Ambushed

I picked this up from the bargain bin at a local discount store. I wasn't expecting much, but boy... was I pleasantly surprised.

Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones and Randy Couture all play important, but primarily supporting roles. It's the duo of Gianni Capaldi and Daniel Bonjour in their roles as up-and-coming drug traffickers who are the major focus of the plot, and the two do a more than respectable job.

They are not good guys, although Frank (played by Bonjour) seems to want to become one one day.

Much of the film is narrated by Bonjour, in a fashion similar to what Ray Liotta did in Goodfellas. You really didn't like the character of Henry Hill, and you probably won't like Frank very much, either. But in both films, the narration tends to help the audience understand why these guys are doing really bad things.

There is quite a bit of violence, foul language and nudity in Ambuhsed (aka Hard Rush). Which is pretty much what you'd be looking for in a modern action flick.

The acting is decent, the script is good, the plot is good, the score is great. The pace slows down in a few places, but they don't break anything. Don't pass this one up the next time you're rummaging through the bargain bin.

Fancy Screen Splitting and a goodly Amount of Gangster Violence can't really Save the Awful Acting and Worn Out Familiarity Found in this, yet Another, DTV, Bargain-Bin come-on Sporting Three Recognizable Expendable Type Actors Highlighting the Packaging.

It is No Surprise that the Focus of the Movie is more on Two Twerp Leads that are Awkward and Embarrassing most of the Time, especially Our "Henry Hill" like Narrator that Tells the Audience everything They already Know from Seeing Dozens of similar and Better Movies.

The Side Plot of Our Anti-Hero and His Cute and Naive College Girlfriend is Boring and so Badly Written and Acted that the accompanying Writing and Acting can Appear Acceptable. Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, and Randy Coulter are the Money Magnets for this Slick but Ultimately Doomed DTV.

The Two Lead Actors are so Irritating and Dull that Mentioning Their Names is a Credit Undeserving, Ditto the Girlfriend. However, for Those that Like Cheap Thrills and have a High Tolerance for Ineptitude, this may be Worth a Watch. The Gun Violence is the Best Thing in this Thing, so for Those with a Gun-Fetish, this one's For You.

Review: Bad acting. Bad storyline. Total waste of time. I was expecting to see Dolph Lungren kick some ass against Vinnie Jones, but there hardly in the movie. Vinnie only says a couple of words and he's only in a couple of scenes, like Dolph Lungren who also got plastered all over the poster. Randy Couture is in it quite a bit, as the dirty cop, alongside the 2 awful main characters who over acted all the way through the film. By the end of the movie, I was just glad that it was over. I'm just loosing all faith in any movie that Vinnie Jones is in. Awful!

Round-Up: From the beginning of this film it just seemed cheap and terribly made. I actually liked Dolph Lungren in the last 2 movies that I saw him in, but he was underused in this film and his lines wasn't that witty. As for the other actors, I haven't really seen them before, and judging by there performance, I doubt that I'll be seeing them again. As I wasn't expecting that much from the movie, I wasn't that disappointed, but I was expecting a little entertainment at least.

I recommend this movie to people who like there crime/drama about drug dealers making a mess of there business. 1/10

Or how about the German title "Thrill to Kill"? Yes another title change that is just hilarious. Unfortunately that title is the only thing that is really worth anything. Unless you are in it for the nudity and some of the nice effects when it comes to the scenes with violence. Couture tries his best and might be the best thing here, but that still isn't enough to excuse watching this.

Even if you have a heart for B-movies and or Dolph Lundgren (he's not a main character here, but he can be seen a couple of times), this might be worth a look, but overall it does not qualify your time and money to waste and watch it.

Since I am Swedish I try to keep myself updated when it comes to my fellow Swedes' new Movies, especially Dolph Lundgren, and thus I watched this one as soon as I could.

Admittedly, Dolph may have his best years behind him. Still, he has worked with most of the creme de la creme within the action genre, i.e. Brandon Lee, Stallone, Van Damme. To his defence, perhaps he is not handed the best of scripts these Days. I would gladly Watch Men of War, Rocky IV, Universal Soldier, Johnny Mnemonic, Red Scorpion again.

Plot: A scarface duo try to move up the ladder. One is uncertain if he really wants to and is involved with a sweet girl and really wants to do something else. Unfortunately for them they are preyed upon by a rogue cop and hunted by the DEA.

Sadly, this Movie lacks true depth. I could tell that the writer tried really hard to create depth and credibility for his characters. Instead he fails miserably and all the characters get stuck halfway. Dolphs character has an unexplored relationship with Another DEA agent, one of the bad guys (who really is the Movies hero) cannot deliver a believable characterization of a guy in torment about what to do in Life. The Dirty cop succeeds somewhat better, but the best characters, which do not have any depth to speak of, are the drug kingpin and the hero's partner.

Due to this fact that the script tries too much to be a Little bit deeper than most B-Movies and lacks, as well, a really likable hero I can only hand out...

...4 out of 10. Dolph does not deliver, but is excused by having a minor role and the bad script. However, there are some good Points in the Movie: Randy Couture is good as the Dirty cop and the final shootout scene is pretty good as well as the photography.