Ultimate Dolph

Lundgren gets less screen time in the film than Gooding, however his character is bigger and more interesting to explore. In the film, the “Big Swede” is billed second after Gooding, while IMDB has put the Oscar-winning Gooding after Lundgren.

Both stars get to trade blows, and they have quite a nice fight in the film – a great addition to other action that “One in the Chamber” provides. William Kaufman does a good job directing the action scenes, no shaky cam was spotted.

Cast list also includes UK veteran actor Billy Murray and Louis Mandylor, who seems to feel comfortable playing villains one film after another.

Overall, if you are able to take this film for what it is, then it is enjoyable for sure. Gooding gets one thumb up for standing up to Lundgren and even roundhouse kicking him in the face (oh yes, you get to see that one), while Lundgren gets two thumbs up for bringing such a vivid character to life.

If you like action movies, give it a look.

Last Bullet kommt als Uncut-Fassung nach Deutschland
Actioner mit Dolph Lundgren und Cuba Gooding Jr. ohne Zensuren

Dolph Lundgren ist schon seit mehr als 20 Jahren im B-Actionsektor im Geschäft und bewegt sich sicheren Schrittes von Produktion zu Produktion. Cuba Gooding Jr. startete eigentlich unter anderen Vorzeichen und heimste sogar einen Oscar ein. Erstaunlicherweise kam danach jedoch der Niedergang für den Schauspieler, der jetzt ebenso regelmäßig in Videothekenreißern sein Stelldichein gibt wie sein schwedischer Kollege.

Nun laufen sich beide erstmals in ein und demselben Werk über den Weg. In One in the Chamber, der in Deutschland unter dem Titel Last Bullet - Showdown der Auftragskiller auf den Markt kommt, spielen sie rivalisierende Berufsmörder. Dabei geht es traditionell nicht allzu harmlos zu, weshalb die FSK dem Film die "Keine Jugendfreigabe"-Einstufung verpasste. Wir setzten uns mit Rechteinhaber Splendid Film in Verbindung und erfuhren, dass man an der deutschen Fassung keine Zensuren vornehmen musste.

Last Bullet - Showdown der Auftragskiller erscheint am 23. August 2012 im Verleih und am 31. August 2012 im Handel

Kaufman brings a relaxed style that doesn’t rely on a perpetually moving handheld camera and there is a minimum of over editing. The over use of cutaways and flash frame inserts are a cheap trick that has marred the genre for the last decade. Here the narrative is delivered in a crisp, visually effective, straight forward manner and Kaufman stages action scenes with flair.

Dolph Lundgren steals the show and every scene he is in, with his eccentric scenery chewing portrayal of the Russian killer known as the ‘Wolf’. Dolph’s best moment comes when a bouncer asks for his name to gain admittance into a club, Aleksey head butts the guard, “Fuck you, that’s who,” he states, not before dropping a perfectly timed, “much obliged”. It’s a great moment in a quirky performance from Lundgren. He chooses to play his character as a Sinatra loving, 1950s-esque gentleman giant with a fetish for fedoras and dressing like a tourist. It is a peculiar acting ‘choice,’ but it also brings the energy and humor that is lacking in other aspects of this unremarkable movie.

The main reason to see this meaty, action flick is for the inspired performance from the always watchable Dolph Lundgren, who appears startlingly fit. I guess I was expecting something a little more from the epic, (on paper), casting of two titans of the genre. Instead we are left with the same old elements that make up a mafia thriller with little of the bite or originality of something as plagued as 1995s Assassins.

this is actually, compared to some of his previous flicks, a pretty decent role for Lundgren, who seems to relish the truly bizarre nature of his character and at the same time looks tougher and meaner than he’s ever done – even considering his role in The Expendables.
With twists and double-crosses a-plenty it gets a little complicated as to just who is out to kill who and why. All you really need to know is that Dolph Lundgren hasn’t looked this unstoppable since Rocky IV and Cuba Gooding Jr. just cannot sell himself as a hard-nosed killer, no matter how hard he tries. But when the two clash it’s sadly as exciting as this film gets…

A blast of pure old school action. Sure he could have more special effects, and have Tom Cruise star in it, but there is no need, because “One in the Chamber” is 90 mins of how an action film should look when it’s done right.

One in The Chamber stars Cuba Gooding Jr, and Dolph Lundgren, and I thought they were at their best here. Better than they have been in years. I’m telling you, a good director will bring out the best in their actors! You can tell Dolph was having a blast with this role. Why? Because I had a great time watching his performance. I cannot remember the last time I actually smiled during an action film starring Dolph. His character is one of the toughest and deadliest assassins in the game, who is nicknamed “The Wolf”. Even though “The Wolf” looks like Al Bundy from “Married With Children”, he unleashes his deadly side when needed.

The good news is, Lundgren is phenomenal as the impeccably dressed, wisecracking assassin Aleksey “The Wolf” Andreev. With no exaggeration, it might be his best-acted role in his career. With that said, Lundgren isn’t the whole movie, and all the passion, presence, and humor that he brings to the role simply isn’t matched by Gooding.

It’s a fairly pedestrian plot from screenwriters Derek Colstad and Benjamin Shahrabani, but director William Kaufman (who previously directed Gooding in The Hit List) can certainly direct some strong action sequences and great character moments with Lundgren. While the dual assassins bit is integral to the plot, I found myself wanting to know more about Andreev than Carver even though the movie focuses on the latter. In fact, hand costume designer Ana Ioneci an Oscar now: Lundgren’s wardrobe, which mostly consists of white pants, a funky print shirt, a straw fedora, and white shit-kicker cowboy boots is perhaps the coolest looking ass-kicker gear I’ve seen in a film in a long time. And whoever designed Andreev’s back tattoo of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin is a true artist.

I’ve seen quite a few direct-to-video action flicks during my time here at Movie Buzzers, and honestly One in the Chamber is one of the better ones. It features quality acting (a standout is Billy Murray as Carver’s boss, Leo), a plot that actually makes sense, and well-choreographed action scenes. The big problem is that the movie focuses on the wrong character, since Andreev’s slick approach to his hired killing is more entertaining than Carver’s conflicted character arc.

The Extra: No, I didn’t forget the “s”, since this disc only comes with one special feature, a nine-minute “Making of” feature that contains very brief clips of Lundgren and Gooding talking about the movie and a lot of clips of the scenes being shot without any sort of narration. I guess it’s sort of like being the caterer on the set, since you can see everything being shot but in an over-the-shoulder kind of way. By the way, the Blu-ray and the DVD are exactly the same since they both have this feature.