The Prophet (3½ Stars)

After the Vietnam war the American government resorted to desperate measures to find missing prisoners of war. A group of children between the ages of 6 and 9 were "recruited" as part of a secret experiment. They were treated with drugs to enhance their ESP capabilities.

25 years later one of the children, Jarrid Maddox, is working for the CIA. His special abilities have made him a highly successful agent, because he is always able to outguess criminals. He's sent on a mission to Los Angeles to capture the leaders of a dangerous religious cult, but when he meets them they're not what he expects. Instead of being religious fanatics one is a drug dealer, one is a loving housewife and one is a gambler. The only thing they have in common is that they were also children who took part in the government experiments. Together with a local police officer assigned to support him he attempts to solve the mystery.

This was a direct-to-video film made in 1999 and directed by Fred Olen Ray. The attractive box cover (pictured above) has probably enticed many people to rent it from Blockbuster. It's a good film for an evening at home with your girlfriend. Jarrid Maddox is played by former world champion kickboxer Don Wilson. The fight scenes are exciting, and the acting is above average quality for direct-to-video films. The DVD is now out of print, but the film is available to be watched on Amazon Prime in the United Kingdom.