Instead of physically or verbally sacking quarterbacks, football stud Howie Long trades in his helmet and sportscaster’s microphone to take on the baddies in this Arnold-cloned action flick. As an airborne fire chief, Long jumps into the mother of all forest fires to find a band of inmates fresh from a prison break. Lead by William Forsythe, they’re a sadistic bunch on the hunt for a mega-million dollar booty with an unsuspecting bird watcher (Suzy Amis) in tow as hostage bait.
Long is passable though he is no Arnold. Surprisingly, it’s Amis, full of vigor and resolve, who emerges from this screen test vehicle as the one who shows she has a future as an actioneer. Forsythe’s adds a touch of wily brilliance to his two dimensional maniac, but even he can’t put any spark into this smoldering tinder.
