Second in Command (2006)

The new military attache is also second in command at the US embassy in "Moldavia". The loser at the recent presidential election isn't letting that stop him. The president seeks protection at the US embassy bringing it under attack.

Director:

Simon Fellows

Writers:

Jonathan Bowers (screenplay), David L. Corley (screenplay) (as David Corley)

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Julie Cox, Alan McKenna

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Cmdr. Sam Keenan
Julie Cox	...	Michelle Whitman
Alan McKenna	...	Cpt. John Baldwin
Razaaq Adoti	...	Sgt. Earl 'Gunny' Darnell
Velibor Topic	...	Anton Tavarov
William Tapley	...	Frank Gaines
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

Storyline

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, turbulent Eastern European nation. When local insurgents attempt a coup d'etat, the nation's President takes refuge inside the embassy. The embassy is then besieged by the well-armed insurgents. The U.S. Ambassador is killed in the ensuing action, and it's now up to Jean-Claude and the embassy's small detachment of U.S. Marines to fend off the attackers.

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Plot Keywords:

embassy | martial arts | exploding truck | exploding car | exploding bus | 

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Taglines:

It's time to take charge!

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Genres:

Action | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Country:

UK Romania

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Defteros stin ierarhia

Filming Locations:

Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA), Castel Film Romania, Clubdeal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To cover up Van Damme's Belgian accent while playing as USN Cmdr. Samuel 'Sam' Keenan it is said that he grew up in Vietnam to French parents.

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Goofs

The Moldavian army is said to be in the mountains, some 5 hours away from the capital. Moldavia has no mountains, the highest point being the Balanesti Hill at 430 m (1.410 ft)

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Connections

References George of the Jungle (1967)

User Reviews

Embassy rescue is one of the best Van Damme films

"Second in Command" is the best movie that I've seen with Jean-Claude Van Damme since his early films, "Bloodsport" of 1985, and "Lionheart" of 1990." As those films, this one has an interesting plot. There's more depth to the story than the usual fare of mayhem and gore in Van Damme films. As with some other of his films in the first decade of the 21st century, this film was made solely for video release. That may say a lot about the lack of ticket sales and profits from theater releases.

This film has a huge dose of the pyro-technics, mayhem and gore. But they don't consume most of the film. Instead, there's a plot with some realism about saving people in an American embassy. The story revolves around a rebellion in Moldova and an attack on the American embassy. The freely elected president of the country is being protected there. So, this film scores much better than the usual mindless mayhem of Van Damme films.

The idea of an embassy siege is not a contrived Hollywood plot. The fact that there have been such incidents in the recent past adds a sense of realism to the film. Of course, this was made before the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack of the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, in which the American ambassador and others were killed.

The writers may have been inspired by real incidents of the past. The most successful large rescue happened in 1991. That took place in Somalia. Armed rebellion broke out in Mogadishu in January. People from several countries made their way to the U.S. embassy. The rescue was called Operation Eastern Exit. Two huge helicopters delivered a team of 60 Marines and Navy SEALS to the compound on January 5. The choppers returned to Guam with the first 61 evacuees. Then, after midnight on Jan. 6, the main rescue took place. Four waves of five Sea Knight helicopters each evacuated the entire compound. In the end, 281 people from 30 nations were rescued through the American embassy.