RAVEN is a laughable straight-to-video action thriller starring the one and only Burt Reynolds, here on the cusp of renewed stardom with his acclaimed role in the following year's BOOGIE NIGHTS. Before that, it appears he was reduced to making any old tat, and RAVEN is a good example of that. Reynolds plays the leader of a team of mercenaries engaged in a hilarious, ten-minute over-the-top action sequence at the film's outset, indebted to COMMANDO with endless scenes of bad guys being blown into the air by explosions right behind them and slow-mo gunfire. Sadly things quickly become boring after this point. Reynolds goes from hero to villain to hero again but there's no real interest in his underutilised character and the wooden Matt Battaglia has way too much screen time. A few beautiful women are all you get here. Things pick up again in the last ten minutes but it's far too late by that point.

Who is Raven? The film poster reveals it's Burt Reynolds. When you think you've seen ALL of Burt Reynolds's movies, a rare film surfaces and springs an entertaining surprise on you. A true gem that is under-rated and relatively unappreciated by most reviewers, alas!

But who or what are the Four Stars? Well, if you do watch this action-packed movie, you can find that out yourself!! Additional flavoring comes in the form of a foxy Krista Allen. Top this up with some dry humor and clever twists that will keep you hooked right up to the brilliant finale....

Burt Reynolds goes slumming in this mediocre straight-to-video espionage thriller with Matt Battaglia as CIA mercenaries who are sent into Bosnia to steal a decoding machine. Everything about this potboiler is forgettable except for Burt—hamming it up and having fun the whole time—and the various soft-core sex scenes between "Emmanuelle" actress Krista Allen and Battaglia and a steamy scene in the back of a limo between a horny senator and a call girl. Veteran stunt coordinator Russell Solberg keeps it trim and slim at 93 merciful minutes with Reynolds playing a quasi-villain and Battaglia as a straight-up hero. The big Bosnia battle scene is as good as this minor action thriller gets and then everybody circles everybody else and blurt dialogue that drives the narrative rather than develop the characters. Nobody but Burt displays an ounce of charisma. Don't worry about Burt; he survives this stinker, but you may not like the time squandered on something as generic and predictable. Nothing but Burt stands out.