Wanted Man

This was fine. Nothing memorable and outstanding, but has a great cast. It's a Dolph film and he's the star. The actors do show the age, so don't expect John Wick or anything.

The other stars are in here for a short bit, but play a big role in the movie.

If you like 80's movies, and miss the days of simple plots and easy to follow scenes, then this is it.

Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.

Yeah well I definitely didn't like this movie I'll say that much, but I don't think it's like horrible in any significant way either... it's most definitely a bad movie but it isn't particularly horrendous. It's the exact type of movie I think you might expect it to be just from its title and the man that it stars and that's either going to be a great thing for you or in my case be one of the worst things about the entire movie. This wholeheartedly feels like a movie that my nana would watch which is absolutely not a compliment because the types of movies she watches are really low budget action movies that feel very poorly made, and that's pretty much exactly what this is here.

This movie both stars and was directed by Adolph Lundgren, who I only know from his atrocious performance in the sequel to "Kindergarten Cop" but who is for sure most well known for his role in the fourth Rocky movie. He's not a horrendous actor I'll give him that much, but his direction could really use some improvement that's for sure. It's not that anything he chooses to do here is all that bad but it's just the fact that it's all so mediocre in nature that it's boring and like ninety percent of this movie is just meh. The movie itself doesn't look all that bad either, it's just so dull in atmosphere and tone, plus the really boring color on display doesn't help at all. Not exactly the worst direction I've ever seen from a movie but it really does feel as if this belongs on some discount dvd shelf in the back of a dollar store.. and it probably does exist there actually. Dolph's acting here might actually be my favorite part of the entire movie, and no it's not because he was good at it but at least he was somewhat entertaining to watch.. although; it definitely does not help that he made himself be immensity racist pretty much the entire runtime and the very first thing we ever see him do is assault a man and call him "Mexican scum", which makes it very hard to care for him like at all or like his character in the slightest. Very unique choice there and I can't say I under why it was done but I guess that's just how they wanted it to be?

The acting other than Dolph present here is okay at best, there's a character played by Kelsey Grammer who is quite literally Frasier and was in the best movie of all time "Money Plane" a few years ago, and the love interest (I think?) in this movie is played by Christina Villa and I am so sad for this poor woman because what she got to work with here was awful, and her relationship with Dolph's character is both really badly done and also just inherently cringe worthy to watch and not exactly enjoyable in any real way. On another note, if there is to be one thing I somewhat enjoyed about this movie without it being so bad it made me laugh, that would have to be its actions, which for an action movie this has very little of but what we do get is done in a very decent manner and is probably the most engaging part of the whole experience. There's some okay action in the beginning, middle, and towards the very end here but that's just about it.. which is somewhat disappointing. Although; I do have to say that the gunshot wounds themselves looked perfectly adequate for a movie like this and I was actually kind of surprised that they looked nearly that good, so props to this movie for having good blood effects sometimes, but that's about all I can really give it.

"Wanted Man" is a really boring and dull action film starring and directed by a Swedish man which is probably the most interesting part about the film as a whole, it's not good in any meaningful way and is kind of annoying to watch due to just how bland it all feels. Nothing here is done particularly well other than a few action scenes which are still just scraping the very bottom of what they're meant to be.. from the writing which is some of the worst I've ever seen, to the acting which isn't awful but nowhere close to good, and the direction which is at its core just super disappointing and I wish there was more to like here. This movie is bad I would say and I very clear do not recommend trying to watch this one for yourself no matter how much time you have to waste as it's not even a fun bad movie, it's just below average and upsetting. I wish I could've liked this movie more because I have faith that this man can actually direct and star in a decent movie but this was nowhere close to that, but I do want to see what more will come out of this 66 year olds mind... don't watch it unless you're like putting it on in the background while you do something much more important. It's not worth your time and way too politically motivated yet somehow isn't the worst movie I've seen this year.. shocker?

This reminded me a little of John Wayne's "Mc Q" (1974) only this time it's Dolph Lundgren who is the curmudgeonly old cop who bends the rules to suit the investigation. That's caused his bosses a bit of an headache, so they want to put that frankly rather odious "Johansen" out to pasture. A trip to Mexico is organised so he can retrieve and escort a vital witness in a double-murder case back to the USA. "Rosa" (Christina Villa) is no shrinking violet and the couple don't exactly hit it off, but gradually that all changes as the pair begin to realise that they are being played. By whom, though? That's the six million dollar question. I'm afraid the presence of Kelsey Grammer in anything (except maybe the early editions of "Cheers") never bodes well for me, and his mediocrity rather sums up this whole thing. It hasn't an original bone in it's body as it follows well established plot lines, constantly escaping from hellish scenarios against overwhelming odds and firepower. It's as if his dark sunglasses gave him a degree of immortality. Rapid healing powers at any rate. Duplicity, police corruption, betrayal - you name it and it's been squeezed into this bland and repetitive thriller that's very short on thrills. Television fodder at best, sorry.

In this film written, directed and starring Dolph Lundgren, we see an aging racist cop having to go to Mexico to get some witnesses to balance out his politically incorrect behavior which was caught on camera. Obviously, bad people don't want the witnesses to survive, so the cop will have to band and survive together with people he despises by default, thus learning a lesson.

It is a familiar concept, done in no way differently from other films that tackled the same issue. It feels more honest, with no ha-ha humor or crazy stunts, though. Dolph is almost 70 years old and it shows, unfortunately. The plot is quite obvious from the beginning and the situations in which some sort of emotional connection could have been built are often wasted. That's why I can't recommend it.

The film also manages to convey, probably accidentally, how the US starts to look to people outside it. In the movie, the Mexicans are all young, vibrant and fearless, even the bad guys. In contrast, the Americans are old, decrepit, stuck in their ways and expecting everybody else to respect their authority. Old cops, hunting for their gone youth, in a country led by old men, changing in artificial ways that don't matter, like politically correctness. Somehow, I doubt that was the message Lundgren was trying to send.

Kelsey Grammer and Michael Paré and also in this, although their roles are minimal. I like Dolph, even if he barely speaks and he barely moves now. It's nostalgia, and this film is banking on it. But it feels like something that should have been done 20 years ago.

Wanted Man stars Dolph Lundgren in a role that capitalizes on his action-hero legacy. Lundgren delivers a solid performance, bringing his trademark intensity and physical presence to the screen. The film's action sequences are engaging, featuring some stunts and fight choreography that fans of the genre will appreciate. The cinematography also adds a polished look, enhancing the overall experience.

However, while the film has some strengths, it also has its shortcomings. The plot feels somewhat formulaic, following familiar action movie tropes without offering much new or innovative. The story can be predictable at times, and character development is minimal, with some roles coming off as one-dimensional. Additionally, the pacing occasionally drags, particularly between the action set pieces, which can make parts of the film feel uneven.

Overall, Wanted Man is a competent action film that benefits from Dolph Lundgren's commanding presence and well-crafted action scenes. Though it doesn't break new ground in the genre and has some pacing issues, it remains an entertaining watch for fans of action films looking for a straightforward, adrenaline-pumping experience.