Dollman (1991) Sci Fi Dirty Harry In Reverse Gulliver’s Travels To The Bronx!

Jeepers! Dollman just manages to edge it’s way in through the, it’s so bad it’s actually pretty good door. If our hero was just one inch smaller? No way he’d be allowed to ride the cult rollercoaster of thrills. What with it’s crazy premise. Imagine Dirty Harry strutting through a super low budget science fiction film where his iconic .44 Magnum is now a laser cannon. Then for the narrative to flip into Gulliver’s Travels in reverse. Yep this film is striking high and what with its star being a cult film geeks joy. Dollman is thirteen inches of pure gun toting cult attitude.

Taglines – He’s the toughest cop on the planet Arturus — but on earth he’s in over his head!

Before he got that nickname, Dollman was the tough veteran cop known as Brick Bardo (Tim Thomerson) From the planet Arturus, ten thousand light years from Earth. Brick is a wrecking ball of a cop. The only partner he needs is his trusty Kruger Blaster, the most devastating handgun in the known universe. Literally blows its victim to smithereens. He’s been in trouble. Suspended from the force. Criticised for his violent methods of  just getting the job done. So when a cute chubby family are taken hostage in a laundromat by a deranged criminal looking like the props comic, Carrot Top. Of course there’s only one man for the job, Brick Bardo. And the Mayor wants no bloodshed on his watch? Can he save the rotund family without death, destruction and all hell breaking loose? The Mayor is in despair “And take off those sunglasses Brick… it’s night!“

Whatever happens, somewhere along the way there’s going to be exploding bodies and a weasel, rotten toothed, decapteracted head flying about! It’s Brick’s arch enemy, the despicable, Sprug (Frank Collison). Each time he meets Brick, he loses another part of his body. He ain’t hanging around to lose his head. With his hoverboard head escaping to his spaceship, Brick is in pursuit. Tearing through space. Chasing down his foe. The two are catapulted through some kind of magnetic energy band sending them hurtling out of control to the strange planet of Earth! Right smack bang in the middle of a gang war in the South Bronx.

Drug dealers, prostitutes, gangbangers and criminals are rife throughout. Innocent people of the City are surrounded by low lifes and degenerates. If there’s one man who’s gonna give Sprug a run for his most repugnant position, it has to go to Braxton Red (Jackie Earle Haley). Braxton and his murderous gang run riot. Terrorising and killing anyone in their way. Stuck in the middle is the strong willed, streetwise and rather sexy, hispanic, single mum Debi (Kamala Lopez). Can she make a small friend and together help each other out? Can this tiny Dollman use his brute force attitude to take on this gang of savage “sacks of pus“?

A Few Things

• Directed by Hawaiian born American filmmaker Albert Pyun. A master of the budget b-movie. Famous for making Marvel’s Captain America. Ok not that one but the 1990 version that scores a whomping 3.2/10 on IMDB.
• Albert Pyun is a movie making machine. Making three to four movies a year. Cyborg with Jean-Claude Van Damme is one I fondly remember renting out on VHS.
• Made by the production company Full Moon. Dollman connects up with other movies in their catalogue like Bad Channels (1992) Demonic Toys (1992) and with Tim Thomerson reprising his role, there’s Dollman VS Demonic Toys (1993)

• One of my favourites of Tim Thomerson is Trancers. I did a post on that one.
• Dollman is written and created by Charles Band who also directed the above mentioned Trancers.
• Even with the runtime clocking in at 1hr 19mins they still manage to lose about 10 mins of film with a long intro and a recap of the film at the end.
• I have to say I loved the opening credits electronic soundtrack by I believe composer Anthony Riparetti. Apart from that the rest of the soundtrack is shockingly bad especially the Bronx theme! Hehe.

• If you fancy a running commentary with the film check out Zac Amico’s Midnight Spook Show on Gas Digital or watch this episode of the podcast video his Youtube channel. Zac is a treasure trove of random useless facts and a lover of b-movie horror and those wonderful oddball films we all love.
• The Full Moon Production has also branched out into comic books. Giving Dollman a new leash of life as Dollman Kills The Full Moon Universe! I haven’t read them but I really want too.

Wrapping It Up

Dollman is pretty bad to be honest. But it does have it’s charm, Kamala Lopez. And we all love Tim Thomerson who’s in a slightly sedated, chilled, mini Jack Deth mode. Yeah it might be cheap, badly acted with a poorly written script and shoddy effects but it’s still hard not to like. It takes you to unexpected places and who needs twists when you can go straight to the point and save a few bucks!

The derelict wasteland industrial landscapes and broken down factory complexes make for a cool backdrop. I’m assume I’d be right in thinking that the South Bronx shots were filmed guerilla style with 95% filmed in LA. If you like b-movies that cut into the cult film culture, well you in the right place. Dollman might just be the fun you were looking for. Have you seen it? Let me know if you wish.

Keep digging the shelves for those wonderful movies.

Thanks for popping into the wolf den. Sending out positive fun vibes

Mikey Wolfman.