Messenger, The

VHS, R, 95 minutes, MGM

Fred Williamson, king of bad-brother superstars, is "The Messenger" - and when he comes knockin' - you'd better start duckin' - 'cause he's delivering death at every door. A cigar-smoking, no-nonsense, former Green Beret, he soon becomes a self-styled avenger - a bare-handed killing machine - when he takes on the mob. The result is a jolting action-packed international thriller that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. After a three-year stint for burglary, Jake Turner (Williamson) is released from an Italian prison to return to the sensuous arms of his lovely wife. But their love-making days are violently cut short when she is murdered by the Cosa Nostra mob for her screw-up in a big-time drug deal. Jake swears revenge, vowing to nail every low-life who ever got near his woman! He launches a one-man crusade for justice that takes him from Italy to Chicago, Las Vegas and L.A. where he proves he hasn't lost his deadly touch - until a powerful Don attempts to snuff Jake's signature cigar...permanently! Co-starring Cameron Mitchell ("Buck And The Preacher") and Joe Spinell ("Married To The Mob"), this riveting nail-biter spits out one high-octane twist after another, exploding in a climax that is as awesome as it is outrageous. 1986.