Plot:
The screen crawl is narrated by Jack Palance. This is basically the background part of the DVD box description. Corporations rule the future. Cyborgs are almost human, etc… Watch any futuristic movie; you can get the basic description.
We see a desolate ruined city. Imagine the mining refinery from Alien 3 with a large population and that’s about what it looks like.
A cyborg skeleton is being created, being programmed. The skin is being molded around the skeleton. We see some grainy footage from Cyborg Jean Claude Van-Damme fighting, etc…The cyborg has been finished and it is Angelina Jolie.
The Pinwheel board of directors is watching a couple go at it like monkeys. The couple just happens to be in room with exhaust fans and blue laser-light. Why? Because, this is the future. A crew starts a countdown and, the woman blows up. Not that way, literally explodes, get your minds out of the gutter. She is blown into little pieces and the guy is more like a microwaved frog or so I’ve heard. They detonated a cyborg having sex as a demonstration.
A mop up crew puts out the fire in the room with the couple. The board of directors is being briefed. That cyborg had a new liquid explosive, Glass Shadow, implanted in here that is virtually undetectable and very powerful. The Kobayashi Corporation is their Japanese competition. Why? In the future, a foreign company, more likely than not it will be a Japanese corporation, must be the only thing preventing them increasing their market share. The plan is to send a cyborg loaded with Glass Shadow to kill the entire Kobayashi chain of command. The cyborg has been selected: Casella “Cash” Reece. She is human in almost every respect. Once Kobayashi is destroyed, Pinwheel will take over the world.
Cash is receiving martial arts training from Colton Hicks. She asks about her roommate that was taken away. Can you guess this was the exploded cyborg? If so, get yourself a cookie. Colt doesn’t know anything and, Cash leaves.
A mysterious digitized eye spies on Colt. This is the presence of Jack Palance.
The board members take Cash into surgery. They tell Colt to more or less stay out of this.
Afterwards, in Cash’s room, she’s sleeping. Allow me to get off the movie for a moment; I think this scene shows that Angelina Jolie wasn’t quite as chestically augmented. She wasn’t as developed as she was in say Tomb Raider. The Digitized Jack Palance eye is shown on the video screen. He talks about how only one cyborg has ever escaped but had the help of a human hero. We get some more flashbacks to the original Cyborg. I have to say it is slightly creepy hearing Jack Palance talking about heroes as Angelina Jolie wearing only bra and panties licking her lips, looking slightly excited by what he’s saying. Well, I can always hit mute and watch her squirm around nearly naked….Where was I? Oh, the movie....
Who said they didn't video tape in tanning beds?
Cash slips a message to Colt. He goes on his way when Digitized Jack Palance talks to him. He knows that Colt got a message. He enters a series of old tunnels and goes into a lab. We get a cheap scare. Cash is there waiting for him and shows him around. Digitized Jack Palance is doing his Zen philosophy bit, again.
A door opens, Colt and Cash investigate. It’s the cyborg morgue; Cash spots her exploded roommate who’s not completely deactivated. Digitized Jack Palance explains about Glass Shadow being implanted in Cash and the plan to destroy the Kobayashi board of directors which will cause their stock to plummet enabling Pinwheel to buy it cheap thus controlling their only competition. An alarms sound. Supposedly, Colt stole Cash. They have to escape, now.
The security guards are chasing after them; they have orders not to harm Cash. It is a good thing she has mad fighting skillz to fight 3 or 4 guards simultaneously, while Colt watches. A guard nearly gets the drop on him but, we get to see him use his martial arts skills himself.
This has to be one of the more bizarre action sequences. Cash throws a gun at a security guard, beaming him. This guard flails backwards and accidentally gunning down all the guards behind him. I though the scene in True Lies where Jamie Lee Curtis drops the UZI that somehow kills all the guards was impressive. Cash and Colt make it to an elevator. The override is used while guards climb down to the elevator car. Colt is shot, flesh wound. And, Cash tastes the blood. I wouldn’t think that was so strange except the whole vial of blood she carried of Billy Bob Thornton’s blood. That can’t be so prophetic, can it? Back to the movie, the elevator car has a hatch in the floorboard. Cash and Colt climb down and escape into a ventilation shaft.
The guards make it to the car. Chen, freaky vaguely Oriental dressed chick, opens fire on them.
Cash and Colt use the trash system to escape. They cross the barb-wire fence and are out of the Pinwheel compound. Cash grabs an old television set to contact Digitized Jack Palance. An unplugged set somehow can contact Jack Palance. Cash is too far from the compound and the explosive is activated. Somehow, she calms down, not sure what happened. Jack has a hideout for them and a contact, too. Finally learn that Digitized Jack Palance is called Mercy.
Miniature city, Dunn is in an elevator when Chen meets him. Chen is to capture Cash. Dunn has some secret plan to destroy Kobayashi, Pinwheel, and anyone who stands in his way.
At a board of directors meeting, Dunn outlines they can’t use security forces, which would draw everyone after Cash. They need to be discrete, hire a mercenary. Dunn wants to hire Danny Bench (Billy Drago). I’m only going to call him as Drago.
Drago is in his bathroom, inspecting his elastic skin. Dunn contacts him asking him if he’s still working. The job is to capture Cash if possible. Drago accepts and gets some lovin’ from his naked bathtub chick; don’t leave home if they’re there.
Futuristic ghetto, looks like any run down street. Cash is going in alone to find their contact, while Colt waits. Alone, she’ll draw less attention; everyone is looking for both of them. She heads into the future club looking for Wild Card. This is one screwed up club, lotus eating, random naked people going at it like marmosets.
Drago is following them with hit tricorder.
Scotty, beam me out of this movie...
Digitized Jack Palance contacts Colt; he’s to wait for Cash and the contact. Someone is following them. Wiretappers, mercenaries who are psychotic, too.
Back in the club, Cash stops at a fortune teller’s table. The fortune teller has a job that’d pay good money for Cash who takes umbrage at the request. Cash fights the fortune teller’s assistant. All will fall to the power of Angelina Jolie. She runs out, too.
Colt meets Drago who draws a gun on him. Drago wants to know where Cash is. He’ll use Colt as bait. By the way, Drago is psychotic.
A cyborg puppy sees all this happen.
Cash is looking for Colt in a dark alley. Chen snares Cash with a rope around her neck. Cash is tossed around the alley like a rag doll…And unlike daddy's little cutey, they never see you leave by the back door.
Drago still hasn’t found Cash. They go into an abandoned building and Colt is handcuffed to a pipe. Drago is repairing his skin. 5 years earlier, a job went bad and Drago was hideously disfigured. The last 5 years have seen him go through surgeries, etc…Drago by the way is dressed like he did as John Bly in the Adventures of Brisco County Junior. Drago tortures Colt, secretly implanting a video bug that will let him follow Colt. But, that’s a secret for now. Don’t tell anyone.
In a van, Cash is being reprogrammed. The bomb cannot be removed from her. The corporate detonator has been replaced with another that Chen controls. Chen promises to let Cash leave the country safely if she informs on her partner.
Colt is picking the handcuffs and escapes from the sleeping Drago. It turns out the Drago was awake and is going to track Cash with the bug.
Cash looks around the museum. Colt gets there and Cash automatically senses that he’s has a tracking device. They are talking; eventually Colt reveals he used to hate every cyborg. Wait for it, stay on target. Now, let’s force a painful love subplot into the movie. Colt is drawn to Cash. They begin to kiss. Drago is hiding in the woodwork watching them.
Chen arrives. Colt and Cash escape. Chen and Drago exchange some quips and gunfire. Chen thinks she’s hit Drago and heads after Cash. Drago’s face has been scarred. Now, he’s in ultra psychopath mode.
Cash and Colt are trying to escape from Chen with Drago slowly taking up the rear.
This is what everyone paid money for, catfight between Cash and Chen. Chen is eventually knocked into a breaker box that overloads her. Cash and Colt leave and run into another cyborg dog. I don’t know how Cash realizes Jack Palance sent the dog but, she does.
Drago finds the charred remains of Chen.
They go into the sewers. Me and you and a dog named Boo. They trudge through the sewers. I was wondering if Colt would run into some old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle friends. Coming to a ladder, they are checked to see if they should be admitted. Cash and Colt are admitted to abandoned shipyard, junkyard.
We get a matte shot of the city as Cash, Colt, and the dog continue to the ship. Digitized Jack Palance talks with them. They missed the boat, need another boat to rent. The only way to get enough money fast is the Blade. It’s a death sport like the Thunder-dome. It’s fought near a ship’s propeller, 2 enter, 1 leaves. Colt refuses to fight at first. The money he wins will get them to the free zone on Mombassa, where unregistered cyborgs like Cash are safe.
Drago is still looking for Cash and contacts Dunn. He’s changing the contract, terminate Cash and Colt only. Dunn fires Drago for what it’s worth. I don’t think Drago can accept bad news gracefully.
Cash and Colt are now with Wildcard. Wildcard takes the bug out of Colt. DigJP is discussing some philosophy of love with Cash. Wildcard gets the bug out of Colt. Cash asks Wildcard about Mercy. This is the back story payoff. Jack Palance was a fleet commander in the war. He was turned into a cyborg and became a warrior-poet. Believe it or not.
Colt awakens and Digitized Jack Palance talks about his wife to him. Mercy’s wife Velma was killed 5 years ago but scarred Drago before dying. So things are coming into a neat little package.
Cash and Colt finally have some sweet lovin’ ensue. While they go at it, we get probably the first non digitized Jack Palance shot where he’s looking at a picture of his dead wife. I would want to get anyone’s hope for an Angelina Jolie nude scene. Her breasts appear on screen then her face, but never face and breasts in the same shot. The only shot with her face is covered by long dark hair when we get breasts. This would seem to make me think a body double was used.
Afterwards, Digitized Jack Palance awakens them. It's time to go.
Pinwheel security gets in their van and race off into the night. By the way, they provide tension as they slowly get to wherever they’re going.
Digitized Jack Palance tells Cash and Colt the plan. Colt fights, they get to the boat. They first have to contact the fight promoter Bobby Lin. They go to another freaky club and meet Bobby. After they leave, we see that Bobby is working for Drago.
Bobby explains the rules to Colt. Round 1, no blade is used. Round 2, 1 blade is used. Round 3, 2 blades are used. I don’t know why they explained those rules when no blades are used in any round. Sorry to kill the suspense.
Colt is getting ready. Drago is pretty disfigured at this point. His face sort of reminds me of an unburnt Freddy Kreuger. Colt and Drago are in the ring when the bell rings.
Security guards get to the ship. Remember they are to provide some suspense.
Colt versus Drago, any holds go. Boxing, kickboxing, etc…
Security guards are still coming.
Colt and Drago are still fighting while the crowd calls for blood. Colt’s face is nearly pushed into an exhaust fan without a screen. Colt seems to be doing pretty good at the end of the round. Drago is pretty messed up before the next round begins.
By the way, the slowest security guards in the universe are still heading to where the fight is.
Back to the fight, Drago has asset of brass knuckles with a switchblade in them. Drago manages to stab Colt, but only to make Colt fight harder, etc…Bobby keeps Cash from getting involved. She can only hope Colt takes care of Drago without any external help. Colt gains the upper hand and manages to push Drago’s face into a fan as the blood splatters.
The security guards finally arrive. Random shots get everybody running around pretty aimlessly. Cash gets a hold of a shotgun. Security guards are in front of them. Some appear behind them. Completely surrounded, Cash surrenders to save Colt. A television falls at their feet. Digitized Jack Palance is coming to the rescue. Various explosive rounds explode distracting the guards. Cash and Colt escape.
Cyborg Jack Palance lurches and starts shooing the guards. This has to be a standard montage scene where peaceful music is played while bodies are thrown in the air by explosions.
Cash and Colt get away while the Jack Palance Rambo montage continues.
Dunn has Jack brought to him. Dunn has the detonator that Chen implanted in Cash, so he wins. No one can win wearing the most ridiculous golf cap with a giant cotton ball on top of it. Dunn activates the detonator. But, it has triggered the explosives in Jack. The resulting explosion destroys the Pinwheel complex.
In some desolate mountains, Cash and Colt have built a cabin. Colt is planting a small sampling nearby. Next, the tree is full grown, showing the march of time. Cash is still as young as ever as she stays beside the extremely wrinkled and old dying Cash. Jack Palance gives the final bit of narration about love being stronger than flesh or machines.
