Movie Review: Dark Angel (1990, Blu-ray)

Dolph Lundgren has had a really nice little resurgence over the past couple of years with much more high profile projects. He was in both The Expendables I and II (and slated to return for the third!), the action flick The Package and the surprisingly good Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. There was  time following his performance as "Ivan Drago" in Rocky IV where the Swedish born actor seemed be in get some roles in some enjoyable action pictures. One of those movies was the 1990 Sci-fi / Horror / Action hybrid from director Craig Baxley titled Dark Angel.

Originally released in the states and on video under the title I Come in Peace, Scream Factory has the Director's Cut available now on Blu-ray with some cool extra features and a nice high-definition makeover to boot.

While trying to foil a big drug deal by the city’s biggest criminals, “The White Boys”, Jack Caine (Lundgren) loses his partner. During the bust, he gets distracted by a bunch of robbers shooting up a convenience store nearby.  Caine soon has another problem that becomes an equally bad issue for the White Boys – a giant drug-dealing alien killing machine (Mathias Hues, Executive Target). This alien not only steals heroin, he shoots innocent people in the head with the smack using a large need-like device.

Movie Review: The Wild Geese (Blu-ray / DVD Combo)

More than 30 years before action superstar Sylvester Stallone corralled a bevy of top talent for his smash hit The Expendables, veteran director Andrew V. McLaglen (Chisum, The Sea Wolves) made his own film starring some of Britain's finest actors with his feature The Wild Geese. Severin Films has taken the action classic, remastered it and stacked it with extra features for their own American release that should please fans of balls-out mercenary mayhem.

Richard Burton leads the cast as Colonel Allen Faulkner, the leader of a group of "mature" mercenaries in the unforgiving surroundings of South Africa to track down a kidnapped president played by Wintson Ntshona (Dogs of War, Ghandi). After agreeing with millionaire Sir Edward Matherson (Stewart Granger, The Prisoner of Zenda), to gather a group of his hand-picked men (Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Kruger), Faulkner quickly moves forward to prepare his men for the risky mission.

Movie Review: Stallone - 3 Film Collector's Set (First Blood, Cop Land and Lock-Up)

There really is no denying that Sylvester Stallone was one of the top action stars of the 80’s. He’s a legend, even now as he creeps up into his sixties. The recent release of The Expendables II seems to have brought on a Blu-ray release of three of Stallone's finest from the 80’s and 90’s – First Blood, Cop Land and Lock-Up. Lionsgate has put together this value set along with a host of extras to keep Stallone fans very busy.

Even with the huge popularity of Rocky it seems Stallone’s mega-star status has been defined by Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood. The tale of John Rambo spawned three sequels, in this opening to the saga of the ex-Vietnam vet hero’s story, Rambo crosses paths with a ruthless Sheriff (Brian Dennehy, Last of the Finest) pent on making this drifter miserable. Rambo of course flips the Sheriff and the town on their ass when he single-handedly takes apart anyone in his way.