Sanctuary (1997)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Tibor Takács

Writer:

Michael Stokes (written by)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Beneath the corridors of power, men without faces deploy operatives that don't exist, on missions that never happen.

Plot:

Luke Kovak is part of a covert group within the CIA that works on illegal black ops involving blackmail and assassinations. When his boss orders the murder of one of the team, Luke realises how expendable they all are and gets out (taking proof of their activities with him). He now lives as a priest until the group start to get close to tracking him down.

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Mark Dacascos	...	Luke Kovak
Jaimz Woolvett	...	Dominic Grace
Kylie Travis	...	Rachel Malcolm
Alan Scarfe	...	William Dyson
Elisabeth Rosen	...	Jinx
Monika Schnarre	...	Colette Fortier
Nigel Bennett	...	Sen. Stephen Macguire
Richard Yearwood	...	Ritter Wells
Alex Karzis	...	Tic Tac
David Calderisi	...	Bishop Gallo
Hardee T. Lineham	...	Father Ricci (as Hardee Lineham)
Sheldon Davis	...	Father Joe Ryan
Richard Zeman	...	Capt. Usher
Robert Bidaman	...	Johathan Hughes
Matt Birman	...	Eddie Norris

Runtime:

99 min | USA:104 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Germany:18 | UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Apple Creek Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene in the alley when Luke avoids the black pickup truck, he drops into the pickup bed and rolls off the back, which is open. Yet, when you see the truck pull out of the alley at the other end, there is back gate on the pickup bed, which would have prevented him rolling out.

Soundtrack:

Waltz of the Flowers

A Dark Sophisticated Thriller

Pretty impressed with this thriller. Mark Dacascos has a good on screen presence as the CIA killer-turned-priest-turned-killer-again. The story holds interest and the director steers clear of the usual mad machine gun frenzy Hollywood imagines its action viewers want to see. This is a movie with some style, of an almost modern Gothic feel. Dacascos performs with all the intensity expected of a man facing his past demons. The action is sharp and straight to the point, with no unnecessary flourishes. My only criticism was the standard showdown between hero and chief villain at the end, which was a tad too long. It would be refreshing if this formula was altered to an extent by having the chief villain getting it maybe a lot sooner, and then having the rest of the enemy polished off after as they panic. Instead we have martial arts expert Dacascos pitted against the Schofield Kid from Unforgiven, and the Schofield Kid holding his own for more than ten seconds. This is a minor blip however in an otherwise engaging thriller. Nice little twist in the tail at the end, and as other viewers have observed, it leaves the door open for a sequel, although hopefully not Sanctuary 3, 4 and 5, as that would just kill the original concept. All in all this is a good movie and much recommended.