Entrega Mortal

I watched THE PACKAGE last night and was surprised by it; mostly because the earlier Austin vehicles I had seen (HUNT TO KILL, TACTICAL FORCE) were really bad. Austin is still really stiff (both acting and physically) but the director plays upon these traits better than the previous helmers. Also, director Jesse Johnson handled the action scenes a lot better than most, not resorting to the shaky cam crap that a lot of DTV action guys use. Of course, the highlight for me is Dolph Lundgren, who delivers another juicy co-starring role much like he did in the Cuba Gooding, Jr. action flick ONE IN THE CHAMBER last year. While I'd still like to see Dolph get back in the directing chair, these smaller roles are good enough to fill the time in between.

Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren put in the same movie? Well, the direct to DVD industry in recent years has been pairing various B movie stars together, so that should come as no surprise. What's surprising about this Canadian/American co-production is that unlike most movies with Canadian involvement, they have a Canadian aspect in the movie's story - the movie is (partly) set in Canada. The plot of the movie will probably be of no surprise to most viewers - they will have seen the "delivery of a mysterious package" story countless times before, and they will more or less guess (like me) the twist near the end concerning the package long before it happens. But the predictable script did not bother me. What DID bother me was how sluggish the entire enterprise feels. The story unfolds very slowly when things should have been more speedy. And the action sequences - the main selling point of the movie - are sluggishly directed, lacking impact and nastiness. I have to admit that I almost nodded off a couple of times, because there was nothing to capture my attention. A very boring movie.

I read some of the other reviews, and I concluded they must be by the fembot, art history major, wanna be a critic crowd. This is a straight up action film, with much of the action meaty hand to hand fighting. And it does a good job of portraying the fact that most such combat is pretty brutal.

There are girls, they are beautiful, one is deadly, the other is lovely. The roles they play are secondary.

Dolph has aged a lot, and unless it is the makeup, I think not to well. But he continues to carry the style he has shown in several recent action movies, as a menacing, brooding threat. From the outset we are aware he is a threat, but the relationship of this threat to the main protagonist is not clear.

For me, Steve Austen was a pleasant surprise. I recall another of his movies, and he was not good at all. This was much better, and the director played to all his strengths in respect of both his verbal and action abilities.

There were several little plot twists, and a few surprises along the way, which added to the enjoyment.

There are a number of recognizable supporting characters, which is also a pleasant surprise.

So my conclusion is that if you are hunting around for an action movie one night with some time to kill, this movie is for consideration. No, its not Gladiator, or Star Wars, or the Avengers, or Saving Private Ryan, but thank god, its not Brokeback Mountain or some other drivel either. Its a decent regular budget action movie. Take it for what it is and you will be fine.

At the time of this writing this film has 6 other reviews posted, most negative. Though difficult, I did come up with a few reasons to avoid this film: If you sell girl scout cookies, wear your sister's capri pants, share hair styling tips with your girlfriend, or watch Glee. I could go on but you get the picture. Bottom line, DTV film are rarely going to break any new ground in terms of action filmmaking, so hopefully by now action fans know this going in. Having said that, The Package is above average for such a film. A cool script, that is it mostly avoids ridiculous cliché dialog such as "I'm getting too old for this %$#" or the mandatory cursing that is often substituted for actual lines. Yes the story is old (as most all stories are), but here we get nicely written dialog. The direction is certainly above par, with plenty of well staged action shot in a terrific manner avoiding the jerky-cam style so prevalent today. The fight scenes are not the slapped together affairs often seen in many DTV films. Characters are interesting, including Dolph's (and no, his role is not a cameo). Anyone familiar with Martial artist/actor Jerry Trimble will enjoy his screen time. I recommend The Package not only for action fans, but lovers of romance, humor, and drama (sorry horror fans), and for any boy out there that hopes to one day grow into a man. Now that I've given it some thought, the film should be screened in high schools across the country as part of the "no male left behind" program.

For being a low budget film, this one delivers quite a punch. Fight scenes are gritty and choreographed well. No CGI here, just good old fashioned camera work. Don't expect to be blown away, the movie knows it's audience.