Cyber Tracker is one of those movies you’ve rented for the title and the cover art alone. And if you were already a bit versed in the vast pool of acting talent, then you would also notice the top billed name, which – in this case – was the legendary Don “The Dragon” Wilson.
And you would know what to expect.
Yes, the Cyber Tracker is another of those run-of-the-mill scripts of the 1990s. Our hero, named Eric (Don Wilson), is a member of a security detail for senator Dilly (John Aprea), and he noticed something suspicious while guarding the senator during his speech outdoor. As expected, the gunfight ensues and to our delight body are piling, the escaping vans colliding and are blown to bits, all the usual shennanigans.
But, as it is usually the case in those movies, Eric’s loyalty’s tested when senator’s people kidnap the company’s employee who’s working for the resistance movement, dedicated to fight the law about cyber justice (in short, the computers issue arrest warrants and also the orders for the execution, as we can see in the beginning of the movie).
And because of that, Eric is now a wanted man. And a suspected murderer, because the murder of said employee is on his head now. You know how it goes.
By the way, the first cyber tracker (the muscular android guy) is on his trail…unsuccessfully, because our guy is just so fucking good.
Nevertheless, he’s got kidnapped by the resistance cell and because he’s on their side now anyway, he proceeds to work with them. However, the bullet he was shot with got a little tracker inside so the second cyber tracker traces the cell’s hideout and basically eliminates them all except the female (you knew…), named Connie (the newswoman who is also a resistance member)…but the humanoid robot got eliminated as well. Yes, Eric’s that good.
Our heroic duo proceeds to infiltrate the Cybercore company (owned by the character named Rounds who senator Dilly basically works for) to get a top secret file out, but they are apprehended.
Don’t worry, all goes well in the end, but not before we have a hand-to-hand fight between Eric and the head of the senator’s security Ross (the legendary Richard Norton)…ending, you’ve guessed it, in Ross’ demise.
And that’s basically it (not counting the demise of the main villains, Dilly and Rounds) and the usual happyend with Eric and Connie holding hands and kissing. Oh, those were the days…
Now, who’s who in this movie? Let’s have a look at some folks involved.
It was produced and released by the PM Entertainment, therefore it’s not a surprise that it’s been directed by Richard Pepin, one of the co-owners of the company (along with the producer/director Joseph Merhi). Pepin has also directed the sequel, Cyber Tracker 2 (again, with the Don Wilson repeating the role), and a few other sci-fi action movies with actors like Sam J. Jones (Fist of Honor, 1993) or a series of movies with Jack Scalia (T-Force (1994), The Silencers (1996), Dark Breed (1996)) among others.
As mentioned, the main role was given to Don “The Dragon” Wilson (nowadays only Don Wilson, well, we all get older, aren’t we), considered the greatest kick-boxing champion in the sport’s history. Known for the routine movies like series Bloodfist (9 movies, but Wilson didn’t appear in the last one, Bloodfist 2050), he’s started as a corrupt cop in the Asian action crimi New York Chinatown (1982).
Apart from him, Richard Norton is the other more known actor here. The martial arts champion himself, Norton’s career started in the 1980s with such classics as Force:Five (1981), my fave Gymkata (1985) or Equalizer 2000 (1987), but he’s active to this day, you could see him not only in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), but also in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024). Great actor and great screen presence, there’s no doubt about that.
Joseph Ruskin (1924-2013) was on the screen just for a few scenes, but he’s worthy of mentioning, his acting career has consisted of mainly TV appearances, but for those younger (well, younger…say, in their 40s? haha), he was in flicks like Indecent Proposal (1993), Firepower (1993), The Scorpion King (2002) or Smokin’ Aces (2006). and that’s basically just his much later career.
Compared, Stacie Foster’s career pales in comparison, but those liking her in Cyber Tracker could find her in Cyber Tracker 2 (1995) in the same role as in the original movie, and in Steel Frontier (1995) along with a few TV appearances and shorts.
For many of those older actors and actresses, the direct-to-video movie fare were sometimes the last things they have appeared in, and it’s true also for actors like John Aprea (here in the role as senator Dilly), starting his acting career in Bullit (1968), appearing in Godfather II (1974), in Andy Sidaris’ T&A actioner Picasso Trigger (1988), in a remake of The Manchurian Candidate (2004), and in many others movies and TV series.
Really, 1990s were full of disposable entertainment like that and PM Entertainment (along with many other similar companies) has delivered a lot of these movies. Lurid titles and cover art helped to sell, no need to argue about their ability to do a great marketing, and although they are definitely not Oscar material, they provided the usual 90 minutes of action and fun – and that’s why we like them even today!