Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution
support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, will be bringing a Blu-ray edition
of writer/director Jean-Marie Pallardy’s (aka: Edward John Francis) bizarrely
entertaining White Fire to
market on May 5.
There are some films that rely on the plot narrative to carry the day. We call this great script writing. You likely have your favorites, films that you can watch again and again because the story is told so well. Arrow Video certainly has released its share of these types of films on Blu-ray.
And then, yes, there are films where the narrative
is simply cobbled together to get us from one action sequence to the next. It doesn’t necessarily make films of this
ilk bad, that all depends on what the cobbled-together elements add up to. White Fire is
one of those, a film that has something to do with this and that and the end
results is pure entertainment.
The Donnelly kids survive the murder of their
parents and are now adults living in Istanbul.
Robert Ginty (The Exterminator, Mission Kill,
Maniac Killer, etc.) is the adult Bo Donnelly,
while Belinda Mayne (Krull, Fatal Beauty, The Tigress)
plays his sister, Ingrid. They have a
diamond-smuggling operation that is, judging from their digs, pretty successful.
Stop. We now
must take time out for Bo to ogle his sister, he has the hots for her, but
reluctantly realizes that it is a love that he cannot consummate.
OK, back to the story. Bo and Ingrid and their gang learn of the
“White Fire” diamond, a massive gem that is worth a fortune … there is just one
problem, reports indicate that those coming in contact with it die. It’s worth the risk to steal and so a plan is
put in place to “acquire” it.
Action (Fred Williamson gets involved), bad guys,
double-cross, Ingrid is sadly killed in one of these melees. Bo becomes a killing machine … lots of ways
to kill those who double-crossed him.
Stop once again.
We are introduced to Olga (played by Diana Goodman — Curse of
the Pink Panther), a hooker on the run, who Bo
takes a liking to, best way to protect her from those who are after her is for
her to have some plastic surgery. Not
making this up, it is an important plot element.
The result: Olga now looks exactly like Ingrid (the
special effects here are simple, Belinda Mayne simply plays Olga, while Diana
Goodman exits stage left). Bo can
finish his mission of revenge and, at the same time, fulfill his sexual
fantasies with Ingrid, er, Olga. White
Fire on Blu-ray … how can you say no?
Bonus features include commentary from Kat Ellinger
(Editor-in-Chief at Diabolique Magazine), and a trio of newly-minted video
sessions variously titled — “Surviving the Fire” (with writer/director Jean-Marie
Pallardy), “Enter the Hammer” (with Fred Williamson) and “Diamond Cutter” (with
film editor Bruno Zoncone).
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