Desert Heat

1999, Movie, 95 mins

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This loopy, direct-to-video neo-Western — originally titled COYOTE MOON — may be the nadir of Belgian martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme's career. The coyote, which represents the warrior spirit in Native American, scurrie sthrough this film as a sort of spirit guide for Eddie Lomax (Van Damme), who plans to give his beloved motorcycle to old army buddy Johnny Six Toes (Danny Trejo) and then commit suicide. But Eddie's quest is derailed by the vicious Hogan gang, who shoot him, steal his bike and leave him to die in the desert. While the Hogans — Ramsey (Larry Drake), Matt (David Fralick), Jessie (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Petey (Jonathan Avildsen) — return to the day-to-day business of terrorizing their isolated hometown and running drugs with a biker gang called the Heathens, Johnny finds the wounded Eddie and nurses him back to health. Once he recovers, Eddie decides to retrieve his motorcycle — even if he has to clean up the whole town to do it. Taking his cue from the YOJIMBO (1961) playbook, Eddie cleverly turns the Heathens and the Hogan clan against each other, while finding time to romance the prettiest waitress in town (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) and redeem the demoralized townspeople. Directed pseudonymously by John Avildsen, this ridiculous mix of new-age mysticism and bone-cracking martial arts sequences smacks of desperation. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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Desert Heat
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