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Dolph Lundgren is one tough SOB. The action icon has endured a lot of the years including a fight with cancer and a serious ankle injury that sidelined him for a fair amount of time. Lundgren is truly just as tough, if not more, than the ones he plays in the movies, but he also has been known to direct some pretty solid indie action films as well. His most recent was Castle Falls that was a victim of the pandemic a few years back, but Lundgren is not one to let challenges get in his way. He’s a cancer survivor for good sake so movie production issues are probably not as fierce or intimidating.
The action icon is back this week with his latest triple threat Wanted Man which sees him in the director’s and writer’s chair while starring as an old school cop who has his share of problems including police brutality charges and cries of racism after his nefarious incident went viral on the web. That’s not the worst of it as he also must contend with a routine prisoner transfer that is anything but routine as hired killers emerge from the woodwork to take him and his charges out with some extreme prejudice. You thought you were having a bad day,
Lundgren stars as Travis Johansen and I have to commend him as he truly takes chances with his films with this character being really unsympathetic as the movie starts. There’s a reason why people are crying racist when it comes to him. It’s because he is one. He has no love loss for illegals or anyone from south of the border so to get him out of the way until the dust settles, he’s assigned to extract two female prisoners who witnessed a drug bust gone awry.
Said extraction goes bad pretty much right away as assassins literally pop up from all directions releasing a salvo of bullets killing one of the women in the process and forcing Travis on the run with the remaining live witness. What culminates is a rapidly paced low grade actioner with western genre elements that is sprinkled with a few impressive action sequences combined with some worthy dramatic beats.
It’s clear that the budget for Wanted Man isn’t large and I hate when people feel the need to point that out but it’s important to note for this review as Lundgren really knows how to use the resources he has at his disposal and is a filmmaker who pulls something from out of nothing. The movie doesn’t have any bombastic set pieces, but fans are treated to some impressive and brutally shot shoot outs throughout. It’s always a grand sight to see actual blood squibs being used as today’s films go the CGI route and this is clearly a film that celebrates its throwback nature with practical stunt work to enhance the nostalgia appeal.
With a running time of only 82 minutes, there is no filler to be had and Lundgren packs in as much character driven scenes to go along with the stripped-down action. Christina Villa stars along with Lundgren as the surviving witness Rosa and the two have some great onscreen chemistry and changing arcs throughout the runtime. Rosa isn’t just there to run and scream and it’s the more subdued moments with Lundgren’s Johansen where she really shines and stands tall.
The rest of the supporting cast is A game as well with Kelsey Grammer, usually known for comedy, shedding that skin and playing a retired comrade to Johansen. The always solid Michael Pare is along for the ride to as a veteran cop who clashes with Johannson. They don’t have huge roles, but they are welcome on camera every time they are on, and they figure into the overall picture and plot. Roger Cross is always a pro too and here he makes the most of his limited role. Even though he only has a few scenes as Johannson’s captain, he is a true veteran actor professional.
The plot is secondary and here there is no real huge twists but that’s not a problem as the movie still wins the audience over with its 80’s style charm and Lundgren knows his target viewer and knows what to give them. There may be nothing game changing here, but the dialogue is worthy, and it was cool to see that 90’s action star and filmmaker Michael Worth was a part of the script team that also included Lundgren and Hank Hugues. The finale is a bit of a letdown as the shootout is rather brief and the big reveal was obvious but it’s the other sequences leading up to it that enhance the movie with a low-grade appeal that helps it out with simple but effective choreography and gratuities violence.
All in all, Wanted Man is another solid notch on Dolph Lundgren’s directing belt. Having been in the business for decades, the action star knows how to form a story, enhance the action and give you characters that actually have arcs that you care about. Sure, the budget is small, but it doesn’t hamper on what is important, and fans are treated to violent set pieces and Lundgren delivering the justice and throwback thrills coupled with human drama. I hope that Wanted Man doesn’t get lost in the huge ocean of DTV action fare because Lundgren is much more than just an action star and icon as he is a valid filmmaker who knows how to put it all on the screen.
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars
Wanted Man is a stripped down, gritty, indie action flick with a distinct 80’s old school vibe that doesn’t skimp on the action or the drama.
