What will a parent do to save the life of their dying son?  This is the question that Scott Kane (Drew Fuller) is confronted with in the low-budget action film The Kane Files.  In a desperate race against time, Kane needs to get together the money to pay for his son’s heart transplant, and along the way there are plenty of bullets and plot twists to keep the viewer entertained, but the film lacks any real substance to warrant ever mentioning again.  Though not the most unique plot device for a film, the idea of parents doing whatever it takes to save their children is rich with potential that it frustrates me is never touched upon.

With a nonlinear story line the film makers have their fun playing with the viewer being careful to reveal who the real good guys and bad guys are.  This choice on their part was a wise choice; it made a plot that seemed rehashed come alive and left me feeling that possibly the unexpected was around every corner.  Our hero Kane has only one option in getting the money in time to save his son, and that means returning to a life of crime he promised his wife Anna (Whitney Able) that he gave up to have a life with her.  Desperate for the cash and willing to do anything to save his son, Kane takes the job which is to kill a man that is pressuring crime boss Daniel Morgan (William Atherton) into giving him money owed from a race or he’ll go to the cops.  When the hit goes bad Kane is on the run, and Morgan sends out all his men to find and kill Kane.  The plot, as I said, is fun, just poorly executed, which can be blamed on many things, but what matters is the film is still a fun little ride.  Along the way we meet an FBI Agent played by the great William Devane that simply chews up the dialog and makes it sound great (the man will always be a badass for me since watching Rolling Thunder).  Ethan Embry also is around as a local officer out to catch Kane; he’s the guy flexing the most acting chops here, and I’d like to see him playing some darker roles down the road.

It’s never a good sign when you look up a title of a DVD in your hands and IMDB has no trace of it.  With a little more searching and I found the film but under the title My Dog’s Christmas Miracle, which is only a title that serves the purpose at trying to make a cash grab at suckers with a soft spot for holiday films and talking mutts.  This is one of those films that is somewhat of a rarity, it goes in the so-bad-it’s-good pile.  You know that pile of films you know that are awful but you can’t help but enjoy the disaster that unfolds before your eyes.  Like Ishtar, Troll 2, and numerous Ed Wood films, Cinnamon belongs on this list, but for kids.

Cinnamon is a spoiled Maltese that lives in Beverly Hills with her owner Madeline (Cynthia Gibb) who is a professor at the local college.  Madeline is having terrible luck with dating, which is fine by Cinnamon because she doesn’t want to share her owner.  All is going somewhat well till one day at the college; Cinnamon mistakes a rolled architecture plan for a bone and destroys the plans before Kevin’s (Greg Evigan) big meeting at the school.  Once Madeline and Kevin lock eyes, they are just smitten for each other and can’t stop thinking about the other which is no good for Cinnamon, because this takes the attention from her.  As the two grow closer, Cinnamon grows concerned if her master falls in love she’ll be replaced, so the only option is to do whatever it takes to keep these two lovebirds apart.  The relationship aspect of the film really is the only part that works but will most likely bore kids no matter how much they may love dogs .