Outubro Negro

Dolph Lundgren used to be a Marine. Now he's a journalist and best-selling author on his way to Israel to cover a new group called "Black October.' That doesn't sound cozy, does it? And to see if he can reconcile with his girl friend. But while he's there, he discovers CIA station chief Lou Gossett Jr. Is tracking something odd and gets caught up in something that seemingly random assassins will garrotte him for.

The most impressive thing about this movie is Lundgren's pretty good, if occasionally wavering accent. Most of the time he sounds vaguely Midwestern, but he occasionally falls into a vaguely Southern drawl. Otherwise, its a compendium of thriller-type shots shot in monochromatic light. Gossett tries to do something with his lines, infusing them with some emotion.

Reporter and former marine Mike Anderson (Lundgren) investigates following a deadly assault on a US military base which the CIA attributes to a terrorist organisation. However, with a powerful weapon missing, Mike believes something more sinister is afoot and soon finds himself coming face-to-face with an old foe, CIA man Lou Jackson (Gossett Jr), with the lives of thousands of people at stake.

Action-wise, 'Cover Up' is quite limited. A a couple of explosions, a couple of punch-ups and a decent car chase, that's it. It's more of a thriller with some drama and intrigue. Lundgren gets to play a slightly different type of character, and acts quite well; his interplay with Louis Gossett Jr. Is good. There's some good scenery, and a surprising twist at the end, but the film lacks pace, it's a bit too dullish, unexciting and talky - needed more punch, however it was slightly diverting with its intrigue and Lundgren's performance. Otherwise it's not something I would watch again in a hurry. A one time watch I would say.

'Cover-Up' starts with a slow title sequence meant to build atmosphere, but it's a low budget tactic. Prolong the running time and give you the sense that the following flick is going to be intriguing. It's really not. Ultimately Dolph Lundgren & Lou Gossett Jr reteam after 'The Punisher' for a thriller going thru the motions light on fun.

An attack at a US Naval base in Israel supposedly by the terrorist group "Black October" leaves servicemen dead, but is really a cover for a high grade bio weapon to be stolen. Reporter Mike Anderson (Lungren) then covers the story and when he starts to get too close to the bottom of things attempts are made on his life. Its unclear too what side Jackson (Gossett) the local US official in charge is on.

There's some b-movie charm here ... cliches you would say. Mike is a well known, likable guy. Plus he's an ex marine. He's good friends with Col. Cooper (John Finn) the man in charge of running the US base. He's also the ex lover of a civilian bureaucrat Susan Clifford (Lisa Berkely). He loses a game of pool purposely to gain info and after its shown how he's actually really good at the game. That sort of nonsense.

If you follow the trail, you can figure out who the bad guy is early on. Strictly mediocre, but not like 'Cover-Up' ever tries to be something it ain't. Fans of Lundgren & Gossett don't have much to sink their teeth into. Although the element of watching Dolph try to talk and bribe a hotel desk clerk who's already dead was amusing.

One of the worst movies ever made, Manny Coto has nothing to do with what is called film art. Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett Jr. and all the other "actors" are just ... sorry. If you watch it at the cinema, you will want to kill the cashier to get your money back on the ticket. If you watch it at home, on the video cassette, DVD or Blu Ray, you will want to break the TV or/and destroy the player. A waste of time!

This is a fairly well written and involving thriller. Unfortunately its good early work is slightly let down by either obvious or absurd twists in the final 15 minutes. Before the slightly disappointing ending the film moves along nicely, and the script is developing well, while there aren't too many B-movie cliches, such as the obligatory sex scene, between a recently widowed woman and the central character. This was Dolph Lundgrens first real move away from the action genre and he gives his first decent lead performance, he has more than 3 lines of dialogue as well, but he does fairly well. The film unfortunately looks very cheap but the direction from Manny Coto is functional and well paced, while the action scenes are good, including a trademark Vic Armstrong car chase. ***