I remember seeing DL in "Red Scorpion" over 20 years ago, all excited about the way he was going to light up the screen in his first feature role...but coming out of the theater shaking my head in disappointment. And that continues to be the summary of his solo career.
I really admire and like Dolph and wish he was a little more versatile or else could get some better parts. But he just can't carry a movie by himself - he has to have a partner or a cast of other tough guys to play off - "Showdown in Little Tokyo" with Brandon Lee is a good example of the former, and the remake of "The Expendables" is a good example of the latter. But make him the main lead, and it's 2nd rate city. (Michael Pare and Rutger Hauer have the same problem.)
Dead giveaway that the director doesn't have any ideas of his own and only apes better, more original movies - at key points of high stress, he always (ALWAYS) resorts to jerky, grainy slow motion close up shots of Dolph. (One more reason why Tony Scott, who seems to have invented the trick and actually does this kind of thing effectively, must be barred from ever coming up with new visual gimmicks. Whatever he comes up with first, lesser directors steal and beat it to death in endless ripoffs later.)
This movie...well, it has its moments, and Dolph gets off some decent lines, but it's just another exercise in black ops paranoia and noir gloom. Having seen it recently on cable, I've concluded that there's no real reason to ever watch again. Sorry, Dolph, that your career has come to this...but at least you're probably still making better money as an actor than you ever would have as an engineer.
I really admire and like Dolph and wish he was a little more versatile or else could get some better parts. But he just can't carry a movie by himself - he has to have a partner or a cast of other tough guys to play off - "Showdown in Little Tokyo" with Brandon Lee is a good example of the former, and the remake of "The Expendables" is a good example of the latter. But make him the main lead, and it's 2nd rate city. (Michael Pare and Rutger Hauer have the same problem.)
Dead giveaway that the director doesn't have any ideas of his own and only apes better, more original movies - at key points of high stress, he always (ALWAYS) resorts to jerky, grainy slow motion close up shots of Dolph. (One more reason why Tony Scott, who seems to have invented the trick and actually does this kind of thing effectively, must be barred from ever coming up with new visual gimmicks. Whatever he comes up with first, lesser directors steal and beat it to death in endless ripoffs later.)
This movie...well, it has its moments, and Dolph gets off some decent lines, but it's just another exercise in black ops paranoia and noir gloom. Having seen it recently on cable, I've concluded that there's no real reason to ever watch again. Sorry, Dolph, that your career has come to this...but at least you're probably still making better money as an actor than you ever would have as an engineer.