lastliberal

16 June 2013

I will break your nose with this knee. And there is nothing you can do about it.

It is really difficult to avoid the bandwagon that calls this a modernremake of pale Rider. The mystery man who rides into tow, on a bikeinstead of a horse, and saves them from the evil doers is a familiarwestern them. It has been brought to the modern age, while stillretaining a western feel, by Dolph Lundgren, as writer, director andstar.There is nothing new here. The dialog is as cheesy as any western orrevenge B movie. The acting is predictable, and the action is as youwould see in any Steven Seagal movie. Having said all that, it is stillworth watching to see the slime get trampled and removed by the hero.

16 June 2013

great action movie

best action movie of the year well done mr lundgren i think his best movie yet cant wait for his next movie diamond dogs this is a movie u gotta get

10 June 2013

High Plains Drifter...with Dolph!!

After watching this movie, I realized that I had just watched Dolph Lundgren's remake of Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter," but in a modern setting and with motorcycles instead of horses! All the elements are there: lone, unamed drifter rides into town held hostage by ruthless bad guy; drifter takes on bad guys and befriends a young girl and her family; bad guys call in more bad guys who ride into town to kill mysterious drifter; drifter picks off bad guys one by one until they are all dead; viewer learns that the bad guys had "killed" the drifter before and is apparently the spirit of the husband/father of the family that the drifter befriends; mysterious drifter rides out of town alone and vanishes before our eyses, as if he were never there, just like Clint Eastwood does at the end of "High Plains Drifter." Intentional or not, it does pay a nice homage to a western classic. It's so cheesy it's actually kind of good! The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was filmed in muted colors, which gave everything a washed-out, grainy look. However, I guess this was the intention of the director (Dolph himself!) as he must've wanted a gritty look to this modern western. Worth a look!

lestatlioncoeur

09 June 2013

decent action flick

I would say this film has a good atmosphere of subtle menace, combinedwith lots of action. It's good vs evil and as such doesn't deviate fromthe standard plot - but the acting is good for a tight budget film.Theviolence is graphic so as such is not recommended for children - inCanada we would rate it 14 yr minimum age but with parental guidancefor language, graphic violence, and sexual content - even if it'simplied mostly. The actual filming is quite good, and in a differentdecade would probably be a good Eastwood flick. Films such as the DirtyHarry series, or even his spaghetti westerns. This film remindedpacing-wise and character-wise, of The Good The Bad and The Ugly forinstance. I must confess that all that was missing for it to be on parwith the aforementioned films was for Dolph to have a defining quote ala "Go ahead, make my day".

08 June 2013

DL is being a BA again and again.

This review is from: Missionary Man (DVD) This is DL's High Plains Drifter, Bad men do bad things and then DL's returns the favor yeah the plot as old as time but I will watch it.

08 June 2013

Dolph is a Missionary Man!!!!

This review is from: Missionary Man (DVD) This is a good, dark actually stylish and competent movie! Dolph continues to try and add depth to his "movies"; with this one he achieves just that!! Of course when he beats the redneck, backwater trash, town savages it's a bible-thumping they've never had; but ALWAYS wanted; that much is clear!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

08 June 2013

Pale Rider revisited...

This review is from: Missionary Man (DVD) If you're a fan of the Big Swede you'll like this one; it follows the Pale Rider plot in a contemporary format. If you liked Eastwood's Pale Rider or Alan Ladd's Shane you'll like this as well. It's low-budget, but a good action movie with redeeming qualities.CL in Sacramento.

sheenafilm

08 June 2013

Heres to Xiaobing Rao

One point that is criminally underrated in other reviews is thephotography by Xiaobing Rao. I suppose the dark look is not justdigital post-production, but to a degree already achieved duringfilming by use of polarizers. Later on, the colors were taintedbronze/wooden and in the end, the look is grainy, modern and antique atthe same time, while the low lens focal length often gives much focusdepth (remember the a-dime-a-dozen, flat direct-to-video action flicksof the 80s?), excellent craftsmanship! The music by Elia Cmiral ishardly in the foreground, only giving Dolph a special chord when heappears, but often using percussion instruments to give it an AmericanIndian touch and raise the tension very subtly. The script gives aclever variation of the old story (guy comes into town and cleans itup) which doesn't follow all of the clichés, but respects the rules ofthe game nonetheless. It even adds a bit on sociology, explaining thesituation of the Indians, while it strictly refuses to give us thebackground story of the hero. Interesting movie, much better than Iexpected, albeit more in its film making qualities than in the actionentertainment, my congratulations to Dolph as the director.

bazthegreatone

07 June 2013

An excellent effort from Dolph...

I've always been a fan of action movies having grown up in the 80's fedon a diet of Sly, Arnie, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean ClaudeVan Damme. These are the best of the best when it comes to kicking ass.I would include Dolph Lundgren is this category. Granted, he has beenin some terrible movies like Cover Up and The Minion, but all the otherbig action stars also have movies on their CV's that they want toforget about! The thing that struck me about Missionary Man is that iswas filmed brilliantly and had an excellent musical score to go withthe usual Dolph Lundgren action we expect from him. He directed thismovie and it is shot brilliantly. It reminded me of older ClintEastwood movies, as Dolph plays a stranger in a small town who decidesto help the townsfolk fight back against the greedy businessman JohnReno and the corrupt Sheriff's Department. It is the closest thing to amodern western I've seen, and I really enjoyed it. Dolph is backpeople, and this is one of his best!

angelicrevenants

07 June 2013

I was totally let down

I really did not enjoy this movie. I am a fan of westerns, a fan ofaction, and a fan of movies with religious undertones. I was most letdown by the main character. Reading the synopsis, I was given theimpression that the protagonist would be a lot cooler than he was. Hesaid about 100 words in the whole movie, and had very littlepersonality.The plot could have been the basis of quite a good movie, but this wasappalling. There was very little life in any of the characters, and thebest actor (the only good one) is Jarfe, the biker. The only reason Igave a two instead of a one is the atmosphere that the film has. It isquite well done, except for the fact that there is the sound of wind inevery scene.

udar55

04 June 2013

The Outlaw Dolph-y Wales

A mysterious stranger (Dolph Lundgren) rides into an Indian reservationtown for the funeral of a guy named JJ. This drifter, who drinkstequila and reads the Bible, claims to have been a friend in JJ'smilitary unit, but no one recognizes him. Naturally, our lead gets intoit with the local bad guys (and JJ's killers) led by Reno (MatthewTompkins). When the stranger easily handles the small-town crew, Renocalls in a motorcycle gang to add some extra muscle to battle thisapparent angel of vengeance.While it is hard to believe with his looks, Dolph Lundgren turned 50last November. As an aging b-action star, he seems to have survivedbetter than most by making the move to the director's chair. This film- his third directorial effort following THE DEFENDER and THE RussianSPECIALIST - shows that he definitely has a handle of the craft. Thisis basically THE OUTLAW DOLPH-Y WALES, but it is neat seeing Lundgrenplay a character with a metaphysical edge. He leaves it up to theviewer to decide if this guy is real or a ghost (I side with thelatter) and that is a appreciated twist.Like his two previous directorial efforts, the violence level is upthere so he knows his audience. The only misstep in my opinion isDolph's decision to give the film that popular bleached look. Somepoints are so bad that the film almost looks like an old sepia tonedsilent movie. The cast is all around good, with John Enos III beingquite effective as the biker leader. Also, UFC star Brad Imes shows upfor a bit as one of the town thugs. The film's oddest moment is a cameoby producer/former b-movie star Andrew Stevens as a drug dealer withall of his dialog in Spanish.

03 June 2013

Dolph Lundgren is The Missionary Man!

This review is from: Missionary Man (DVD) Dolph Lundgren stars and directs this tribute to Clint Eastwoods "Pale Rider". It's pretty much the same plot but it's set in modern day and stars Lundgren instead of Eastwood as the mysterious preacher. I think this is my favorite Dolph Lundgren movie, he just does a fantastic job. It's a must see if you're a fan of Dolph or "Pale Rider"!

anghart

30 May 2013

Pale Rider starring Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren is the unappreciated underdog of DTV action stars. Whilemany people flock to buy Van Damme or Seagal's latest pics, less chaseafter Mr. Lundgren's work, and that's a shame. He has something goingon. Something good.MM (Missionary Man) is his third directorial effort, and although itisn't as good as his last picture, it's still interesting and showssome of the class and skillful touches he displayed in The Mechanik andThe Defender.This film is basically Pale Rider with Dolph in the Clint role. Can hehandle such a role? You betcha. He plays a mysterious man named Ryder,who rolls into a quiet small town to attend a friend's funeral. Beforeyou can say "trouble" he's already figured out that a rich youngjackass is running the place and is behind the friend's death.The rest of the first and second act is taken up with the plight of theIndians who live in the town. We're shown how modern America struggleswith the Indians' beliefs and their way of life. Credit must be givento Dolph for trying to make more than a low budget shoot 'em up.Unfortunately, as a result of that part of the story, the middle actdrags a little. However, a rousing final act, where a gang of bikersturn up to foolishly stop Dolph, kick-starts the picture back to life.The high noon showdown is BLOODY. Not Rambo bloody, but bloodynonetheless. One poor soul even takes a 12 gage to the face! It's thesescenes that show Dolph has an understanding of action greater than hisrivals. If Stallone's enjoying a cinematic action rebirth, Dolph'senjoying a DTV rebirth.The look of the film is also noticeable. Lundgren has bathed the filmis a dark sepia look and the music is subtle and underused.The supporting players are a slight letdown. Some seem like communitytheater actors, while others, especially the Native Americans, come offas genuine and real. John Enos III rocks up as the lead heavy, Jarfe,about thirty minutes from the end, and that's a shame. His charactershould have been in the whole picture.Incidentally, Dolph does the best he can with the very modestproduction values he has. Note to Sony: Give these stars more money toplay with. Granted, they don't need $100 million, but are a few backmore out of the question??? (Dolph, if you're reading this, put Enos inanother one of your movies. He was cool.) And onto the man himself. AsI said in my review for The Mechanik, Dolph has grown into his skin.He's comfortable and relaxed. He's the same in MM and I'm sure if hekeeps getting good material to make, he will continue to relax and lookgood. It seems the days of the awful Storm Catcher and The Minion arebehind us.Hopefully, Dolph will continue to put out quality efforts like this. Ican only imagine what would he would do with a bigger budget and betteractors. It's okay though, because for now, we've got The Defender, TheMechanik and Missionary Man to enjoy.Good work, Mr. Lundgren.

tjk1985

30 May 2013

The best action in years!

This is Dolph in his best ever! For you that don't have seen a lot ofClint Eastwoods movies this is a (official or unofficial, don't know)remake of Pale Raider with a influence of High Plains Drifters. Takeplace in the modern world but with a western, outlaw feel to it.A stranger drives in on his iron horse to the town in need of help.It'sthe classic avenger movie with all the ingredients that you wouldexpect. You know what you gonna get and are NOT disappointed. Dolphreally shows that he is qualified as a director. The angels aregreat,the photo of the film and the feeling, it all fits beautiful! Iwas really surprised at the quality of the picture and I can't wait tosee if he can keep this up in the future!I give it a 10/10 the best action movie I've seen in years!

Van Roberts

28 May 2013

Dolph Doles Out Death One Man At A Time!

"Universal Soldier" tough guy Dolph Lundgren has written, starred in,and directed a hard-as-nail but hackneyed revenge melodrama that hecobbled together from such past hits as "Billy Jack," "High PlainsDrifter," and "Pale Rider." Clocking in at a lean, mean 93 minutes,Dolph has all the clichés covered. If you like your revenge moviespredictable as blood gushing from a belly wound where the bad guys gettheir heads blasted off, this is the ticket! There are no surprises in"The Missionary Man," but Dolph lets the formula smolder like a steerbeing cooked on a spit so you can savor the wicked villainy of thewhite underworld who believe that they are indestructible. Some of theacting by the homegrown Texas cast is amateurish, but you'll forgetthese quibbles when our rugged, enigmatic hero goes into a kill modefor a catharsis of a showdown.Ryder (Dolph Lundgren) cruises into a small Texas town terrorized bywhite criminals to pay his last respects to a fallen comrade who diedunder mysterious circumstances. It doesn't take tall, dark, silentDolph in sunglasses to make an impression. He wears glasses, reads theBible, and likes to do shots of tequila. The bad guys line up to takeit like guys and do they ever more get taken. Jarfe (John Enos III) isthe leader of a notorious motorcycle gang and he and his army aresummoned to silence Ryder. There is something almost supernatural aboutthe way our quietly spoken champion navigates the dangers. Essentially,it all boils down to an Indian reservation trying to build a casino andthe local thugs trying to get in on the action. When they cannotconvince one Indian to back down, they kill him and make it appear tobe a drowning death. August Schellenberg is good as an older Indiannamed White Deer.The last 30 minutes is a solid smack-down that makes the previous 103minutes of build up tolerable. No, "The Missionary Man" isn't high art,but there is an art to taking something this familiar and making itwork for the zillionth time. Bravo, Dolph!

28 May 2013

A unique movie

This review is from: Missionary Man (DVD) In short, this movie contains native american images and philosophies. Lungren manages to evoke deep thought by using mystery to allow tension and anticipation to build. I rate this movie with 5 stars

kevintempel

26 May 2013

Palerider in new version

I just saw the film. And seeing it it reminded me of the Clint Eastwoodfilm Palerider. It was sort of the same story but in a modern time. WhyI say this is because of so many similarities: - man presumed dead bythe gangsters, hired gangster believes he killed him many years ago(just like in Palerider) - holy man with the bible (just like inPalerider) - alone against the gangsters (as many films)The similarity is maybe to similar. Maybe too similar to call itwritten by Dolph Lundgren. More like partly written by Dolph Lundgren.The base of the story is 100% Palerider.But the film it self is good. Like the modern twist of it. But it isPalerider.

Paul Andrews

26 May 2013

Bad action thriller.

Missionary Man starts as a mysterious man (writer & director DolphLundgren) rides into town on a motorbike, he heads straight for thecemetery where his old friend JJ is being buried after drowning in asupposed accident. On his way there the man saves a local native Indianman Billy (Jonny Cruz) from some thugs, the man realises that the townis corrupt & local businessman John Reno (Matthew Tompkins) runs it bybeating up or killing anyone who stands in his way. Between stealing &selling drugs Reno has a big property deal in development, Reno wantsto build a casino on native American land but the local tribe objectsto the plans & this may have been why JJ was murdered. The man decidesto stay in town & together with his bible & shotgun dishes out somejustice...Starring, written & directed by Dolph Ludgren this apparently had theworking title Black Chrome & to me while watching it last night I wasreminded strongly of the Clint Eastwood western Pale Rider (1985), infact Missionary Man is a remake & modern updating of Pale Rider all butin name. The two films share virtually identical plots as greedybusinessmen terrorise a local community until a mysterious strangerrides into town with religious tendencies & a knack for beating badguy's up before things get out of hand & some serious firepower is sentinto the town to kill the stranger as it becomes a game of Cat andMouse as the stranger picks those sent to kill him off one-by-one. Theplots, themes & character's are almost identical to be honest, the mainthing that separates the two films is that Pale Rider is a classicwhile Missionary Man is crap. For a start the part played by Lundgrenis far too mysterious, we literally never learn anything about him tomake us either like or care for him. We never learn of his relationshipto JJ, where he came from, what he did for a living or the connectionhe had with Jarfe. The other character's are poor with typical badguy's & innocent persecuted native Americans who try to defend theirland & ways against evil white men. Yawn. At 90 odd minutes not thatmuch happens, it's throughly predictable as we know Lundgren will beatthe bad guy's at the end in a showdown & make the town safe once more.The action scenes are dull & forgettable too.Missionary Man looks a mess, the IMDb says there was mistakes made withproducing the master or something & the colours were messed up & itshow's. Nothing has any sort of colour, in fact sometimes the filmlooks black and white with a lot of detail missing from the picture &everything seems covered in dark shadows all the time, even during theday. This can look stylish on occasion but usually it just looks dull &repetitive. There's not much action here, a boat is blown up, there area few fight scenes & a few shoot-outs but nothing else. Better known asan action film star Lundgren has turned his hand to directing lately &I only hope his other films are better than Missionary Man, they can'tbe any worse surely?Filmed in Texas I doubt this had much of a budget, it looks cheap &with a distinct lack of action it's tough to sit through. The actingisn't up to much, Dolph just sort of lumbers around & tries to lookcool.Missionary Man is a slow moving action remake of Pale Rider that didn'timpress me with lacklustre action scenes & a plot that goes virtuallyunexplained. This is the sort of thing I'd expect Steven Seagal to havemade to be honest & that is not a compliment.

Thomas Jolliffe

26 May 2013

Dolph hits the high notes again with one of his best!

Dolph's latest film, and his third foray into directing, is once againone of his career best. Like The Mechanik, Dolph puts to bed some ofthe murkier days of his back catalogue, and proves, that the best manto help bring Dolph Lundgren back into the limelight, is DolphLundgren! Delving once more into a film with a theme of revenge, as inThe Mechanik, there might have been a niggling worry, that re-treadingthat ground could breed familiarity. But what Dolph delivers is anaction film in style, tone, and look, that is not only far removed fromwhat he's previously done, but a film that just looks and feels fresh.There aren't many action films out there like Missionary Man, on avisual, tonal level.In Missionary Man, Dolph stars as Ryder, a mysterious stranger whorides into town for a friends funeral. Pretty soon he's rubbing localoppressor John Reno up the wrong way. As the film progresses we startto see Ryder has other motives for being in town. It's a modern westernand has some great western trademarks, including a fantastic climax.However though on paper the story has similar arcs as Dolph's previousdirecting effort, Missionary Man is such a contrast. It's a wholedifferent style of flick, and with Dolph's increased level or creativecontrol since his last directing gig, it's a more complete vision.As director, Dolph really has a great visual eye here. What's greatabout the film, is that beyond the choice of super-16, it feels as ifDolph is in complete control. He's constrained by a tight budgetcertainly, but he spends it brilliantly, and really creates a greatatmosphere. Dolph, his DP Bing Rao, and steadicam operator, George RNiedson combine to create a visual delight. There's some great shots inthis film, and it has a feeling of being a graphic novel brought tolife, particularly with some almost picturesque still shots. Dolph hasgone all out here. At times it feels quite arty, and considering thisis a DTV film, and a Dolph Lundgren film, that's quite something! Thechoice of super-16 is one that can be fraught with peril. There's agraininess to it, and the way it picks up light and colour cansometimes make a film look bad if not in the hands of a capable orinspired DP. Of course not only is the film well shot, but given it wasshot on super- 16, there was the advantage of it being mastereddirectly onto HD. This also allowed for easier digital grading, as wellas ensuring the film looked crisp. I mean this sucker has a greattransfer. Dolph makes full use of the grading tool, and gives the filman almost monochrome look. The de-saturated picture adds to theforeboding atmosphere, and is also ably helped along by the low key andeffective score by Elia Cmiral (Ronin, The Mechanik). Elsewhere Dolphknows action, having worked with the likes of John Woo, and he delivershere. There's short punctuations of violence throughout the film,before the inevitable, and just downright badass showdown. Dolph justgoes Terminator on some biker dudes and it rocks the action Kasbah! Asactor, Dolph does well here too. He's no Olivier, he knows it himself,but he plays to his strength, playing the Eastwood style man of fewwords, but immense badassedness (not a real word, but should be!).Parallels with Clint will be made of course, both being movie toughguys who made the jump from actor to writer and director. Dolph willnot likely have the success of Clint, but he's the straight to videoequivalent I guess, and there's no great shame in that anymore. Dolph'sgot that tough guy charisma. Nowadays what we lack in cinema is actionstars, with the sheer hardness and tough as nails presence that Clint,Bronson, Arnie, Sly, and the likes of Seagal and Lundgren, used todeliver. We've not had any new action men come along who had the samepresence, merely pretenders like Vin Diesel and The Rock. There's alsobeen thesp's like Matt Damon, who while magnificent as Bourne isn'tgonna settle down into the handing people their asses genre. You dohave to, with the odd exception, have to look in the direct to videomarket for a good old school hardass action flick, and visit the oldguard like Dolph and Jean Claude.The remainder of the cast are mixed. Given the films budget, thesupport cast isn't great. The incidental characters, probably includinglocals given a place on screen, aren't great. Thankfully though theimportant roles are well filled. As Reno, Matthew Tompkins makes for agood bad guy. Also starring is August Schellenberg a very good actorwho fans of Free Willy will likely remember, and he adds a bit ofgravitas to proceedings. Young actress Chelsea Ricketts is superb, andsurely has a bright future ahead of her (the kid who plays her olderbrother isn't great to be honest- but his role is insignificant). JohnEnos III stars as the lead biker and Ryder's main foe, and though heonly comes in toward the end of the movie, he does a great job.Overall, while the film won't win originality prizes, it feels freshbecause of the style. It's just a good old fashioned R rated actionfilm, proving big set pieces and oodles of CGI do not make a goodaction film (*cough* Transformers!! *cough*). Dolph is getting moreassured behind the camera with every film, while also showing aversatility to switch style and tone. All three of his films have beenmarkedly different, but Missionary Man stands out as something that isperhaps his most unique work. Action fans will not be disappointed. I'dlove to see Dolph given a bit more money to play around with. ****

mark-evans-12

26 May 2013

Good ol fashioned revenge film

Not too bad a film to sit down and watch on a lazy afternoon. Dolph isDolph and doesn't look like he's making too much effort in the rolealthough let's face it not much effort needed in your simple revengefilm.Nothing new in the story line but that's not surprising as it's ablatant re-make of the Clint Eastwood classic Pale Rider. Man ridesinto town, beats up bullies, gets on wrong side of local boss, he's apreacher of sorts, young daughter of mother he's protecting takes ashine to him, local boss tries to hire him then gets out-of-towners into kill him but the main one is scared of him as he knows him frombefore but you never get any more information about when and where heknows him from and then he rides out of town and 'disappears' on theroad after killing everyone with the daughter left standing lookinglongingly after him. Almost scene for scene.The style of the camera work and choice of film stock add something butI doubt they ever expected it to better the original. More like thestudios picking a safe storyline for a Dolph Lundgren project.