Glorious garbage. This is a wholly mindless B action movie, but it's tons of fun. Even in its badness it's charming.
This movie is just bizarre. It's like a John Woo fever dream, with lots of slo-mo gunplay and violence, but with an almost medieval backdrop. Part action, part romance, part weird dystopian fantasy, it just felt really, really strange. But it's super fun. Totally awesome sound effects for every little moment, often times misplaced as well, and horribly cheesy lines, are only a few ingredients in this delicious cocktail of OTT 90s action.
The performances are sensationally mediocre, with Lundgren predictably being the best actor here. Even if he is a little wooden and unseasoned, his persona and charm carry him.
Cult-favorite B action movie director Isaac Florentine helms the project, and even in 1999 his wide-shot style of filming action scenes without tons of cuts was beginning to take shape. You really have to respect his vision here. It's so out there and weird, and the fact that he actually managed to pull it off is great.
With Isaac Florentine directing, you at least know that the action won't disappoint. There's a great opening battle scene, a village shootout, the base shootout , helicopter chase, village massacre, second village shootout, and final battle were all deliriously OTT. While not on the level of visceral brutality of Florentine's later action films, it's still very entertaining, even if it is cheesy. Lundgren has lots of good and crazy fight scenes, managing to showcase his martial arts, and the movie also benefits from unlimited ammunition and huge explosions.
The insanity and almost drug-induced enjoyment this movie brings is worth it. Ignore the hate and know what you're getting into, which is one of Dolph Lundgren's best vehicles. You might even like it more if you do some drugs before watching.
This movie is just bizarre. It's like a John Woo fever dream, with lots of slo-mo gunplay and violence, but with an almost medieval backdrop. Part action, part romance, part weird dystopian fantasy, it just felt really, really strange. But it's super fun. Totally awesome sound effects for every little moment, often times misplaced as well, and horribly cheesy lines, are only a few ingredients in this delicious cocktail of OTT 90s action.
The performances are sensationally mediocre, with Lundgren predictably being the best actor here. Even if he is a little wooden and unseasoned, his persona and charm carry him.
Cult-favorite B action movie director Isaac Florentine helms the project, and even in 1999 his wide-shot style of filming action scenes without tons of cuts was beginning to take shape. You really have to respect his vision here. It's so out there and weird, and the fact that he actually managed to pull it off is great.
With Isaac Florentine directing, you at least know that the action won't disappoint. There's a great opening battle scene, a village shootout, the base shootout , helicopter chase, village massacre, second village shootout, and final battle were all deliriously OTT. While not on the level of visceral brutality of Florentine's later action films, it's still very entertaining, even if it is cheesy. Lundgren has lots of good and crazy fight scenes, managing to showcase his martial arts, and the movie also benefits from unlimited ammunition and huge explosions.
The insanity and almost drug-induced enjoyment this movie brings is worth it. Ignore the hate and know what you're getting into, which is one of Dolph Lundgren's best vehicles. You might even like it more if you do some drugs before watching.