Okay, confession time right off the bat - I like Dolph Lundgren movies. I can't explain it. I know there are other people out there just like me. A great philosopher (or maybe it was Hulk Hogan) once said, "For people who get it, no explanation is necessary. For people that don't get it, no explanation in the world will convince them to get it." So if you "get it" then please feel free to continue. Anyway, Dolph's output in the last few years has been erratic to say the least. He will occasionally sneak in a good film but the bad weigh down the scale. So imagine my shock when this film, his directorial debut, is his best work in years. The President (Jerry Springer...yes, Jerry Springer) has set up a clandestine meeting between his NSA chief and a Bin Laden type terrorist leader to call a truce. Of course, there are nefarious U.S. Government officials who don't want an end to the "War on Terror" and conspire to stop this from happening. Lundgren is the leader of Secret Service assigned to protect the female NSA head. As always, stuff goes wrong and bullets start flying. The film has a real ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 feel as Lundgren and his crew fight off mercenaries at a remote hotel. Lundgren is actually a better director than half the guys he's worked with in the last 10 years. He has a sense of style, tight pacing and isn't afraid to throw around the red stuff. The plot also has a few nice twists I didn't see coming. So, if you "get it" than this gets the highest rating.
Review of The Defender
