Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson is a name I know from the video store shelves, a direct-to-video action star on the lower circle of action heroes. Like Jeff Speakman or Olivier Gruner, these were recognisable names but I never saw any of their flicks. Until now. Cyber Tracker (1994) is a sci-fi martial arts thriller that is a lower budget copy of Terminator and Terminator 2. Instead of Terminators, these indestructible assassins are called Cybertackers, and instead of being controlled by futuristic AI, they’re basically robocops authorised to go all Judge Dredd on any convicted felon punched into the database. When I started watching this VHS rip off uploaded onto YouTube, I’ll be honest, there’s a voice in the back of my head going, “Why, you could be watching something good?!” But then, you get a lo-fi version of a high-tech special effect – like a gun emerging from a robotic thigh through some basic graphic effects – and the entertainment value kicks in. Wilson plays a secret service agent wearing a suit and shades who protects a Senator (John Aprea, great to see members of the On Cinema universe represented) keen to adopt more technological enhancement in society. Yet, there’s a sinister plot underfoot and Wilson is double-crossed and on the run, hunted by a Cybertracker (Jim Maniaci – who looks like a huge, bald middle-aged ex-football player, which I assumed he was). Inevitably Wilson has to team up with those he thought were terrorists, the anti-tech freedom fighters, the UHR, which stands for the Union of Human Rights – probably my favourite detail in this near-future society. This is brain-dead knock-off stuff but I was entertained. I think I was mostly impressed that this low-budget direct-to-video number could still pull off throwing multiple cars off ramps and having them explode on the streets of LA. Wilson is a better fighter than an actor, so thankfully there’s plenty of martial arts fights amongst all the car explosions and shoot-outs in abandoned warehouses. Thankfully also in the mix is long-time stunt-man and martial artist, Richard Norton, an Australian guy who’s been in cult classics like Gymkata and Alien From LA; he plays the formidable henchman after Wilson, and it’s just great to see a nemesis who looks a bit like Richard Wilkins and sounds like a Bondi life-guard in this low budget sci fi schlock. Available to watch on YouTube.
VHS Tracking 