Band of the Hand [DVD]

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

Band of the Hand was executive-produced by Miami Vice creator Michael Mann, but this violent relic of the ’80s begs for a smarter script and Mann’s directorial flair. Instead it’s got TV’s “Starsky”–Paul Michael Glaser–seemingly asleep at the wheel, barely controlling a rainbow coalition of bad actors as punky Florida jailbirds, given a second chance when they’re dropped into the treacherous everglades and whipped into a crack unit of urban warriors by a gruff marine (Stephen Lang) who supervises their juvenile “reform.” One of the reluctant recruits has a girlfriend (fresh-faced newcomer Lauren Holly) who’s tied up with local drug lords (Larry Fishburne, James Remar), and the inevitable showdown offers guerilla warfare in pastel shades. Wretched dialogue and lackluster action don’t stop this from being a Vice-like guilty pleasure, populated by garishly costumed stereotypes and ending like the pilot for a TV series that never happened. Even the DVD liner notes admit the movie is “infamous”; accepted on those terms, it’s a hoot. –Jeff Shannon

Product Description

From the creators of Miami Vice, five Miami punks are whipped into shape by a Vietnam vet, then form a vigilante unit to wipe out drug dealers. Bob Dylan sings the title tune.