bigger draw because of her modest celebrity, Ray and his crew do work a little harder on the FX and fight-choregraphy. Compared to the best that Hollywood can offer, the various car-and-motorcycle stunts are nothing special, but they are watchable.” Naturalistic! Uncanny! Marvellous!
“The sort of movie that should be shown to the finger-wagging idiots who think T&A-centric auteurs like Ray are misogynistic and — sigh — ‘problematic’, Cyclone presents a woman finding the strength that she never knew she had. It’s a notion that Ray has touched on and returned to many times, with Commando Squad (1987), Haunting Fear, Inner Sanctum, Mind Twister (1993), Invisible Mom (1996), and a lot of his made-for-television ‘woman in peril’ thrillers…” The Schlock Pit
“The final chase scene features multiple motorcycles, multiple cars and the Cyclone is finally armed and ready to kill with its front-mounted lasers and back-mounted missiles. Oh, and let’s not forget the helmet equipped with some pretty heavy-duty lasers of its own and a f*cking brutal fist beat down delivered by Heather Thomas in the closing moments. Goddamn, I love this movie.” Silver Emulsion Film Reviews
“There is lot to enjoy here, from an on-the-run narrative that provides a few thrills and crazy action, to some rather quality acting from a cast populated by heartthrobs and minor Hollywood legends. There’s also that sweet synthesiser score, and some cheesy special effects among the things to feast your senses on.” Trashy Trove
Main cast and characters:
Heather Thomas … Teri Marshall
Jeffrey Combs … Rick Davenport
Ashley Ferrare … Carla Hastings
Dar Robinson … Rolf
Martine Beswick … Waters (as Martine Beswicke)
Robert Quarry … Knowles
Martin Landau … Bosarian
Huntz Hall … Long John
Troy Donahue … Bob Jenkins
Michael Reagan … McCordy
Tim Conway Jr. … Barrell
Dawn Wildsmith … Hanna
Bruce Fairbairn … Lt. Cutter
Sam Hiona … Buyer
John Stewart … Scruffy #1
Filming locations:
Los Angeles, California
Technical details:
89 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono
Fun facts:
A billboard advertising The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) appears in one scene.
Trailer:
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