Missionary Man (2007)

Director:

Dolph Lundgren

Writers:

Dolph Lundgren (screenplay)
Frank Valdez (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Western

Tagline:

No sin shall go unpunished.

Plot:

A mysterious stranger rolls into town on a unique motorcycle. All he carries is the bible and a desire for justice. Past vengeance collides as Ryder rights an injustice from his past and liberates the small town from a malicious oppressor.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Bible | Motorcycle | Stranger | Tequila

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Ryder
Kateri Walker	...	Nancy
Chelsea Ricketts	...	Kiowa
Matthew Tompkins	...	John Reno (as Matthew Stephens Tompkins)
John D. Montoya	...	Junior (as John Montoya)
James Chalke	...	Sheriff Acoma
John Enos III	...	Jarfe
Lawrence Varnado	...	Gomez
Charles Solomon Jr.	...	Murphy
Jonny Cruz	...	Billy
August Schellenberg	...	White Deer
Brad Imes	...	Hoss
Morgana Shaw	...	Tiger
Julian Guevara	...	Mexican Smuggler
Andrew Stevens	...	Smuggler

Also Known As:

Black Chrome (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Argentina:16 | Brazil:16 | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Lake Whitney, Texas, USA

Company:

Andrew Stevens Entertainment

Trivia:

Was screened at the 2008 AFI Dallas Film Festival.

Quotes:

Ryder: I will break your nose with this knee. And there is nothing you can do about it.

Movie Connections:

References Pale Rider (1985)

Dolph gets religion...

...and beats the living crap out of town oppressors and John Enos III. Following his directorial debut The Defender, Dolph directed The Russian Mecanik, which I found enjoyable and certainly impressive for an action star that hasn't directed that many movies. His third film, Missionary Man, is a well written but ultimately flawed action film, in which Dolph plays a mysterious drifter in search for revenge against the people that had wronged him in the past. All those classic revenge Westerns serve as inspiration for this movie, and it shows. Dolph stars, directs, co-writes and even produces this one, making it all the more impressive. That bleached look never looked better and he is certainly improving his skills behind the camera. While the action sequences are few, this movie is more dramatic than anything.

The story is simple. Dolph arrives on a small town, mysterious, with only a bible, a bike and a funny accent. Turns out an old friend of his, JJ, was killed by a ruthless oppressor (a decent Mathew Tompkins) and it is up to Dolph to save the town from suffering and injustice. A side story is also introduced with JJ's grieving Indian family in which Dolph protects. It turns out that Dolph may be someone else, someone who people knew in the past, but I won't spoil anything. The script is very well done, kudos to Dolph and Frank Valdez for an excellent screenplay.

The acting is not that great, but it has some good performances. John Enos III as the head of the biker gang was very cool in this one. August Schellenberg doesn't have that must screen time, but he's had better performances. Dolph was as tough and great as always. And the two Indian actresses were very good.

I was kinda bummed by the action sequences except the final one. They were too short and could've been better edited as well. The Negatives?. Numerous plot holes (that weeping guy, who the hell was he?), not that many action sequences, a little on the slow side and some other things that I personally didn't like and found ridiculous.

Overall: Dolph is certainly improving. He knows how to write, and he is perfecting his way of shooting. Now all he needs to do is perfect his editing and balance the action with drama sequences well. Even though the plot holes were no doubt there because of the budget, I still didn't find this movie terrible. Fans of Lundgren will feel right at home with this one, but don't go expecting massive explosions and choreographed martial arts sequences. Still, I am expecting good things from Dolph in the future, a 5/10.