''Scorcher'' is a 2002

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/terrorist attacks or global catastrophes such as ...

directed by James Seale and starring Mark Dacascos, John Rhys-Davies, Jeffrey Johnson, Tamara Davies, Mark Rolston, G.W. Bailey,

Thomas F. Duffy Thomas Francis Duffy (born November 9, 1955) is an American actor. He has appeared as the sadistic rapist Charles Wilson in ''Death Wish II'', the paleontologist Dr. Robert Burke in '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'', and as the football-lovin ...

, and Rutger Hauer. It was first released in the United States in 2002. It concerns a group of scientists who discover, after a disastrous

nuclear accident A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, lar ...

, that the Earth's

tectonic plates Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

are shifting and creating immense pressure that will destroy the Earth in a fiery global eruption, and a few top scientists must find a way to stop it.

Plot

Renegade soldier Colonel Ryan Beckett ( Mark Dacascos) is called in by the President of the United States ( Rutger Hauer) to save the planet from imminent destruction after a Chinese nuclear-testing accidentally loosens the

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

plates and exposes the

Earth's core The internal structure of Earth is the solid portion of the Earth, excluding its atmosphere and hydrosphere. The structure consists of an outer silicate solid crust, a highly viscous asthenosphere and solid mantle, a liquid outer core whose ...

, which threatens to bring "Hell on Earth" in just three days. Beckett assembles a crack team to deliver and detonate not one, but two nuclear bombs that must go off simultaneously in the only place on the planet in which they will do any good at stopping the movement of the plates—

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The city is evacuated in a panic, but Beckett's teen daughter (Rayne Marcus) is abducted by a religious-fanatic pyromaniac, and Beckett must save her before he saves the world. Meanwhile, Beckett strikes up a romance with Julie (Tamara Davies), a scientist on his team, who is having a feud with her scientist father (John Rhys-Davies), also on the team. They are unaware that on the squad is the evil Kellaway ( Mark Rolston), who hates Beckett so much, he would let the planet blow up just to kill him. In the end, Faith (Beckett's daughter) manages to get her hands on a cell phone and text messages him an

SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" ...

. Julie and he head to rescue her, and Beckett kills her insane kidnapper. They need to find a hole deep enough to drop the device down a few hundred feet, and Faith knows of one in a subway station. They head there, but meanwhile, Kellaway murders the rest of the team (except the pilot, who is waiting at the airport to fly them to safety) and comes to stop them. Beckett ends up throwing him down the shaft with the device. Beckett, Julie, and Faith head outside and are shocked to find that the pilot of the team has landed a presidential jet in the middle of the road. He was ordered to wait there for Kellaway, and flies them to safety as the two devices go off, destroying Los Angeles and stopping the movement of the plates just before it is too late.

Cast

* Mark Dacascos as Colonel Ryan Beckett * Tamara Davies as Julie McGrath * John Rhys-Davies as Dr. Matthew Sallin * Mark Rolston as Special Agent Kellaway * Rutger Hauer as President Nelson * Cathleen Kaelyn as Tara Beckett * Rayne Marcus as Faith Beckett * G.W. Bailey as General Timothy Moore *

as Anderson * Michael Jace as MacVaughn * Jeffrey Johnson as Styles * Billy Maddox as Norris *

Alex Datcher ''Goode Behavior'' is an American sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN. The series was cancelled after one season, airing its last episode on May 19, 1997, for a total of 22 episodes. Synopsis Willie Goode (Sherman Hemsley) is a newly ...

as Janet Hill * Ivonne Coll as Mayor Salizar * Josh Hammond as Matt *

Beth Riesgraf Beth Jean Riesgraf (born August 24, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT (U.S. TV network), TNT television series ''Leverage (American TV series), Leverage'' (2008–2012) and ...

as Chrissy *

Sam Lloyd Sam Lloyd (November 12, 1963 – April 30, 2020) was an American actor and singer, best known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series ''Scrubs'' and the sitcom ''Cougar Town''. Early life Lloyd was born in Spri ...

as "Fingers" * Joel West as "Zero"

External links

* * * {{rotten-tomatoes, id=scorcher, title=Scorcher Scorcher Scorcher Scorcher 2002 science fiction action films CineTel Films films Cold War films 2000s disaster films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films