Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Kate Vernon, Phillip MacKenzie, Kam Heskin, Fred Williamson Directed By: John Woo Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Dimension Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Pan & Scan Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 14, 1999 Running Time: 112 minutes Theatrical Release Date: May 12, 1998
Amazon.com: The director and action-magician John Woo (Face Off) can always be counted on to create spectacular violent set pieces, with bodies and broken glass gracefully airborne in slow motion. But everything else in this feature-length TV pilot is grindingly conventional. Woo managed to rise above Jean-Claude Van Damme in Hard Target, but there's not much he can do with Dolph Lundgren's Jack Devlin, a kick-boxing former U.S. Marshall turned bodyguard, assigned to guard the body of a drug-addicted supermodel (Kam Heskin, from TV's Sunset Beach). Between shootouts, the elements of the future series are wheeled creakingly into place: a spacious Ikea deluxe apartment with a built-in armory, a caustic eye-patched sidekick (Saul Rubinek), and even a precocious freckle-faced girl (Padraigin Murphy) who becomes Devlin's stepdaughter, when his best buddy is rubbed out. The gorgeous showdown scene between Devlin and the psycho-stalker bad guy (Phillip MacKenzie) takes place in a milk-bottling plant, with the white stuff splashing all over---but this is TV fare, so there's no red stuff mixed in. Action addicts are advised to stick with the world-class gunplay films of Woo's Hong Kong period, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled. --David Chute
Lundgren Runs Into Trouble, Woo Against A Wall "Blackjack" shows where Dolph Lundgren's career was at this point in time: as one of his first non-theatric releases, this John Woo-directed action vehicle doesn't crash and burn as painfully as other first-time DTVs (i.e.: Steven Seagal's "The Foreigner"), but it's a considerable step down from the likes of "Universal Soldier" or "Showdown in Little Tokyo". Solid enough, though, it'll satisfy Lundgren-devotees and keep casual fans of action pictures on the couch. Fans of Woo, however, will wonder what their hero was smoking when he filmed this.
The story: Jack Devlin (Lundgren) is bodyguard whose last job has left him with a fear of the colour white. After a fellow bodyguard is taken out of commission whilst protecting an up-and-coming model (Kam Heskin, "Pride and Prejudice") from an obsessive stalker (Phillip MacKenzie, "Small Pleasures"), Devlin takes over to save the starlet from the stalker, as well as herself. Little does he know that this prowler is all too aware of his phobia...
In short, everything about this film screams "made for TV", from the opening credits to the uninspired camera angles. The unsavoury production is especially disappointing, as it's coming from the same man who had and would make films like "Hard Target" and "Mission: Impossible II". In addition, the action has its moments (i.e.: the motorcycle ambush) but, overall, is none-too-special: same old gunfights and karate from Dolph, who cannot be had when the field is level.
The phobia of Lundgren's character is an interesting touch, but essentially only exists so the villain can beat on him a couple of times after taking his sunglasses. The acting is hit-and-miss (MacKenzie and young Padraigin Murphy are respective misses), but can generally be covered by the script that requires some silly things from the actors (Lundgren dancing with Heskin to detox her is only the tip of the iceberg). Action scenes spring up in decent abundance, but not enough to completely distract for the silliness of the rest of the picture.
Cumulatively, "Blackjack" is a fun two-hour time-waster, but having watched it once on TV will be enough for non Lundgren fans.
Dolph rules!! John Woo delivers an exciting action movie starring Dolph Lungren and Kate Vernon. Lungren's character has a fear of the color white. An obssessed fan of a supermodel tries to use Lungren's color phobia to kill him! This movie has subplots within plots. It also contains explosions, car and motorcycle chases. Of course, it has some martial arts action as well. I rate Blackjack a 5 star movie. Don't miss it!
seen better this is not the best john woo move. i though it started pretty good and the story was kindoff original. but the longer the movie lasted the more boring it got. but it is worth watching if ure just renting it :)
John Woo's worst movie Doplh Lundgren (Silent Trigger, Peacekeeper) stars in, yet another action thriller. This time Lundy tackles the role of a man who is hired to protect a beautiful model who is being stalked and threatened by a evil mad man. Lundgren and the baddie go head to head but there's one problem with Lundgren...years ago he had an accident and from there he is lacktose in tolerant which he cant stand the color white. The badguy uses this to his advantage which creates a corny showdown where Lundgren is blinding by white. John Woo's worst movie and putting Lundgren in it was a mistake also. The model is hot but this movie is not. I'm sensing a pattern in the movies Lundgren always picks..he's sorta doing the same thing, Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme are doing. Lundgren has only died in one movie that I remember and that was Universal Soldier..Seagal died in Executive Decision and Van Damme in a few. Well,, you get my point I hope
BLACKJACK review What do you get when you mix legendary Hong Kong action director, John Woo with straight-to-video action superhero, Dolph Lundgren? You get a bullet-filled but slightly soft made-for-TV melodrama.
Lundgren is Jack Devlin, a security guard with a "phobia" of the color, white. Stick with me now. After his best friend gets killed, he takes in his young daughter and works the "father figure" angle. Meanwhile, a psychotic assassin is stalking his latest client, a drug-addicted supermodel. Naturally, it wouldn't be a Woo film if all this didn't lead to a whole lot of gun fights, motorcycle chases, and a shoot-out in a milk factory (?).
This isn't exactly John Woo's finest hour but it's not all bad either. Lundgren is pretty wooden in the lead but an appearance by Fred "The Hammer" Williamson makes for a nice touch. Though the video carries an R-rating (for reasons, known only by the MPAA), most of the action is watered down a bit from Woo's usual style. There's no close-ups of bloody bullet wounds to be found here. For die-hard John Woo fans only.
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