3/5 Not Exactly "Direct", But Still "Action"-Packed
  by Mike Schorn (APO, AE United States)
For a DTV action movie starring Dolph Lundgren, "Direct Action" is pretty good. Lundgren's definitely made some better ones, but on the whole, his 26th starring outing is a solid vehicle. It's not as flashy or bombastic as I'd like it to be and the action isn't quite what I had been expecting, but in Dolph's case, no one can really complain. I'll say now that if you're already a fan, you can buy the film without much reservation, but newbies to Lundgren should start somewhere else.

Frank Gannon (Lundgren) is a police officer who is set to testify against the operations of the department's Direct Action unit - a coalition of veteran officers undertaking illegal action for the sake of money. On the day before his visit to court, he's paired with a rookie officer (Polly Shannon, Men With Brooms) and is almost immediately caught up in a plot of the DA brotherhood to retire him permanently.

For starters, it becomes quickly apparent that the film was shot under a small budget and minimum resources - a lack of tripods, a consistent lighting scheme, and loosely-choreographed action - but rather than letting this drag the movie down by showing off deficiencies, director Sidney Furie (Superman IV - The Quest for Peace, Iron Eagle) turns the stripped-down look into the film's style, meaning that every inefficiency manages to look artful or intended.
The only real production decisions that I can find fault with is the choice of soundtrack - a rather grating selection of rap and electronic music that quickly gets tired - and the rather noticeable goof that even though many cars get shot up in the film, they display no bullet holes. Oh, and the special features are kind of meager: a handful of 20-second interview clips and some unfulfilling behind-the-scenes segments.

The action is good...for a DTV film. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the violence is that it's the most karate-friendly since Lundgren's Bridge of Dragons or Blackjack: Dolph bangs out the high kicks, punches, and throws to a respectable extent, and this alone should make the film appeal to fans who feel that the Swedish Superman doesn't use his hand-to-hand talents nearly enough. It's a bit of disappointment that most this results in one-sided encounters against guys who don't know kung fu, but apparently that's the trade-off. The gunfighting encounters help make up for this, though: while the aforementioned no-holes snafu is in-place most of the time and the shootouts themselves are nothing revolutionary, both Lundgren and the bad-guys put themselves out there and get shot up enough that there's some actual excitement to be gained from these scenes, which there is no shortage of.

There's not all too much to be said as far as the acting goes other than that nobody's awful: Lundgren fits the role of veteran cop well, Polly Shannon likewise does good with a few slip-ups, and miscellaneous co-stars Donald Burda (The Highwayman), Rothaford Gray (Max Payne), Conrad Dunn (Nero Wolfe - The Complete Classic Whodunit Series), Walter Alza, and Alex Karzis (I Love a Man in Uniform [VHS]) are generally more-than-passable in their roles as assorted good cops and bad cops. Not much to complain about, but nothing to roll out the red carpet for, either.

On its own, "Direct Action" is unremarkable, but as a Lundgren action vehicle, it's a step above decent. If expectations are kept from getting to high and the film is watched in the company of some popcorn or a hotdog or two, fans are likely to have a good time with it. Give it a try.

5/5 Dolph Lungren action video
  by Shiloh Kremer
Of course, this is a low budget movie. There are some problems with believability in this movie such as the police chief who dresses more like a hitman in the mafia. Some of the supporting cast overact their roles (the criminals in this movie are a little far fetched). On the other hand, Dolph Lungren himself does an amazing job in his role as a cop
who will not allow the greasy haired police chief to bully him into "tainting evidence' and lying on the witness stand in court.
Great action. Dolph looks very fit. Polly Shannon does a fine job as the new trainee officer in the unit.
I rate this video 5 stars because of Dolph Lungren and Polly Shannon.
On the downside, the director needs to be sure that the supporting cast (including the criminals) are more believable in their roles.
Notwithstanding the greasy haired police chief who was obviously a crooked cop, I would recommend this Dolph Lungren movie just because Dolph has an exciting stage presence-

5/5 Can you say Oscar?
  by Samuel M. Britton (Texas)
This was the best movie I've ever seen since my last Ed Woods flick a few decades ago. Buy it. Watch it. Then buy it again.

1/5 hollow and horrible!
  by JustAForeignReader (Major Earthquake Faultline)
don't know why dolph lundgren never got the chance to upgrade himself from the b or c movies to a level. all of his movies either sucked big time or totally lukewarm and mediocre, unworthy of wasting any time or word to give a detailed review, unlike steven seagal, who at least had some prime time then keep going down the hill, lundgren never reached any hilltop but always struggled in the deep valley with lousy screenplay, lousy dialogue, lousy plot, lousy scenario....and now he's trying so hard to come back before he becomes too old for being an action hero, he's even tried to direct couple of action movies recently. but sadly speaking, none of his tryings ever paid off, his movies still looked so deadbeat and sometimes even ridiculous. this one is not so exceptional from the other, except even more horrible and hollow. what a shame for a guy tried so hard but always failed.

1/5 Direct to Video Action
  by Mr. Right (top of the mountain)
No wonder with this bad film. One good cop goes against all his squad and testifies they are crooks, now they are trying to kill him.

Story flaws galore in this one. First of all, they try to convince you it is an American city, but make no attempts to hide the fact that it is shot in Toronto. All the close ups of the Ontario licence plates give it away.

The filming style is bizarre. All kinds of unneeded shots of the industrial area of the city when they are suppose to be in the city. There is one scene when they are going to an apartment building but end up in a junkyard in a shoot out.

Dolph Lungren is looking old and skinny in this one and his acting has not improved. He is still better than the girl playing his partner, I'm guessing she went back to her job as a waitress by now. There are a couple of unintentional laughs, like when the cops change cars the director decided to give their cars to the bad guys that are after them. Couldn't they rent a couple other cars to make it look a bit more realistic?

As far as the script, holes in this thing a mile wind. There are too many to mention, but it'll leave you scratching your head. I'd pass on this one unless your cable is out.