“Absolute Aggression” takes place in the not too distant future (2005 to be exact) and takes for granted that we have perfected Virtual Reality to the point that it can be used as a prison. In reality, the prisoners are kept in a state suspended animation, while their ‘mind’ stays locked up. Separated from government control, the prison system is now run by corrupt corporate bigwig R.D. Crowley (Robert Davi). Not satisfied with the money to be had by running the prison, Crowley allows his prisoners to be hunted down in virtual arenas in order to do battle with those wealthy enough to pay the high price. The catch, for either the predator or the prey, is that if you die in the game, you die in real life. Originally filmed back in 1996 during the Virtual Reality craze, “Absolute Aggression” is a low-budget action flick that delivers the goods, at least on a few levels. As with most B-movies, most of the acting is a bit stilted and the plot is a little thin, but what special effects they have aren’t too bad. There are some fairly good fight sequences, most made interesting by the locations they choose.

Since most of the action takes place inside this virtual prison, the combatants can choose any time period. The one they seem to use the most involves a medieval theme, and though it looks like they plopped their cameras down in the middle of a Renaissance Festival, it works within the context of the movie.

I mentioned the acting before, and to be fair it’s not all bad. I was surprised to see Robert Davi, whom I really like as an actor. I thought he was especially good in the “Profiler” series, and he chews the scenery as best he can with the dialogue he is given. On the other side of the coin, we have ‘actresses’ like Amy Lynn Baxter who was obviously cast because she brings assets all her own to the film. She gets a bit nekkid in the movie, which is really about as far as her talent should have been taken. Giving her lines was not a wise choice.

Aside from the low-budget look throughout, I won’t say “Absolute Aggression” is without its merits, and will certainly appeal to those whose tastes require no more than a few cool special effects, a bit of nudity and a lot of “blowin’ things up reeealll good.” If you’re looking for a bit more substance and character development, this one might not be your cup of tea.

Directed by: J. Christian Ingvorsden
Starring: Robert Davi, J. Christian Ingvordsen, Kayle Watson, Kelly Gleason, Amy Lynn Baxter
Extras: Cast Bios
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: MTI Home Video
Release Date: 2/17/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Violence, Some Strong Sexuality, and Language)
Website

We'll give Absolute Aggression a C-.