Dark Angel (1990)

Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren) is a Houston vice cop who's forgotten the rule book. His self-appointed mission is to stop the drugs trade and the number one supplier Victor Manning. Whilst ... See full summary »

Director:

Craig R. Baxley

Writers:

Jonathan Tydor, Leonard Maas Jr.

Stars:

Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dolph Lundgren	...	Det. Jack Caine
Brian Benben	...	Special Agent Arwood 'Larry' Smith
Betsy Brantley	...	Diane Pallone
Matthias Hues	...	Bad Alien - Talec
Jay Bilas	...	Good Alien - Azeck
Jim Haynie	...	Captain Malone
David Ackroyd	...	Inspector Switzer
Sherman Howard	...	Victor Manning
Sam Anderson	...	Warren
Mark Lowenthal	...	Bruce the Scientist
Michael J. Pollard	...	Boner
Jesse Vint	...	McMurphy
Alex Morris	...	Det. Ray Turner
Kevin Page	...	White Boy #1
Robert Prentiss	...	White Boy #2

Storyline

Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren) is a Houston vice cop who's forgotten the rule book. His self-appointed mission is to stop the drugs trade and the number one supplier Victor Manning. Whilst involved in an undercover operation to entrap Victor Manning, his partner gets killed, and a sinister newcomer enters the scene... Along with F.B.I. agent Lawrence Smith, the two investigate a spate of mysterious deaths; normal non-junkies dying of massive heroin overdoses and bearing the same horrific puncture marks on the forehead. This, coupled with Caine's own evidence, indicates an alien force is present on the streets of Houston, killing and gathering stocks of a rare drug found only in the brain... Caine is used to fighting the toughest of criminals, but up to now they've all been human...

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Plot Keywords:

drug | overdose | fbi | cop | alien | 

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Taglines:

Jack Caine. Houston cop. Human. What he's up against, isn't.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Come in Peace

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$4,348,368 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vision PDG, Vision International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shopping center where Caine pursues a stolen Houston Police squad car commandeered by the villain is the former Park Shops Shopping Mall originally built in 1985 in the east end of Downtown Houston. The Park Shops was renamed Houston Center in late 2003 right after the Toyota Center and Hilton Americas Hotel was completed, along with the expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

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Goofs

When Caine first confronts Boner in the bar he points his gun at Boner's crotch. In subsequent edits, the gun changes to a different one.

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Quotes

[after blowing away the police chief, who was trying to kill his partner]
Jack Caine: [to Laurence Smith] Never trust nobody; Caine Manual, Chapter 1, Page 1.

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Connections

Referenced in Paul (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Ugly"
Performed by The U-Krew
Written by L. Bell/Hakim/J. Mac
Produced by Marlon "The Magician" McCain and Michael "N-Pocket" Marvrolas
for Darkhorse Entertainment/MacMan Music, Inc.
Co-produced by Larry "D.L.B." Bell
Published by Prohibited Music
(Administered by Fresh Force Music (BMI))

User Reviews

"You go in PIECES!"

The tag line on the old VHS box cover of "I Come In Peace" (aka "Dark Angel" if you're outside of the U.S.) pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the movie: "Good Cop. Bad Alien. BIG Trouble." Dolph Lundgren made his mark on the late '80s action B-Film scene in many other movies but for my money "I Come In Peace" remains his best film. It's got everything an action junkie could want: big explosions, car chases, big explosions, gun fights, big explosions, alien encounters, and big explosions. Did I mention the big explosions? Seriously though, "I Come In Peace" may not be a terribly original film (basically it's a buddy-cop action movie bolted together from pieces of "RoboCop," "The Terminator" and "Predator") but it is one heck of a fun ride. Lundgren plays Jack Caine, a tough-as-nails, kick-ass-first-and-ask-questions-later Houston police detective who gets caught up in the midst of an FBI murder investigation after his partner is killed during a failed drug-sting operation. Not only was Caine's partner murdered, but then so were the gangsters who did it -- and by an unknown weapon that seems light years ahead of Earth technology. The viewer already knows that the culprit in these murders is actually a hulking humanoid Alien (played by German actor Matthias Hues, a big nasty looking S.O.B. who dresses like he's in a Scorpions video) who is running around the city, pumping unlucky Earthlings full of stolen heroin and then sucking their brains dry just as they expire. Apparently drug-addled human brain juice is a powerful narcotic wherever this guy comes from. Hues has very little dialogue (basically he repeats the phrase "I come in peace!" over and over again to his hapless victims), but that's OK because it gives the movie more room for the hilarious banter between Caine and Agent Smith (Brian Benben of HBO's late 80s comedy series "Dream On"), a stick-in-the-mud, by-the-book FBI agent Caine is saddled with throughout the investigation. Of course, Caine and Smith start off hating each other's guts but once they discover that their murderer is of extraterrestrial origin, they bond, settle their professional differences, and team up to destroy it. In between, lots of stuff blows up, cars get smashed, people's throats get slit by a flying alien disc weapon that looks a lot like a CD, and more stuff blows up. Seriously, this is one of the most pyrotechnic action movies I've ever seen. I'm not sure what the budget was for this flick but I'm sure a good half of it must've gone to pay for explosives. Then again, director Craig R. Baxley is a former stuntman and stunt coordinator, so he obviously knows a thing or two about crashin' stuff and blowin' it up real good.

In short, "I Come in Peace" is a 24-karat hoot. Unfortunately it's not currently available on DVD here in the U.S. but those of you in other regions can supposedly find it easily on DVD under its alternate title, "Dark Angel." Until the U.S. is blessed with the same luck, used VHS copies can be found pretty much anywhere. Seek and enjoy.