The Russian Specialist

source: The Russian Specialist

His family killed dead by the Mafia in a drug deal gone bad, Dolph returns to Russia from a stateside sabbatical to finish the job he failed six years earlier. With the added goal of rescuing a pimped Americenne as moral ammunition. The acting leaves you expecting a sudden plot twist where it's revealed you were duped and you are watching a cheap porno. While the whole time you're wondering what kind of sicko gives a bunch of Russian kids guns and tells them to watch Dolph's back. Naturally they pass the Mechanik's pop sweep test, but as time passes and bullets bounce through him into his comrades it's apparent they won't last the journey. Fortunately for progression's sake the Mafioso had the sense to read the script the night before. While the good guys favour plenty of pit stops to slow their escape in a clapped-out van the bad guys take a laid-back approach arriving comfortably in stylish executive saloons. Interrogating discarded support actors until the general direction of the next set is revealed. The showdown redefines the term 'tactical weapons' with bullet-strider Dolph picking an over and under shotgun to irritate the opposition into submission while his rag-tag troupe make every attempt to get themselves shot. In a moment of climactic tension the drop off driver reverses a front-wheel drive into a shallow ditch and is righteously executed for his lack of skills. Giddy from the acquisition of a suitcase full of dollars the boss trips headfirst into hostage soup. Dolph fishes him out only to put him back with both barrels. Thankfully, after a brief tear-jerking mother daughter reunion you can switch off, go to sleep and repress all that trauma.

Dolph has really done it. The Mechanik is an action movie at it best. It has everything an action flick needs. A good guy, a bad guy, shooting, close combat, blood and broken bones and a huge death count at the (happy) end. The story is very simple. Nikolai Cherenko (Lundgren) is a former spetznas (Russian special forces) who, after his family was killed by a mafia boss, went to the US to work as a mechanic. After 7 years a lady comes to him and wants to hire him to save here daughter which was kidnapped by the same gangster. Nick finally takes the job but of course it is not about the money but all about vengeance. He gets a backup team and… from here on the story and the end is quite predictable. But it is not the story that makes this movie a must see. It is the details, and mostly it is what the movie leaves out. You won't find long dialogs about morale and ethics, heroism in terms of "leave me behind I'm just slowing you down!" and then the obligatory "never I'd rather die!". There are also no long man on man fights. What do you do if a black belt attacks you? Well if it would bee any other movie, such a situation would develop into a 1 hour bare hands fight. But not here. Take your gun and shoot him. It is that simple. A very similar situation, the bad guy falls to the ground and loses his gun. Wait till he gets up? Continue the fight without weapons? Bah! You are standing, he is on the ground, you've got a gun, he hasn't. Shoot him! Not very honorable, but very fast and effective. After all he is there to get the girl not to win a karate tournament. At the end, The Mechanik is not your typical action flick. The hero is not as heroic as you would perhaps like to have him. He is not doing all this because it is the right thing, but because he wants to see blood. The Mechanik is a great action movie, just like in the good old times when action didn't try to bee anything else, but simply action. It is simple, violent, direct and pure as the best Russian vodka! A must see!

I have just seen this movie, and so thought that I should comment on it. It's been a while since I have seen an action movie of 'this type'. You know, where the 'hero' gets wronged and has go after the bad guys, regardless of the fact that he is one man, and he is going up against a well connected organisation. But this movie was very different, as the hero uses his brain as much as his brawn, accepts help albeit a bit reluctantly, and has a second reason for his quest. The direction is very tight and classy - I commend Dolph as I can't even remember the name of the last film I saw him in - I just seem to remember that it was fairly awful. The characters build well in this film - not just a bunch of bullet fodder, and although there are quite a few deaths you actually feel for some of the characters. There is a lot of violence - the fighting scenes are well orchestrated and look very realistic -it's definitely not one for the kids, and being a fan of gore and splatter effects, I was pleasantly surprised to see that when people got shot, there was a real bloody impact in each scene, that didn't seem at all over the top like some squibs end up looking. The acting was superb from all involved, although I do think that one scene where the rescued girl has a grizzle was a tad hammy, but it lasted seconds and didn't spoil my enjoyment or the flow of the film. For what it was I would say this is one of the best films of its genre I have seen. If, when you think of Dolph Lundgren, you only get a picture of him saying "I must break you" from the Rocky film, think again and check this movie out. You'll be glad you did !

Dolph Lundgren stars as Nikolai a Russian special forces officer who takes vengeance on the (russian) mobsters who killed his family, assuming that the killer is dead, he works as a mechanic however when he is asked to help a European heiress, Nikolai needs little convincing when he finds out that the man who took her is the same man who killed his family in this fairly engaging straight to DVD release. Dolph Lundgren has always been one of the more engaging action stars in the market and he certainly crafts excellent action scenes (Especially the climax) but where as The Defender had more twists and satisfying punch,this one is let down by a screenplay that is too mediocre to really work. Still this is above average for the genre and despite a few silly moments, The Russian Specialist works fairly well. Also fans of Lundgren who wanted a sequel to Red Scorpion, here you go. Matt Bronson 2.5/5

Dolph's first directing effort, The Defender, was a nice little action piece. Granted, the movie was low budget, but there was enough enthusiasm and excitement to make it worthwhile. The Russian Specialist,aka The Mechanik, as it should be called; is a distinct step UP for Dolph. His direction is incredibly assured for someone who's only directed one other movie. I won't go into story specifics here because everybody already knows what this about. However, I will go into the production and performances. Dolph has changed as an actor. He's matured, he's confident in his skin. That is half the battle, and he wins bigtime. Ben Cross is the comedy relief/dramatic Brit. He's one of the film's better assets. The rest of the performers are more than adequate. The villains in particular, are slimy and nasty. It's a good thing they're slaughtered in such a brutal fashion!!! The script for this film, while hardly original, is pretty good for low budget fare like this. It pushes all the right buttons at the right time. The dialog is also quite good. Dolph, the director, is in very good form. His style is loose and fluid. Think Tony Scott meets John Woo and you're on the right track. The score by Elia Cmiral is haunting when it needs to be and tense when the crap hits the fan. Which brings us to the action set pieces. Although they're not numerous, the action scenes are well done and VIOLENT! Dolph pulls no punches with this flick. The deaths come fast, hard and furious! Overall, this little film is quite good. I eagerly await the next Dolph film. To those who have not checked out this film and The Defender, I recommend you do so.

I saw this film for rent and although it's not the sort of film I'd usually go for, being a Dolph Lundgren movie, I was intrigued by the cool looking front cover. I read up some reviews, courtesy of IMDb, the only ones I could find. It did seem a popular movie. Anyways I hired it and I must say the IMDb rating doesn't do this film justice. It is really a surprise because it has some great little moments in it. Also it packs a punch in the more violent scenes and doesn't hold back, and I mean I was really wincing in some moments. It didn't occur to me until the film opened and credited Lundgren himself as director. He did a fantastic job and his portrayal of violence really hits home like my favorite director Mr Paul Verhoeven. Lundgren I know is someone critics always mock, like Schwarzenegger, but Lundgren really shows talent as a director. I will have to watch his other film the Defender. In regards to the acting, Lundgren also did a good job. Ben Cross is a good actor too and he does well in this film. This is overall a quality piece, well worth watching.

The Mechanik