| Missionary Man (2007) Cast:Dolph Lundgren,John Enos III, Andrew Stevens,Kateri Walker Dolph Lundgren stars as a mysterous holy man drifter who comes into town to defend an Indian Reservation from the local Mr. Big who wants to build a casino on said land, however with Lundgren around it isn't long until a group of bikers are in to battle our bible toting drifter in this bizarre though disappointing Lundgren vehicle I remember talking to Greywizard about Lundgren as a director, as both of us quite enjoyed Lundgren's The Defender and The Russian Specialist. G.W told me how much of a disappointment this one in was and in a way I see where he comes from. Missionary Man is actually directed like a Takeshi Kitano movie like Sonatine, Fireworks and Zatoichi:Blind Swordsman and Kitano's style of movie isn't for everyone as Greywizard's take on Sonatine (Which I found quite excellent) would let you know. This one is a lot like that in tradition because like Kitano, the action here happens really quick and Lundgren seems to burst into action when you least expect it. However the problem with this is that Lundgren's editing techniques in the fight sequences are often hard to see what's going on. I mean we cut to so much editing that we barely see Lundgren in the shot and this is very disappointing. In fact one wishes Lundgren would've taken the approach he did with The Russian Specialist and just rely on shootouts and car chases. Then the climax, Lundgren really does wipe out the bikers with ease, there's no real exchange of gunfire and the action sequence is much like a Kitano picture in how it's rushed, one sided and over quick. It's interesting but yet I was mixed on what to make of the movie. What does make this movie interesting is Lundgren's experimental camera techniques, the style and indeed the flair Lundgren shows in certain shots. The film does look pretty good, Lundgren should've probably gone all the way and shot it in black and white and the movie never bored me. The villains in particular were quite engaging, Lundgren's screen presence was often enough to keep you entertained in the non-action sequences but also another flaw is that Lundgren refrences to much such as Billy Jack, High Plains Drifter and Shane and really this isn't nearly as good as High Plains Drifter and Shane (Though it is better than Billy Jack). The main reason being that Lundgren never sets up enough action. I was mixed on this movie, for all the things I liked, there was things that I saw as out of place and like a Kitano movie this has the flaw of being underwritten and leaving many unanswered questions. The difference though is that Kitano often has a point and a commentary about what he's trying to say and Lundgren is just trying to make a western by ripping off the best in the process. Still the movie is modestly enjoyable and it's always nice to see an attempt at a western. D.Dolph Lundgren*** |