Stop and frisk me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue cop’s best friend is murdered and he has to avenge his death. That’s the plot of 1,000 B movies – an underestimation even. But don’t underestimate Martial Law / Mission of Justice, a capable, if silly, ass-kicking Jeff Wincott starrer.
The Canadian martial arts maestro Wincott plays Harris, a disgruntled cop fed up when a police informant gets a get-out-of-jail-free card, only to murder a woman. He’s so done with the force, actually, he emphatically slaps his badge down on the desk and punches out his sergeant.
When his best bud – a pillar of the community who runs a boxing gym for wayward youth – is murdered, well it’s up to Harris to solve the mystery and wreak vengeance.
This is an action movie from the 90s, which, like those from the 80s, needed a best friend to kill off and mourn to give it emotional gravitas. And doggone it, it works.
The subplot is what makes Mission of Justice heaps of fun too: there’s a leggy blonde lady (Brigitte Nielsen) who has political ambitions. And she has a militia of acolytes called The Peacemakers, who are actually brown shirts rather than the Guardian Angels they’d have you believe.
Of course, they’re no match for Harris who gets a big assist from ex-force colleague, Lynn, played by karate stalwart Karen Sheperd.
***1/4 (out of 5)
[Check out the Mission of Justice podcast discussion]
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