Ambushed

Picked up Hard Rush for a quick watch over the weekend and I have to say I actually enjoyed it. Sceptical at first however it was in the charts at Tesco's DVD section so I gave it a shot.

Where to start?

Well, story centres two rising drug dealers who own a club and want to climb the ladder of success in Los Angeles. One named Frank and one named Eddie (who is a Scot). They steal drugs from the wrong man, Vincent. who in turn wants them to sell for him which they do successfully however a dirty cop, Reilly, wants in on the action. All this is happening whilst an FBI agent, Maxwell, is hunting them all down. They ultimately all meet up in a bedroom at the end of the film.

Writing was OK. Story lacked in some places and there were areas which were massively underdeveloped. There was a very weak relationship between Dolph and the undercover agent, that part had no impact on the story. Would have really enjoyed the relationship between the two to be taken further. Would have also been nice to see a further developed story line on the relationship between the two drug dealers and ultimately what happened to Vinnie Jones' character at the end. No closure? Also a little more written on Reilly perhaps? On a positive note, some of the characters he created were original and at times extremely amusing and I enjoyed how all webs weaved ended up meeting in one location at the end. I really enjoyed some of the dialogue too, had sound and original elements in it. Bravo.

The director did a good job as much as I can see with the budget he was given. Casting was great. I liked the shifts/breaks between scenes. I also like his choice of locations believe it or not. His choice of characters were daring and paid off. Some of the sky shots of the city as well as the shots overlooking the sea helped open it up a lot. Nice work! I must watch more from him.

Action. As far as this goes, it was all ground level but solid and acceptable. Fighting scene at the end between Couture and Lundgren was great. They used a rain machine in the last scene and it enhanced the fight. Great choice by the director. Also seeing Vinnie in action was on the money.

Acting. Dolph Lundgren is Dolph Lundgren. To the critic who gave this a bad score, you are not a good reviewer. If I wanted to watch Gosling or Di Caprio I wouldn't have picked up this film. This film is not comparable to anything like that. I am sure at a budget level, whatever that may have been, they did a good job. Dolph will not produce anything worthy of a good actor performance so get over it. In this he was acceptable, lets be honest, when his girlfriend was in serious danger at the bar he didn't change his expression one bit but I did care? No. As far as the others, Vinnie Jones was perfectly cast, he did a great job and wow did he beat poor Eddie to a pulp. Always menacing and threatening as ever. Randy Couture, he is one for the future to watch. I thought he played his part well, maybe he could've seemed a little more menacing at times but he did well. He displayed some softer sides to his character which I really enjoyed, wish I saw more of him doing that. Frank, (Daniel Bonjor) never heard of him before this, but he did a solid job and was well suited for that role. I liked his less menacing approach to his character, was good, possibly question the relationship side a little. Eddie, a Scot, Gianni Capaldi (Dr Who's relative), I thought did really well. As explosive as he was I enjoyed watching his crazy antics, excellent excellent casting, changed paces of scenes and was colorful. Did Peter give him tips? The rest were all solid. On a whole, I thought everyone did well and I enjoyed their performances.

Why I rated this film so highly?

Its exactly where and what this film is supposed to be. It seems like it was developed the best it could be. Its always nice to see a mixture of old faces mixed with new ones balancing out the possibly worn out actors introducing new blood to the screen. I was kept entertained through it and thoroughly enjoyed many aspects of this film. If there is a better film out there made at this level I would like to see it.

Thumbs up!

Since I am Swedish I try to keep myself updated when it comes to my fellow Swedes' new Movies, especially Dolph Lundgren, and thus I watched this one as soon as I could.

Admittedly, Dolph may have his best years behind him. Still, he has worked with most of the creme de la creme within the action genre, i.e. Brandon Lee, Stallone, Van Damme. To his defence, perhaps he is not handed the best of scripts these Days. I would gladly Watch Men of War, Rocky IV, Universal Soldier, Johnny Mnemonic, Red Scorpion again.

Plot: A scarface duo try to move up the ladder. One is uncertain if he really wants to and is involved with a sweet girl and really wants to do something else. Unfortunately for them they are preyed upon by a rogue cop and hunted by the DEA.

Sadly, this Movie lacks true depth. I could tell that the writer tried really hard to create depth and credibility for his characters. Instead he fails miserably and all the characters get stuck halfway. Dolphs character has an unexplored relationship with Another DEA agent, one of the bad guys (who really is the Movies hero) cannot deliver a believable characterization of a guy in torment about what to do in Life. The Dirty cop succeeds somewhat better, but the best characters, which do not have any depth to speak of, are the drug kingpin and the hero's partner.

Due to this fact that the script tries too much to be a Little bit deeper than most B-Movies and lacks, as well, a really likable hero I can only hand out...

...4 out of 10. Dolph does not deliver, but is excused by having a minor role and the bad script. However, there are some good Points in the Movie: Randy Couture is good as the Dirty cop and the final shootout scene is pretty good as well as the photography.

Dolph Lundgren as Maxwell is a DEA agent who is investigating drug dealers. However Maxwell and his investigation are not the centerpiece of this movie. That honor goes to 2 criminal friends named Frank and Eddie from whose perspectives this movie chiefly unfolds. Most especially Frank who is a club owner, drug dealer, drug taker and murderer. And this is not the end of his accomplishments: He's also a criminologist, sociologist, economist, dreamer, sage and narrator. And the icing on the cake? He's making it with his dream girl; a college "girl-nextdoor" type.

We know about Frank's afore mentioned scholarly accomplishments because he narrates this movie, talking to us, the viewing audience; even "lecturing", I would say, about how his world works and the world at large. His best bud Eddie is (thankfully) not that deep. Just wants to be a bigshot and have a good time (So school is out with this guy). Frank is ambitious; wants to move up in the drug business and is ruthless enough to do whatever it takes including murder and stepping on the toes of a drug boss Maxwell is investigating.

The drama of this movie basically comes from (1) the doings of Frank and Eddie as they try to climb the ladder to success that dealing drugs can buy. (2) Frank's relationship with his clueless dream girl (Not stupid; she thinks he's only a "club owner"). (3) Maxwell and his investigation into the operations of a drug boss and Frank and Eddie. Throw into the mix a violent, corrupt cop shaking down drug dealers and Max and his team have got there hands full.

I thought the movie felt a bit long because of "dull spots" of conversation in a few places throughout (I would have added another star, otherwise). Sometimes when Frank was talking to Eddie, to his girl, and to us the viewing audience. As well, the 2 chicks in bed; one of them an undercover DEA agent (Frank's paramour, by the way). In this last instance, less talking and more making out would have perked me up and saved that scene. There is rap music in this movie (in case you like it or don't). It started the movie nicely, I thought, but the rest of it -though sounding okay- seemed to me "somewhat" misplaced. Finally: The action is unremarkable but "okay". Dolph as Maxwell is a bit unwieldy but can still get the job done, I think, if you place yourself within range of a fist or leg and wait for it. Or in the event of a chase, don't run too fast. Love, Boloxxxi.

Or how about the German title "Thrill to Kill"? Yes another title change that is just hilarious. Unfortunately that title is the only thing that is really worth anything. Unless you are in it for the nudity and some of the nice effects when it comes to the scenes with violence. Couture tries his best and might be the best thing here, but that still isn't enough to excuse watching this.

Even if you have a heart for B-movies and or Dolph Lundgren (he's not a main character here, but he can be seen a couple of times), this might be worth a look, but overall it does not qualify your time and money to waste and watch it.

Fancy Screen Splitting and a goodly Amount of Gangster Violence can't really Save the Awful Acting and Worn Out Familiarity Found in this, yet Another, DTV, Bargain-Bin come-on Sporting Three Recognizable Expendable Type Actors Highlighting the Packaging.

It is No Surprise that the Focus of the Movie is more on Two Twerp Leads that are Awkward and Embarrassing most of the Time, especially Our "Henry Hill" like Narrator that Tells the Audience everything They already Know from Seeing Dozens of similar and Better Movies.

The Side Plot of Our Anti-Hero and His Cute and Naive College Girlfriend is Boring and so Badly Written and Acted that the accompanying Writing and Acting can Appear Acceptable. Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, and Randy Coulter are the Money Magnets for this Slick but Ultimately Doomed DTV.

The Two Lead Actors are so Irritating and Dull that Mentioning Their Names is a Credit Undeserving, Ditto the Girlfriend. However, for Those that Like Cheap Thrills and have a High Tolerance for Ineptitude, this may be Worth a Watch. The Gun Violence is the Best Thing in this Thing, so for Those with a Gun-Fetish, this one's For You.