Dark Angel (1990)

A Renegade Cop is forced to work with an FBI Agent in order to bring down a group of Drug Dealers with sinister plans.

Director:

Craig R. Baxley

Writers:

Jonathan Tydor, David Koepp (as 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, Man in Mercedes
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:

white eyes | alien gun | cd | automatic weapon | stiletto | 

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Taglines:

Good cop. Bad alien. Big trouble.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite a limited theatrical release in UK cinemas, this film became a surprise hit thanks to good word-of-mouth and did well on video there, staying in the top ten movie rentals for several weeks.

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Goofs

Diana's lipstick shade is completely different at the end of the scene in the autopsy room than at the beginning.

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Quotes

Jack Caine: [while being chased by the White Boys, Larry produces a huge firearm, which resembles a cannon more than a gun] What the hell is that?
Arwood "Larry" Smith: A Christmas present from my mother.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Monguito: The Argentinian E.T. (2018)

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Soundtracks

Thumbs Up
Performed by Bardeux
Written by Todd
Produced by St. James and Michael Eckart
Published by French Lick Music (BMI)

User Reviews

I come in peace

While by no means a masterpiece, this is entertaining from start to finish. With a running time of about 90 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, and its fast pace and surprises prevent you from being bored at any point in it. There are a ton of clichés, but the story is pretty original. Brian Benben(whom, I won't lie to you, was the thing I most looked forward to seeing in this, and I wasn't disappointed) is the procedural jerk, and Dolph is the cop who plays by his own rules. The action is excellent and thoroughly enjoyable, with shoot-outs, car-chases and some physical fighting. The editing is fairly good for this sort of thing, and the camera-work is never downright poor. This is non-committal, guilty pleasure fun throughout the entire thing, and that is reflected in the dialog, the characters, the acting, etc. There is a bit of quirk here and there in the writing. I will not give away too much of the plot; all I'll say is that there is, indeed, an alien(with bad-ass weaponry) in this, and the flick is a blast to watch. There is plenty of strong language and a little nudity, and both are gratuitous. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys kicking back with something simple that clearly had effort put into making it something that delivers what it promises. 6/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lethal Contact

Filming Locations:

Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,912,421, 30 September 1990

Gross USA:

$4,348,368

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,348,368

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vision PDG, Epic Productions, Trans World Entertainment (TWE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1