Max Dire (Van Peebles) is one of the best and bravest officers on the LAPD. You might even say he has a talent for getting out of DIRE situations with MAXIMUM firepower (see, that's why they pay us the big bucks, heh heh). Because of his stellar track record as a crimefighter on the mean streets, he attracts the attention of Adam Garou (Payne), a mysterious man who wants Max to join his gang of underground vigilantes to clean up the streets in their own way. They even use a mysterious drug to give them superhuman powers. At first, Max is reluctant, but the clever Adam has Casey Spencer (Kensit) seduce Max onto his squad. The conflicted Max tries to make the best of the team of unkillable vigilante werewolves (how often do you get to say that phrase?), but in the end must face his demons on his own terms. Can he do it before the FULL ECLIPSE? We thoroughly enjoyed Full Eclipse. It's a lot of fun, and delivers everything you want. There's a lot to love and appreciate about this movie - not only is it a solid action movie in its own right, but it puts a nice spin on the cop/action drama. It even puts a spin on the vigilante movie, which we especially liked, because we love those, generally speaking, and if you add in werewolves, it's hard to lose. Another plus was the use of real, practical effects, no CGI garbage. And the great cast ties it all together, along with the fast-paced direction of Hickox.Mario Van Peebles was terrific as Dire: not only is he a quality 90's coolguy with his ever-changing beard stubble, loose ties and sunglasses, but you can feel his conflict as it relates to the unfolding werewolf situation. On top of that, he shines in the action sequences, as he fires two guns while diving through the air in slow motion, in true John Woo style. The opening "punks take over the dance club" sequence was indeed a movie highlight. Fan favorite Bruce Payne matches him, giving a totally committed performance. Sadly, only fans like us (and by us I mean not just US, but you reading this as well) will appreciate this - Payne receives no awards, never gets to chat on the late night shows, but is far more competent than many that do.The whole thing is classic 90's; just the type of thing you'd see on the pay-cable channels or in the video stores of the day. So while this even has a dash of the then-current "homie movie" (there is a drive-by shooting and Van Peebles has a tendency to say "yo yo yo"), Full Eclipse, in general, is a cut above the average DTV film, in our opinion. The only bad thing is that this was a point in time when annoying pop-culture references were starting to pop up in characters' dialogue.But the 80's weren't that far behind, as you know that Dire's partner, who says he's "getting married", is "too old", and is nervous and complaining a lot, that he's not long for this world. Full Eclipse, in general, is the next logical step up from Wolfen (1981), and the outing in general is never dull. It sports a killer concept, and a nice execution that lives up to it. We recommend it.

This action-packed thriller is more of a twist on the traditional LAPD action movie rather than a twist on the werewolf movie. It's starts off with two cops, Max Dire and his partner, and his partner is telling him how he's going to quit the force and get married. And he gets shot in the first ten minutes. Also, Max himself has a troubled marriage. But just as I was about to sit back and let ninety minutes of cop movie clichés wash over me, the movie goes in several new and interesting directions ... it's not great, but it definitely kept me entertained.It comes from director Anthony Hickox, who's first movie was Waxwork in 1988 (which also featured werewolves), and he does a particularly good job here at emulating John Woo -- the action sequences are very exciting, adrenaline-fueled affairs and in the other scenes there are plenty of close ups and interesting sound effects to set the mood of the movie. Mario Van Peebles does his usual action hero thing with great flare, and Bruce Payne makes an excellent villain as Mr A Garou (Garou is French for werewolf, see -- pretty much the only high-brow werewolf reference in the movie). All in all, the directing is expertly done, the script is decent enough and the acting is competent.But as a movie, it has it's problems. It doesn't really pick up it's pace until the the second half, when Max Dire becomes one of the pack, and that's when things really start to get interesting. The characters aren't really that likable or original, although the cast on the whole do their best. But as a pilot for a TV series, it almost works, and that's what I initially presumed this was. Or perhaps it just sets itself up for future movies. Who knows. If it was intended as a pilot, that kind of explains why the first forty minutes of the movie are so dull.In conclusion, it's a fairly entertaining movie elevated by some great directing, but the storyline could definitely have used a bit more work. If you're in the mood for a decent action movie, this is one that I might recommend.

FULL ECLIPSE is an unusual and offbeat type of werewolf movie. It's a bit different from other films of its genre in that the werewolves are depicted as performing a socially useful function- ridding society of criminals. This is certainly not something one would expect from lycans (as they prefer to be called). But in this instance the werewolves are police officers in a special squad of the Los Angeles Police Department. The squad, referred to as the Pack, is run by Detective Adam Garou. He is played by Bruce Payne, who is one of the finest actors around. Even though he plays to type in most of his roles, as the sinister but suave villain, he never fails to create an uneasy feeling in the viewer. He is very good at his craft and he delivers a sterling performance here. The good guy cop is Detective Max Dire, played by Mario Van Peebles. He is a troubled Officer, trying to deal simultaneously with the aftermath of seeing his partner shot and critically wounded during a police raid on a criminal's hangout and having marital problems at home. He is referred to the Department's police crisis counselor and we see that it is Detective Garou. For those familiar with the werewolf legend in Western Europe, this name holds significance. I caught it right away. The medieval French term for a werewolf is loup-garou, so I knew immediately what Bruce Payne's character really was. Garou invites Dire into his home, ostensibly to involve him in group therapy with a small group of other troubled police officers. But Garou's real motive is to recruit Dire into the Pack and have him become a werewolf, too. This is all being done with a clear purpose in mind. In their werewolf state, the Pack goes after the criminal parasites who prey on society and dispatches them in the style werewolves are famous for. No Miranda Warnings needed here. It's DIRTY HARRY MEETS THE HOWLING! Garou asks Officer Casey Spencer(PATSY KENSIT) to help "recruit" Dire. There's an obvious physical attraction between them and before too long, they're emotionally involved with each other. In a scene which I found unsettling yet tantalizing, the two of them are at the Los Angeles Zoo, sitting in front of the wolf cage. The white wolf in the cage looks at Kensit in a way that suggests he sees her as kin. Kensit is seen talking to a reluctant Van Peebles in a soft and seductive manner about joining the Pack and then she gives him an erotic lick on the mouth. Detective Dire isn't exactly sure just what he's dealing with here, but he knows there's something about this group that isn't kosher. His suspicions were aroused earlier when his partner, who had been mortally wounded, suddenly reappears looking fit, hale, hearty and none the worse for his ordeal. In a prelude of what will later become more apparent, someone had entered the wounded Officer's hospital room and injected a golden brown liquid into his IV drip. Next thing you know, the Officer is back in the saddle chasing down the bad guys like Superman. He can leap great distances and run like a gazelle. Nothing seems to faze him and he is seemingly impervious to harm. And then one day he shows up at one of the local police watering holes where his partner Dire is and blows his brains out right in front of him. Turns out the slug he used was fashioned from a silver dollar he carried for luck. And we all know what silver does to a werewolf. Anyway, Dire and Spencer wind up making love and while he's taking her from behind, we see her sprout fangs and claws and growl in ecstasy. She then explains to Dire that the members of the Pack are able to transform themselves into lupine entities by injecting a serum provided by Garou. She tries to convince him to try it. But Dire wants no part of this and starts to leave. She then shoots him and he falls to the floor, mortally wounded with a bullet in his chest. She then administers the serum to him and it miraculously cures the gunshot wound and "reorders" his internal composition. As it turns out, the serum is Garou's own brain fluid which he extracts with a hypodermic needle and then transfers into quick-shot dispensers. I'm not sure, but I think the FDA might have some issues with that. He then joins her on a two-cop raid against a heavily fortified local drug factory. They shoot up again, turn into fanged crusaders, rip down the protective steel barrier and proceed to turn the pharmaceutical entrepreneurs into hamburger meat. When Garou finds out that she had sex with Dire, he goes ballistic, sprouts fangs and rapes her to teach her a lesson about messin' with the new guy. This sets the stage for the usual macho duelling between two guys who are into the same babe- figuratively and literally. We know it's going to wind up in a fight to the death because Los Angeles isn't big enough for two good-looking werewolf dudes. When the fight to the death occurs, it happens during a full lunar eclipse. Garou is shot in the chest with a silver bullet- not by Dire, but by one of the female members of the Pack. He falls down and we think that's the end of him. But, in Michael Myers fashion, he suddenly gets up and plucks the bullet out of his chest. Hey wait- that's not supposed to happen. We all know that silver can kill a werewolf. Ah- but there's one exception apparently. Seems that a full lunar eclipse protects a werewolf against everything- including silver. Uh oh. Here comes Garou and now he's really pissed. He turns into the biggest werewolf I have ever seen- all fur and fangs and claws. He's like the title character in GRIZZLY. He chases Dire and they fight some more. It looks like he's got the upper hand(or paw) but suddenly the eclipse starts to wane as the Earth's shadow moves off the Moon. Now Garou is no longer protected and he falls off a raised container box that he and Dire had been fighting on. He has now reverted to his human form and we see that he has been mortally injured. He also looks a whole lot older- a sure sign that he's dying. We don't know exactly what does him in-whether it was the residual effect of being shot with silver that could now do its job with the eclipse having passed or whether some silver object pierced his body when he fell off the container. He is covered in blood though and as he lays dying, he makes an entreaty to Dire to carry on his work eradicating criminals lycan style. Dire touches his finger to Garou's blood and we wait to see if he will put it in his mouth. I won't give away the ending here except to say that it's more than a little unnerving. I liked this movie quite a lot and I'll give it an 8 out of 10.

Full Eclipse is an excellent spin on the classic werewolf tale and just a fun, cheesy B movie. From the get-go you feel as though you're watching Lethal Weapon 7. There's even the "I'm getting too old for this..." line. Then the "Bionic X-Men" show up in the form of a secret werewolf police squad and it turns into one of my guilty pleasure werewolf flicks. It doesn't touch "The Howling", but it's on the right track. Bruce Payne and Mario Van Peebles are hamming it up a bit but it fits the tone. I always enjoy watching both of those guys. This may be director Anthony Hickox's last good film (besides Warlock: The Armageddon which was made the same year). If so, it's a great way to cap off an impressive but short-lived horror career. Full Eclipse is a little hard to find, but well worth it for a good mix of action, horror, and cheese.