Direct Action (2004)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

Sidney J. Furie (story)
Greg Mellott (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 2005 (United Arab Emirates)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Can One Man Make A Difference?

Plot:

Frank Gannon, a veteran cop, is being hunted by his fellow police officers after they learned he has betrayed the brotherhood and exposed to the feds wide scale corruption of the LAPD. He has one day left to prove his case and survive. |

Plot Keywords:

Veteran | Corruption | Police | Shot In The Side | Corrupt Cop

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Frank Gannon
Polly Shannon	...	Billie Ross
Donald Burda	...	Bryant
Rothaford Gray	...	Ed Grimes
Conrad Dunn	...	Captain Stone
Walter Alza	...	Espinoza
Alex Karzis	...	Agent Bill
Larry Day	...	Phil, Agent in Charge
Natacha La Ferriere	...	Adrianna
Daniel Kash	...	LoPresti
Stacey Coke	...	Loretta
Joseph Griffin	...	Carter (as Joseph Luna Griffin)
Vanessa Thompson	...	Katy
Tim Sell
Jim Codrington

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Canada:13+ (Régie du Cinéma Québec) | Canada:14A | Netherlands:16 | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

GFT Action Films Inc.

Trivia:

Dolph Lundgren performed all his own stunts in the movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Throughout the movie, cars and other vehicles are shot multiple times with pistols, shotguns, and submachine guns, but display almost no bullet holes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making of 'Direct Action' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Get u Awn

Dolph's best in quite a while...

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

Veteran LAPD Detective Frank Gannon (Dolph Lundgren) has been saddled with a new partner:feisty female detective Billie Ross (Polly Shannon).On the same day,he is due to testify in court against some of his fellow officers in a corruption scandal that has been dogging the force.Cap. Stone (Conrad Dunn) and the officers in question are none too happy about this and set out to stop him.With the aid of Ross and former colleague and long time buddy Ed Grimes (Rothaford Gray),he fights back and attempts to let justice prevail and the truth come to light...

The story to Direct Action sounded very interesting,similar to that of Steven Seagal's thriller Exit Wounds,with it's themes of police corruption.Although,I was a little worried as the team,including the director and some of the stars of,Dolph's recent misfire Detention were behind it (and I didn't want it to be another one like that!)However,I've been told (from a reliable source!) that Detention was slapped together very quickly and the budget constraints prevented it from being the film it could have been (it didn't look slapped together like some of Dolph's recent films such as The Last Patrol and Agent Red did,but,like I said,reliable source...)Direct Action,however,didn't look slapped together at all,presenting itself with a slick,polished feel that sets it apart from Dolph's films of late.

In the lead role,Lundgren executes some fantastic martial arts moves in the shape of some great karate kicks and punches that I don't actually remember seeing in any of his films before and really show him in his true colours.Not only that,they show him in fine frame for a man who's actually not far off 50.All the action going on is complimented throughout by a funky rap/hip-hop soundtrack that hollers over everything.

The main problem is actually the story.To begin with,it's peppered with little tiny touches and clichés (Shannon's character is 'honoured to be working with such a legend',Gannon doesn't think she's got what it takes,she starts disobeying orders he gives her,yaddy yaddy yadda.)But by the end,it had gotten so wavey that I had lost interest in it and,to an extent,I think it had lost interest with itself.What had started off as a story about police corruption has now wavered off into something about Afghan rebel leaders and drug deals that,for a story lasting just over an hour and a half,ended up feeling a fair bit longer.

Still,the good points end up out-weighing the bad points.It's not the perfect film it could have been,but it certainly didn't end up as no Detention either.And that ain't a bad thing.***