Mill Creek Entertainment is back in the game of bringing the Andy Sidaris collection to Blu-ray. After a four-month lapse, they jumped back into the game and have released Hard Hunted and Fit to Kill. These two films were released in 1993, so they’re hanging onto the late eighties aesthetic with a thread, but they are still enjoyable even this far into the series. These were parts 7 and 8, and all the staples are there. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Hard Hunted opens with Mika (Mika Quintard) stealing a jade statue from evil international crime lord Kane (Geoffrey Moore, son of Roger Moore). She makes a daring escape and tries to make it to a safe place so she can get it into the hands of L.E.T.H.A.L. agents Donna (Dona Speir) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez). She loses her life in the process, leaving the two agents to figure it out on their own. Donna is injured in the line of duty, hitting her head and getting amnesia. The rest of the gang is in search of the statue, which has a stolen nuclear weapon trigger hidden inside. Kane needs to retrieve the trigger in order to carry out his plans of world domination while the women race to find it before him.
One thing is clear about these films- Dona Speir is the heart and soul of them. She was an integral part as to why they worked and were so successful at the time. In Hard Hunted, here character doesn’t make an appearance until almost thirty minutes in. From there on out, it almost seems as if she only makes random appearances throughout the film into the finale. The final twenty minutes are great, and we get to see her do what she does best. Though Dona may have had less screen time, it allowed for Cynthia Brimhall (her name is spelled incorrectly on the back cover of the disc) to have an expanded role as Edy. The multi-talented actress gets to sing in the film as well.
Rodrigo Obregon, another series regular, returns in a fun role. Sadly, Obregon passed away on September 25, 2019. Legendary stuntman Al Leong is great in an actual acting role. He’s mostly know for being “that guy” who was in just about every action film for nearly twenty years, like the candy bar stealing terrorist in Die Hard or the thug who tortures Mel Gibson with the wet sponges and jumper cables in Lethal Weapon.
Hard Hunted has all the action, blood, bullets, and lovely ladies you come to expect from the series. My only gripe was not enough Dona Speir. It’s still a complete blast that leads the audience directly into the next one.
Fit to Kill continues, in a sense, where Hard Hunted left off. The villainous Kane (Geoffrey Moore) has returned, and this time he’s allied with a notorious contract killer named Blu Steele (Julie Strain). Together, they hatch a plan to steal the Alexa Diamond from Chinese businessman Chang (Aki Aleong). It’s a very valuable diamond that was stolen from the Russians during World War II. He enlists the aid of Donna (Dona Speir) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez) and the rest of the L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies to help him protect it. Kane and Blu are able to get their hands on the diamond, and the Agency will have to get it in gear if they want to retrieve before it’s gone forever.
Fit to Kill marked not only the final appearance of Dona Speir in an Andy Sidaris film, but it was her last film. Knowing this was her last acting gig was a bummer, but she’s gone on to be highly successful in her own right, away from Hollywood. While Dona said goodbye to the series, the legendary Julie Strain makes her debut. What can you say about Julie? She’s a one-of-a-kind and a welcome addition to the film. Fit to Kill features some great dialogue and is definitely a step above Hard Hunted. There’s an explosion that lasts over over ten minutes, and the finale is pretty nuts.
Fit to Kill feels more like a James Bond film than many of the previous films. Dona’s character has a great character arc and the villain is quite intriguing. Once again both discs look fantastic and Mill Creek has really given them all the TLC they truly deserve.
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