Radical Jack (2000) – Billy Ray Cyrus and the Achy Breaky Plot

Radical Jack (2000)

Directed by: David Heavener

Cast: Billy Ray Cyrus, Dee Dee Pfeiffer, George Buck Flower, Noah Blake

Billy Ray Cyrus walked so John Wick could run — and then immediately tripped over his own mullet. This week on Dewey Pod Monster, we strap in for Radical Jack, the year-2000 straight-to-video action masterpiece that dared to ask: what if Road House, but worse? And also Billy Ray Cyrus? John and Sean wade through bad squibs, flat beer pours, and a parking lot brawl soundtracked inexplicably like Indiana Jones to bring you the full, unfiltered breakdown of one of cinema's most radical — and most ignored — action heroes.

In this episode, we discuss:

Sweating Gravy and Pouring Flat Beer — Billy Ray Cyrus plays a bartender/drifter/ex-CIA operative who cannot pour a proper pint to save his life, throws punches that somehow produce a gallon of blood each, and builds a shed like a man who has never seen a hammer before. His mullet, however, gives an Oscar-worthy performance.
Road House Lite and the Lamest Codename in Desert Storm History — “Radical Jack” was apparently his military callsign, and hearing it said out loud is somehow even sadder than it reads. We break down why this movie is a bargain-bin Road House clone, why the villain has about 30 seconds of screen time, and how Dee Dee Pfeiffer becomes a precision marksman in the final act with zero prior experience.
George Buck Flower Cleans Up Poorly — The beloved character actor best known for playing bums shows up as the big bad here — clean-shaven, pock-faced, and looking like a haunted Richard Nixon. His rotten gums are more compelling than the plot.
The Case for Radical Jack 2: Radical Harder — We make a passionate, arguably sincere argument that this should have launched a 36-film franchise. Billy Ray Cyrus is not an actor. That is exactly the point. Go in with a buzz. You'll understand.

We Also Talked About:

Fortress (1992) (Youtube) — Christopher Lambert goes underground (literally) in a dystopian prison where a stomach bomb called the Intestinator explodes you if you cross the red line. Features Kurtwood Smith's crusty nipple and laser bars that are just red tubes.
Supervixens (1975) (DailyMotion)— Russ Meyer's beautifully shot, aggressively booby sexploitation comedy about a sweet guy named Clint who cannot stop women from wanting to sleep with him. A deaf girl, a German milkmaid, and Charles Napier as a creepy cop. Recommended if that's your thing.
Pink Flamingos (1972) (Archive.org) — John Waters. Divine. A competition for filthiest person alive. Eggs. An illegal adoption ring. A chicken. A real blowjob. A prolapsed anus as performance art. A licensing nightmare. Sean had to look away twice. We're not going further than that.
Magic Merry-Go-Round (2024) (Amazon)— Think Late Night With the Devil but Mr. Rogers. The most unhinged, deranged puppet horror movie John has seen in years. Shot in 4:3. Best watched with substances if that's your thing, but you've been warned.
Raw Justice (1994) (Tubi) — David A. Prior. Pamela Anderson. A bounty hunter. An alley. A giant prop dart used as a weapon. An RC helicopter exploding into cardboard. The Dirt Bikin' Dickheads legacy continues.
Invasion Force (1990) (Tubi) — Also David A. Prior. Deadly Prey but lighter, less rapey, and set around a film crew being overrun by terrorists in a jungle. The MacGuffin they use to defeat the bad guys is profoundly stupid and we love it.