Saturday, December 22, 2007

Dick's Michael Biehn Flick of the Day: Timebomb

TIMEBOMB (1991)
Mild mannered watch maker Eddy Kay leads a quiet life. He rides his bike to work, has a closet full of the same outfit and orders a glass of milk with dinner. One night, Eddy inexplicably enters a burning building to rescue a trapped mother and child. Face flashed across the news, Eddy is identified by creepy government honcho Mr. Phillips. Turns out Eddy Kay is a presumed dead subject of super soldier experiment Project Bluebird. Now with the remaining stone cold killers of Project Bluebird on his tail, Eddy and psychoanalyst Dr. Anna Nolmar set out to uncover the truth while evading assassination.

Michael Biehn Flick Vital Stats

Character: Eddy Kay, amnesiac killing machine of Project Bluebird.

Range: Starts at nice/polite to confused/nervous to violent/paranoid to relieved/confident.

The Looks: Preppy: Coiffed, V-neck sweater, shirt and tie. Victim of the period: Pseudo mullet, denim jacket, bright red shirt and green cargo pants. Classic badass: Slicked back, black t-shirt, leather jacket and jeans.

Allies: Dr. Anna Nolmar/Patsy Kensit. Det. Sanchez/Raymond St. Jacques.

Opposition: Mr. Phillips/Robert Culp. Ms. Blue/Tracy Scoggins. Mr. Brown/Billy Blanks.

Beatdowns: By fist, by feet, with machine guns, shotguns, chains and a bed sheet.

Scores: Yes. For real in a hotel room and in his mind, kind of.

Eats a dirt sandwich: No way, he just found out who he really is!

Anchored by Biehn's near schizophrenic performance and peppered with crisp and varied action scenes, the flick makes a foundation strong addition to any VHS collection (yep, no Region 1 DVD for this baby). With an ambitious plot and equal doses of violence and sexuality, Timebomb is a change of pace from the usual 90's low budget action thriller. Inspired by writer/director Avi Nesher's real life experience and view of the military, Timebomb is a variation of man playing Supreme Being. This time, the man is the military, vying to create a skilled, dedicated and conscience free organism of war. But trying to control Michael Biehn is like grabbing the bull by the horns, you're gonna get shanked. Far from a one man show, lovely Patsy Kensit is fine (in two ways if you know what I'm talking about and I think you do) as Biehn's companion and love interest. Robert Culp plays a creepy old government man extra creepy. Mr. Tae-Bo himself Billy Blanks fights, shoots and screams as Biehn's chief adversary from Project Bluebird. And Ms. Tracy Scoggins, the genre regular cements her iconic status having now appeared opposite such action luminaries as Adrian Paul, Chuck Norris, Dean Cain and of course, Michael Biehn.

For more technical information please visit:
IMDB Movie Page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105597/
Media Articles and all around comprehensive Michael Biehn site:
http://www.biehnarchive.com/data/articles/timebomb/articles.html