If Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all 12 years old again and given an unlimited supply of toys, latex, corn syrup and blatantly corny dialogue, the result could be something like Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires.
A gonzo stop-action throwback to the best and worst of 80s shoot-'em-ups, this not-safe-for-children animated feature from writer/director/producer Mike Mort has cult potential written all over it, even if it can sometimes be too trashy for its own good. Made on a purported $20 million budget, with oodles of intricately crafted, extremely gory set pieces, its sort of like Team America: World Police without any political context, paying satiric homage to the oeuvre of Cannon Films and other B-grade studios. After a world premiere in Annecy, France, Chuck could find slots in midnight programs, although its VHS-ready aesthetic will make it most watchable on the small screen.
Chock-full of snappy one-liners and ultraviolent action, the story follows badass buffed-up cop Chuck Steel (voiced by Mort) on his mission to thwart an invasion of the titular Trampires which are not, as one would suspect, prostitutes with fangs, but homeless people with a dual thirst for blood and alcohol. A dumbed-down version of Die Hards John McClane or Stallone in Cobra, Steel uses his fists way more than his brains, busting heads or nuts, in a recurring gag involving smashed testicles as he tries to save his city from oblivion. Hes aided in his quest by Trampire hunter Abraham Van Rental, whose name joins a host of other goofy monikers such as Captain Jack Schitt or Steels temporary Swedish partner, Ingrid Klutz.
There's an undeniably childish quality to a lot of the humor here, and the film's seventh-grade antics can grow a bit tiresome as Mort doubles down on the sexism and penis jokes, even if such jokes are meant to ironically reflect the macho attitudes of Reagan-age action heroes. Yet when Steels ex-girlfriend and Achilles' heel, Lucy (Samantha Coughlan), refers to the killer cop at one point as a misogynistic Neanderthal *******, you can only agree with her, and as much as its fun to watch the meathead in action for a few reels, doing so for an entire feature is another story.
But if youre willing to just sit back and enjoy all the nods, winks and over-the-top violence, Chuck Steel is a rather fun ride, with Mort and his animation team faithfully re-creating the slick and sleazy aesthetics of bargain-bin action and horror flicks. Production designer Bridget Phelan does a particularly good job with the decors, channeling an L.A.-on-angel-dust vibe filled with smoky alleyways, neon lights and skyscrapers at night. All the animated gore is also impressive, with every blood splatter, decapitation and dismemberment hitting you right in the guts. A certified cheesy soundtrack by Joris de Man further sets the pace, with one song accompanying a vintage montage sequence that would make Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme proud.
kind of like an R rated Wallace and Grommet type story.
