Men of War (1994)

A former Special Ops soldier leads a group of mercenaries to an island in the South China Sea: their mission is obtain the rights to the unusual treasure that the island beholds.

Director:

Perry Lang

Writers:

Stan Rogow (story), John Sayles (screenplay)

Stars:

Dolph Lundgren, Charlotte Lewis, BD Wong

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dolph Lundgren	...	Nick Gunar
Charlotte Lewis	...	Loki
BD Wong	...	Po
Tony Denison	...	Jimmy G. (as Anthony John Denison)
Tim Guinee	...	Ocker
Don Harvey	...	Nolan
Tom Lister Jr.	...	Blades (as Tiny 'Zeus' Lister)
Tom Wright	...	Jamaal
Catherine Bell	...	Grace Lashield
Trevor Goddard	...	Keefer
Kevin Tighe	...	Colonel Merrick
Thomas Gibson	...	Warren
Perry Lang	...	Lyle
Aldo Sambrell	...	Goldmouth (as Aldo Sanbrell)
Juan Pedro Tudela	...	Waldo

Storyline

Nick Gunar (Dolph Lundgren) is a burnt-out, jaded and hard-up former mercenary who is having a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. At the end of his rope, he is hired by the Nitro Mine Corporation to strong-arm the natives of a South China Sea island into giving up their rights to its valuable mineral resources. Nick loathes the thought of another mission, but this seemingly easy job will earn him enough money to get back with his estranged family. He recruits some of his former mercenary buddies to help him with the job. The island people refuse to give up their land and Nick decides to help them fight the greedy corporation that hired him. The island and its people bring Nick back to life. He finally finds something worth fighting for and a place to call home. As greed and treachery begin to unravel, Nick's band of mercenaries choose sides. Some are with him and others, still working for the corporation, will stop at nothing to destroy him.

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Plot Keywords:

bare breasts | female nudity | island native | island | mercenary | 

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Taglines:

They were soldiers of fortune who were paid a price to fight and win. On this assignment, they'll pay the ultimate price.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for non-stop violence, strong language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in Thailand between September and December of 1993; production officially ended in January 1994. Following excellent test screenings, Miramax bought it from another company with a promise of theatrical release, but then dumped it on video because it thought that Dolph Lundgren couldn't bring the audience if he was main hero in the film. It was shelved until December of 1995 when it was released on video in the US, although it was released earlier in some other countries (e.g., France (in July 1995) where it wasn't a great financial success but got great reviews from critics. John Sayles, who wrote the original script (before it was partially re-written to add more action and humor), also said some years later how it was a very good action movie and some of Lundgren's best work.

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Quotes

Nick: Where you'll go?
Grace Lashield: Home.
Nick: Where's that?
Grace Lashield: Don't ask.

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Alternate Versions

There are 3 different video-prints out in Germany. The 16 and 18-rated Versions were heavily cut (so is the TV-Version); only the Unrated Rental-Video is uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in Solo (1996)

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Soundtracks

I MIGHT BE LEAVING YOU
Written by Nathaniel Pierre Jones and La Vette Goodman
Published by Nathaniel Pierre Jones and La Vette Goodman
Performed by D.J. Pierre and featuring La Vette Goodman

User Reviews

Incredible. The best mercenary movie ever made.

I rented this expecting a stupid but violent Dolph Lundgren direct-to-video action thriller. Well, it's violent alright, but it is by no means stupid. In fact, I'd say this is the best direct-to-video action movie ever made, and at the very top of Dolph Lundgren's filmography. The general outline of the plot - Mercenaries assault tropical village to muscle mining rights from the villagers, but then mercenary has a change of heart and helps defend the village - is eminently cliche of course. Previous mercenary classics Dogs of War and The Wild Geese already have similar plots. But the execution is marvellous! What did you expect with the great independent filmmaker and famed scriptdoctor John Sayles writing the script on this one? The movie doesn't rely pure action to raise your blood pressure - All the time spent building the relationships and personalities pays off big time when it comes to the showdown. Real dramatic tension in a direct-to-video Dolph Lundgren flick! Who'd have expected it? The dialogue is smart and knows when to laugh at itself when it gets too cliche or macho. The director and cinematographer do great work as well, very stylish without resorting to cheap "music-video-style" tricks so common these days. And don't worry about the action, there isn't much at the beginning, but the last 30 minutes or so is one huge long action sequence. Best of all, it doesn't pull any punches. Maybe its direct-to-video status allowed them to show more, I don't know, but this is a helluva violent film. You see the results of the violence and it's anything but pretty. I loved this film. Go find it at the video store, it's worth it. The only negative is that the tape is pan&scan and there's no widescreen/letterbox version available on DVD. The compositions seem a bit cramped, especially during the action scenes. Anyway, go see it, and keep any eye out for some cool actors in the supporting roles - BD Wong, Catherine Bell of tv show "JAG" fame (playing a hardass mercenary chick no less!), etc. I hope the studio releases a widescreen DVD soon!

Details

Country:

USA Spain

Language:

English Thai Spanish

Release Date:

12 May 1995 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A Safe Place

Filming Locations:

Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$8,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MDP Worldwide, Pomarance Corporation, Grandview Avenue Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 76 min (heavily cut) (TV)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1