Comeuppance Reviews
McKenna (Lamas) is a cop with a rockin' mustache who happens to be taking a vacation on a remote lake, when baddies fleeing the law disrupt the party. In the ensuing battle, McKenna's wife is shot and killed, and McKenna himself is shot in the face. While most people would have died from this grievous injury, his mighty mustache protects him from certain death. While in the hospital, his boss, Agent Jeffries, (Williams), convinces him to reconstruct his face after super-criminal Lyle Mason (also Lamas). McKenna reluctantly agrees, and now he's undercover deeper than any cop has ever gone before him. Posing as Mason, McKenna has to navigate the criminal lifestyle without losing his integrity. This is going to be tough, because he can't reveal his identity to former partner Turner (Chong), for fear of her safety, but she's getting too close on her own. Will the truth of the mighty Lamas face be revealed? It's "two Lamases - no waiting" in this silly, dumb AND stupid production. Truly this is not one of Lamas' best outings. Perhaps he only did it to compete with Van Damme, who has played two Van Dammes in multiple movies. According to the tagline, "Danger Has A New Face", so, it might as well be Lorenzo Lamas' face. Or maybe it was a trial run for the crown jewel of television that he was involved in later in his career, Are You Hot? - and Mask of Death was just Lamas trying to prove that indeed he was hot whether he played a good guy with not just one, but several, stunt mustaches, or his classic baddie with over-sized sunglasses and a leather coat.Billy Dee Williams' role is minimal and he doesn't really do that much, but he does mention something about Star Wars. Coincidence? Director Mitchell is also responsible for Thunderground (1989), Last To Surrender (1999), and UKM: Ultimate Killing Machine (2006), and his style is heavily Canadian, as his DTV productions scream "SHOT IN CANADA!" all over them. That's not an insult, just an observation. Rae Dawn Chong is always nice to see, and her role gives her plenty of chances to get in on the action. But, as always, it's all about the Lamas. That being said, we would suggest Bounty Tracker (1993), Bad Blood (1994) or Blood For Blood (1995) for better examples of Lamas action.In the end, Mask of Death may have the prerequisite shooting and stunts and such, but we found it strangely unsatisfying. See above for better examples of classic Lamas.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com
DavidDev
An average effort by action hero Lorenzo Lamas. This movie is just another example of the stereotyped role we've come to associate with him: slick hair, sunglasses, black leather and boots, fearsome. I thought the role reversal from the ruthless criminal to the more sensitive cob, and vice versa, was a big flaw. The intention was good, but somehow, between Lamas's lame acting and the more than shallow script, everything fell apart. This movie was was lame and boring. I'd expected more from it, particularly with famed actors such as Chong and Star Wars hero Billy Dee Williams. Wave this one goodbye before you've even said hello.
John Talledo
This movie sets a bad example for society. In "Mask of Death" shallow, ruthless characters hurt other people just to succeed. It's another lame story about greed, money and power. There's an excessive amount of violence and the characters are underdeveloped. The bad acting and direction don't help the movie either. The whole movie is typical low budget trash and has nothing that makes it worth watching.
yatahaeshadai
Lamas has dual roles as Det Dan McKenna and Russian Mafia liaison Lyle Mason. An FBI surveillance gone wrong gets McKenna's wife killed but not before she takes Mason with her. FBI agent( Billy Dee Williams) notices that Mason and McKenna look alike and with a little help from plastic surgery McKenna becomes Mason. Pain killers that seem to have the side effect of causing McKenna to become violent help to keep the charade going. The violence is never ending - the story line takes a back seat - and Lamas shows off all the right martial art moves.The ending looked like they were hoping for a sequel but it never happened.
