Dark Angel

Big Dolph Lundgren tackles even bigger Matthias Hues in this fairly enjoyable sci-fi outing from 1990.

Our Dolph plays a tough cop who inadvertently becomes involved in a spot of alien trouble after a hulking interplanetary miscreant murders a group of bad guys Dolph was staking out (and high tales it with the haul of heroin they had in their possession). Why would an alien want heroin you may well ask? Well, it turns out that our alien bad boy has discovered a rather gruesome method of producing an even more powerful drug via it's utilisation.....he simply shoots up unwilling victims and then sucks out their resulting endorphin enriched cranial fluids which he intends to sell back home (where ever that may be)!!!

Hardly impressed with this, Dolph decides to investigate this grisly case but finds himself constantly undermined by a number of shady factions entering the fray.

Matters eventually come to a head when our two mighty leads battle it out in a factory setting (a popular location for action film finales) and Dolph gets to fire off the obligatory final quip before sending his alien nemesis into oblivion.

OK, despite the intriguing premise this is utterly ridden with clichés - the new cop partner, troubles with the girlfriend etc etc etc. Added to this Dolph's acting abilities are somewhat less than spectacular. However.....the film works despite it's many flaws and proves to serve as a fun ninety or so minutes.

At the end of the day, what more could you ask for? Check it out.

My video of this film is called "Dark Angel". It's a great Dolph film, I also like 'The Punisher' and 'Big Showdown in Little Tokyo'. Dark Angel is a bit different...I enjoyed watching the relationships unfold between him and his police partner and him and his girlfriend. The scientist character is brilliantly overacted...although I know some computer programmers who are stressed out in the same manner! Some years ago, whilst watching the video at my brother's house in surround sound, my son walked into the room during a bit where a disk is flying around a room striking things...and he actually ducked! It still is the best bit of surround that I ever heard. Caine's final words to the alien are classic!

An alien humanoid is murdering citizens of Houston to gather stocks of a rare drug only found in the human brain. With the help of a FBI Agent a Vice Cop sets out to stop the killer, whatever the cost.

Director Craig R. Baxley's Dark Angel or Stateside known as I Come In Peace is entertaining and of its time. Written by Jonathan Tydor and Leonard Maas Jr. Dark Angel is surprisingly above average for a sci/fi thriller for the time. The character of Jack Caine played by Dolph Lundgren is partially fleshed out and tries it's hardest to go against the 80's stereotype macho cop.

The other characters are well rounded but it's the delivery and how the actors realise some of the characters that skewer the production including Lundgren. That said, aliens Azeck (the Good Alien) Jay Bilas and (Bad) Talec played menacingly by Matthias Hues steals the show. With his size, white eyes and hair Hues' composure Talec is particularly creepy.

The unlikely pairing of Caine and FBI Agent Smith add that buddy cop element synonymous with action films, similar to Red Heat and Alien Nation and although worn adds some humour. There's an over powering sometime misplaced and intrusive score, that said the lasso extraction and insertion/extraction spike effect are basic but effectively done and sci-fi fans will get a kick out of the spinning blade reminiscent of Predator 2.

There's lots of explosions, gun-play, chases and clichés aside, the partner murdered, cop suspension, no one believes to name a few there's a good science fiction tale.

I was surprised to see such a low rating for this movie. I've probably seen this movie like 10 times. And after my wife found out I'm a Dolph Lundgren fan, I think the first thing she asked me was, "do you own "I Come In Peace"?", because she was already a fan of the movie too. Anyway, if you like sci-fi action movies, check it out.

You can say what you want about Dolph Lundgren - yes, he's made some HORRIBLE movies and at times can make Keanu Reeves look talented - but I Come in Peace is a sizeable cut above the rest of his body of work. The plot is OK, has a few interesting touches but just as many derivative ones, but that's not what makes this film so good. It is the entertaining interaction of Lundgren and Brian Benben - their constantly ripping each other and acting macho, it's hilarious. And the other supporting characters are fun to watch, too, from Matthias Hues as the one note alien heavy, to Jay Bilas as the alien good guy, to the hilarious Mark Lowenthal as Bruce, the paranoid scientist genius. Even Lundgren gets into the act with some awesome one-liners that even Ah-nuld would be proud to have uttered. A 5-star B-movie classic!