ULTIMAX FORCE
dir. Willy Milan, 1987
Philippines/United States. 82 min.
In English (dubbed).

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 – MIDNIGHT
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 – 10 PM

The Ultimax Force is an elite group of operatives, each a trained U.S. Commando and card-carrying member of the Ninja Society of California. Their mission: To liberate a Vietnamese POW camp run by a sadistic colonel who’s mercilessly slaughtering prisoners in a display of rabid madness.

With the Maxsploitation trend mostly languishing by the late-80s, Willy Milan turned his sights towards two other VHS market-friendly subgenres that were gaining popularity abroad— Ninjas and ‘Nam— in this co-production between the U.S. and Philippines. The two are combined with about as much subtlety as the heroes’ bandanas emblazoned with both the American and Japanese flags, but what it lacks in nuance it more than makes up for with its incredibly well-choreographed fight sequences and a truly ridiculous amount of explosions.

“Several of Michael Dudikofs mates with swords and guns. American Ninja meets Missing in Action. Fank u”
—Literally the IMDB synopsis