Missionary Man (2007)

| Action,Drama,Western
English
"No sin shall go unpunished. " A mysterious stranger rolls into town on a unique motorcycle. All he carries is the bible and a desire for justice. Past vengeance collides as Ryder rights an injustice from his past and liberates the small town from a malicious oppressor.
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Dolph hits the high notes again with one of his best!
Dolph's latest film, and his third foray into directing, is once again
one of his career best. Like The Mechanik, Dolph puts to bed some of
the murkier days of his back catalogue, and proves, that the best man
to help bring Dolph Lundgren back into the limelight, is Dolph
Lundgren! Delving once more into a film with a theme of revenge, as in
The Mechanik, there might have been a niggling worry, that re-treading
that ground could breed familiarity. But what Dolph delivers is an
action film in style, tone, and look, that is not only far removed from
what he's previously done, but a film that just looks and feels fresh.
There aren't many action films out there like Missionary Man, on a
visual, tonal level.
In Missionary Man, Dolph stars as Ryder, a mysterious stranger who
rides into town for a friends funeral. Pretty soon he's rubbing local
oppressor John Reno up the wrong way. As the film progresses we start
to see Ryder has other motives for being in town. It's a modern western
and has some great western trademarks, including a fantastic climax.
However though on paper the story has similar arcs as Dolph's previous
directing effort, Missionary Man is such a contrast. It's a whole
different style of flick, and with Dolph's increased level or creative
control since his last directing gig, it's a more complete vision.
As director, Dolph really has a great visual eye here. What's great
about the film, is that beyond the choice of super-16, it feels as if
Dolph is in complete control. He's constrained by a tight budget
certainly, but he spends it brilliantly, and really creates a great
atmosphere. Dolph, his DP Bing Rao, and steadicam operator, George R
Niedson combine to create a visual delight. There's some great shots in
this film, and it has a feeling of being a graphic novel brought to
life, particularly with some almost picturesque still shots. Dolph has
gone all out here. At times it feels quite arty, and considering this
is a DTV film, and a Dolph Lundgren film, that's quite something! The
choice of super-16 is one that can be fraught with peril. There's a
graininess to it, and the way it picks up light and colour can
sometimes make a film look bad if not in the hands of a capable or
inspired DP. Of course not only is the film well shot, but given it was
shot on super- 16, there was the advantage of it being mastered
directly onto HD. This also allowed for easier digital grading, as well
as ensuring the film looked crisp. I mean this sucker has a great
transfer. Dolph makes full use of the grading tool, and gives the film
an almost monochrome look. The de-saturated picture adds to the
foreboding atmosphere, and is also ably helped along by the low key and
effective score by Elia Cmiral (Ronin, The Mechanik). Elsewhere Dolph
knows action, having worked with the likes of John Woo, and he delivers
here. There's short punctuations of violence throughout the film,
before the inevitable, and just downright badass showdown. Dolph just
goes Terminator on some biker dudes and it rocks the action Kasbah! As
actor, Dolph does well here too. He's no Olivier, he knows it himself,
but he plays to his strength, playing the Eastwood style man of few
words, but immense badassedness (not a real word, but should be!).
Parallels with Clint will be made of course, both being movie tough
guys who made the jump from actor to writer and director. Dolph will
not likely have the success of Clint, but he's the straight to video
equivalent I guess, and there's no great shame in that anymore. Dolph's
got that tough guy charisma. Nowadays what we lack in cinema is action
stars, with the sheer hardness and tough as nails presence that Clint,
Bronson, Arnie, Sly, and the likes of Seagal and Lundgren, used to
deliver. We've not had any new action men come along who had the same
presence, merely pretenders like Vin Diesel and The Rock. There's also
been thesp's like Matt Damon, who while magnificent as Bourne isn't
gonna settle down into the handing people their asses genre. You do
have to, with the odd exception, have to look in the direct to video
market for a good old school hardass action flick, and visit the old
guard like Dolph and Jean Claude.
The remainder of the cast are mixed. Given the films budget, the
support cast isn't great. The incidental characters, probably including
locals given a place on screen, aren't great. Thankfully though the
important roles are well filled. As Reno, Matthew Tompkins makes for a
good bad guy. Also starring is August Schellenberg a very good actor
who fans of Free Willy will likely remember, and he adds a bit of
gravitas to proceedings. Young actress Chelsea Ricketts is superb, and
surely has a bright future ahead of her (the kid who plays her older
brother isn't great to be honest- but his role is insignificant). John
Enos III stars as the lead biker and Ryder's main foe, and though he
only comes in toward the end of the movie, he does a great job.
Overall, while the film won't win originality prizes, it feels fresh
because of the style. It's just a good old fashioned R rated action
film, proving big set pieces and oodles of CGI do not make a good
action film (*cough* Transformers!! *cough*). Dolph is getting more
assured behind the camera with every film, while also showing a
versatility to switch style and tone. All three of his films have been
markedly different, but Missionary Man stands out as something that is
perhaps his most unique work. Action fans will not be disappointed. I'd
love to see Dolph given a bit more money to play around with. ****