KGB - Killer, Gejagter, Beschützer

First of all, some reviewers should keep their hopes and expectations in check; this is not "True Lies 2", it doesn't even tries to. This is not a multimillion dollar action comedy with state of the art effects, stunts and actors. But if you're looking for a decent, entertaining little action flic with a small budget a story ripped right out of a 80's/90's script of a Golan/Globus production, this is for you. The story is really easy to tell: former KGB-agent turned husband and father turned assassin for the Russian Mob becomes a target and got to save his own skin. The mediocre script works thanks to a charming leading man in Lundgren and a capable director (Lundgren again) who focuses enough on the action bits to make you forget about the plot holes or some of the cringe-worthy dialogue. What keeps this movie from being a great nostalgic action trip is the lack of money. There are no big explosions or chase sequences but mostly gunbattles and fistfights (at least Dolph seem to make most of the stunts himself). And while the titular hit-man seems to travel the whole world from china to Hollywood, everything looks like shot in good ol'Canada. But with a bigger budget I'm quite sure Lundgren could give his buddy Stallone a run for his money as an director of old fashioned, testosterone fueled action-cinema. So maybe I've got to see a big budget sequel to "Red Scorpion" anytime soon! ;-)

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 is entertaining, it is exactly what you should have expected with it when you ordered it, and it is not a classic. Lots of shootouts & killing, lots of testosterone, lots of close quarter combat fighting (with lots of fighting 'grunting' noises, though a bit too much shaky camera action), car chases & crashes, and lots of action go along with Dolph and his pictures. Synopsis: Dolph is an assassin, a former KGB operative with a new identity himself, it involves the KGB's old operatives, the Russian mafia, some nebulous oriental mafia group, the American 'crime syndicate', the CIA, and subgroups, with their own special interests, of the above. Dolph still loves his ex-wife & daughter but has a gorgeous hottie to help him make it from dusk to dawn. Suddenly Dolph finds himself a target from all the above groups without anyone to trust. In the end he is in conflict with a former KBG agent, who was a friend, and whose life he once saved. You have to love the infinite ammo cheat whenever it is called on, and that Dolph can be unarmed & can still kill multiple well trained & heavily armed advisories. Lots of dots were not connected and there were unanswered questions. hollywood follows its receipt for moneymaking: Guns, guns, & more guns (You have to question hollywood's integrity when they preach anti-2nd amendment but don't let their statements interfere with the box office gross), pinball speed action, a little skin, a dollop of 'love' to try to make it movie with some 'redeeming quaintly' (which this move does not have). Enjoy it for what it is worth.

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.