Command Performance (2009)

When the Russian Premier is taken hostage at a rock concert in Moscow, it's up to a drummer, an ex-biker, to save him.

Director:

Dolph Lundgren

Writers:

Steve Latshaw (screenplay), Dolph Lundgren (screenplay)

Stars:

Dolph Lundgren, Melissa Molinaro, Hristo Shopov

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dolph Lundgren	...	Joe
Melissa Molinaro	...	Venus (as Melissa Smith)
Hristo Shopov	...	President Petrov
Dave Legeno	...	Oleg Kazov
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Ambassador Bradley
James Chalke	...	Vladimir
Zachary Baharov	...	Mikhail Kapista (as Zahary Baharov)
Ivaylo Geraskov	...	Leonid Gordov
Shelly Varod	...	Ali Connor
Katarzyna Wolejnio	...	Maj. Pavlikova
Ida Lundgren	...	Anna Petrov
Robin Dobson	...	Yana Petrov
Raicho Vasilev	...	Anton
Slavi Slavov	...	Capt. Simenov
Naum Shopov	...	Peter

Storyline

A Moscow charity concert turns bloody when armed extortionists take the head liner American pop-star Venus and the Russian President with his family hostage. Help is on the way when the drummer of a heavy metal warm-up band, an ex-bad ass biker played by Lundgren, and a young Russian F.S.B. agent team up to fight back. But our two heroes are seriously outnumbered and things aren't as simple as they appear when old ghosts from the Soviet Union appear to haunt the present in this fast paced action piece.

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Plot Keywords:

russian | hostage | concert | drummer | fight | 

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Taglines:

It's going to be a killer show.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

June 2010 (Indonesia)

Also Known As:

Ataque terrorista

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films, Cat Burglar Productions, Red Orm Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The teaser trailer, which was shot as a stand-alone a few days before filming, was inspired by Dolph Lundgren's career specialist Jérémie Damoiseau, who also produced the thorough official website for the film.

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Goofs

During red carpet arrivals we can spot Dolph Lundgren (as director, candid with headphones) in the back among the press when the reporter Ali Connor calls for the blond Russian singer Irson.

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Quotes

Venus: God, they love me here in Russia. Your the drummer for my new warm up act, right?
Joe: Right.
Venus: What's your name again?
Joe: It's Joe.
Venus: Hey er you wanna party later?
Joe: Look with all due respect erm you've got a hell of a voice but a waste with this techno dance crap.
Venus: Because I get a private jet, twenty dancers and fifty million dollar record contract? It pays the rent. Are you sure you wanna open up this tour for me?
Joe: It pays the rent.

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Alternate Versions

German version was cut by ca. 2,5 minutes to secure a "Not under 18" rating. Almost every violent part was shortened or completely removed to achieve this. The German version was also presented in the wrong image aspect ratio of 1.78:1 instead of the original 2.35:1 cinemascope.

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Connections

Edited from Air Force One (1997)

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Soundtracks

Breakdown
Written by D2 (Dimitar Krastev Karnev, Dejan Krasimirov Kamenov, Alexander Emilov Obretenov,
Javor Alexandrov Alexandrov, Krasimir Evtimov Todorov, Desislav Hristov Semerdjlev)
Performed by D2 (with Dolph Lundgren) (drums) (uncredited)
Published by D2
Courtesy of D2

User Reviews

A rip-off, but an entertaining rip-off

Lundgren won't win any originality awards for the script he wrote for "Command Performance". As you probably guessed by just reading the plot description of the movie, this movie is a rip-off of "Die Hard". But there are also elements of the "Die Hard" rip-offs "Under Siege" and "Sudden Death" - making this movie a rip-off of rip-offs! Also, the climatic action scene rips off the climax of "Commando".

So this story of this movie isn't very original. But I was entertained neverless. For starters, the production values are very good. Although this was a low budget movie, it looks very glossy and expensive at times. Lundgren's direction of the movie is good as well. He gives a lot of the movie a cinema-verite look, making it feel like we are seeing something that is "live" instead of staged and rehearsed. As for the action, Lundgren delivers the goods in these scenes as well. A lot of blood gets squirted, there are some exciting moments, and there are a couple of deaths done in ways I've never seen in a movie before.

There are a few minor quibbles I have with the movie. Lundgren's character is somewhat thin, speaking very little and not revealing too much of his past. The accents of some of the foreign actors are thick at times and make their dialogue sometimes hard to make out. (And some of the actors are obviously dubbed.) But overall, if you are wanting to see this formula again, this movie does the formula in an above average manner.