KGB - Killer, Gejagter, Beschützer

When I picked up and read the DVD box for this Dolph Lundgren movie, my heart sank when I saw it was being distributed by Cinetel Films. For those who don't know, Cinetel Films makes extremely cheap genre movies padded out with stock footage from big-budget Hollywood movies. Actually, the production values for this movie are somewhat higher. It is clearly a low budget movie, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't look as cheap as usual. (And there's no stock footage.) Other things good about the movie are some decent action sequences and Dolph giving another likable, charismatic performance. And it's nice to see a Canadian movie actually set in Canada (for the most part), though the use of Vancouver is so generic the movie could have been set anywhere.

Unfortunately, the movie still has some serious problems. There are a few poor special effects. Some dialogue is hard to make out. The camera-work for the movie is awful - it always seems the camera is jiggling or in someone's unsteady hands. In fairness to Lundgren (who was also the director), he was reportedly given less shooting time than usual, and also was constrained considerably by the producers. So I don't blame him for the movie's faults. Still, the movie is probably only for die-hard Lundgren fans, and they should probably wait until it appears on cable so they won't feel ripped off when watching it.

It makes sense for somebody whose a veteran actor of a specific genre to eventually be a producer, writer or director for said movie. Many a genre stalwart-Angela Bettis, Robert Englund, and Bruce Campbell have all taken a part of directing films, for better or for worse. So for someone like Dolph Lungren, it makes sense, as he's been a veteran of macho action films for a long time, and has already directed some titles in said genre. Which leads to this film, "The Killing Machine."

Dolph stars as Edward Genn, a divorced father and investment broker, whose living a double life. You see, he also used to be a dangerous KGB assassin known as "Icarus." Well, the past comes back to haunt him in the Russian mob, and when they go after his family, it's time to strike back.

As you can tell, "The Killing Machine" is pretty much your meat and potatoes style action/revenge movie. Thankfully, said meal isn't unappetizing, though it's certainly not spectacular. This comes from Anchor Bay, who at least seem to have an eye when it comes to direct to DVD action fair, in that said movies have good production values. It's also got enough bloody violence to satiate fans of mindless action fare, and it's all done with relish without feeling like overkill. Lundgren himself does a fine job as the former assassin, doing what he can with the rather basic material (though I had to turn on the subtitles whenever he delivered a monologue), and it's always fun to see Bo Svenson, here acting with a very unconvincing Russian accent. That's just fine though, as it adds to the escapist tone of the whole thing.

If there are any problems, it's the direction and a few other performances. Sure, Lundgren will always be a convincing bad ass, but as a director, there isn't a whole lot about his style that sticks out (though it's nice to see someone not resort to hyperactive editing choices), as it's all done straightforward to the point of feeling a bit vanilla. Also, Stefanie Von Pfetten and Lindsay Maxwell deliver performances that could only be described as "unsatisfactory at best." They're really bad here, and kinda drag thing down whenever they show up, though they are pretty attractive.

As a whole, "The Killing Machine" isn't bad for a weekend afternoon action movie. It's serviceable enough, though it's more passable than it is exciting to be honest.

This straight-to-DVD enterprise is quite a mindless parade of macho, bullets and blood in this same-old, same-old get-up that sees a professional KGB-trained assassin finding himself with a contract on his head. You can he trust, that's what it comes down to as his family find out he's living a lie. Being much more than just a businessman. Everything about this venture is heavily contrived, but outside some sluggish moments and the monotonous narrative filled with deep in- thought dialogues, but let's not also forget those stares. Dolph Lundgren who stars (in a methodical performance), but also directs keeps things rather repetitive, where it seems to be becoming a comfortable formula. He pumps up the screen with numerous slow-motion shots and frantic shot-on camera frames trying to give a personal touch. Talk about personal, Lundgren really gets up and personal when in conversation. What starts of immensely slow, gets better as it goes along where it eventually opens with blistering set-pieces of shootouts and brutal hand-to-hand combat with an ending that throws an ironic twist of fate. The plot tries to balance out its human dramas, but the pandering script is too heavy-handed and feels like a smokescreen as our man becomes a pawn in a much bigger game. Also making an appearance is Bo Svenson. While for me it might not have been as fun as some of Dolph's other recent outings. However while predictable and at times slow, "The Killing Machine" is a bold b-grade action joint.

"I guess today is your lucky day."

Sad to say that I had initially set my expectations low for this movie. Why? Well, it is a Dolph Lundgren movie after all, both starring and directed by the hulking Swede. But I am surprised at how good this movie was, so a big thumbs up to Lundgren on his achievement here and for blindsiding us with this movie. I am not saying that his movies are usually bad, they just tend to be a replica of the movie that came before. So you know what you would get already.

The story in "Icarus" was actually quite good, and it managed to grasp the audience in a tight grip - or by gunpoint - and take them on a roller-coaster ride full of action.

The acting in the movie was quite alright. Dolph Lundgren is, of course, right at home in this genre, but his co-stars were doing good jobs as well.

"Icarus" is definitely a bright moment in the movie history of Dolph Lundgren, and it is well-worth watching regardless if you are a fan of him or not.

So this surprise of a movie is getting a six out of ten stars rating from me.

Businessman Edward Genn (Dolph Lundgren) is actually a former KGB agent who defected to the US just before the Soviet Union collapsed and has been making his real living as a hit-man-for-hire. Naturally, he didn't tell his ex-wife (Stefanie von Pfetten), who he has a daughter with. But she finds out soon enough when her family is in the crossfire of a mob war led by Eddie's old comrade Vadim (Bo Svenson). This is Lundgren's sixth effort as a director and, surprisingly, it is his worst effort behind the camera so far thanks mostly to a lame script and that pesky jittery camera work. The prospect of Dolph teaming with fellow Swede Svenson is enticing, but they really only have 5 minutes on screen. There are lots of fights/shootings but Dolph films them all terribly, which is strange given his penchant for well-shot action displayed previous to this. The worst is he has fallen into the Hollywood cliché of shaky-cam/crash zooms, even during quiet dialog scenes. Not as bad as Stallone did with THE EXPENDABLES, but still annoying.