Men of War

Everything John Sayles does reeks of intelligence one way or another, and this movie tries to imply issues much more important than macho bravadura, "Broken Arrow"-like. I'll leave you to check those issues by yourself, since this wasn't intended to be a philosophy lesson in the first plane (and doesn't fall in Hemingway-esque clichés like "Sniper")but this one also features one of the greatest mug-catalogue since the heyday of Spaghetti-western (Too bas Danny Trejo wasn't on the boat !), including the charismatic English actor from "Mortal Kombat", who really, really shines in this one. I'm as tired of guns-and-explosions movie as the next guy, but this one is really worth a look, if only for its lush photography and elegant direction. Besides, the latest reel, chock-full of adrenaline, is really better than average. I'm glad I saw this one.

Forget characterization. Forget plot. Go in expecting a bunch of cardboard characters moving from point A to B shooting stuff and you'll be happily entertained, like I was.

It's a very predictable "dude goes around recruiting his team, suffers moral crisis, and chooses to oppose his bosses and defend the little people" kind of story. Hmm, I wonder if he's going to win in the end? It's been done a zillion times, even in a throwaway movie like Star Trek: Insurrection.

But Dolph Lundgren's got a rocket launcher. Charlotte Lewis has a great body. And B.D. Wong was hilarious. Bring snacks. Turn off brain. Enjoy.

"What if they made a really good Dolph Lundgren movie and nobody came?"

Well, if they put it out directly to video, ... :-)

I saw "Men of War" on broadcast TV, so of course some of the nastier stuff was censored. Still, I think I got the idea. And it was a good idea! This movie continually impressed me with excellent dialogue, good character development, humor, and most of all a story that I actually cared about. Sure it was somewhat predictable, but there were some unexpected developments, mostly centering on the ability of the supporting cast -- and I mean way down the list to some of the bit parts -- to behave in ways not anticipated by the principals. This made for a rather unorthodox movie. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack; good music, well suited to each scene. Did I mention the dialogue? I did? Well, I'll mention it again, because usually that's the last thing I expect to like in a DL movie, but this one was smartly scripted.

My favorite character was Po, who was exceptionally well written and nicely played by BD Wong. It took all of about 15 seconds for me to like this guy; his intelligence and wit were quickly evident even through the language barrier. Actually, that's one thing that impressed me a lot: they managed to come up with broken English script that comes across as totally believable. If I were a mercenary in SE Asia, this is a lot like how I'd expect people might really talk to me.

I can't say this is a great movie; it has its shortcomings. The themes explored were already old hat by the time this film was made, and there is a strange schizophrenia to the film; it's half story-movie and half action-movie-with-big-hero-star-dude. But the strong points seem to carry it pretty easily, perhaps because the makers realized before/during production what we do when we see it, and compensated. For example, the film does visit certain cliches, but it doesn't dwell on them, expecting them to make a huge impression on the viewer. It's as though the makers realize that a given situation is old hat, and are almost apologetically including it simply out of necessity, then moving on to "what they REALLY wanted to show us". I think that shows respect for the intelligence of the audience, treating us as though we've actually seen a movie before -- imagine that!! -- and I appreciated it.

Since Lundgren is the "star" here, I guess I'll close by saying that he was very well used. The story is the real star, which is why this movie works so well. Lundgren has never been a top-notch actor, and isn't one here, but that's not important. This movie tells a story and it uses all of its assets, not just shoving big Dolph in our faces over and over again. When he says something, or does something, it's because it was his turn to do so. Really, I'm very impressed by how well this worked.

(BTW, lest you get the wrong impression, I actually like Dolph Lundgren, and have enjoyed some of his films, usually almost exclusively for the action. I just don't think he's Oscar material.)

Commando adventure in which ex-Special Force mercenaries carry out a dangerous mission set in a Thai island . This action-packed picture concerns upon a bunch of commando-for-hire who is assigned by two businessmen as financial backers to obliterate a little group of natives (B.D. Wong , Charlotte Lewis , among them) at an island of Thailand . But the financiers hire another bunch as back-up , in case they run into problems . The commando is led by a tough, two-fisted mercenary (Dolph Lundgren) . He contacts an inmate (Tommy Lister) , a soldier-woman (Catherine Bell) and several more (Tom Wright, Don Harvey, Anthony John Denison, among others) . The adventure starts when the expert band of mercenaries disembarks on the coast and goes to deep inside the jungle to destroy the village . But they decide to defend rather than destroy the inhabitants of the far island . As they help out the jungle's natives against other mercenaries( Trevor Goddard , Aldo Sambrell). The mission meets unexpected turns and twists when they're betrayed by their financial backers . Meanwhile they find some caves in middle of jungle where encounter the valuable Guano or bat's crap .

This fast-paced film packs adventures , large-scale blow-up, routine plot , drama , and lots of action for the most part . Based on the interesting screenplay by prestigious John Sayles , a magnificent writer and director . Has some weak moments which break up the continuity of the movie but generally is a good story and well told . It results to be a graphical depiction of a team of professional mercenaries driven by nothing but quest for power and money , being commanded by Dolph Lundgren in one of the best roles . Large support cast formed by various actors who subsequently would get successful careers as Thomas Gibson (Criminal minds) , Catherine Bell(JAG) , Don Harvey , Kevin Thige , Trevor Goddard and several others . Cinematography by Rohn Schmidt is quite nicely , capturing the atmosphere of everywhere , from Thailand to a pretty cool jungle , furthermore some stirring images filmed with camera above the shoulder . Vibrant musical score fitting to action by Gerard Gouriet . The motion picture picture is well realized by Perry Lang who also plays a secondary role . This is his second and last movie -the first was ¨Little Vegas¨- subsequently Lang would direct numerous TV episodes as ¨ Millennium, Charmed, One tree hill , Everwood, Alias, Weeds. .¨

The film was made in the wake of ¨Mercenary sub-genre¨ as the classic ¨Wild Geese¨ by Andrew McLagen with Burton, Moore and Richard Harris and ¨Wild Geese II¨ , plus ¨Dogs of war¨ by John Irvin with Christopher Walken and recently ¨Tears of the sun ¨ with Bruce Willis and Monica Belucci and many others . Rating : 6,5 . Better than average. Well worth watching .

Men of War is a good action movie. Dolph Lundgren is cool as Nick Gunner, a mercenary hired to force natives to sign over mining rights of the island. When he decides to defend it, his employers hire his old enemy to kill him. The action sequences are pretty good, especially the fight scene at the end. And Catherine Bell (The chick from JAG) is pleasant as a women warrior. All in all, I recommend Men of War to anyone looking for an entertaining action movie.