1987 film by Fred Olen Ray
Cyclone is a 1987 science fiction action film about a woman who must keep the ultimate motorcycle from falling into the wrong hands. The film was directed by Fred Olen Ray, and stars Heather Thomas, Jeffrey Combs, Martine Beswick, Huntz Hall and Martin Landau.
Plot
Teri (Heather Thomas) leaves the gym and stops by a motorcycle repair shop to pick up parts for her inventor boyfriend Rick (Jeffery Combs). Rick has developed the ultimate motorcycle, the Cyclone. It is a $5 million bike equipped with rocket launchers and laser guns, which only needs oxygen to operate.
The funding for the cutting edge motor cycle was provided by the government who wish to take control of the vehicle. In addition, local criminal arms dealers see the motorcycle as a bonanza and are attempting to steal it to sell on the black market.
When Teri and Rick head out to a local hotspot, Rick is murdered by those who wish to gain control of the prototype. It is now up to Teri to keep the Cyclone from falling into the wrong hands.
Teri was told in a video Rick filmed before being stabbed that she can trust Agent Bob Jenkins, but she discovers that Jenkins has also been killed.
With no one left that she can trust but herself, she must decide how to be sure the motorcycle is not misused in the future.[1]
Reception
TV Guide gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, finding the B movie cast to be of more interest than the movie itself.[3] According to the review site DVDtalk, the movie is fun, comparing it to an episode of Knight Rider or Street Hawk, although many of the effects are lacking by modern standards.[4] Moria liked the premise of the film, and enjoyed Olen's genre in-jokes and sometimes an appealingly cynical sense of humor, but found that little was done with the premise.[5] Creature Feature gave the movie two out of 5 stars, stating the movie was mostly about car chases leaving little time for plot or character development.[6]
RideApart.com stated that the futuristic design of the motorcycle was decent, (guessing it was a "1980-something Honda XR350/XL350") and that the number of recognizable actors was a plus. It praised the stunt riding, noting this was one of the last films of Dar Robinson. However, it was found to be about the level of a Knight Rider episode.[7]
Production
Produced by Dda Public Relations. Released by Grey Matter Entertainment and Virgin Vision on June 5, 1987. Filmed in Los Angeles, California beginning in February 1987[8]
Dedication
This was one of the final two films released starring stuntman Dar Robinson (Rolf), who died in November 1986 on the set of Million Dollar Mystery (released a week later in June 1987). That movie, Cyclone, and Lethal Weapon were all dedicated to his memory.
