REEL ACTION: Dolph Lundgren is The Russian Specialist

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST (2005)
Rating: 3 on 4 / Buy the DVD here (or don’t)

Tagline: They took his family. Now he’s out for revenge.

Directed by Dolph Lundgren

Starring Dolph Lundgren, Ben Cross, Ivan Petrushinov.

THE PLAN: After a car mechanic (Dolph Lundgren) / ex-special forces’ family is murdered by a gang of drug dealers, Dolph gains vengeance and kills them all… except for one (after getting shot in the face, the guy somehow survives). After moving to L.A. Dolph attempts to live a normal life as a (gasp!) mechanic when he is approached by a woman who’s daughter has been kidnapped and her husband murdered… by the same man he thought he killed years earlier (the same guy who killed his family). He takes the job, not for the money, but to avenge the death of his family once and for all.

THE KILL:
About 20 minutes into THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST I kept thinking to myself, “This should have been titled THE MECHANIC or something, not THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST… THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST doesn’t even fit this movie….” and low-and-behold after conducting very light internet research I found that the film’s original title was, in fact, THE MECHANIK, but was changed for U.S. and Canadian audiences. Not sure why, but there you go. I wasn’t crazy afterall…

Anyway, THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST is exactly what you’d expect and would hope for from a Dolph Lundgren movie and if you’re looking for a movie to fill that Dolph-void you may be experiencing after THE EXPENDABLES, then look no further than this cinematic piece of brutal revenge and entertaining shotgun deaths. Dolph not only stars in this beast, but he wrote and directed it as well, making it that much more awesome. But why is it so damn awesome? Because Dolph plays the ultimate “man of few words” here, muttering lines here and there (with the classic Dolph Russian accent) and blatantly ignoring questions and inquiries from others in the film. He doesn’t say much and you know what? He doesn’t need to. Because when Dolph give you “the look” you don’t need words to tell you that if you keep talking you may find yourself dead. You just stop talking. End of story.

You’re goddamn right he directed this motherf*cker.

Dolph also shows his sensitive side here folks, making this one of his most well-rounded roles to date. Ok. I lie. You see him happy in the beginning with his son, then his family is murdered, then you see him pissed off and hell-bent on vengeance… through the rest of the film. And that’s just fine and dandy because that’s all we really need in a revenge action movie like this. Throw too many other emotions into the mix and you might start to feel something more than sheer hatred for the bad guys and the utter satisfaction when they meet their eventual demise.

Everywhere Dolph goes, so many hoes…

THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST is quite the well-rounded action movie, believe it or not, staging multiple shoot-outs, a rescue mission (and shoot out) through a strip club, a car chase, a massive explosion that takes out a number of moving vehicles and a bridge, hand-to-hand combat, hookers being sold on the black market, a scarred-up villain, and plenty of blood-spurting action every time someone gets shot. Add all that up and you have what every REEL ACTION movie is looking for. The only thing that’s missing is the surprising lack of one-liners (he’s a man of few words so instead of talking, he just stares people down), cheesy rock music montages (always a plus), and a strong-willed woman that can kick ass with the rest of them. But even without those things, the film rocks pretty hard as a flick featuring Dolph blowing away just about everyone with a shotgun in sometimes brutal (and awesomely graphic) ways.

Probably the film’s only flaw is the main villain, mostly because he’s a fat bastard with a beard and obviously no match against the awesomeness of Dolph, but then again… who would be? Maybe Powers Booth or Gary Busey. However, the guy was evil and the film actually shows him blowing Dolph’s wife away which is pretty ballsy for a Straight-to-DVD movie like this (ballsy… and appreciated). The music was also fairly generic (it’s an STD, remember), which isn’t really the film’s fault, but still… it could have been so much better.

All in all, if you’re fiening for more Dolph action after THE EXPENDABLES or are looking to see a solid action movie made within the last 5 years that features a fairly high (and totally unapologetic) body count, then look no further than THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST. And if you do look further, then look out for Dolph, as he may hunt you down, slit your throw, and pump you full of lead. My suggestion… just check out film… you won’t regret it.

Trailer for THE RUSSIAN SPECIALIST!

TOP DEATH: While the throat-stabbing sequence in the beginning is pretty sweet, as is every other kill featuring Dolph and his shotgun, the one that takes the cake is the final killshot of the main baddie… with the shotgun blast to the face and an explosion of nasty still-water. To see what I mean, look no further than the image below…

It doesn’t get any better than this.

TOP ACTION SCENE: Nothing beats Dolph getting his sweet, sweet revenge, and nothing is better than watching his revenge unleashed within the first five minutes of the movie. Weilding a knife, a hand gun, a fire-bomb, and a machine gun, Dolph takes out an entire crew single-handedly and goddamn does it feel good.

“Hi, we’re here to be blown away and add to Dolph’s impressive body count. Where do you want us to stand?”

TOP HOMOEROTIC MOMENT:The first moment Dolph is seen, he’s rockin’ overalls, a wifebeater, and… a silly lookin’ hat. Not that it’s completely flaming or on fire, but it’s a little… gay. Otherwise, Dolph is 100% man’s man in this one, making you almost forget about SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO… almost….

This outfit’s a little fruity, but I wouldn’t suggest telling Dolph that.

FEMALE EXPLOITATION: Dolph and Burton head into a club to rescue a kidnapped daughter when a random chick pops out of a room without her top off. Oops! After quickly covering up, Dolph shoos her away because he has better things to do… like saving the damsel in distress and kill his arch nemesis. Also, Burton’s hooker of a girlfriend prances around in lingerie throughout most the film, even after she’s takes a bullet in the back.

Boobies! Look Dolph, Boobies!!!

TOP LINE/DIALOGUE:

Burton: What’s your plan?
Dolph: Kill them all.

DRINKING GAME: Every time someone asks Dolph a question and his response is to simply look at them and then walk away, you have to drink!

TRIVIA: This is Dolph’s second directorial effort (after THE DEFENDER) and the first film he served as both writer and director (and star).

BUY THE DVD HERE!