My review of 'The Killing Machine'

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THE KILLING MACHINE(2010)
(Directed by Dolph Lundgren)

"It's another mediocre Direct-to-DVD actioner.....yay."- Signed by MartialHorror.

Plot: A former KGB assassin turned Mafia hit-man finds himself betrayed and has to hunt down his enemies while protecting his ex-wife and daughter. Also known as “Icarus”

Review:

Reviewing “The Killing Machine” is both an easy task yet a difficult task. On one hand, if you review one direct-to-DVD actioner, you’ve probably reviewed them all. On the other, I hate sounding redundant. While I can’t boast to being a hardcore Dolph Lundgren follower(I can boast this with Steven Seagal), I’ve noticed a pattern. Lundgren likes playing against type(that’s good), Lundgren likes getting hot, young chicks(that’s good and bad) and Lundgren makes mediocre films. Granted, in the direct-to-DVD world, mediocrity means ‘good’, so you have to either take it or leave it.

Dolph Lundgren plays Eddie Genn, a businessman currently estranged from his (ex) wife(Stefanie von Pfetten) and daughter. He tries to be good to them, but has currently found a new squeeze in April (Lindsay Maxwell). Oh yeah, he also is known as Icarus, a dangerous hit-man working for the mob. A former KGB agent, he begins showing signs of weariness and ultimately finds himself betrayed. But by whom? He must find his betrayers and kill them before they get to his wife and daughter.

As I said, I haven’t fully followed Dolph Lundgren through his direct-to-DVD career. In fact, the only one I’ve seen in recent memory was the uneven “Command Performance”, although I think I saw one along time ago where he's a mercenary on an island or something, fighting that big scary black guy who's supposed to be a really nice guy in real life. "The Killing Machine” showed promise as it was made hot off the heels of “The Expendables”, in which Dolph had a supporting role. However, “The Killing Machine” just felt like your average B movie. Still, at least Dolph’s films are more tolerable than Steven Seagal's films, although they aren’t quite as good as Jean Claude Van Damme’s films. Yet I will say this, if you’re a follower of direct-to-DVD action, then “The Killing Machine” might be for you.

What keeps the film from sucking is Dolph Lundgren. While old and his walking looked off(I wonder if something happened to his legs), he still looks like someone who can kick your ass. Dolph gets a few good one-liners(I loved the “Your executioner” line), but above all, he’s genuinely amicable. He's not a great actor, but who watches him for his acting abilities? As I said earlier, he plays against type(which was the quiet, evil type or sometimes the downright psychotic type we all know him for) and it’s pretty fun to watch him alternate between good guy and hardass. He also delivers his beat down scenes with gusto. The violence is pretty brutal and the action scenes happen enough to where you don’t get bored. It’s this kind of stuff that puts him above Seagal, whose always boring and whose action scenes are short and even more boring. Yet at the same time, it lacks the slick fight sequences of a Van Damme movie, or the high octane action that seems to be common in a Van Damme movie. So if you want a martial arts film, look elsewhere. This is more of a gun fight movie. There are some hand-to-hand sequences though......Hence, why I review it.

The problem is, wait, I bet you can’t guess what it is. THE SCRIPT! Of course, after all, the scripts account for 99% of films failures! The script requires a stuffy, unnecessary and awkward love story between Dolph and his ex. They stop in the middle of nowhere to have sex, despite it only being hours since their significant others died. Speaking of which, as fun as Dolph is, he’s way too old and having him in a love triangle with two hotties is annoyingly indulgent. At first, we must endure an annoying subplot with the daughter(who won’t STOP screaming). But just as we sigh as the daughter is given shelter AWAY from the main action, we have to endure an even worse subplot with the wife. Ugh, the sad thing is, the acting is surprisingly good by the supporting cast…..It’s just that the script works against them.

I can take contrived plot devices(which this movie has) and Dolph’s questionable acting(we don’t watch him for his acting), but I hate subplot tumors that only work to bring the movie down. The attempts at being dramatic almost ALWAYS fail with action stars. Yet Dolph’s direction also harms the movie somewhat, as he relies on ‘direct-to-DVD’ camera tricks. I HATE slow motion in direct-to-DVD films. It just looks cheesy. He also overuses close-ups. Most annoyingly, he tends to have close-ups AND crappy slow motion at once……Still, when he’s not using these unnecessary devices, the direction is acceptable.

If you like Dolph Lundgren movies or consider yourself a direct-to-DVD junkie, then “The Killing Machine” should be an acceptable watch for you at worst. There is some good action, Dolph Lundgren shines, and the acting by the supporting cast is good too. Most of the flaws here are things direct-to-DVD watchers are used too, and can be forgiven. However, the tacky love story is distracting and if you aren’t familiar with the wonderful realm of direct-to-DVD, you’re going to be underwhelmed at best……..Infuriated at worst.

Violence: Rated R worthy. Pretty grisly.

Nudity: There is some sex, but no explicit nudity. Did we really need to see some chick kissing Dolph's nipples?

Overall: “The Killing Machine” is worth watching for Dolph Lundgren fans I guess... If you like these types of movies, you will like it. If not, you won’t. As always, I’m in the middle. It is what it is.

2/4 Stars


my reviews of martial arts and horror films
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