Jan Strydom DEAD FIRE is a lot like UNDER SIEGE, only DEAD FIRE takes place on a space station with an evil madman played by Matt Frewer that takes control of the station and plots to take over the world but there is only one man that stands in his way.Basically if you watch this film today you'll forget about it tomorrow, it doesn't really have much going for it in terms of originality, if you've seen UNDER SIEGE you'll be able to predict how this film plays out, the only original part is that it plays off in space.In terms of the acting leading man Colin Cunningham plays a typical action hero (nothing special there) Matt Frewer plays a typical villain thats hellbent on world domination and you can see he has fun doing it, and C. Thomas Howell is actually a good comedy relief.In short its nothing special, see it once and after wards you won't really care to much about it.

A_Roode Ironically, the best line in this film doesn't even belong to it -- more on that later. An immensely enjoyable Matt Frewer chews up scenery and dominates the screen every time you see him. One almost feels bad for the other actors who are there with him because his gleefully over-the-top performance blows them out of the water. Then of course you remember that you're the one watching the film and you start feeling bad for -- or about -- yourself instead.I'm pretty sure I know why Matt Frewer would have signed on to do this: gangsters have kidnapped his family and are forcing him to perform in movies that... actually I don't know. Maybe it's more a question of finding a fun part to play in a forgettable movie. In all seriousness there's not much to watch here unless you're a Matt Frewer fan (you might be after you see it) or a C.Thomas Howell fan. I always wonder when I watch films like this why someone would ever agree to be one the villain's henchmen. Excuse me, hench-PERSONS. Didn't do the job properly? No problem! Frewer will just shoot you and find a replacement lackey from a rapidly thinning herd of goons. Still, he's so funny about it that it drags this film kicking and screaming to four out of ten (bad, but funny enough to have a certain charm).The only other acting chops that showed up for this dog belong to Howell. He's not given much to work with. On screen but not used, Howell isn't bad -- you just want him to hurry up and spit out his lines so that you can go back to watching Frewer.As forgettable as this one is, it is superior to 'Sleeping Dogs' which was filmed the same year and used the same sets. Howell is in that one too so there must have been a two for the price of one deal. Or he lost a bet. To Matt Frewer.I mentioned that there was a great line. It's Frewer's last of the film and comes from 'White Heat.' Typing this up has been difficult since hearing Matt Frewer yell 'Top of the World ,Ma! TOP OF THE WORLD!' sent my eyes rolling into the back of my head. And yes, he yells it as everything explodes around him. Skip this and watch 'White Heat' instead.

ralexander-2 If you enjoy B-movie action and sci-fi flicks, this one is not bad. It's got some decent villains, and it certainly doesn't take itself too seriously. Importantly, I was not distracted by any overtly ridiculous plot-lines (other than our hero spending two or three screen minutes under supposedly deathly cold water).This review is principally provided to spotlight a tidy performance by the heretofore unknown Rachel Hayward, as Col. Alexa M. Stant. She plays the role of a colonel with an agenda with suitable campiness, and just the right edge. She was by far the most watchable character on-screen. She managed with aplomb the caraciture role of the sexy villain who simmered and barked most of the film, with occasional emotional swings. Without question, she was the most charismatic female in the film.With Hayward's entertaining performance, and other over-the-top campiness by C. Thomas Howell, it's an enjoyable romp--presupposing, of course, an appreciation for B-movies and not over-thinking the movie.

dob-2 One word - corny. Everything in this movie was corny. The bad guys were cornily bad, spouting evil threats and shooting their minions on a whim (why would anybody work for an evil dictator?). The good guys were corny, stopping to kiss even as their shuttle is crashing or the world is ending. The script was super-corny, but I think they were trying for that effect.However, the movie worked for me. It was not a memorable movie, but it was fun to watch. The acting was OK, even though they were playing stock characters and had dumb lines to say. The plot and science were preposterous, but they aren't the point of the movie. The action sequences were OK, and there are some genuinely funny parts, intentional and otherwise. You just have to expect a campy low-budget sci-fi movie, and if you go into it with low expectations, you'll be OK.