Explosive
Summary
Men of War is one of Dolph Lundgren’s finest hours and I’m delighted companies like MVD exist to give us Blu-rays of these films that could so easily end up forgotten. The film has some fantastic action scenes and the interview with Jérémie Damoiseau is incredibly informative making this a worthy addition to your physical media collection.
Plot: Action hero Dolph Lundgren thrilled you in Rocky IV and Universal Soldier… Now he’s back in the heart stopping Men of War. Nick Gunar (Lundgren) is part of a topflight team of ex-Special Forces agents hired by ruthless con men. Their mission: to carry out a secret operation and overtake an exotic island that’s loaded with precious jade. But once there, the agents — led by Lundgren — defect to defend the islanders against the savage attackers! It’s nonstop action as Lundgren and his elite group wage war to defeat the deadly opposition at any cost. From acclaimed screenwriter John Sayles (Lone Star, Eight Men Out) — you’ll love every hard-hitting minute.
Review: I got the MVD Blu-ray of Men of War for Christmas and it’s been a few years since I last checked the film out. After rewatching it I consider it arguably one of Dolph Lundgren’s best films and it has more depth and characterization that you’d expect in a movie like this. Dolph gives one of his finest performances as Nick Gunar, a mercenary who takes on a mission but ends up having a change of heart.
The late Trevor Goddard was never a subtle actor always bringing a manic energy to his characters which is why he was a perfect addition to the cast as Keefer; Nick’s old nemesis working for their old Colonel, Merrick (Kevin Tighe). Aside from Keefer who is just a hateful maniac, the other characters do some soul searching where some join Merrick with a select few joining Nick in protecting the island.
Although there isn’t constant action Men of War still has plenty to keep things moving including several fight scenes, explosions and shoot-outs. The final showdown between Nick and Keefer is fantastic and I find myself emotionally involved with it because I hate Keefer so much.
It’s beautifully shot and the area in Thailand where it was filmed has since become a popular tourist area.
The supporting cast includes BD Wong, Tom Wright, Tommy Lister Jr., and Charlotte Lewis with director Perry Lang showing up as Lyle. This is one of the best acted movies in Lundgren’s library and after 30 years it still holds up with an engaging story and an action packed final half hour that makes up for a slight pacing lull in the middle of the film.
MVD’s new Blu-ray of the film isn’t packed with special features, but there are enough to make this worth adding to your collection.
- Introduction by Director Perry Lang
- An Unsafe Place: Making Men of War
- Raw Footage / Dailies of Select Scenes
- Photo Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
The main reason is the documentary An Unsafe Place: Making Men of War featuring an interview with Jérémie Damoiseau who provides some fascinating insights into how the film got made. Early on there was an idea for it to be a buddy movie with Dolph and Jeff Speakman which obviously is not how the movie would turn out. It was also initially going to be called A Safe Place which is really what the film is about – Nick finally finding love and a safe place to live the rest of his days. It doesn’t exactly scream “ACTION!” though so I understand why the title was changed. There is a brief 36 second introduction from Perry Lang and a few trailers and Dailies, but nothing to write home about. Thankfully, the film is entertaining enough.
Overall, Men of War is one of Dolph Lundgren’s best films and although there aren’t a ton of special features the film itself is worth owning on Blu-ray and Jérémie Damoiseau’s knowledge of the film is second to none proving that he is the real action elite.