The OFDB (Online-Filmdatenbank) is a very nice German pendant to the imdb. It focuses on different versions of movies (different DVDs,
TV broadcasts, VHS... : Which one is cut, which DVD has which features etc.).
The user Blade Runner is very active and usually writes very good and substantiated reviews though I don't always agree on his ratings (he
rated Les Rivières Pourpres a 9/10, I rated 4/10). I'll give the translation a try and hope I'm substantially better than Babelfish.
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After Bauer Martinez Studios recently helped Jean-Claude Van Damme with "Wake of Death" to a respectable comeback it is now Dolph Lundgren's
("Men of War", "Silent Trigger") turn. Since, due to health issues, his regular director Sidney J. Furie ("Iron Eagle", "The Rage") dropped out shortly
before the beginning of the shooting, the blond giant decided to give directing a try and that worked out astonishingly well because "The Defender" is
his best movie since "Storm Catcher". That's mainly because Bauer/Martinez work with budgets that allows to produce a decent B-action movie. Nu Image,
where "Detention" and "Direct Action" have been produced recently and soon "The Mechanik" and "The Controller" will be produced, have spent only
what is absolutely necessary. Though "Detention" and especially "Direct Action" are still watchable (thanks for Furie's directing) but the setting suffered
noticeably from the scanty budget.
(Oh jeez... I just realise that I'd sit here for the next 2 hours if I really tried to translate the complete article. Please send in your translations, I will restrict
myself to the conclusion.)
Conclusion:
Steven Seagal has had his „Into the Sun“, Jean-Claude Van Damme his „Wake of Death“ and now Dolph Lundgren his „The Defender”. Even though after
the first two movies there had been much more dough, "The Defender" is the best. Stuffed with gunfights, dosed but not exaggerated explosions
and shoot-outs "The Defender" is due to his speed the best contribution to the genre since several months. Moreover, Lundgren's directing debut
has a viable story, a stylish look and consistenly well acting players. Real spectacular moments are missing though. One can still hope that Bauer/Martinez
will let him direct again. I would be happy and classify the lousy "Retrograde" hereby as an "occupational accident". (That's a literal translation, I'm not sure
if you can say that in English)