If you only count theatrical released films you probably think that Rocky IV and Universal Soldier star Dolph Lundgren has only appeared in the two Expendables movies and the upcoming third movie. However, people like me who actually think Lundgren is a better actor than anyone gives him credit for know that Lundgren has starred in four to six direct-to-DVD action movies every year since The Expendables returned him to the popular action movie radar. I’ve reviewed some of those features, including One in the Chamber, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and The Package. However, in each of those films Lundgren wasn’t the lead (no matter how large his name appeared on the DVD case), which is unfortunate because in all three cases he was the best part of the movie. So I was happy to see when I received Blood of Redemption that Lundgren was the star and first-billed. In a casting tactic that has become common since The Expendables became a hit franchise, Lundgren stars in Blood of Redemption with other aging action movie names including Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) and Robert Davi (Licence to Kill), and all look pretty grizzled.
Blood of Redemption is a familiar story of an aging mobster (Robert Miano) who choses to retire from the life in order to spare his two sons, Quinn (Billy Zane) and Kurt (Gianni Capaldi), from continuing to live their lives in the cycle of crime and violence. While Quinn is involved in the family business, good-natured Kurt is a boxer who wants to become an FBI agent. However, because of a murky series of betrayals and power struggles that decimates the family, the family’s bodyguard Axel (Lundgren) finds that it is up to him to find out what really brought down clients that were more than just employers, they were his friends.
Obviously you don’t watch Blood of Redemption to see state of the art filmmaking, you watch it to get a solid, reliable, and entertaining dose of action. That’s absolutely what you get here, and it’s much better than most of the direct-to-DVD action movies I’ve reviewed in the past few years. Want to see Lundgren get in a fight with a chain-wielding prostitute? Of course, why wouldn’t you? Lundgren handles the material with his usual tough-guy persona with a dash of his usual humor. He always knows he’s not starring in an Oscar-winner, so he relaxes and has fun. Though Jones and Davi are also top-billed, Davi in particular really only makes a token appearance here. Meanwhile, Jones plays the exact same character he plays in every movie.
I’d love to be able to credit the filmmakers who brought this good stuff out of Lundgren, but the credits are pretty confusing. Giorgio Serafini is listed as “Director” and co-wrote the screenplay, but Shawn Sourgose is listed as “Co-Director” and also co-wrote the screenplay. I’ve never seen that arrangement, but it makes me think that Serafini directed a majority of the film and Sourgose finished it for whatever reason. If that’s the case, I was surprised how consistent the movie ended up being.
As usual, you won’t find much that’s new with Blood of Redemption, but you probably wouldn’t be looking for a movie like this if you were. If you’re a fan of Lundgren you’ll be happy to see him in a direct-to-DVD film that has him front and center. Even if the plot “twists” aren’t exactly surprising, it doesn’t mean it’s not fun.
The Disc
There is only one feature here, and the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack has it on each disc. It’s a twelve minute “Making Of” feature, which could more accurately be described as “Cast Members Talk About Why They Liked Making Blood of Redemption.” In other words, you won’t learn much about the making of the film, but you’ll see clips of Lundgren, Jones, and others talking about how much they enjoyed being in a movie together. So it’s probably worth skipping — you won’t find anything particularly interesting here.
Movie Rating: Dolph Lundgren is the lead ass-kicking in this “been there, done that” movie that is still a lot of fun (5.5/10).
Disc Rating: Nothing much to see here (2/10).
Blood of Redemption will be released on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on September 24 from Entertainment One.
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