Future Force (1989) – One Drunk David Carradine, One Power Glove, One Very Long Hour and a Half

Future Force (1989)

Director: David A. Prior

Cast: David Carradine, Dawn Wildsmith, Robert Tessier, William Zipp

The Power Glove is on the cover. David Carradine is visibly drunk. The future is 1991. Welcome to Future Force — the Action International Pictures masterpiece that had one genuinely cool idea and then locked it in the trunk of a Jeep Cherokee for 80% of the runtime. This week on Dewey Pod Monster, John and Sean wade through a whole shit ton of denim, some truly baffling bounty hunter logic, and a third act so magnificently stupid it almost — almost — makes the rest of it worth it.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Glove Is Ready. David Carradine Is Not. — The Nintendo Power Glove from hell is literally on the movie poster, shoots cartoon lightning, and can rip the hood off a car. So why does Carradine reach for a revolver 90% of the time? We break down one of the great criminal undersells in low-budget action cinema history.

• Is He Drunk in This Shot? (Yes. Also the Next One.) — A scene-by-scene investigation into whether David Carradine was on the sauce during filming. Spoiler: the answer changes shot to shot, sometimes within the same scene. The dubbing gives it away. So do the eyes.

• Bounty Hunters Who Call Themselves Cops — The future of law enforcement is a Civilian Operated Police System run by schlubby dirtbags in denim vests, and the movie expects you to just roll with it. It's basically Escape From New York if nobody cared. We dig into the world-building that Future Force absolutely refuses to do.

• Watch Check the Movie — At under 84 minutes, Future Force somehow still manages to feel like it's aging you in real time. We discuss what makes a movie genuinely boring versus entertainingly bad — and whether this one earns its place in the garbage canon.

We Also Talked About:

• Andre Is an Idiot (2025) (Netflix) — A surprisingly heartfelt documentary following a self-described idiot ad exec who gets a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and decides to film the whole journey. Sean got personal. Strongly recommended.

• Widow's Bay (Apple TV+) — A horror comedy Sean has been watching in secret and then re-watching with his wife like he's never seen it. Season 2 just got announced. It's getting good.

• DBX 286S Mic Preamp/Channel Strip (Amazon) — Sean bought a professional mic preamp to make himself sound better on gaming calls with friends who absolutely do not care what he sounds like. He spent considerable time configuring it, troubleshooting a KVM switch, and engineering a solution to a problem he created. No regrets. Many settings.

• Smokey and the Bandit (1977) (Amazon)— John gave it a rewatch. Burt Reynolds drives fast, Sally Field escapes a wedding, and there's a brief song about Bandit getting laid. It holds up for what it is.

• Assault on Devil's Island (1997) (Youtube) — AKA Shadow Warriors. Hulk Hogan, Carl Weathers, Shannon Tweed, and a wig that deserves its own IMDb credit. Hogan is billed as Terry “Hulk” Hogan — yes, with the quotes. Yes, it's a TV movie rated R. Yes, John will probably watch the sequel.

• Living for the City (Podcast) (Apple Podcasts) — A Detroit music history podcast that John cannot stop recommending. Six episodes in, already deep into hip hop, electronic music, and the Bob Seger effect. Find them at @livingforthecitypod.

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