Do or Die
1991 · Directed by Andy Sidaris
Original language: English
- action
- thriller
The story
Asian crime boss Kaneshiro captures two voluptuous undercover federal agents, Donna and Nicole. But instead of liquidating them, he gives the busty duo a head start in a deadly cat-and-mouse game involving six other assassin teams. The heated action takes them from Hawaii to Las Vegas and Louisiana.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-saturated daylight and hot, flat Hawaiian beaches give way to garish casino neon and swampy Louisiana greens, all shot in the loose, competent style of early-nineties direct-to-the-point action cinema: wide establishing frames, quick cuts, and a lot of bikini-clad bodies in motion. The vibe is breezy, tongue-in-cheek pulp, a cheerfully overheated time-capsule of big hair, pastel-and-chrome production design, and synth-tinged pop-rock on the soundtrack. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with one chase or shootout after another and little room for stillness, and the tone stays knowingly silly rather than grim. Its two lead women are capable and quick-witted, while the men are mostly caricatures of villainy and macho swagger. Intensity is moderate to high: frequent gunfire, explosions, and fistfights with stylized, rarely lingering violence, plus a steady stream of sexualized camera attention and some partial nudity; there is no gore to speak of, but it is not gentle. It suits a loud, goofy Friday night, a nostalgic B-movie marathon, or fans of campy action who enjoy the era's shameless excess.
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