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Assault on Devil's Island

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Assault on Devil's Island
Original key art
GenreAction
Screenplay byCalvin Clements Jr.
Story byMichael Berk
Douglas Schwartz
Calvin Clements Jr.
Steven McKay
Directed byJon Cassar
StarringTerry "Hulk" Hogan
Carl Weathers
Shannon Tweed
Martin Kove
Billy Drago
Trevor Goddard
Billy Blanks
Music byJohn D'Andrea
Cory Lerios
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersMichael Berk
Gregory J. Bonann
Douglas Schwartz
Terry "Hulk" Hogan
(as Terry Bollea)
Eric Bischoff
ProducersKevin Beggs
Paul Cajero
Joe Geus
Rebecca Dirden Mattingly
CinematographyJames Pergola
EditorDavid Latham
Running time96 minutes
Production companiesTurner Television
Alliance Communications
Berk/Schwartz/Bonann Productions
Budget$4 million[1]
Original release
NetworkTNT
ReleaseOctober 28, 1997 (1997-10-28)[2]

Assault on Devil's Island, also known as Shadow Warriors,[3] is a 1997 Canadian–American made-for-television action film directed by Jon Cassar, starring Terry "Hulk" Hogan, Carl Weathers and Shannon Tweed. Hogan and Weathers portray Navy SEALs who team up with Tweed's DEA agent to fight drug-funded mercenaries holding a sports team hostage on a Caribbean island.[4]

Billed as a "Nitro Original",[2][5] it was an attempt to spin off the popular professional wrestling show WCW Nitro into dramatic programming, and featured Hogan in a harder edged role, among an ensemble cast of action veterans that also included Martin Kove, Billy Drago, Trevor Goddard and Billy Blanks. Hogan and fellow Nitro personality Eric Bischoff were credited as executive producers.[4] The film received a sequel in 1999, called Assault on Death Mountain.[6]

Plot

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A SEAL team headed by Mike McBride and Roy Brown launches an assault on the compound of kingpin Carlos Gallindo, who is about to close a drug deal with a mysterious blonde woman. During their attack on Gallindo and his men, McBride is betrayed by Fraker, an Australian operative who was supposed to act as a U.N. observer on the mission, but secretly turned coat after being promised a $2 million bribe.

One of the SEALs is killed, but the others manage to escape with the help of the woman, forcing Gallindo to follow them. They find diving equipment and, after fending off a shark attack that claims another man, rally a U.S. Navy sub, with their supervisor Andy Powers on board. The woman is revealed to be an undercover DEA agent by the name of Hunter Wiley. While in custody, Gallindo strong-arms his lawyer into passing a message to Fraker, informing the latter that he has to get him out of prison if he hopes to see the cash and diamonds he is owed for his past services.

To free his employer, Fraker organizes the hijack of a charter plane taking an American gymnastics all-star team to the Bahamas. He then demands the liberation of his boss in exchange for the athletes' return. McBride and friends must lead another assault, this time on an island fort named Devil's Island, where Fraker and his martial artist right-hand man Creagan are keeping their hostages.

Cast

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Production

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Promoted as "the biggest original movie Turner's network [TNT] has attempted",[7] Assault on Devil's Island had a budget of US$4 million.[1] While produced by Berk/Schwartz/Bonann Productions, who were responsible for the Thunder in Paradise film and ensuing series,[8] it aimed to reinvent Hogan as a "more serious and gritty" character than seen in the predominantly family-oriented fare he was known for at that point.[8] The wrestler described his alter ego Mike McBride as a "John Wayne of the 90s". The basic premise originated from Hogan and fellow executive producer Douglas Schwartz.[9] and the star had a 25 percent stake in the production.[10] Hogan credited the depth of the cast to Ted Turner, who exhibited the same competitiveness in backing the project that he had shown in building WCW's roster.[7] While Hogan and co-star Carl Weathers both appeared in Rocky III, they never met on set, and their joint casting did not stem from that experience.[11]

The film was shot in Miami and Key West, Florida, as well as in Nassau, Bahamas.[8] The Tampa Tribune dated filming as taking place in July 1997.[12] The titular Devil's Island, a military stronghold used as the villains' base of operations, was in fact Fort Jefferson, located off the coast of Key West.[13] According to Hogan, the shoot was a smooth one: originally scheduled for twenty-four days, it was wrapped in just fourteen.[14] Mike White was an actual Navy SEAL in real life. He and martial artist Billy Blanks served as production advisors in addition to their acting duties.[5] White trained the cast for the scuba diving sequences.[15] Blanks was Shannon Tweed's instructor in real life, and she had been training in kickboxing for five years prior to making this film.[16] To give Hogan the full set of hair befitting an action hero, he wore custom-made wigs, each made at a cost of $5000.[7]

Prior to the TV premiere, Hogan assured viewers that the film—which received a TV-14 rating—[7] would feature no nudity despite Tweed's numerous softcore appearances.[8] However, the cut seen in the home video version does include partial nudity, and was rated R for "violence and a scene of sexuality".[17] Right after this, Jon Cassar directed Hogan again in the feature film The Ultimate Weapon.[18]

Release

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Television

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The film was heavily promoted on Turner television wrestling shows, and in the U.S., TNT broadcast footage of Hogan and Sting's kayfabe Starrcade contract signing from Las Vegas's MGM Grand during the film's commercial breaks.[19] Bischoff later conceded that he would rather have reserved the event for his usual audience on Nitro, but agreed to the move to be a "team player".[20]

Assault on Devil's Island premiered on TNT on October 28, 1997. It was a commercial success, drawing a 4.2 cable rating, equivalent to a 3.1 national rating,[21] significantly above average for basic cable fiction programming.[22] On Nitro, TNT announcer Tony Schiavone touted the premiere as the fourth highest rated of all time for a made-for-cable film.[19]

Home video

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In Canada, the film premiered on VHS on January 25, 1998, via the distribution arm of production company Alliance Communications. It was titled Shadow Warriors.[3] It was released in the U.S. on VHS and DVD on April 3, 2001, by Spartan Home Entertainment.[23] Spartan actually reversed the order of the series' two installments, and released Assault on Devil's Island as Shadow Warriors 2 after its actual sequel Assault on Death Mountain, which was retitled Shadow Warriors.[17] 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.[24]

Reception

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Assault on Devil's Island received mixed reviews. The Baltimore Sun's Chris Kaltenbach called it "a movie for putting your brain on autopilot and watching things get blowed up real good. By those standards, it's a Rembrandt."[25] In a syndicated article for his San Jose Mercury News and other Knight Ridder dailies, Ron Miller praised "a rollicking movie" and "a spirited attempt to blaze new trails in prime time" by transposing the formula of a theatrical action film to the cable market. However, he criticized the fact that female presence was limited to a sculptural glamour model.[5]

A staunch dissent came from The Providence Journal's John Martin, who wrote in his New York Times Syndicate column that "[t]his cheapo action-adventure film was so familiar it made my eyes glaze over. All the gunplay, explosives and martial arts in Hollywood couldn't dress it up. The executive producers list Baywatch and Thunder in Paradise as credits. And it shows."[26] Slam! Wrestling's John Powell was not impressed either, finding the film derivative of the recent The Rock. He assessed that, while passable during the raid on Gallindo's estate, the film took a nosedive in the later half with the gymnasts' kidnapping, which constituted "a laughable development".[27]

Assault on Devil's Island has received some retrospective comparisons to The Expendables for its commando-themed storyline and its gathering of familiar action movie faces, albeit of a more modest caliber than those seen in that franchise.[28][29]

Sequel

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The characters were considered for a regular series, to be called Shadow Warriors.[8] On Nitro one week after the Devil's Island premiere, Bischoff claimed that Turner executives had committed to ordering the series if the feature notched a rating of 4.0 or more, which it did.[30] According to Variety, it would have been paired with a Friday night wrestling show, although a Turner representative denied that any firm decision had been made regarding the franchise's future.[31] Hogan, meanwhile, had disclosed to the press the "crafty" clauses he had put in his contract for the series.[8] They guaranteed that at least two thirds of the episodes would be shot in either Tampa, St. Petersburg or Clearwater, for a local investment he estimated at $15 million.[8][32] Additionally, he would not spend more than ten hours a day and four days a week on set.[7]

Ultimately, TNT and the star could not come to an agreement regarding the series' budgeting,[22] and the channel opted for a feature-length sequel instead, called Assault on Death Mountain. However, it was produced in British Columbia, Canada.[33] TNT premiered the film in the U.S. on June 8, 1999.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Enchin, Harvey (May 9, 1997). "Alliance sets up 'Assault' for TNT". Variety.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Steve (October 28, 1997). "'Assault on Devil's Island': Trying to build on the success of its Nitro professional "wrestling" franchise, TNT serves up its first "Nitro Original Movie" tonight". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "This Week's Video Releases". The Sun. Winnipeg. January 25, 1998.
  4. ^ a b "Assault on Devil's Island (1997)". allmovie.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Miller, Ron (October 26, 1997). "Hulk Hogan Leads Beefcake Ensemble in Assault on Devil's Island". San Jose Mercury News. Knight Ridder Newspapers – via The Des Moines Register.
  6. ^ a b Stevens, Tracy, ed. (2001). "TV Movies & Miniseries September 1990 – August 1999". International Television & Video Almanac (46th ed.). La Jolla: Quigley Publishing. p. 467. ISBN 0900610689. ISSN 0539-0761.
  7. ^ a b c d e Deggans, Eric (October 28, 1997). "TNT puts muscle, money into film". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Belcher, Walt (July 16, 1997). "Hulk Hogan Plays T.N.T.'s Golden Seal". Tampa Tribune. p. TV–1, TV–6.
  9. ^ "Assault on Devil's Island: Personnel". turner.com. 1997. Archived from the original on November 4, 1999.
  10. ^ Hogan, Terry "Hulk"; Friedman, Michael Jan (November 2002). "The Hasselhoff Position". Hollywoood Hulk Hogan. New York: Pocket Books. pp. 257–260. ISBN 0743456904.
  11. ^ Bobbin, Jay (October 26, 1997). "On the Cover: Carl Weathers Joins Shannon Tweed and Terry 'Hulk' Hogan in an 'Assault on Devil's Island' on TNT". The Record. Hackensack. p. 6.
  12. ^ Belcher, Walt (June 4, 1997). "Television: TNT Notes". Tampa Tribune.
  13. ^ "Shadow Warriors 2". aveleyman.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Nye, Doug (October 28, 1997). "Hulk Hogan Says TNT Flick Won't Let Audiences Nod Off". Bellingham Herald. Knight Ridder Newspapers. p. C5.
  15. ^ "Former Navy SEAL speaks to Rotary Daybreak Club". cahabasun.com. June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Spence D. (June 20, 2012). "IGN For Men Interview: Shannon Tweed". ign.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Classification and Ratings Administration (2001). "Certificate #38079". filmratings.com. Motion Picture Association. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Ultimate Weapon". tcm.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Schiavone, Tony (announcer) (November 3, 1997). "Broad Street Bullies". WCW Monday Nitro. Season 3. Episode 8. Event occurs at 2:53. TNT. Assault on Devil's Island, rated as one of the top four cable movies of all time as it made its debut Tuesday night, but during the course of the commercial breaks we broke away to Las Vegas, Nevada, at the MGM Grand, [...] the greatest contract signing in the history of our great sport, they finally got it done, Sting and Hogan [...]
  20. ^ Thompson, Conrad (July 4, 2020) [March 30, 2020]. "Eric Bischoff shoots on the buildup to Sting vs Hulk Hogan". 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff (Podcast). Cumulus Media. Event occurs at 8:16. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows". Broadcasting & Cable. Vol. 127, no. 46. Washington: Cahners Business Information. Nielsen Media Research. November 10, 1997. p. 68.
  22. ^ a b 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.
  23. ^ Promotional text. Shadow Warriors 2 (Full Length Screener) (VHS boxcover). Spartan Home Entertainment. 2001. SP0915. Street Date: 4/03/01 [...] Day and Date DVD
  24. ^ Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island/Shadow Warriors 2: Assault on Death Mountain (DVD). La Crosse: Echo Bridge Acquisition Corp. 2016. UPC 096009442347.
  25. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (October 28, 1997). "A guy night: TNT supplies bullets, brawn and babes". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  26. ^ Martin, John (October 28, 1997). "Halloween Treat Doesn't Live Up To Its Premise". The Providence Journal. New York Times Syndicate – via The Annapolis Capital.
  27. ^ Powell, John (October 13, 1998). "Hogan film 'Shadow Warriors' (aka 'Assault on Devil's Island') a flop". slamwrestling.net. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  28. ^ Babcock, Andrew (March 23, 2020). "Hulk Hogan and Carl Weathers in 'Assault on Devil's Island' (1997)". ultimateactionmovies.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  29. ^ "Hulk Hogan: I'm In Talks For Expendables 4 Villain". manlymovie.net. May 25, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  30. ^ Bischoff, Eric (president) (November 3, 1997). "Broad Street Bullies". WCW Monday Nitro. Season 3. Episode 8. Event occurs at 22:03. TNT. We got a clause in that agreement that said that if we achieved a rating of 4.0, we had the option to do a series, so as much as you love this and I know you do, there's more to come.
  31. ^ Richmond, Ray (June 6, 1997). "Tweed sews up deals for WB show, TNT pic". Variety.
  32. ^ Deggans, Eric (July 16, 1997). "'Hulk' Hogan wants to bring work home". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  33. ^ "Production Credits". crescent.ca. North Vancouver: Crescent Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 8, 2001. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
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