Assault on Death Mountain

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Assault on Death Mountain
Alliance Communications
Berk/Schwartz/Bonann Productions
Crescent Entertainment
BudgetCDN$ 5.2 million[1]
Original release
NetworkTurner Network Television
ReleaseJune 8, 1999 (1999-06-08)
(U.S. premiere)[2]

Assault on Death Mountain, also known as Shadow Warriors: Assault on Death Mountain, is a 1999 Canadian–American

Seattle, Washington
.

It is the sequel to

WCW Nitro professional wrestling brand into dramatic programming.[3]

Plot

Mike McBride and Roy Brown, two former

Navy SEALs, and their associate Hunter Whiley, a former DEA
agent, have renounced their careers as public servants to become private contractors, nicknamed the "Shadow Warriors". They alternate between profitable contracts for wealthy clients and break-even missions for less well heeled people. Meanwhile, leader McBride is haunted by unexplained and traumatic flashbacks.

The group is visited by Laura Berringer, whose daughter Lily has been kidnapped by her father, Laura's estranged husband Armand, after he lost a legal battle for her custody. They are tasked with extracting the girl from the father's residence, an eagle's nest in Grazbruck, Austria, during a gala he is hosting. Whiley, the infiltration specialist, poses as a guest and manages to get Lily out, but she gets caught by the father's new mistress. A fight erupts between the two women, which alerts Armand Berringer's security detail. The Shadow Warriors manage to make a daring escape aboard one of the residence's cable cars.

McBride finally grasps the cause of his flashbacks. While browsing an

chemical weapons
, and caused the deaths of some of McBride's brothers-in-arms. Against the doubts of his colleagues, McBride insists that Sarkisian, who was presumed dead, faked his demise and changed his appearance through plastic surgery. Whiley and Brown decide to consult with their longtime friend Andy Powers, who has remained a government employee but joins them anyway, motivated by what he expects to be a hefty reward should Sarkisian be alive. However, they soon find out that McBride has left on his own.

Blinded by vengeance, McBride launches a lone wolf assault on a Middle Eastern camp controlled by fledgling terrorist Hameed Jamal, identified by the FBI as an associate of Reynolds/Sarkisian. Vastly outnumbered, McBride is captured by Jamal, Sarkisian and their enforcer Vlassi. He overhears that the two crime lords have forged an alliance of circumstances to exact joint vengeance on the United States. Within 72 hours, they will launch a deadly gas attack on Seattle, using missiles sent from a hidden base in Western Canada. Sarkissian injects McBride with a poison and leaves. The rest of the crew arrives to save the day and captures Jamal. The reunited Shadow Warriors must now launch a final attack on Sarkisian's compound to cancel the missile launch, and get ahold of an antidote that will save McBride.

Cast

Production

Development

Following the commercial success of Assault on Devil's Island, a regular

series was considered but financial details could not be hashed out and TNT decided to proceed with a standalone, feature-length sequel.[4] While the first movie was filmed close to Hogan's Tampa Bay home like many of his works, this one was shot in British Columbia, much to the star's displeasure.[5] The film had the working title of Shadow Warriors II: Hunt for the Death Merchant,[6] which it kept for early Canadian television showings on Superchannel.[7] It had a budget of CDN$5.2 million, equivalent to US$3.5 million at the time.[1]

Production was lured to Western Canada by the promise of lower salaries, which would allow more money to be put on the screen.

trade unions, enabling projects with less than CDN$4 million in salary expenses to hire at reduced rates.[8] However, Hogan complained that a sudden rush to the Greater Vancouver area had caused those rates to soar exponentially during pre-production, leaving him unconvinced that similar results could not have been achieved at home.[5] The supporting cast was not as deep as in the original, and mosty consisted of local actors to satisfy Canadian content requirements,[5] although it did feature Emmanuelle Vaugier in an early bit part.[9]

MIPTV convention in Cannes.[11]

Filming

Canadian press reported filming as taking place in May 1998.

Richmond, and the climactic battle against Sarkisian was staged in Britannia Beach.[12] Some interiors were shot at Bridge Studios in Burnaby.[13]

WCW Nitro segment

On the June 8, 1998 edition of Nitro, Hogan (in character) hosted a segment hyping

WCW as "Reese", plays Sarkisian's enforcer.[15]

Release

Television

Assault on Death Mountain was originally slated to debut in the fall of 1998,[13] but was delayed and eventually broadcast by TNT on June 8, 1999.[2] As a result, it did not have its world premiere on the channel like the original did, although it was still promoted as such.[3]

Home video

The film premiered in Canada on VHS on March 30, 1999, via the distribution arm of production company Alliance Communications. It was titled Shadow Warriors: Assault on Death Mountain.[16] It was released in the U.S. on VHS and DVD on July 11, 2000, by Spartan Home Entertainment.[17] Spartan actually reversed the order of the series' two installments, and released Assault on Death Mountain as Shadow Warriors, after its predecessor Assault on Devil's Island which was retitled Shadow Warriors 2. This has been a source of confusion on many film resources, which mix up credits and storylines for the two features. A DVD re-issue by Echo Bridge Acquisition Corp used the correct order.[18]

Reception

Assault on Death Mountain received mixed reviews. Mike Hugues, in his

Gannett News Service, was largely positive, writing: "The good news is that is that this is made with lean efficiency [...] and the action is impressive. There's a macho tautness that works." However, he found fault with the film's lack of realism, adding: "The bad news is that things seem too easy. Hogan, strolling with a machine gun in each hand is a remarkably good shot; the villains remarkably bad."[19] The Province called it "a fine example of filmed-in-Vancouver cheese" and a "cheerfully brainless stunt-fest".[20]

Mike Duffy of the

Louisville Courier-Journal struck a middle ground. He deemed the film entertaining for what it was, praising a "non-stop action-packed" ride, but cautioned his readers that "[i]f you're looking for action, this is it. If you're looking for acting, forget it."[22]

According to a 2019 publication, due to its potentially stereotypical depiction of Middle Eastern terrorists, the film was among a number of programs to be withdrawn from TNT's catalogue following an awareness campaign on the subject by

minority groups.[23]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result
1999 Leo Awards Best Overall Sound – Feature Length Drama Gael MacLean, Gordon Durity, Patrick Haskill, Gashtaseb Ariana, Don Harrision, Phil Hunter Nominated[24]

Cancelled sequel

Like the original,

Steve "Sting" Borden.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c Schaefer, Glen (June 3, 1998). "Stunt Director Keeps Set Safe". The Province. Vancouver. p. B2.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0539-0761
    .
  3. ^ a b Assault on Death Mountain TNT Promo (TV trailer). Atlanta: Turner Network Television. June 8, 1999. Terry 'Hulk' Hogan, Carl Weathers in the TNT Nitro Original Assault on Death Mountain. See the world premiere next on TNT.
  4. ^ Keller, Wade (December 28, 2013) [December 28, 1997]. "Dec. 28 in History: Sting vs. Hogan at Starrcade '97". The Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0743456904
    .
  6. ^ a b c McNamara, Lynne (May 3, 1998). "On Location: Wrasslemania". The Province. Vancouver. p. B7.
  7. ^ "This Week's Movies: Wednesday, February 2". Calgary Herald TV Times. January 28, 2000. p. 73.
  8. ^ Edwards, Ian (May 18, 1998). "Low-budget contract: IATSE votes in B.C." Playback. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "Emmanuelle Vaugier: All Canadian Girl?". Eh!. Vol. 1, no. August–September 2004. Tillsonburg: Eh! Magazine. July 12, 2004.
  10. ^ a b "Production Credits". crescent.ca. North Vancouver: Crescent Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 8, 2001. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Mathur, Meg (April 20, 1998). "Atlantis inks $105-million deal: MIP rings in as 'best ever'". Playback. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Schaefer, Glen (June 3, 1998). "Lot of Pecs and Stunts on Shadow Warriors Set". The Province. Vancouver. p. B1–B2.
  13. ^ a b c McNamara, Lynne (May 31, 1998). "On Location: Rain Doesn't Bother Shadow Warriors". The Province. Vancouver.
  14. ^ "DDP's Decision". WCW Monday Nitro. Season 3. Episode 40. June 8, 1998. Event occurs at 1:50:35. TNT.
  15. ^ "Reese: Movies". cagematch.net. Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn: Kreikenbohm, Philip. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Horton, Marc (March 26, 1999). "The Video Store: Out Next Tuesday". The Edmonton Journal. p. E11.
  17. ^ Promotional text. Shadow Warriors (Full Length Screener) (VHS boxcover). Spartan Home Entertainment. 2000. SP0909. Street Date: July 11, 2000 [...] DVD Available Day and Date
  18. UPC 096009442347
    .
  19. ^ Hugues, Mike (June 8, 1999). "Television". Lansing State Journal. Gannett News Service. p. 5D.
  20. ^ "Home Movies: Also new on the shelves...". The Province. Vancouver. April 2, 1999. p. B15.
  21. ^ Duffy, Mike (June 8, 1998). "TV Today". Detroit Free Press. p. 5C.
  22. Louisville Courier-Journal
    . p. C2.
  23. ISBN 9781483388274
    .
  24. ^ "1999 Leo Awards Nominees & Winners" (PDF). leoawards.com. Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia. May 26, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  25. ^ Dempsey, John (Dec 13, 1998). "TNT pins Sting for telepic". Variety. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

External links

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