Second in Command (2006)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Simon Fellows

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Bowers (screenplay) &
David L. Corley (screenplay) ...

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

It's time to take charge!

Plot:

Jean Claude plays an official who's just been appointed as Second In Command to the U.S.Ambassador at an American Embassy in a small...

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan
Julie Cox	...	Michelle Whitman
Alan Mckenna	...	Capt. John Baldwin
William Tapley	...	Frank Gaines
Razaaq Adoti	...	GySgt. 'Gunny' Earl Darnell (as Raz Adoti)
Velibor Topic	...	Anton Tavarov
Warren Derosa	...	Mike Shustec
Ian Virgo	...	Cpl. Will Butler
Raffaello Degruttola	...	PFC Zanger
Serban Celea	...	President Yuri Amirev
Vlad Ivanov	...	RSO John Lydon
Emanuel Parvu	...	Cpl. Chevanton
Razvan Oprea	...	PFC Devereaux
Mihai Bisericanu	...	Marshall Geller
Elizabeth Barondes	...	Jennifer Lennard

Also Known As:

The Adjutant (Romania) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

USA:91 min | Brazil:91 min | Argentina:93 min | Australia:87 min

Country:

USA | Romania

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:13+ (Régie du Cinéma Québec) | Canada:14A | Italy:T | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA)

Trivia:

By an odd coincidence, the scenes in which PFCs Zanger and Pazzini plant and detonate a number of package bombs around the neighborhood to distract the insurgents from the US Embassy was filmed on 07 July 2005, the date of the terrorist bombings in London, with the SFX explosions taking place almost to the exact hour of those in the UK. The largely British crew of the film learned of the attacks shortly after during their lunch break, and filming was suspended for the remainder of the day.

Movie Connections:

References "George of the Jungle" (1967)

Van Damme helped by a group of Marines battle against rebels communists in a far country

Jean-Claude Van Damme as one army man is an US commander assigned as second in command to the American Embassy in an Eastern European country called Moldavia.Then,communists rebels try a coup state.The official gets free the President and they take shelter into US Embassy nearly deserted that encounters itself under siege by violent insurgents.Meanwhile Van Damme saves the damsel in disgrace,an enticing journalist(Julie Cox) and he along with a detachment of soldiers fight against nasties attackers which have surrounded the siege.

The picture packs noisy action,shoot-outs explosions,politics intrigues and minimum characterization.It's exciting and tense ,at time lackluster action film,but the blown up,struggles,gun-play are well done in this routine actioner.The story is plenty of firepower,action packed,fights though is added an interesting politic suspense.Jean Claude Van Damme is fine as action hero in this middling budget film.Long time ago he played big budget movies(Time cop,Universal soldier,,Double team,Hard target),nowadays he makes low budget and directly to video(Derailed,Wake of death,In hell)like in his first films(Black eagle,Cyborg,Bloodsport).The film is well photographed by Douglas Milsone(Dungeons and dragons,Sunchaser,Body of evidence)in natural scenarios of Rumania though the coup détat is happened in Moldavia(ex-Republic of Russia).The motion picture is correctly directed by Simon Fellows who directed a Wesley Snipes vehicle(7 seconds)and he recently directed ¨Until death¨again with Jean Claude Van Damme. The film will like to action genre enthusiastic.Pointlessly energetic and occasionally fun for only the true devotee of main actor.It's a must see for Van Damme fans.