Lodged in the title of FAST GETAWAY II is some solid advice for the discerning viewer: get away fast. Filmed on location in sparkling Tucson, this would-be comic romp is a walk-through from the get-go, opening as a caper film, moving quickly to fatuous romantic comedy, and finally
shoehorning seemingly unrelated martial arts footage into the mix.
Corey Haim is Nelson Potter, a bad-boy ex-bank robber who now makes a living showing banks the flaws in their security systems. Nelson is in business with the compelling Patrice (Sarah G. Buxton), but their relationship is founded on mutual disdain. FBI sourpuss Rankin (Pete Liapis) has it in for
Nelson because of a grudge against his career-criminal father, Sam Potter (Leo Rossi), currently in the Big House awaiting time off for good behavior. Nelson and Patrice land in hot water when every bank they troubleshoot is subsequently robbed, making them the prime suspects. The heists are
actually being pulled by a gang of professional thieves led by the lethal Lily (Cynthia Rothrock); they're working on the basis of information supplied by Rankin as part of an insider insurance scam. As Nelson and Patrice close in on the real culprits (springing Sam from prison to help them), they
hit every meet-cute station of the cross, to wind up hopelessly in love.
From the opening sequence, in which we're led to believe that Nelson is an actual bank robber and Patrice his hostage, repartee flies fast and furious in a debased homage to screwball comedy. The anemic martial arts sequences, which rarely involve any of the principals, don't mesh well with the
romantic give-and-take. FAST GETAWAY was barely movie enough the first time around, and the sequel runs out of gas well before the first turn. (Violence, nudity, sexual situations, profanity.) leave a comment
