Summary
The action starDolph Lundgrenwas most known for his villain roles, but he’s played an action hero in plenty of instances. Although readily associated with Ivan Drago fromRocky IVor Sgt. Andrew Scott inUniversal Solider, Lundgren was just as adept at saving the day and fighting for what was right. As a writer, director, and performer, Lundgren has had many fantastic roles in B-movie action films, direct-to-video smashes, and several beloved cult classics that, although some flopped upon release, have been since reappraised as underappreciated gems.
While he often struggled with being typecast in villainous roles, some ofLundgren’s strongest charactershad him cast as the hero. For the past 45 years, Lundgren has carved out his place as an action movie legend, and it’s important to recognize his many successes as a compelling onscreen hero and not focus primarily on his incredible skill at portraying a villain. Some ofthe greatest Lundgren movies had him playing the hero who saved the day.
Dolph Lundgren’sCastle Fallswas a well-crafted action thrillerthat, unfortunately, lacked narrative clarity. Directed by and starring Lundgren, this story about two broken men in a race against time featured intense and well-choreographed action sequences but lost points for a weak and muddled storyline.Castle Fallsexplored rival gangs who sought millions of dollars hidden in a hospital due for demolition, and the men who came for the man who found the loot.
Lundgren brought emotional stakes and depth to his role of Richard Ericsonin an otherwise lackluster narrative as he posed as a prison guard and sought the money to pay for his daughter’s cancer treatment. While this plotline acted as Ericson’s motivation,Castle Fallswas an action-thriller first and foremost, delivering on shootouts, hand-to-hand combat, and goons who met end by falling through elevator shafts. Despite some narrative flaws,Castle Fallswas an enjoyable late-career action film from Lundgren.
Masters of the Universe
Cast
Masters of the Universe follows the battle between He-Man and the evil Skeletor, who seizes Castle Grayskull with the mysterious Cosmic Key. As Skeletor gains power, He-Man allies with locksmith Gwildor to recover the weapon, leading both forces to Earth, where it inadvertently lands in the hands of two teenagers.
Dolph Lundgren truly embodied the Mattel hero He-Man in the 1987 fantasy action movieMasters of the Universe. As the most powerful man in the universe,Lundgren played the iconic character to perfection in a B-movie fun-filled adventurethat co-starred Frank Langella as the sinister warlord Skeletor. WhileMasters of the Universewas a flop at the time of its release, in the years since, it has developed a reputation as an underappreciated cult classic.
As Lundgren’s first leading role following the success ofRocky IV,Masters of the Universewas Lundgren’s chance to prove his leading-man potential. A sequel had been planned, but following the failure ofMasters of the Universeand other movies such asSuperman IV: The Quest for PeaceandLifeforce, the company Cannon Films was bought out (viaLA Times.) The costumes and sets made for theMasters of the Universesequel were then repurposed for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1989 sci-fi filmCyborg(viaCBR.)
New Live-Action Masters Of The Universe Movie Is Flipping A Huge Part Of Dolph Lundgren’s 1987 Disaster
The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie is flipping the biggest problem with the 1987 version – but it might still suffer for it.
Bridge of Dragons
The tough and cold mercenary Warchild, is working for the man who took care of his war training and upbringing, the greedy General Ruechang. Ruechang is planning to take over the country by marrying Princess Halo. But Halo discovers that Ruechang killed her father to gain more power than he had working for the King, so she decides to run away. Warchild is the one who has to bring her back to Ruechang, but the one thing no one counted on happens… Warchild and Halo falls in love, and together they take on the forces of Ruechang…
Dolph Lundgren had an opportunity to show off his action-hero side inBridge of Dragons, a story about a tough mercenary torn between loyalty to his general and saving the woman he loved. With high-intensity action, plenty of gunfights, and a take-no-prisoners attitude, Lundgren played Warchild, a man raised to be violent by the greedy General Ruechang. Ruechang sought to take over a country by marrying Princess Halo, but she ran away. Warchild was then tasked with retrieving her, although one thing he never expected to find was romance.
WhileBridge of Dragonswon’t go down in history as the greatest action movie of all time, it was a lot of fun and delivered on its promise of outrageous, action-packed thrills. Set in a post-apocalyptic feudal world where everybody’s armed with machine guns, Lundgren continually kicked ass as he racked up an impressive body count. While there were no dragons in sight and very few bridges,Bridge of Dragonswill certainly please B-movie action lovers.
Skin Trade
Skin Trade is an action thriller directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, featuring Dolph Lundgren and Tony Jaa. The film follows a New York City detective’s quest for vengeance against a Serbian gang, leading him to team up with a Thai detective. Together, they aim to dismantle a human trafficking ring. Also starring Ron Perlman and Michael Jai White, Skin Trade explores themes of justice and retribution.
The thrillerSkin Tradefeatured an action-movie dream team combination of Dolph Lundgren andmartial arts star Tony Jaa. With non-stop action and a script co-written by Lundgren,SkinTradehighlighted human trafficking in Southeast Asiaas a New York City detective teamed up with a Thai officer and sought revenge on the human trafficking syndicate responsible for the death of his family. Ron Perlman played a Serbian mob boss, Viktor Dragović, which added to an already impressive cast.
Skin Tradedelivered on its promise of non-stop action, and Lundgren was given a chance to play the hero Detective Nick Cassidy, but there were also so many action movie cliches and tropes throughout that it at times felt bordering on parody. With an overly complex plot and plenty of twists and turns,Skin Tradewas enjoyable but failed to reach the highs of Lundgren’s best work. It’s one worth checking out for sure, as its spectacular action and stellar cast made up for its derivative qualities.
Men of War
Men of War is an action film directed by Perry Lang starring Dolph Lundgren as Nick Gunar, a mercenary hired to lead a team on a mission to an island in Southeast Asia. Their objective is to secure the island for a corporation seeking its rich resources. However, Gunar and his team face moral dilemmas and opposition from the island’s inhabitants as the mission progresses.
Men of Warhad everything audiences could ask for from a 1990s action movie starring Dolph Lundgren as the hero. With a story that followed an ex-Special Ops soldier drawn back into one last job on the South China Sea,Men of Warwas far better than the average direct-to-video action movie release. Lundgren played Nick Gunar, who initially led a group of mercenaries tasked with forcing Island natives to sign over their mining rights, but allegiances soon changed, and Gunar found himself fighting on the side of the Islanders.
With a noble cause at its core, Lundgren got to play against type as a man of honor, desperately fighting for what he believed was right. With countless gunfights and well-choreographed fight sequences, this fast-paced film featured an incredibly committed performance from Lundgren. With ascreenplay co-written by two-time Acamedy Award-nominated writer John Sayles,Men of Warwas clever, insightful, and full of violence.
Red Scorpion
A Spetsnaz commando is sent on a covert mission by his Soviet superiors to infiltrate a rebel army and assassinate its leader.
In an inversion of some of Dolph Lundgren’s best villain roles,Red ScorpionfeaturedLundgren as the Russian Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Petrovitch Rachenko, a special forces operative sent to assassinate an anti-communist rebel leader in Africa. However, as the film progressed, Rachenko realized he was not seeing the full picture and ended up siding with the rebels. This interesting perspective switch for Lundgren as his noble realization gaveRed Scorpionmore depth.
WhileRed Scorpionwas full of cliches and paled compared to Lundgren’s best action movies, it still delivered a thrill-fueled good time. This was one of the few times afterRocky IVwhere Lundgren played a Russian, as it was important after that major success to avoid being typecast.Red Scorpionhad a 1994 sequel, althoughRed Scorpion 2did not include Lundgren and was mostly unrelated to the original.
Command Performance
Command Performance is an action thriller directed by and starring Dolph Lundgren. The film centers on a rock drummer who gets caught in a high-stakes situation when a concert in Russia is taken hostage by armed terrorists. Faced with life-and-death decisions, he must use his skills to protect the hostages and thwart the attackers.
Dolph Lundgren has normally played either a bloodthirsty villain or a noble man of the law, so it was unusual to see him portray a rock star in the action movieCommand Performance. Lundgren played Joe Reynolds, a former biker turned drummer whose band was scheduled to play a rock concert in Moscow. Of course, things did not go as planned, and Joe was forced to take on Russian criminals after the concertgoers were taken hostage.
Command Performancewas co-written and directed by Lundgren, and although its story of a lone hero in a location under siege has been continually ripped off sinceDie Hard, it had enough self-referential fun to pull it off. With plenty of takedowns of Russian mercenaries, some paper-thin political commentary, and a decent amount of humor,Command Performancewas a chaotic mayhem that proved a movie doesn’t need to be a blockbuster to succeed.Command Performancewon no originality awards, but it never set out to.
Silent Trigger
Silent Trigger is a 1996 action thriller directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Dolph Lundgren as a former hitman for a shadowy organization. Tasked with a high-stakes mission in a secluded location, he faces off against a fellow sniper while grappling with his conscience and past betrayals. The film explores themes of loyalty and redemption amid intense action sequences.
FromHighlanderdirector Russell Mulchy,Silent Triggerstars Dolph Lundgren as a former Special Forces agent named Waxman, now working as an assassin for a top-secret government agency. After a covert mission went awry, Waxman and his female spotter, Clegg, soon found themselves the agency’s primary targets. With an incredible stylistic aesthetic, a unique mood, and an interesting on-the-run plot,Silent Triggerexuded 1990s action movie charm made even better through Lundgren’s cold, calculated, and unnerving presence.
Silent Triggeradded a female perspective to the kind ofDie Hard-style action movie that has normally been incredibly male-focused. With great chemistry between Lundgren and his co-star Gina Bellman and a truly gritty feel,Silent Triggerdid a great job of carving out its unique style. With an excellent rock music soundtrack, painfully dated CGI, and some cheesy performances,Silent Triggerfelt likeLa Femme Nikitamixed withBlade Runner.
The Punisher
The Punisher is a 1989 action-adventure film featuring Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle, a former cop who becomes a vigilante following the tragic loss of his family. Set against the backdrop of a citywide gang war, Castle enacts his vengeance from the shadows, targeting organized crime.
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced Jon Bernthal as Punisher in Netflix’sDaredevil, Dolph Lundgren was known for his take onThe Punisher. Lundgren played Frank Castle in this early comic-book movie, a vigilante who decided to take the law into his own hands, ruthlessly kill the guilty, and take care of problems that the law could not. Punisher took out criminals, mobsters, and even the yakuza with signature knife throws in this action-packed culture classic.
While notthe bestThe Punishermovie, and was dismissed as trash when it was released, its reputation continued growing over the years, as it can now be viewed alongside the rise of the superhero genre. Lundgren made an excellent Punisher, whose wayward animosity toward the world and powerful need for justice and vengeance shone through. WhileThe Punisherwas more about an anti-hero than an outright action hero, it was one of Lundgren’s most enjoyable leading roles.
1I Come in Peace (1990)
Dolph Lundgren as Detective Jack Caine
One forgottenTerminatorrip-off audiences should check outwasI Come in Peace, which told the story of renegade cop Detective Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren.) Also known asDark Angelin some regions,I Come in Peaceinvolved an FBI plan to track down killer drug dealers from outer space. As an epic science fiction action movie,I Come in Peacedid not break any new ground, but it was certainly a lot of fun.
Lundgren delivered some of his very best one-liners inI Come in Peace, such as the impressive quip that while he comes in peace, his enemies will “go in pieces.” With incredible action sequences, remarkable weaponry, and a healthy dose of self-aware humor,ICome in Peacewas everything an action-lover could want from a 1990s sci-fi movie.I Come in Peacewas classic action heroDolph Lundgrenat his best and should be enjoyed as pure, unadulterated fun.
