It doesn't really seem to matter who stars in the direct-to-DVD action
films made in Eastern Europe. It might be Wesley Snipes or Steven Seagal, or
it might be Dolph Lundgren, as it is here. The result always seems to be the
same: a generic script about one tough guy battling gangs of mobsters and/or
warlords, peppered with thousands of explosions, gunfights and car chases.
I'll say this for Eastern Europe. They must have a lot of abandoned
buildings that look important but can be destroyed inexpensively, without
anybody caring. No matter what criticisms you might level at this movie, you
have to concede that there are some impressive explosions, and the things
they destroy look equally impressive before they are blown up. Large
buildings, tanks, you name it. Even Michael Bay would have to be impressed
with the level of destruction the Bulgarians can create on a moderate
budget. The Bulgarians also seem to have figured out a way to film realistic
car chases that seem to go recklessly through active city streets, running
over pedestrians, knocking over vegetable carts, disrupting sidewalk
restaurants, overturning magazine kiosks, and so forth, often with cars
spinning and overturning in mid-air (in slo-mo, natch) before they crash
with the inevitable explosion. I don't think the filmmakers can really be
destroying downtown Sofia, which is where most of this film was lensed, so I
guess there must be derelict neighborhoods that have been converted to the
Bulgarian equivalent of back lots. The action scenes are genuinely
impressive.
I also enjoyed seeing some of the landmarks of Sofia. Several scenes were
shot in the vicinity of the spectacular
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
There's really nothing else to recommend. The dialogue is embarrassing,
especially in the love scene. The plot is confusing and riddled with holes.
The character motivations and behaviors defy all logic. There are annoying
continuity errors. Instead of the day-night errors common to cheapjack
American films, there are fall-winter-spring errors. Car chases go from one
block full of snow, to another with no snow and bare trees, to another with
everything in bloom, then back to snow again. It's just plain irritating and
confusing.
But, as they used to say on Farm Film Report, "Things get blowed up real
good."
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
