Wimpy, down on his luck insurance salesman Barry Rapchick (well played by Gary Frank of TV's "Family" fame) is sent by his unsympathetic jerk boss into a rundown and dangerous inner city section of the Big Apple to get elderly retired schoolteacher Elva Briggs (a fabulously feisty Frances Foster) to sign a $100,000 dollar policy so Barry can collect a hefty commission. Barry runs afoul of the violent street gang the Vampires who are led by the ruthless and vicious the Count (deliciously essayed with eye-rolling, rip-snorting, scenery-gnashing hammy élan by a pre-"Candyman" Tony Todd). Pretty soon Barry's being chased around the dilapidated Lincoln Towers apartment complex by the Vampires, who want him dead after Barry accidentally kills one of their number. The only folks who come to Barry's aid are heroic telephone repairman Will Jackson (a pretty decent and likable turn by singer Ray Parker, Jr., who crooned the hit theme song for "Ghostbusters") and Briggs' comely granddaughter Toni (a splendidly sassy'n'sexy Stacey Dash).
Capably directed with considerable aplomb by Peter Manoogian, with strong performances from a bang-up cast, polished cinematography by Ernest R. Dickerson, a nonstop fast pace, a substantial amount of tension, a nice cameo by Deborah Benson (one of the imperiled campers in the superior sylvan slasher "Just Before Dawn") as a secretary, lots of gut-busting profane dialogue, several amusing moments of inspired witty humor, and frequent outbursts of excitingly staged action, this nifty little picture makes for a fun reprise of "Assault on Precinct 13th" which substitutes the projects for a police station. WARNING: Possible *SPOILER* ahead. My sole quibble: Jan-Michael Vincent's neat turn as Parker, a bitter, crippled Vietnam veteran who's so paranoid that he lives in a heavily armored bunker and has a motorized wheelchair which comes complete with a cool knife-throwing device is unfortunately cut short way too soon when a pistol-packing thug fatally blasts him right in the chest. That minor criticism aside, this flick overall earns top marks as one highly enjoyable and unjustly overlooked sleeper.
Capably directed with considerable aplomb by Peter Manoogian, with strong performances from a bang-up cast, polished cinematography by Ernest R. Dickerson, a nonstop fast pace, a substantial amount of tension, a nice cameo by Deborah Benson (one of the imperiled campers in the superior sylvan slasher "Just Before Dawn") as a secretary, lots of gut-busting profane dialogue, several amusing moments of inspired witty humor, and frequent outbursts of excitingly staged action, this nifty little picture makes for a fun reprise of "Assault on Precinct 13th" which substitutes the projects for a police station. WARNING: Possible *SPOILER* ahead. My sole quibble: Jan-Michael Vincent's neat turn as Parker, a bitter, crippled Vietnam veteran who's so paranoid that he lives in a heavily armored bunker and has a motorized wheelchair which comes complete with a cool knife-throwing device is unfortunately cut short way too soon when a pistol-packing thug fatally blasts him right in the chest. That minor criticism aside, this flick overall earns top marks as one highly enjoyable and unjustly overlooked sleeper.