User Reviews

Obviously just going through the list of names should and will get people excited (who are into the action genre that is and know their favorites). Having Dolph "team up" with Tony Jaa is a great move. Though it doesn't really matter which side of the law people are, based on the decisions they make during the course of the movie. Which also means, there is quite a bit of fighting ahead of you.

Ron Pearlman does a good job with his accent (playing a Serbian) and there is one particular fight scene (about 20 minutes before the movie ends) that is really good. But there are also cuts in the movie that seem to take note on the "jump cut" book, but don't really work. The overall story is easy to tell, the core of it is something that unfortunately is happening all over the world.

Also Tony Jaas English performance was captured a lot better in Fast 7, there are some weird lines he has to deliver here (not convincingly then). Decently made then, but could've been better

Great casting, cinematography and choreography, but the directing and/or editing wasn't that great, and the screenplay certainly needed some fine-tuning. The score was annoying and too evident. The runtime and pacing were decent. Nevertheless, it was actually better than I expected.

Every inch of 'Skin Trade' feels like a B-movie, but the good thing is that it doesn't try to pretend to be more. A passion project of Dolph Lundgren who started work on its script close to eight years ago, it knows exactly what buttons to push to get its core audience satisfied even as it tries to shed light onto a matter close to his heart, i.e. that of human trafficking. So if you're expecting a very angry Lundgren on a revenge rampage, or a mano-a-mano between Lundgren and Tony Jaa, or a similar one-on-one between Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White, we can reassure you that you won't be disappointed.

A brief prologue establishes the mechanics of Viktor Dragovic's (Ron Perlman) despicable business – under the guise of offering them employment, the former Serbian national's fourth son Janko (Leo Rano) and his accomplices lure gullible village girls from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos to leave their homes and journey to the city, where they are subsequently drugged and shipped to America and Europe to be sold as sex slaves. Lundgren's Newark police detective Nick Cassidy is tracking Viktor's latest shipment in order to apprehend him and his sons, while Jaa plays a Thai police officer Tony who is onto the same case from further down the food chain.

Their paths cross after Viktor is let loose upon diplomatic pressure and skips town, seeking refuge in a corrupt general's mansion near the Cambodian border. Unfortunately for Nick, Viktor's sons manage to get to his family before fleeing town, so after regaining consciousness from an RPG strike on his house, Nick decides to take his quest for revenge to Viktor. Thanks to Michael Jai White's rogue government agent Reed, Nick is framed for the murder of Tony's partner soon after setting foot on Royal Thai soil. Of course, who's good and who's bad will become clear quite quickly, but Lundgren and his co-writers have specifically engineered enough twists and turns precisely to fulfil their audience's expectations to see each one of the marquee action stars have a go at the other.

Much of the heavy lifting here is done by Jaa, whose speed and agility has not dimmed one bit since his 'Tom Yum Goong' and 'Ong Bak' days. While his Hollywood debut in 'Fast and Furious 7' may have been overlooked because of the crowded ensemble, Jaa's lead turn here will definitely not go unnoticed. His one-on-one with Lundgren in an abandoned warehouse is the film's halfway high-water mark, pitting a lean mean warrior against a much hulkier opponent – though there is no question in our minds just who is the one that is the better fighter.

It is no wonder then that Jaa is the one chosen to take on Jai White, the latter a much worthier opponent than Lundgren skilled in the art of kickboxing not unlike Jean Claude Van-Damme in his heydays. The fight between them is brutal and ferocious, choreographed specifically to illustrate the strengths of either actor, and next to the noisy and overblown finale at a remote airstrip that it precedes, is easily the climax that the film deserves to be remembered for. Indeed, while a sizeable amount of the limited budget on which the film is made for has been reserved for explosions and other fireballs, it is the raw thrill of seeing these natural born fighters go at each other knuckle-to-knuckle that is where its charm lies.

And in that regard, Lundgren deserves more credit than what may be apparent. It is no doubt thanks to Lundgren that we get to see Jaa in such a significant capacity – not only in a movie that respects the actor's Oriental roots but also one that gives him a role with both the breadth and depth for Jaa to showcase his abilities as an actor and as an action star. It is probably also thanks to Lundgren that the likes of Jai White, Ron Perlman, Peter Weller and Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa have come together in the same film, a combination that is any self-professed B-action movie fan's wet dream. And it is Lundgren who manages to pull a movie with so many potential clichés together in a respectable fashion – as the latter scenes demonstrate, its director Ekachai Uekrongtham has a long way to go in learning how to stage a proper action sequence.

Like we said at the beginning, 'Skin Trade' doesn't pretend to be more than what it is – and much as there is a social message in here, it never tries to drive it too hard. Indeed, it is precisely by embracing its B-movie roots that it truly delivers, not just in the fact that it makes no compromises in keeping its action hard- hitting but also by ensuring that its actors are right up there without any doubles performing each and every one of the stunts. More than sex, that is the skin trade which truly matters, and which we suspect its audience will be more than happy to partake in.

aHere's a movie of it's worn ilk, that comes off better than you think it will, thanks to some nice little plot differences, it's realistic end, a surprise, leaving a kind of sting in your tale. Face it. There's been so many movies on Human Trafficking, almost more than I've had hot dinners. ST is almost a fresh take on these movies. An aging Dolph who heads a task force against human trafficking, butts heads with a slave trade owner (Ron Pearlman, a nice choice of casting) who in an act of family revenge, (think The Punisher) kill's his beautiful half Asian wife (what a waste) and supposedly daughter. Lundgren's not the only aging actor. His boss and friend, is an almost bald Peter Weller, who looks (pardon me) bloody awful. We also don't have a team player in this task force. Lundgren's furious and no holds barred vendetta to kill Pearlman, becomes the driven plot, in what is an engaging and well made action pic, with not just action to boot. Dolph's force is not the only ones with eyes on Perlman. A Japanese task force is also in operation, a female colleague, working undercover as one of the bought girls. Lundgren's rage and wild antics of course, jeopardizes the Asian operation, headed by Tony Laa. When Dolph enters their territory, being mistaken for the guy who shot Laa's partner and close friend, now he too becomes fueled with revenge. Cary Haya Tagawawa co stars as a another corrupt force and we see a familiar Asian face, at the start, we've seen in too many of these movies, again playing a low down pimp. Skin Trade is exciting action entertainment, a few notches better than others in this weathered slave trade/genre. Don't snub it just cause of it's stereotypical appearance.

'SKIN TRADE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Dolph Lundgren co-wrote and co-stars in this martial arts action flick, alongside Thai superstar Tony Jaa; in his American film debut (in a lead role). Lundgren and Jaa play NYC and Thai detectives, taking on human traffickers in S.E. Asia. The movie was directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham and written by Lundgren, Gabriel Dowrick, Steven Elder and John Hyams (doing uncredited rewrites). It costars Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman, Peter Weller and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. For a low budget B action flick it's pretty well-made; but how can you go wrong with this cast (it's an action movie lover's dream)!

When NYC cop Nick Cassidy (Lundgren) kills the son of a Serbian gangster, Viktor Dragovic (Perlman), his wife and daughter are killed, out of revenge, and Nick ends up in the hospital. When he gets out, he goes rogue and tracks Dragovic to S.E. Asia; the mobster runs a human trafficking ring there. Nick is then pursued by a corrupt F.B.I. agent, named Reed (Jai White), and a Thai Detective, named Tony Vitayakul (Jaa); Tony thinks that Cassidy killed his partner. Nick will stop at nothing to avenge his family and put a stop to the human trafficking network.

The movie reminds me, a lot, of old 80s and 90s buddy B action films; most notably 'SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO' (starring Lundgren and Brandon Lee). It's better made though. With a budget of $9 million, the film has decent enough production values and Uekrongtham's directing is more than adequate. Lundgren did a good enough job writing the script and he's not bad as the action lead either (even at 57-years-old). It's great to see Jaa breaking into American action films as well (between this and 'FURIOUS SEVEN'); hopefully it leads to bigger things. With the additions of Jai White, Weller, Perlman and Tagawa, what more can you really ask for?! It's not a great action film, but it is fun.

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"How do you sleep at night. How can you do this?" Nick Cassidy's (Lundgren) family has just been killed by an international criminal syndicate. His quest for revenge leads him to Thailand where he teams up with Tony (Jaa) a Thai detective who is investigating a human trafficking network. When they realize they are looking for the same group they join forces and try to put an end to the all of it. I have said before these are hard movies to review. Movies with Segal, Van Damme or Lundgren are essentially all the same. Same plot, same idea, same acting. This one is no different, either you like these movies or you don't. That holds true for this one. The biggest problem with this one is that is seemed like the middle part of a 3 part series. The movie opens to what feels like halfway through the actual story. There is really no intro to what is going on and you are trying to play catch up throughout. The way the movie ends felt like, we are out of money, if we can't get more funding we will end it here. There is still more that could have happened to tie it all up but it left you hanging. All that said, most people don't watch these movies for the story or acting and the action is decent enough to keep them interested. As for me, this is just another Lundgren movie. Overall, fans of Dolph will like this, otherwise I would avoid it. I give it a C.

Expectations are admittedly low for many direct to DVD action titles to star many of the former action heroes from the 80's/90's like Steven Seagal, JCVD and Dolph Lundgren. Skin Trade proves to be one of Dolph's best films to have come out in years and a gem amongst the many B action films you can find at your local Wal Mart bin. Although Dolph kicks ass in the film, the main reason to watch is Tony Jaa. It's good to see him back in action in something worth watching after the atrocious Ong Bak 3. His Acting is surprisingly good and he gets a fair amount of dialogue to practice his English skills and crack one liners. I hope to see him in many more movies like this in the future. Another surprise is the supporting cast of the film. Michael Jai White , Peter Weller and Ron Perlman definitely elevate the film above the typical mediocre status these movies have. Although the story is a bit cliché and familiar, what group of people deserve there comeuppance in an action film more than human traffickers. The movie definitely provides on the hard hitting bloody action that fans will expect. The intense fight sequences pack a solid adrenaline rush. Overall, exceeded my expectations and is a movie that action buffs will enjoy .

7/10

I knew the cast and the IMDb score, giving it a little leeway considering there were fewer than two hundred votes. Turns out most of them must be from the studio because this is just trash. Thankfully, we kind of expected that but I couldn't stop myself from nodding off. Thankfully the loud punches (seriously, they're ridiculous) jolted me up. The action starts out tame and improves as the film goes on. However the plot is bobbins and failed to maintain my interest, despite the fact it kinda takes place here (Cambodia) a little too. It's a dumb film with some half decent fights and terrible acting.

DVD release this should be, however, Asian markets will surely make up most of the cinema takings.

OK, I am not a studio guy but whoever tells you this movie is trash is really pretentious. I have seen many B movies and most are just plain boring clichés. This one is not original but is a solid, well made piece of entertainment. Redundant and extra cheesy dialog at times, however action scenes are very good, including the martial arts ones (Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White...enough said). Great cast (Dolph Lundgren and Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman and several other well known names...) with very decent acting at the very least. Production value is excellent.

On the bad side, movie is indeed a cliché with a very formulaic dialog. Acting is ... overacting to wooden at times. However, for what it is - a surprisingly fun and satisfying B movie I give it a 7 with no regrets.

What's extra entertaining about SKIN TRADE is knowing that 57-year old Dolph Lundgren gets to fight Hellboy a.k.a actor Ron Perlman and Spawn a.k.a actor Michael Jai White, and that Ong Bak dude, Tony Jaa, in this one movie. All joking aside, with all of the superpowered superhero movies out there that keep bombarding our theaters every weekend, it's a nice change for us action fans to receive something like SKIN TRADE, a throwback to those 80s R-rated brutal B action flicks that you and I grew up watching.

In this Ekachai Uekrongtham-directed film, co-scripted and co-produced by Lundgren, a tough NY Cop named Nick (Lundgren) is on a task to hunt down Russian mob and human trafficking kingpin Viktor (Ron Perlman) but in the process, Nick kills Viktor's son and of course, that comes with a retaliation, such that forces Nick to go all the way to Bangkok, the hub of Viktor's activities. Meanwhile, a Thai detective (Tony Jaa) is made to believe that Nick is the bad guy until he learns otherwise. Then they team up to terminate Viktor's human trafficking business OK, I admit, the plot is very thin and if you've seen Liam Neeson's "Taken" a thousand times (the first movie, not the sequels that blew) then the concept of SKIN TRADE is nothing new, in both cases you have this very hard pressing and present modern slavery problem as the background, but most of the time, the action takes a front seat. It's a treat to see Lundgren duke it out with Tony because they have different styles, and the fight choreography itself is more intense than Lundgren Vs. Jet Li in "The Expendables" movie. I think the way the production utilizes the streets of Bangkok is very intricate. The sequences are fast-paced and brutal. You can't help but be impressed at the fact that after all these years, even when his better days and better movies are way, way behind him, Dolph Lundgren managed to get something like SKIN TRADE made just to satisfy us old school action fans Read more at Ramascreen.Com

Action fans might be familiar with Skin Trade theme or actors. It has mainstay names of the genre and the addition of brazen stunts by Tony Jaa with his vicious stunts. The plot revolves around the titular skin trade or human trafficking as the back drop of high octane combat sequences. It's not an in-depth commentary of the subject nor does it overcome the occasional narrative familiarities, however the fast pace clash of knuckles and barrage of bullets will entertain the genre aficionado.

Story follows two different cops whose interests are aligned as they uncover the a human trafficking industry led by Dragovic (Ron Perlman). Nick (Dolph Lundgren) is a police at New Jersey, he has to resort to unorthodox method as Dragovic is raising the stake as he utilizes brutal methods. Tony (Tony Jaa) works on different angle in Bangkok by performing his own investigation. The direction of story doesn't veer too much from revenge or rescue theme.

There are a lot of subplots that could be explored, but the film focuses on the fundamental premise only. Human trafficking issue is a delicate one, the film takes a safe route and it doesn't always pay off. Sometimes it rehearses the material too often and becomes trapped in hero saving damsel in distress stereotype. Antagonist side has some potential as Dragovic has several sons vying for his approval, however the characters aren't fully fleshed out. One of the sons even snorts cocaine in every scene he's in, almost as a comedic effect.

Fortunately, the veteran actors are robust enough to carry the plot and action. Props to Tony Jaa as he brings a decent performance even in almost entirely English spoken movie. His acting isn't that developed yet, but he's definitely presentable as international action star. Perlman and Lundgren are already famous name, and they deliver what is expected from them. Michael Jai White also has a charismatic presence on screen as he rounds up the cast.

Action is where the movie is at its best. Practically any Tony Jaa's movie has unabashed ferocious stunts. There are many well-choreographed fights here, along with vehicular mayhem and a couple of acrobatic or parkour scenes. It also brings the Rambo carnage at some points with one man army gimmick, the movie is an amalgamation of western and eastern action.

Though the plot might be simplified and familiar, the collision of big names in bigger brawls is a spectacle for genre fans.

"There is no such thing as a bad Tony Jaa movie." Well this could be the exception.

On paper this was a "dream team" movie and I was anxious to see it.

Lundgrin both produced and wrote. That sounded very promising.

Not only is Tony Jaa in the film but he speaks English and his character is named "Tony." Also very promising.

Also starring Michael Jai White. In my review of Falcon Rising I called him "the most under-used action hero" in the business. Very very promising.

But here the total is less than the sum of its parts:

1. Lundgren wrote himself into a part meant for a 40 year old and he himself is pushing 60. Not cool.

2. Jai White is completely wasted (again!) and wears a suit all the time...?

3. The script is weak and the direction is terrible. Even the action scenes seem "off" by a few seconds here and a few seconds there.

Could have been so much more. The opening is the best part and is downhill from there. Perlman is great. but he never gives less than a great performance anyway.

I'm only writing this review after seeing some of below 5 rating slating this film off. Firstly its a B rated movie with a decent cast in my opinion. It could have been better maybe by giving the characters a little more depth but at the end of the day its an action film with an easy to follow plot and generally entertaining. Some of the fight scenes work well as expected with Tony Jaa. Definitely worth a watch if you like movies with fight sequences(not badly choreograhped might i add!) and although it may not have award winning acting Its still watchable although could have been better with more depth in the plot. Ron Pearlman could have featured more to make this film better and as mentioned the characters don't really offer any empathy.

Okay, I was intrigued with the cast when I first heard of the film. Saw a few trailers, snapshots and promotional pictures and I started getting excited for the movie. Well, too bad. The movie turned out to be a tour de force of just bad, sadly.

The script, the acting, the dialogue, the pacing, the directing, it was just so bad! The first half hour was just so jumbled it was confusing to even tell what was going on. The action, although decent, just wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. There is one great fight sequence near the end but that was the only decent one.

There are also a few times in the movie where it tries to make you care about these characters, the sad thing was is that there was little to no character development for that to happen. Sad music plays and people cry, is that even dramatic effect? Come on!

The movie tackles the whole human trafficking theme but it's execution isn't as good. Although it is portrayed in a negative manner, it wasn't fully realized in the film.

I know it sounds like I've just crapped all over the film, but it's necessary. It was a missed opportunity to make something great but it just had the worst execution. There's a definite sequel bait at the end of the film, but I hope that if there is a sequel, just make sure the pacing and editing is done right. I don't mind cheesy, bad acted films as long as things fall into place right. For now, I'll be very kind, since I just watched this after watching something much worse.

6/10 (I'm just being so damn kind right now)

Okay, here we got Tony Jaa, the phenomenon screen presence from Thailand with his fascinating martial arts fighting techniques from his several great action movies, and we got Michael Jay White, the black American MMA fighting artist who also showed us several great and exciting action films as a formidable fighter, and, well, we also unfortunately got the Dolph Lundgren, an old war horse as a bad brand name in all of his bad B movies. One thing could be thereupon ensured that this particular B movie would be bad enough to watch, especially Lundgren was one of the screenplay writers.

This film is so bad and so horrible to watch, completely ruined the endeavor of Tony Jaa, who has been trying so hard to put his name in international action movie chart, and furthermore, has made Michael Jay White become a collateral damage goods.

Yes, some of the fighting scenes are great, but owing to the bad and stupid screenplay, they just became so irrelevant forgetful and meaningless. if you unluckily rent this mass market DVD, I suggest that you use the 'fast forward' on your remote control to fast forward to those fighting scenes, just omit the other parts of the lousy storyline, plot and scenario.

I also strongly recommend Mr. Lundgren to retire immediately from doing this kind of genre, exactly like what I have suggested to Mr. Steven Seagal again and again, it is time for both of you guys to quit doing such action movies because you both have completely past the prime and won't fit continuously doing this crap.

Skin Trade is truly the definition of an 80's - 90's cop-flick. It had a very concurrent and relevant underlying theme in regards to today's global issues, which the title pretty much gives away. Though I feel the core audience of this film is not the right crowd to appeal to, I think many of us can still appreciate that the issues raised in Skin Trade are very real and indeed, serious.

Now, there are plenty of reviews talking about the filmography, plot holes and loose ends, so I will not spend more time repeating similar comments. I know myself and many others watched this film for one reason and one reason only-- Tony Jaa, so that's all I'm going to talk about.

Deep down, we appreciate Tony for the raw beauty of his form. His debut in Ong Bak was breathtaking because of his dedication to achieve perfection with zero post processing, zero stunt-men, and zero in- film cuts. Whereas Ong Bok's filming technique and equipment was extremely outdated, its simplicity in fact complimented Tony's ability to deliver satisfying blows with full shots of every movement. This was even better demonstrated in Tom Yum Goong. Albeit the plot was nothing short of pathetic, Tom Yum Goong had a nearly four minute long uncut fighting scene where Tony ripped through an army of henchmen and obstacles with zero tolerance for mistake.

For true martial arts fans, the above is undeniably what Tony is all about. And in his recent films, Skin Trade especially, fans were completely denied of this satisfaction. Aside from the overwhelming dependence on firearms and explosions, there is an absolute lack of fist fights. The positive reviews out there boasting this film's "bare fist violence" are nothing short of blatant lies.

Regarding the brief and bland fights that apparently pleased many, here's a more accurate depiction. The choreography looked amateur, the fights lacked creativity, and worst of all, the shots were abysmal!! Throughout the entire film, there was not a single movement, strike, kick, jump, or flip that did not look like it was filmed and cut by some kid in his first year of film school. We know what Tony is capable of, yet the film managed to make EVERY, SINGLE, ONE, of his moves look like it was stitched together by 5 different shots of 5 different stunt-men. It was pathetic. I know Ong Bak was 12 years ago and all, and Tony has aged plenty since, but this is simply unacceptable!

To those who claim this is a true "Tony film" and found it satisfying, I feel like we watched a completely different movie altogether. I've watched all of Tony's early works multiple times and powered through his more recent works at least once. Skin Trade is by far the worst possible representation of Tony Jaa.

I've been on a kick lately of revenge and rescue action movies and this one definitely hit the mark as the characters fight to take down a sex trafficking organization, rescuing a bunch of innocent women in the process. As someone who has worked with these victims, I get excited to see any media mention of the catastrophe that exists even in our high policed America.

My greatest disappointment was seeing so many sexual scenes in a movie that appears to have been made to fight the spread of sex slavery. It's scenes like these and the thoughts that resonate from them that push people toward taking advantage of trafficked women to fulfill sexual desires and fantasies.

The level of quality of a film determines how much effort I'll put into reviewing it, so this one will be brief. As Dolph Lundgren's long-gestating passion project, I had reasonably high hopes that this would be an entertaining, but hard-hitting, b-movie. While the film does address the problem of human trafficking, it never really felt organic to the plot, bringing the narrative to a standstill to comment on the issue at hand. From a writing standpoint, the film is in shambles, even for a b-grade action movie. There's too many characters and plot threads going on at the same time, with not enough development for any of them, let alone believable character motivation. One moment we're introduced to a character and then they're blown away in the next. Even the action isn't without fault here. Dolph Lundgren has never been an action star with a cool fighting style, usually just beating his opponents to a pulp. Same thing here, but that really isn't the core problem. It's the choice of the director/cinematographer/editor to shoot and edit some scenes in a quick-cut manner that doesn't let the audience get a good look at what is going on a lot of the time. Fortunately, Tony Jaa's scenes are better, in particular one extended sequence where he faces off against Michael Jai White. The acting is about what you'd expect from actors of this caliber. Overall, though, I was disappointed by how disjointed and unmotivated the story was, human trafficking angle or not. With the cast assembled, and how close the subject was to Dolph Lundgren's heart, I expected a little more.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Nick (Dolph Lundgren) is assigned to a task force, dedicated to stamping out human trafficking networks, and his latest assignment involves one run by Russian mobster Viktor (Ron Perlman.) During a shoot out, Nick shoots Viktor's son dead, making him a marked man. When his family are killed in retaliation, Nick goes on an international manhunt for Viktor seeking revenge, taking him all the way to the East, where he crosses paths with Vitayakul (Tony Jaa), a similarly unorthodox cop who thinks Nick killed his partner and wants revenge. Nick must convince him of the truth and bring them together to track down the real criminals.

Having enjoyed a little more publicity than your average Dolph Lundgren action vehicle (including Dolph's notable live IMDb chat with fans!) Skin Trade does indeed have slicker production values and has more hype surrounding it's release than usual. With a lively supporting cast, including Perlman, Michael Jai White, Peter Weller and Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, and a timely, relevant social message at it's core, it's far from a perfect offering, but it's a huge cut above what you'd usually get.

The film matches the dark, heavy themes of it's story (murder, revenge and betrayal) with an equally raw, unflinching delivery of it's action, with it's lead stars going at it hammer and tongs in a collection of brutal, hard hitting martial arts showdowns and action sequences (including a bike chase sequences down the back passages of an Asian market!) While the story's heavy themes are matched by it's clichés, it's no less solid and effective, shining a light on a modern day blight on our world in the shape of human trafficking. It's all the more impressive from Dolph, who may be on the wrong side of fifty now, but is no less a convincing action presence. Likewise, Perlman (a.k.a. Hellboy!) is an impressive villain, with a fine Russian accent. But, leaping and flying around with deranged determination, it's Jaa again who steals the show, the martial arts dynamo simply mesmerizing doing what he does.

It's a touch clichéd, and the story doesn't quite flow with the lucidity to make it great, but it's still a superior, explosive thriller with a social heart. ****

One of best direct to video action film even made my first being In Hell with Van Damme. In Dolph takes on a cast of good actors and creates a fun ride. The duality of between him and Tony Jaa is great. Jaa did a good job in the film.

The film had tons of action and good plot. The film doesn't bring anything new to the choreography, however it think it is often wrongly faulted for it. It is one of those rare instances where Lundgren stepped out of his way to find a reputable director. I wish it paid off more. It's the only bit where I have a conflict with the film one always expect more from a movie with an interesting filmmaker, the only advantage is that the technical quality is far superior for a Dolph film, while it doesn't bring any extra substance.

At first, I was FURIOUS! An another movie about us, Serbian people, and we are nothing but the genocide monsters, the worst people in the world, without any feelings, evil to the core. The worst of the worst. I felt even worse when I read that Dolph Lundgren was the WRITER OF SCENARIO! WOW! Then I got the right perspective. Dolph Lundgren is an actor of the B production movies, which are so boring that you have problem not to fall asleep when you watch his movies. It is always the topic of revenge, or he is simply some Russian soldier, a beating people machine. He makes 20 movies a year, they have so low budget and so low quality. So, when he wanted to write a script, he wanted something new, not about Triads, Russians, mafia, marines,..., so he used... SERBS! We are the punching bag when you want to portrait somebody who is evil, but relatively new in the world of movies. Why not not include some evil Serbian general, who used to make genocides, to kill people for fun, to sell people like slaves,..., why not SPIT SERBIANS!? Really, why not? Travolta and Robert De Niro did that in "Killing seasons" (with a LOT inaccuracies about Serbian, even the name of the main character is not Serbian). Tom Cruise uses us in some of his endless "Mission impossible" sequel. If I remember well, Serbian killed his wife who is alive?!! Clooney and Kidman in "Peacemaker", some member of 3 nations in Bosnia (Muslims, Croatian and Serbs) had to bring the nuke to the UN in NY, to revenge for the foreign meddling in that war. Guess who did they choose to get the nuke to NY? A SERB!!!! Ding, ding, ding. You won the price! As far as I know, Muslims have the tradition to handle with bombs, it is not the Serbian tradition, but how not to blame Serbs? Then even Steven Seagal used Serbians in his endless serial of movies, they are super boring. The only movie which doesn't talk about Serbs as genocide lunatics is Dennis' Quaid "Saviour". The ONLY MOVIE.

So, Dolph didn't do anything which is not seen. And he did it pretty accurately, if we talk about names, and he used one actor to talk (pretty clumsy, but better than anyone before) Serbian words. This movie is totally boring, as any of other Dolph's movies. Even the fighting scenes are in darkness, Tony Jaa was gambling with his great reputation he gained in his GREAT movies, by being included in this SOOOO AVERAGE movie, not worth to watch. A typical revenge movie, without any great action, there were some attempts to make this movie something better than his other ones, by Dolph, but he didn't succeed. A cheap and very superficial movie about the people trafficking, which tries to touch our emotions. No. It didn't worked.

A Slight Disappointment, Even Considering the Low Expectations of This Type of Thing. Topping Off a Higher Anticipation is the Cast of Admittedly Aging Dolph Lundgren and Peter Weller, Combined With the Kick-Assers Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White, with Ron Pelleman Added for a Bit of Spice.

The Story of Human Trafficking, is Central to the Plot and is as Evil as it Gets, but the Movie Stays on That Course with Some Exploitation that Comes Across as a Voyeuristic Inclusion. The Non-Martial Arts Action Scenes are By the Book and are Quite Dull, Especially a Mid-Way Inclusion of a Motorcycle Chase that is Really Bad Production Wise.

The Editing is Sloppy and the Movie Could Have Used Some Serious Post Production Enhancing. On the Up Side the Hand-to Hand Scenes are Expectedly Realistic and Punched Up by the Talent of the Participants. These are Really the Highlight of the Film.

This is Lundgren's Baby and He has been Trying to Get it Filmed for Years. It's a Noble and Good Try but Cannot Escape its Low-Budget Roots and International Awkwardness at Times. Worth a Watch for Fans of This Type, Especially Lundgren/Ja/ White.