Customer Reviews

The Russian Specialist

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dolph Lundgren made his directorial debut with the Defender. A great little action movie that was really what his fans could have hoped for, a triumphant return to his best. Now his second film shows that it wasn't merely a flash in the pan, or a fluke. Yes people Dolph Lundgren, never considered much kop in the acting department has now proved he is a more than capable director, even suggesting that his new role deserves him a shot at the big time.

The Mechanik's plot is thus: Nick Cherenko (Lundgren) is an ex-spetznaz, parachutist, who served in Afghanistan. He now lives in his homeland of Russia, with his wife and son working as a mechanic (hence the title.). During a drug deal involving Russian mobster Sasha, his wife and child are killed in the crossfire, Sasha gunning down Nick's wife. Nick later hunts down Sasha and his men, wiping them out and leaving Sasha assumed dead, with a nasty bullet hole in the face. Seven years later Nick is working in LA, illegally, as a mechanic when he is approached to do a job. He is to retrieve the kidnapped Julia, daughter of a wealthy businesswoman. Nick refuse until he discovers who kidnapped her, Sasha. He travels to Russia and meets with Burton (Ben Cross) who will supply him with weapon's and assembles a team of mercs to help Nick get back Julia, while at the same time finishing what he did 7 years previously, killing Sasha. The plot is simple yet writer Bryan Hill allows more focus on characters, clearly in the style of directors like Michael Mann. There are great character moments here, and some superbly played out scenes in amongst the action scenes focusing on character. it's the sort of quiet moments never seen in DTV action films, including a great dinner sequence where Nick and his men relax and unwind, a kind of calm before the storm. The dialogue is also engaging.

The film looks fantastic. The washed out colours, make this reminiscent of brutal 70's revenge flicks like Death Wish and Get Carter. Cinematographer Ross Clarkson has made sure this looks far beyond it's small budget. Similarly Dolph's visual style has developed even more since his exciting debut. He shoots the film with conviction, stylistically picking little apples from different orchards, not simply, as many directors do, picking from merely John Woo's orchard (that guy has no apples left on his trees I can tell you), but Dolph gives reference to a varied group, from Woo, to Mann, to Peter Yates and to modern indie directors like the Bourne films' Doug Liman and Peter Greengrass.

The action is excellent, a step up from the Defender. Again it's plentiful, yet the action is different in style. This time as opposed to a siege movie, this is an ass battering revenge flick so the action consists of bloody and violent shootouts, where like so rarely in his previous movies, every bullet has it's own bullet hole. Windows shatter, splinters fly, chest cavities burst open and things blow up. The fights scenes are brilliantly paced and use martial arts realistically. it's all done in one or two moves. No flashy Van Damme kicks, it's arm breaks, shoulder tosses and neck breaks. Also the film has some vehicular chases that impress too.

The music from Elia Cmirel is atmospheric, and delightfully reminiscent of his work in Ronin, simple, low key and effective. He doesn't go through the motions here, he creates a score, as if proud to be scoring this movie. This is possibly Dolph's best score, particularly in the context of it being a genuinely good little film. In terms of the sound mix, this, like Defender, is pure class. The use of sound is excellent, while the general editing of the film is slick, well paced and never goes overboard.

The cast are good. Dolph Lundgren gives probably his best performance. He doesn't over-stretch himself as many action stars have been prone too, yet he raises his level of performance and does well. Olivia Lee is a rising up and comer who does well as Julia. The remainder of the cast are also excellent. Real class is also added by Ben Cross. He is given a good role as drunk Brit, Burton. Burton is in love with a hooker, who helps get them into Sasha's club to retrieve Julia. Cross is excellent in a role more significant than I thought it would be. He is comical and shows conviction in the dramatic scenes and his presence is a real bonus to an already quality piece.

This film really does show the future to be bright for Lundgren, should he carry on directing his own movies. His cash cow power allows him to get his way on how he wants to film his action, meaning every last penny is spent, and time is taken for more elaborate set-ups. Lundgren shows himself worthy of another shot at the big time in a film Van Damme and Seagal could only dream of having on their CV's. In a generally great year for films, Dolph has produced that rare thing, a decent, well made, DTV movie. Not only that but he has done it twice! This is Lundgren's best by some way!

In `The Russian Specialist' (aka `The Mechanik'), Dolph Lundgren demonstrates that he is surprisingly competent as film director. In this second work as director, Lundgren succeeds in giving certain amount of complexity to the characters in this revenge story about Nick Cherenko, a retired Russian special forces solider who lost his son and wife because of the ruthless Russian mobster Sasha (Ivan Petrushinov).

The story is a familiar one. After the so-so opening, the film jumps to America 7 years later, and we find Lundgren's Nick working as mechanic. Nick is asked to retrieve a kidnapped daughter of one rich family, and accepts the job only because the kidnapper turns out the kingpin who is responsible for the death of his family. The film's story and its slow pace reminds us of the low-key B-action films made in the 1970s, as if to emphasize the fact, British veteran Ben Cross (very good) appears as Nick's aide Burton, who gets involved in the bloody fight against the mobsters more than he wishes.

[MODERN-DAY WESTERN] You cannot expect great car chases, explosions, or martial art actions in the film (which is presented by Nu Image). Though Lundgren as director gives several chases and one explosion scenes, `The Russian Specialist' is more like an old-fashioned Western film set in modern Russia, and as such it is not bad. Each shot of the film's finale, in which we see one prolonged shoot-outs that goes on nearly half an hour, shows that Lundgren can handle action sequences very well, even though the results might be better with tighter editing. Curiously each scene ends with fade-outs frequently, but its intention is not clear to me.

Some gun actions are violent and bloody, but at the same time `The Russian Specialist' shows sometimes beautifully-shot, stylized images with its clever use of old buildings and landscapes in Russia and Bulgaria. Though the fact that the film is little better than average B-action film does not change, and Lundgren shows no outstanding actions or acting here, it is true that he is a competent director, and if given decent budget and script, he would be able to make a much better film than this one sooner or later.

First, I have seen the Defender, I told myself this guy will be a good director and I have seen this movie and I am saying again: Dolph is a better director than many of the directors of the big budget movies.

This movie is a kind of revenge movie. Some scenes reminded me Wild Bunch. It is Kill them all movie but it is different. There is something special about this movie. Maybe colors, but probably it is about camera moves. I don't know. See this movie if you like action movies.

Nikolai Cherenko (Dolph Lundgren) was an ex-Spetznaz agent enjoying life when his wife and son were gunned down in a mafia shootout. After spending seven years running from his past in the United States as a car mechanic, he's approached with a private offer: to rescue an elderly woman's daughter (Olivia Lee, "Balls of Steel") from the clutches of the ruthless mob boss (Ivan Petrushinov) - the same responsible for the murder of his family.

I'm glad that Lundgren has taken to directing his own films since The Defender; he's more than competent, learns from his mistakes, has an eye for detail, and knows how to highlight his strengths and hide his weaknesses. All of these qualities are on display in "The Mechanik", which may be the best Lundgren-directed film yet and arguably one of the best starring flicks he's ever done, Universal Soldier and Army of One included. Apparently aware of the problems plaguing the DTV genre, director Lundgren provides good cinematography, minimizes CGI effects, and generally brings the entire production more down-to-earth than many films of this budget ($5 million) tend to be. Writer Bryan Hill ties up all loose ends and keeps the story from becoming convoluted and manages passable dialogue, even in the more dramatic scenes.

Speaking of dramatic scenes, nobody really butchers their screentime except Olivia Lee, but luckily she only has a few lines. The rest of the cast does well: Lundgren still has the Slavic accent down and switches without much effort between English and Russian (though he doesn't speak much of either), Ben Cross (Undisputed II - Last Man Standing) gives a good and slightly-humorous performance as a forlorn agent, and Ivan Petrushinov is perfectly deplorable as the remorseless mob boss. The rest of the cast is mainly made up by members of Lundgren's assault team and the mafia party: Raicho Vasilev (Diamond Dogs), Assen Blatechki ("The Lark Farm"), Antony Argirov (Hammerhead), and others aren't particularly memorable for the most part, but since their performances don't hinder the picture, that's a good thing.

The action is not as abundant as it was in, say, Showdown in Little Tokyo, but while this is disappointing, what's there is fairly good. There are three decisive fight scenes: the first takes place in an apartment complex in which Lundgren takes on a team of assassins via some knifework and a decent shootout; the next is an extensive fight/shootout throughout a club that features some satisfying hand-to-hand work; the final shootout is reminiscent of the shoot & stalk finale of Missionary Man, wherein Lundgren shares the spotlight generously with his other teammates in dispatching bad guys.
The gunplay, as you expect, is brutal and bloody, and in greater abundance than the martial arts. Lundgren throws a few kicks, but he's not practicing karate: this is a much more gritty way of fighting incorporating many over-the-shoulder throws, and it looks better than the half-tired technical stuff he's had to do in many of his previous movies.

There is some criticism to be given, though. On the surface, there's a bit too much unnecessary slow-motion and one-too-many flashbacks to the deaths of Lundgren's family. More intricately, however, I'm not sure how effectively this movie will grip fans both, casual and devoted: it's well-made, but not exactly fun popcorn entertainment. In all, it's more of a revenge tale than an action movie, and viewers ought to have this made clear to them before they go in expecting another The Punisher or something.

I'm torn between rating this either three stars or four...but for the sake of its overall quality, I'm settling on a four. This is more a movie for "serious" Lundgren fans, but they at least are guaranteed a treat via their hero's adventures in Moscow (or is it St. Petersburg?). The standard for DTV films has been raised, and we have Dolph to thank for that - that ought to count for at least something on its own.

i believe this is one of Dolph Lundgren's action flicks 'The Russian Specialist' compared to such other titles as 'Retrograde'(not that good). I give him alot of credit for writing, directing and starring in the majority of his movies.

This was better than a lot of the big budget action movies that are put out today in the theaters. I think Dolph is like Charles Bronson. He makes good solid action stuff overseas and though he is older he is just getting better.

Oh yeah! This kind of movie to see a former soldier turned mechanic kill bad guys until they bleed a lot!! Hell yeah!

Dolph Lundgren directs himself in a film for the second time in The Russian Specialist (2005). Lungren also authored the original story, which is a mostly straightforward action adventure, without a great deal of depth, or sensitivity.

Originally titled The Mechanik, the film is about Russian auto mechanic Nikolai Cherenko, who tragically loses his family. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Cherenko's son is an innocent victim, while his wife is cold bloodedly gunned down by crime boss Alexander 'Sasha' Popov (Ivan Petrushinov), in a shootout in a Russian village. Cherenko later retaliates, shooting Popov in the head.

Seven years later, Cherenko is living in LA, when he is asked by a woman to help rescue her kidnapped daughter Julia (Olivia Lee), who is being held in Russia. When Nick learns that Popov, who he thought was dead, is involved in the kidnapping, he agrees to help. Arriving in St. Petersburg, Cherenko hooks up with William Burton (Ben Cross), a man with connections, who informs him, that Julia is being held at Popov's nightclub. Cherenko seems inclined to just wing it, but Burton has a plan, and a team of mercenaries ready to execute it. Nick and Burton have to shoot their way out of Burton's apartment, and the operation at the club, also turns out to be a rather messy affair. Discovering a drugged up Julia working as a prostitute, they have to again shoot their way out of trouble. Eventually they make it to a safe house in near the Finnish border. While preparing to cross the border, Popov and his goons arrive, and all hell breaks loose one last time.

The highlight of the film is the final shootout. Perhaps because he directing, Lundgren is not the complete center of attention. With the action following other characters, the conflict plays out in a tense, gritty, and pretty realistic way, as the combatants maneuver between farm animals, clotheslines, fences, and manure. True to the image on the DVD cover, Cherenko's weapon of choice is a shotgun. While perhaps not the most sensible choice, it serves Nick very well, and he employs it to good measure, in sending Sasha to a better place.

While the finale definitely has impact, the rest of the film is not as strong, and would have benefited from a tighter script and better pacing. While featuring some nice cinematic scenes here and there, the movie is not edited very well, with numerous fade outs, and some scenes strung together haphazardly.

Nick is apparently so damaged by what happened to his family, that except for anger, he's practically emotionless, with little to say. Initially, there's not much sympathy for Julia, who after being treated like a piece of meat by Popov, gets treated like a prisoner after being 'rescued'. Ironically, it is Julia who feels sorry for the death and pain, that has occurred during to her rescue. Well, it's not like the mercenaries did it for love. A scene around the dinner table, at the home of Nick's old army buddy, is nicely done. As the calm before the storm, it features some of the film's only warm moments. Too bad the same kind of sensitivity, was not shown to Julia.

Lundgren's films rarely feature an actor with a resume as extensive as Ben Cross (Star Trek, Chariots of Fire), and the two men work together quite well. Cross's performance as a hard drinking, foul mouthed, beat up warrior, with one fight left in him, is a little forced, but helps make up for Lundgren's limited dialog. Superficial, and with some rough edges, the strong finish lifts The Russian Specialist, to a barely average action adventure.

I have never seen Dolph Lundgren's movies, so this was a first. This is a well directed action movie and should have gotten more merit for Lundgren. I will say this, Ben Cross was excellent playing Burton! He was a great supporting actor here, and even provided a bit of comic relief in some spots. Just for some FYI, Burton is an arms dealer who is pretty much--a drunk...However, when push comes to shove, he does pull his head out of his backside to get the job done, while trying to keep Lundgren's head down on Planet Earth. If for nothing else, get it to see his performance alone! It totally rocked! Lundgren played the part of the grief stricken, revenge seeking family man well too...While watching this, it brought "The Punisher" to mind a bit.

cliched and stereotyped action movie. lundgren is a mediocre actor, trying to be a director only prolongs his mediocrity but not a new territory. there's nothing special or new of this movie and i just felt quite bored when i watched it.