The greatest movie ever made..!

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The Roth clan gets wrapped up in underworld double and triple crosses after youngest son Clay (David Goss) is shot by his P.I. partner Cory (Ross Hagen). Seems the duo was hired by Tanaka (Mako) to reclaim a jade statue from some thieves (Dick Miller and Laurene Landon) and Cory felt it was the perfect ticket to good life. So ex-cop/drunk Papa Roth (Lee Van Cleef) corrals his two remaining sons Jim (David Carradine) and Tommy (Brent Huff) to get some family revenge. This action flick was technically my first Fred Olen Ray film as I remember my dad renting it back in the day. I don't know why, but knowing that FOR pulled one over on my pops with the allure of Carradine and Van Cleef makes me smile. Anyways, I barely remembered it so tonight's revisit was almost like watching it anew. This moves fast and is actually better made than some of the films Ray made right after it. It is simple stuff plot wise but I enjoyed it and there are a few good shootouts here and there. The biggest surprise is that the leads are really there for the whole film and Carradine and Van Cleef really give it their all. Trying to swallow Lee as David's dad is kinda funny though as they were separated by roughly 11 years in real life. Lots of great character actors in supporting roles like Michael Berryman as a fortune cookie giving hit-man, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a long-haired torturer, Bobbie Bresee as a stripper (who stays clothed), Michelle Bauer as a stripper (who doesn't stay clothed), Conan Lee in the first five minutes, and Dawn Wildsmith (aka Mr. Olen Ray at the time) as a barroom tough girl.

It's amazing. This is actually a Fred Olen Ray movie that had a budget. Normally his movies look like they got made with a shoestring budget and are also too often completely unwatchable, mainly because of that. I don't know who ever decided to give Fred Olen Ray some big money to work with this time and I also really don't understand why. It's not like his movies ever brought in any big money or have a good reputation. But you know what, the fact that this movie had some money behind it actually also makes it a somewhat decent watch at times. It makes you wonder if perhaps Ed Wood also wouldn't have been capable of making some decent movies if he was given some more money to work with.But still Fred Olen Ray managed to mess things up. First off all, the build up of the movie takes way too long. I think this is because Fred Olen Ray is accustomed to and familiar with this storytelling approach. When you have a $0 budget to work with normally you have to become creative with your storytelling and stretch your story out as far and for as long as possible, without actually doing or showing something. But this is simply not the sort of approach you want from a straight-forward, tough, action-flick.But also the story in itself is pretty bad and formulaic but told even worse by director Fred Olen Ray. It has plenty of silly and bad moments in it. I mean, those Vietnam flashbacks were all kind of awkward and didn't really add anything good to the story. I understand why it's all in there but it feels so out of place and totally unnecessary.A reason why people still probably want to see this movie is because of its cast. It has David Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, Mako and Michael Berryman. What more could you want from a movie? I must say that without their star power this movie would had probably a way worse and more ridicules movie to watch. I had never actually seen Lee Van Cleef at such an 'old' age. You probably wont even recognize him the first time you see him in this, he looks like a real genuine, balding, gray, grandpa, even though he was only in his early 60's at the time. He also died only a couple of years after this movie. Some people just age fast I guess.One thing that Fred Olen Ray also doesn't know to handle is its action. Most of the sequences really aren't shot too well and the editing also helps to make it look clumsily at times.This movie at times has some hints of a good and entertaining, silly '80's action flick in it but Fred Olen Ray still managed to downgrade this movie overall to a below average one. I still like to say his name a lot though, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Olen Ray!4/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Anytime a film delivers what it promises, it gets at least a 5 rating from me, and "Armed Response" gives you exactly what you would expect from a low budget action movie. The weak points would be , numerous explosions and gratuitous car crashes, a paper thin plot, finally a shootout in Chinatown with grenades and automatic weapons that goes totally unnoticed by anyone. The strongest point is the fun of seeing David Caradine, Lee Van Cleef, and Michael Berrymen together, and they do not disappoint. Another plus is the musical score, which seems to fit perfectly. Top that off with some lively one liners and you have an entertaining action film. - MERK

"Armed Response" is one of Fred Olen Ray's earliest directorial efforts, and it also less schlocky than some of his other ones, closer to an actual legitimate action film (it's hard to believe he would make a film as unbelievably bad as "Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers" only two years later). It has a fairly complicated plot, which would be hard to summarize in a single paragraph, and a cast that's a B-movie fan's dream (where else could you find Lee Van Cleef and Michael Berryman together?), though it must be noted that David Carradine is particularly awful in this movie. (**1/2)