Vic Diaz Movies

A Navy SEAL gets himself tossed into a seething Filipino prison after his attempts to stop a gang rape fail and he is accused of killing the girl. This low-budget martial arts actioner chronicles his struggle to survive and escape the hellish jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this low-budget rehash of The Dirty Dozen, this adventure centers on the attempts of a tough-as-nails captain to create an elite unit of commandos out of a rag tag band of misanthropes and criminals so they can perform a suicide mission. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this film, a secret agent sets out to follow the movements of his arch enemy, while his own movements are followed, in turn, by government agents. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

This action film from prolific Filipino director Cirio Santiago stars Cec Verrell as tough cop Jennie ("Silk"), who works for the Honolulu police. A series of murders has the police baffled, so Silk is called in to help uncover the culprits. Her sleuthing leads to several shoot-outs and evidence that incriminates one of the cops. Connected to the deaths are gangland figures and the ugly business of selling fake identities. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

With 1985's Pacific Inferno action star Jim Brown made a triumphant return to movies. Or did he? If you read the copyright date carefully, you'll discover that this US-Philippine coproduction was actually shot in 1977. The plot has us believe that General Douglas MacArthur ordered that $16 million in silver be sent to the bottom of Manila Bay before the Philippines were overtaken by the Japanese in 1942. Navy divers Brown and Ric Van Nutter are among several POWs ordered to retrieve the money. Brown is all for escaping, but the duplicitous Van Nutter plans to abscond with the booty. Thus, Brown is alone in his efforts to round up local guerillas to help his fellow divers get away. Among the resistance fighters is buxom Wilma Reading, whose role consists of falling out of her blouse at the slightest provocation. Less attractive is "special guest star" Richard Jaeckel, who plays a soldier of fortune named Dealer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Low-budget action specialist Cirio H. Santiago directed this Philippine-set martial arts film, which bears more than a passing resemblance to his earlier T.N.T. Jackson and his later Angelfist. Jillian Kessner stars as Susanne Carter, a karate expert whose sister is murdered by mobsters. Genre regulars Ken Metcalfe and Vic Diaz co-star, and Kessner has a nude karate scene. Like most of the prolific Santiago's actioners of the period, this was released by exploitation specialist Roger Corman's New World Pictures, with ads touting Kessner as champion of the 1981 Black Belt Olympics. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

A Vietnam veteran returns to America but finds difficulty in adjusting to normal life and controlling his violent impulses. This action drama follows the vet as he finds his way to New York, where his killer instinct finds a suitable outlet in a job as a hitman for the mob. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

This low-budget action film stars Leslie Nielsen as Jonathan Trevor, a spy who defects and is chased by drugged-out hitmen in the Philippines. Trevor ends up hooked on drugs himself and suffers painful withdrawals while attended to by girlfriend Nancy Kwan. Gary Lockwood co-stars with Vic Diaz, who must have some sort of deal allowing him to appear in every crummy Filipino co-production ever made. For high-camp buffs curious to see Naked Gun star Nielsen go through D.T.'s and perform some unconvincing martial arts, this may be a good bet. Director William Girdler went on to make The Manitou. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Whether he is a one-man Coast Guard, or a sort of anti-pirate, it is clear that the fisherman in this movie does much more than catch fish. In his latest exploits he is taken captive when he goes after a female pirate who has already captured the other men of his village. The lady buccaneer falls in love with him, and the men are eventually released. Unfortunately, such behavior is not part of the other pirates' code, and the couple become the focus of a death-dealing manhunt. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A courageous stick fighter takes on a wicked Spanish governor to fight for the rights of oppressed Filipinos in this martial arts adventure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A few treasure-seekers try their luck on a tropical island and find a lost--well undocumented, anyway--civilization that has interesting marine capabilities and an unusual way of life. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Two female prisoners, one black and one white attempt to escape a women's reformatory in this violent exploitation film that is a cheap knock- off of The Defiant Ones. The black woman is in for prostitution while her blonde counterpart was involved with a radical group. They escape after lesbian guards make passes at them. Though chained together, the two manage to make their way through the Filipino jungle to a camp filled with revolutionaries and drug smugglers. There more action ensues as the crooks engage in a climactic battle with a crooked cop. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filipino action specialist Cirio H. Santiago directed this low-budget adventure starring former baseball star James Iglehart (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), who is kidnapped by South American rebels. After a time, he sees their position and is joined by a female commando squad in battling the repressive government officials. Genre regulars Carol Speed, Ken Metcalfe, and Vic Diaz co-star in one of numerous, interchangeable Philippine actioners from Santiago and Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Iglehart returned in Cesare Gallardo's cult favorite Bamboo Gods and Iron Men (which Santiago produced) the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide