Day of the Warrior Blu Ray Review (Mill Creek Entertainment)
Day of the Warrior is a 1996 independent action film written & directed by Andy Sidaris (Malibu Express, Hard Ticket to Hawaii, Picasso Trigger, & Seven). It was produced by by Christian Drew Sidaris (Enemy Gold & The Dallas Connection). Andy Sidaris came out of his retirement from directing to do this project after producing for a few years, It’s return of the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies franchise/universe. The ambitious federal agents which includes Tiger (played by: Shae Marks from Black Scorpion, Return to Savage Beach, Love Stinks, & Terminators ’96), Cobra (played by: Julie K. Smith from The Dallas Connection, Return to Savage Beach, Angel III, & The Hills Have Thighs), Shark (played by: Darren Wise from Night Dreams), Scorpion (played by: Tammy Parks from Break-In at Bambi’s, Night Visions, & Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds), Fu (played by: Gerald Okamura from Big Trouble in Little China, Ninja Busters, Rapid Fire, The Dallas Connection, & Showdown in Little Tokyo) & Doc Austin (played by: Kevin Light from Extreme Blue, Nowhere, & After Sex) go undercover with the help of commander Willow Black (played by: Julie Strain from Enemy Gold, The Dallas Connection, Out for Justice, Psycho Cop Returns, Heavy Metal 2000, & Sorceress 1/2) to investigate a diamond smuggling/art theft/pornography ring run by a criminal mastermind known as “The Warrior (played by: Marcus “Buff” Bagwell from WCW, TNA, Terror Tract, & Return to Savage Beach). When The Agency’s computer database is compromised, all the undercover agents’ identities in hand. The ruthless criminal who is a former international wrestler & C.I.A agent is going after them, one by one!!!!
Andy Sidaris retired from directing for about 3 years & stayed behind the scenes producing a few films for his son Christian Drew. He must have missed film making so much during Enemy Gold & The Dallas Connection because he didn’t stay retired long after those were released. Out of all the Sidaris films, this is one I remember the most from when I was younger. I used to watch Day of the Warrior all the time late night on Cinemax back in the day. LOL It stood out from all the other sleaze that played during that same time & it was very weird. I was a huge wrestling fan so I recognized professional wrestler Buff Bagwell right away & the bizarre wrestling subplot made this more interesting as the feature went on. The script was all over the place but it knew exactly what it needed to deliver. Sidaris regulars Rodrigo Obregón & Gerald Okamura were solid in this. The rest of the cast just had fun & they went way over the top when it came to their roles. I will say that the two guys that played the fake porn directors in this were beyond awful. They gave some of the worst performances that I’ve ever seen in my life when it comes to cinema & I didn’t understand why they were always randomly dancing in scenes. The best thing about this low budget production is the beautiful women. It’s loaded with eye candy & none of them are shy at all either. Day of the Warrior has some decent action, explosions, & violence in it but it’s honestly a little disappointing compared to the previous efforts. I remember enjoying this one so much more back when it first came out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still solid but it’s definitely not one of Sidaris’s best when it comes to his movies. He was a little rusty at the time!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Mill Creek Entertainment! This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is from a newer 4K restoration. It’s the best it’s ever looked on anything especially home video. This low budget action flick has nice locations & they shine here. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is a huge improvement from the past & it sounds great here. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the action has a killer boost to it, & the music is elevated. It also has English SDH subtitles.
Let’s discuss the special features from Mill Creek Entertainment! It has an “Intro” with director Andy Sidaris & actress Julie Strain. They show off some artwork for posters & home video releases for the feature. They joke around a little. They bring up Shae Marks & Buff Bagwell. They promote his book at the end. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Andy Sidaris & Arlene Sidaris. They go over all the usual topics when it comes to covering a production. Plus they tell a few stories which are very entertaining. It’s full of information about Day of the Warrior. It has a little over 39 minute “Behind the Scenes” extra. Andy Sidaris was ahead of the times when it came home video. He always put together some nice features for his early releases. This has a completely different intro for Day of the Warrior with director Andy Sidaris & actress Julie Strain. They promote a comic book, his book, & a 6 disc box set during it. They chat a little bit about the film. It has video footage & commentary for Return to Savage Beach. Andy & his wife go over the film making process a little bit over the clips. It has an interview with Shae Marks by Julie Strain. It has exclusive unreleased footage from Hard Hunted. Andy shows off some magazines featuring Julie Strain & some books. It has a “Trailer Reel” featuring every Malibu Bay release that Mill Creek has put out. It also has a MovieSpree digital code. Mill Creek always provides a great price when it comes to their releases so this is a no brainer when it comes to consideration for adding to the low budget action collection. Bullets, Bombs & Babes! It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
