The Russian Specialist
by Dolph Lundgren
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ben Cross, Dolph Lundgren, Hilda van der Meulen, Olivia LeeDirector: Dolph Lundgren
Brand: LUNDGREN,DOLPH
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Russian Specialist
Movie Review: "What's Your Plan?" - "Kill Them All"
Summary: 4 Stars
Nikolai Cherenko (Lundgren) was an ex-Spetznaz agent enjoying life when his wife and son were gunned down in a mafia shootout. After spending seven years running from his past in the United States as a car mechanic, he's approached with a private offer: to rescue an elderly woman's daughter (Olivia Lee, "Balls of Steel") from the clutches of the ruthless mob boss (Ivan Petrushinov) - the same responsible for the murder of his family.
I'm glad that Lundgren has taken to directing his own films since "The Defender"; he's more than competent, learns from his mistakes, has an eye for detail, and knows how to highlight his strengths and hide his weaknesses. All of these qualities are on display in "The Mechanik", which may be the best Lundgren-directed film yet and arguably one of the best starring flicks he's ever done, "Universal Soldier" and "Joshua Tree" included. Apparently aware of the problems plaguing the DTV genre, director Lundgren provides good cinematography, minimizes CGI effects, and generally brings the entire production more down-to-earth than many films of this budget ($5 million) tend to be. Writer Bryan Hill ties up all loose ends and keeps the story from becoming convoluted and manages passable dialogue, even in the more dramatic scenes.
Speaking of dramatic scenes, nobody really butchers their screentime except Olivia Lee, but luckily she only has a few lines. The rest of the cast does well: Lundgren still has the Slavic accent down and switches without much effort between English and Russian (though he doesn't speak much of either), Ben Cross ("Undisputed II: Last Man Standing") gives a good and slightly-humorous performance as a forlorn agent, and Ivan Petrushinov is perfectly deplorable as the remorseless mob boss. The rest of the cast is mainly made up by members of Lundgren's assault team and the mafia party: Raicho Vasilev ("Diamond Dogs"), Assen Blatechki ("The Lark Farm"), Antony Argirov ("Hammerhead"), and others aren't particularly memorable for the most part, but since their performances don't hinder the picture, that's a good thing.
The action is not as abundant as it was in, say, "Showdown in Little Tokyo", but while this is disappointing, what's there is fairly good. There are three decisive fight scenes: the first takes place in an apartment complex in which Lundgren takes on a team of assassins via some knifework and a decent shootout; the next is an extensive fight/shootout throughout a club that features some satisfying hand-to-hand work; the final shootout is reminiscent of the shoot & stalk finale of "Missionary Man", wherein Lundgren shares the spotlight generously with his other teammates in dispatching bad guys.
The gunplay, as you expect, is brutal and bloody, and in greater abundance than the martial arts. Lundgren throws a few kicks, but he's not practicing karate: this is a much more gritty way of fighting incorporating many over-the-shoulder throws, and it looks better than the half-tired technical stuff he's had to do in many of his previous movies.
There is some criticism to be given, though. On the surface, there's a bit too much unnecessary slow-motion and one-too-many flashbacks to the deaths of Lundgren's family. More intricately, however, I'm not sure how effectively this movie will grip fans both, casual and devoted: it's well-made, but not exactly fun popcorn entertainment. In all, it's more of a revenge tale than an action movie, and viewers ought to have this made clear to them before they go in expecting another "Punisher" or something.
I'm torn between rating this either three stars or four...but for the sake of its overall quality, I'm settling on a four. This is more a movie for "serious" Lundgren fans, but they at least are guaranteed a treat via their hero's adventures in Moscow (or is it St. Petersburg?). The standard for DTV films has been raised, and we have Dolph to thank for that - that ought to count for at least something on its own.
Summary of The Russian Specialist
A Russian ex-hit man is called back to Russia for one last job. This time against his former employees, the Russian mob.Action & Adventure DVD Video
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