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Who would have guessed that there was a Fred Williamson picture out there that is not worth watch? Worse yet, he produced and directed it, so he has no one else to blame.
It was a cop picture, and he is after the baddies that killed his partner, so you would expect plenty of action. You would be wrong. It just plods along with nothing special to excite you. Heck, even when Williamson and Maud Adams (the double Bond Girl) get in bed together with a smooth jazz background, the song ends and the scene changes just as they are getting started.
A little action at the end doesn't make up for slow pace for the first hour or so.

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The shooting title for this film was 'Soda Cracker,' somewhere along the road the title of the film changed and 'The Kill Reflex' is what we've got. Fred Williamson's character is nicknamed Soda Cracker (something his friends gave him). He's a 'shoot first - ask questions later' Chicago cop, on a mission to track down the killer or killers who offed his partner; all this on his birthday no less. His superiors want him off the case, but that doesn't stop Soda from bustin' heads. The production costs are low, but the thrills high. And don't miss the super-cool conclusion where The Hammer jumps on the side of a train to catch the main baddie as he speeds away in his car - this is really one of The Hammer's coolest moments. Other things to watch for include: the super-sexy Maud Adams, the super-cool Bo Svenson, and the super-funky end credit theme song: 'Soda Cracker!'

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Why would I sit down to watch a movie with the unlikely title 'Soda Cracker'? Because the description said it was about a Chicago cop, and I'm a sucker for movies with Chicago scenery (having moved away from there many years ago). The first few minutes were rewarding, with lots of downtown shots (a few rather poorly framed, I'll admit). Then the list of clichés begin.
Cool hip black cop..scruffy white partner with whiny wife: 'You don't spend enough time with the kid.' 'OK, I promise to come home early.' So of course you know who gets blown away, right? Black cop vows revenge on the assumed killer. Grumpy old boss cop (one of the worst acting jobs in the film) of course says, 'You're off the case! Case closed! Don't touch the case!' So of course we know what Soda will do.
More clichés: Cool sexy new partner. Cops on the take. A sexy night club singer (who actually sings an ENTIRE LONG song..probably Phyllis Hyman's exchange for acting in this dud). A ripoff of THE DEAD POOL, but with a toy helicopter instead of a toy car. Cop widow vowing to keep her kid away from cops. AARGH! Will it never stop?
There are even DIRECTORIAL clichés, like after the interminable gun battle at the end. Gunplay stops, everyone looks dead. So we get 'quiet scenery' shots of the farm where the battle took place. You know, the usual thing. But they go on and on..five shots, six shots, seven shots..haven't we seen the whole freakin' farm by this time? Then the gunfight starts up again.
The music score is a load of 80s synth-score clichés with blips and blurps and drum machines. But to wrap it up, we have the worst closing theme song of all time, with these classic lyrics: 'Chicago cop, Chicago's finest. They call him Soda Cracker, but that's just a nickname.' Wow, wonder how long they worked on THOSE lyrics! This is the kind of film you should watch when you're having some goofy friends over for a party. See who can guess the line before the characters say it, or predict the next plot twist. Worth watching only because it is the epitome of everything that can be done wrong in a cop film.

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I admire what Fred Williamson did after the blaxpoitation craze of the 1970s died out and the major studios were no longer interested in making these movies, which was to make his movies himself. What I don't admire, however, is the quality of most of Williamson's self- directed movies, and 'Soda Cracker' (a.k.a. 'The Kill Reflex') is no exception. Where to start with this movie? Well, probably with the biggest complaint I had with it - it is unbelievably slow and boring. There is an incredible amount of padding on display. In the first sixty minutes, Williamson's cop character makes almost no effort towards investigating the murder of his partner. Not only that, this first hour only has about a couple of minutes of action at most, and what there is is incredibly flat and unexciting. Things pick up (very slightly) in the last half hour, but it's too little and too late. Add in rock bottom production values and passionless acting, the entire package is incredibly hard to sit through from start to finish. At least in its present version - I could see that the people behind 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' could really skewer this movie in a hilarious manner. If they should do so in the future, only then should you watch this movie.

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Fred Williamson should not be allowed behind a camera. While I find his classic blaxploitation films to be some of the finest of its genre, this latter one was simply Godawful. Acting, storyline, title ('Soda Cracker' when aired on cable), you name it. I've never seen as many inconsistent emotions to scenes than this film. The continuity was all over the place. It was unintentionally hilarious at times. The only positives that I can see: eye candy provided by Maud Adams & Phyllis Hyman. Albeit, Fred spent so much time on one scene with singer Hyman that it could have been released as a concert film. LOL! Pass on this, and stick to any of his classic ones from the 70s.

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'When the system fails..you make your own justice.' Based on the novel 'The Soda Cracker' by Jaron Summers, 'The Kill Reflex' stars fan favorite Fred Willamson as title character Detective Soda Cracker, or 'Soda' for short. When his partner Phil Gillespe is mysteriously killed by a sniper, Soda runs through all of Chicago trying to get answers, whether that means infiltrating the criminal underworld or discovering corruption in his own department.
Soda suspects his old nemesis Ivan Moss (Svenson) of being behind it all. Meanwhile, Soda develops a relationship with fellow detective Crystal Tarver (Adams) and also spends time with Phil's 14-year old son, Cameron. Will Soda fizzle in his investigation or will he be snappy and refreshing in his take on crime? The original title of this movie is 'Soda Cracker'. The title 'The Kill Reflex' is one of those superimposed video titles. However, before it comes on, the credit before it is 'Fred Williamson is..' 'Fred Williamson is the Kill Reflex'? That doesn't make any sense. They didn't bother to change it. The end credits say 'Soda Cracker' and they didn't change that either.
But that aside, Williamson brings his usual energy and likability to the project. Without Fred, it would've been dire. Like The Big Score (1983), there is an extended nightclubsinging sequence and if you are familiar with Williamson's other cop movies, this one fits right in.
It is humorous when Soda takes Cameron, who is this little white kid, to a shooting range and we don't know who the kid is at first. Soda refers to all criminals and baddies as 'pukes'. Ivan Moss is one of the worst pukes of the bunch. He is a drug dealer, and when he is not wearing a full Olympic track suit with sandals or numerous different Cosby Sweaters, he is wearing a kimono. Maybe Svenson got it when he filmed White Phantom (1987).
Moss, as an evildoer, has an Ace up his sleeve. His brother Ace (D.R. Jones). He is a big lummox and is the muscle for Moss's organization. He is supposedly bigger in size than Soda and besides this, Ivan Moss has the most deadly weapon of all time: two remote-control toy helicopters. He must have seen those late night commercials for 'Air Hogs' because he sends them after Soda with a vengeance. Soda even has a Sergio Leone-style showdown with one of them.
In other movie references, Soda's partner Tarver shoots a VHS copy of Evil Dead II (1987) with a gun.
When Soda is finally closing in on Ivan, one of the baddies says: 'Now you got Soda on your ass!' How did they say that with a straight face? Also during the climax, there is a funny 'swatting' noise on the soundtrack. Watch out for it.
If you don't love Fred Williamson, you are a bad American and his personality carries 'The Kill Reflex'.
Beware the remote-control helicopters! For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

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