Search - Ozark Savage on DVD

Destined to be a Cult Classic

Alexandra Queen | Central California | 02/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoyed Army of Darkness and the Raimi brothers in general, you will be deeply pleased with this film. It proves that low-budget can be original, smart and very, very funny.Dave Wilson does a great job as Lens Ozark, a red-headed, lollipop-sucking hit man who finds an ancient coin that is the deed to the ownership of Hong Kong. It also happens to contain the soul of an ancient sorceress who is involved in a feud with a demon that has spanned hundreds of years. The demon's latest incarnation is organized crime boss Makeel (Elliott Grey), who is determined to get his hands on the coin, Hong Kong, and his enemy's soul. As entertainingly as the actors portray their roles, the biggest star of the movie ends up being writer/director Matt Steinauer, who combines verbal and visual storytelling to hilarious effect and manages to raise the sight gag genre to a higher level. Steinauer also works around a low budget with hugely entertaining results -- look for a great depiction of hell and enjoy the cheesy-but-somehow-perfect supernatural displays of power by the sorceress Desha and the demon Makeel -- proving that you don't need big bucks to make an outstanding film. Reviewer David Cornelius describes Steinaeur's style as influenced by, "John Woo and Quentin Tarantino to Sam Raimi and, well, just about every cheesy B movie ever made", and was likewise favorably impressed with the results.If you only get drunk and watch one B movie this year, it should definitely be Ozark Savage."