Death Ring is a 1992 action film starring Mike Norris, Billy Drago, Chad Mc Queen, Elizabeth Sung, Don Swayze, Ron Thompson and directed by RJ Kizer.
Ex-Green Beret Matt Collins is kidnapped along with his fiancée, Lauren Sadler, by crazed hunter extraordinaire Danton Vachs. Every year he holds a contest where people can purchase the right to hunt down and kill a human being. This time, Collins is to be the hunted. Vachs uses Lauren as motivation for Collins to really fight to survive and thus provide the buyers with a truly exceptional hunt. Collins is turned loose on an uncharted island and four killers set out to find and kill him.
Tropes:
- Always Know a Pilot: Matt's best friend is 'Skylord' Harris: a chopper pilot who saved his life in Guatemala. When Matt and Lauren are kidnapped, Skylord goes searching for them. He borrows a helicopter for the charter company he works at and arrives at the island just in time to provide a much needed extraction.
- Artistic Licence – Gun Safety: Ms. Ling, a Professional Killer, covers Matt with a shotgun held so that the stock is cupped in her elbow rather than against her shoulder. Later Matt, an ex-Green Beret One-Man Army, fires an AK-47 on full auto while holding it Gangsta Style.
- Badass Native: A villainous example. One of the Egomaniac Hunters stalking Matt on the island is a Native American known only as 'Apache'. He hunts Matt armed with a spear, and proves to be a Scarily Competent Tracker.
- Bodyguard Babes: Vachs has a pair of female bodyguards/enforcers clad in identical Spy Catsuits named Bambi and Thumper.
- Bullying a Dragon: A drunken bar patron tries to cut in on ex-Green Beret Matt Collins when he is dancing with his fiancee Lauren, and then shoves him repeatedly after Matt politely tell him to back off.
- Caught in a Snare: While fighting Matt, Mr. Chen steps steps in the snare he avoided earlier and gets yanked into the air.
- The Creon: Egomaniac Hunter Danton Vachs has the slavishly loyal, hyper-competent Dragon Lady Ms. Ling as his second-in-command.
- Damsel in Distress: Lauren's sole purpose is to be held hostage to ensure Matt's compliance. She comes good at the very end of the film when she shoots Ms. Ling to save Matt's life.
- Depraved Bisexual: Dragon Lady (and The Dragon) Ms. Ling is in a sexual relationship with her boss Danton Vachs; whom she addresses as "master". However, when she has Lauren tied to the massage table, she gives her a Forceful Kiss.
- Destination Defenestration: When Matt breaks into Vachs' mansion to rescue Lauren, he is confronted by Ms. Ling. During their fight, he grabs her and hurls her bodily out of the upper storey window.
- Dragon Lady: Danton Vach's extremely competent second-in-command is Ms. Ling: a half-Vietnamese assassin who killed 17 Americans during the Vietnam Wat, starting when she was 14.
- Dragon Their Feet: When Matt breaks into Vachs' mansion to rescue Lauren, he confronts Vachs' dragon, the Dragon Lady Ms. Ling, and throws her out a window to her apparent death. After Matt has killed Vachs' and he and Lauren are running to the chopper, Ms. Ling turns up injured but alive. She tackles Matt to the ground; wielding a set of tiger claws and demanding vengeance for Vachs' death.
- Egomaniac Hunter: Crazed hunter extraordinaire Danton Vachs. Every year he holds a contest where people can purchase the right to hunt down and kill a human being.
- Forceful Kiss: When Lauren is tied down on the massage table, Ms. Ling grabs her chin and forcibly kisses her.
- Gangsta Style: Matt, who is supposed to be an ex-Green Beret One-Man Army, holds an AK-47 like this when he fires on the guards at Vachs' mansion.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Ex-Green Beret Matt Collins is kidnapped along with his fiancée, Lauren Sadler, by crazed hunter extraordinaire Danton Vachs. Every year he holds a contest where people can purchase the right to hunt down and kill a human being. This time, Collins is to be the hunted. Vachs uses Lauren as motivation for Collins to really fight to survive and thus provide the buyers with a truly exceptional hunt. Collins is turned loose on an uncharted island and four killers set out to find and kill him.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: After being Caught in a Snare, Mr. Chen is impaled by one of the Booby Traps Matt set for his pursuers.
- Instant Sedation: Lauren goes down immediately when a chloroform rag is clamped over nose and mouth. Matt takes longer, and the kidnappers have to physically hold him down and hold the rag on his face until he passes out.
- Impaled Palm: After Cross disrespects him during dinner, Vachs seemingly lets the insult go then, as Cross is reaching across the table, jams his fork down into Cross' hand. He then knocks Cross to the floor and kicks him to death.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Skylord beats up the tattoo artist until he gives him the name of the man with the double triangle tattoo. However, it does not avail him much as all the artist has is the man's surname—Chavez—which is extremely common in a Texas border town.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: After stabbing Cross through the hand with a fork, Vachs knocks him to the ground and proceeds to kick him repeatedly: to death.
- Kukris Are Kool: The Iceman is assigned a kukri as his weapon for hunting down Matt. After Temple kills Iceman, he takes the kukri for himself and uses it in his final fight with Matt.
- MacGuffin Title: The title refers the ring awarded to the the winner of the Hunting the Most Dangerous Game competition. The prize seems to exist for no other reason than to justify the title.
- Mercy Lead: Matt is released on the island and given a two hour head start before the hunters start Hunting the Most Dangerous Game.
- Neck Snap: Matt does this to one of the sentries when he sneaks back into Vachs' mansion to rescue Lauren.
- No Honor Among Thieves: When Temple learns that he and Iceman are the only hunters left in the contest, he pretends to cooperate with Iceman, and then garottes him: leaving him with a clear run at Matt.
- No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: After abducting Matt, Vachs has him brought to a formal dinner so he can be introduced the the men who will be hunting him.
- Not Staying for Breakfast: Lauren and Matt spend the night together after he wins the 'Survival of the Fittest' race. When she wakes up, he is gone, leaving behind a note that just reads 'SORRY!'. She immediately sets out to find him.
- One-Man Army: Matt Collins is a highly-trained former Green Beret lieutenant who is an expert in firearms, hand-to-hand combat and explosives. He left the army because he felt his training was making him into nothing but a killing machine. However, he then discovered that his skill set had no application in the civilian world. But it did make him the perfect quarry for those planning on Hunting the Most Dangerous Game.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Two of the hunters only introduce themselves only by their nicknames: Apache and the Iceman.
- Ready for Lovemaking: Skylord arrives back at his apartment to find his girlfriend waiting for him in new lingerie and with only one thing on her mind. Unfortunately, he has just got a lead on Matt and Lauren's location and has to leave immediately, which severely pisses her off considerably.
- Serial Killer: It is strongly implied that the lawyer Temple is a serial killer with a large body count, who is moving into Hunting the Most Dangerous Game in search of a new challenge.
- Shout-Out: Vachs' Bodyguard Babes are named Bambi and Thumper.
- Spy Catsuit: Bodyguard Babes Bambi and Thumper wear black catsuits, possibly because their outfits were selected by Depraved Bisexual Ms. Ling.
- This Means War Paint: During his two hour Mercy Lead before the hunters start after him, Matt uses mud to paint camouflage patterns on his face.
