Absurd Farce
Steve Austin has the same thing going for him that the likes of Seagal and Van Damme have, none of them are great actors but you know exactly what you are going to get from them and their movies. As such when it comes to "Tactical Force" the reason to watch is that it is a Steve Austin action movie and it isn't out of expectation for an original storyline or great acting. And "Tactical Force" delivers what you expect, a lot of action with Austin as the focus of much of it but it also delivers something unwanted and that is the simple fact it is so absurd that at times it goes beyond entertainingly bad and hits the point of being embarrassing.
Tate (Steve Austin - The Expendables) and his SWAT team have their own way of dealing with situations and whilst they get the job done their lack of protocol means they are forced to return to the classroom and a training exercise. But with just blanks in their weapons they find themselves in the midst of gang trouble when the exercise in an abandoned warehouse gets very real with their lives in very real danger.
So as mentioned "Tactical Force" is a typical, low budget action movie the sort which action stars churn out and usually head direct to DVD. And as such everything you expect is here, there is some tough talking, plenty of gun fire and hand to hand combat with Steve Austin as Tate taking down a few bad guys whilst dropping a few quips. In fairness some of it is impressive and the fact it is Austin doing his own action helps a lot as some of these action movies are far too often filled with stunt doubles.
But here is the problem with the movie, "Tactical Force" is simply too absurd, ridiculously absurd and whilst I am sure the intention was to be tongue in cheek it is sometimes tongue ripping through cheek. The opening series of scenes as Tate leads his SWAT team to take down robbers in a convenience store is the sort of wide eyed action a young boy would dream of; full of yippee kay yay bravado and even worst dialogue. And the rest of the movie is just the same with lots more absurd OTT action moments, OTT dialogue and daft plot twists.
But none the less "Tactical Force" is still entertaining in an almost guilty pleasure sort of way because it isn't great entertainment but serves up the action you watch it for. And as already mentioned it always help when the star does his own action with Steve Austin not only delivering the beat downs but seeming to enjoy all the tongue in cheek dialogue. But Michael Jai White also makes a muscular impression as team member Hunt embracing both the action and corny dialogue side of things.
What this all boils down to is that "Tactical Force" delivers everything you expect from a Steve Austin action movie, that means light on plot heavy on action. It is with out a doubt an absurd movie to the point of being painfully absurd yet at the same time the absurdity of it all makes it memorable and a bit of a guilty pleasure.
