3/5 hopefully Command Performance will be better . . .
  by trebe
Although the action scenes are decent, the stunts executed fairly well, and the story fairly plausible, Direct Contact (2009) suffers from `lazy filmmaking'. There is a lack of attention to detail, a lack of effort in the writing of dialog, and a basic disregard for logic and reality, that detracts from what is otherwise a serviceable comic book action adventure. Since Danny Lenner both wrote and directed the film, the source of the problems appears clear.

Dolph Lungren is Mike Riggins, a former US marine doing time in a Balkan prison, for dealing in contraband. Riggins is offered money and his freedom, in return for freeing a kidnapped woman named Ana Gale, (Gina Marie May) who is being held captive in a guarded military compound. Clive Connelly (Michael Pare), supposedly associated with the US embassy, brokers the deal and arranges for Riggins release.

Riggins speaks to Vlado Karadjov (Vladimir Vladimirov), the man holding the woman hostage. After Vlado refuses to free her, Riggins raids the encampment, takes Ana by force, and leaves the place in flames. Things get confusing, as Ana says she has not been kidnapped, and after showing up at a meeting with Connelly without Ana, Riggins is fleeing across the city on a motorcycle, dodging bullets. He catches up with Ana at a train station, and from there the pair is continuously on the run, as she is actually the heir to a huge fortune. At 35, Gina May is in excellent physical condition.

Dolph Lundgren has been doing pretty well directing his own films, and probably would have done a better job directing this one than Danny Lenner. With numerous explosions, several vehicle chases, plenty of hand to hand combat, several flying cars, and a slew of gunfights, Direct Contact solidly delivers gratuitous violence and destruction. Unfortunately, very little effort was made to produce a polished or credible film. Command Performance (2009), which was directed by Lundgren, and is scheduled for release soon, is getting good reviews, and hopefully will be an improvement.

Direct Contact is presented in widescreen, and is closed captioned. The DVD contains no bonus features. The film is recommended to Lundgren fans, and lightly recommended to those with minimal standards for action movies.

3/5 direct contact
  by R. Hicks
Purchassed this just cause I am a Michael Pare' Fan and it was a really good movie and I enjoyed Michael in it.However if I was a fan of Dolph's it would probaby be a 5 star rating

3/5 Mr. Congeniality
  by Julian Kennedy (St Pete Florida)
Direct Contact: 6 out of 10: This is one of the most action packed movies I have ever seen. Keep in mind the action is not always good and the script certainly writes checks that the budget cannot cash. In addition, Dolph Lundgren gives the best performance in the film


However, one cannot deny that compare to those bloated (in more than one-way mind you) Segal films like Driven to Kill; this is a fit, fast and fun ride.


Dolph starts the film in an eastern European prison but is let out to rescue an American girl from a concentration camp located just east of a World War 2 film. (Direct Contact takes place in modern times but both the camp commander, and the camp victims, would not be out of place in Schindler's List as done by Full Moon Productions.) Bashar Rahal plays camp commandant General Drago with such a silly vigor, that when he shoots children in the head you just cannot help but laugh. Not to mention the fact that any character with the name General Drago belongs in a film with either Lightsabers or Dragons, not Fiddler on the Roof extras being mowed down by machine guns.


Gina May plays the American girl, whom is much easier on the eyes than she is the ears. Her acting could have been improved with more nudity and less dialogue: much less dialogue. The rest of the cast is Michael Pare, random Bulgarians or James Chalke who gives the kind of horrible performance that makes one wonder if he financed the entire film.


Now back to the reason to watch the film: the action. Dolph is in good shape and makes a surprisingly agile action star. Moreover, even though Bulgaria has no native word for continuity, it is a country that, for a couple of bucks, you can drive tanks through buildings downtown like some sort of Goldeneye road show.


Overall, I enjoyed the film more than I should have. Lord knows it could have been better. However, as the good lord above also knows, it could have been a lot worse. Direct Contact may commit countless cinematic sins but it is never less than entertaining.




1/5 Pretty Darn Bad
  by The Bus (NC, United States)
After reading the two pretty positive reviews I decided to take a chance on this one. Boy was that a mistake :) It wasn't horrible, but I actually kind of feel sorry for ol' Dolph. I was curious to see how he turned out. Why did his career tank so bad? The acting in this is terrible. The fight scenes are pretty darn bad also. There are lots and lots of shooting but its all super ridiculous. Dozens of men firing automatic rifles and yet nobody's windshield gets even one hole in it? Some of the scenes just didn't seem to even make sense. Save yourself some money and time and avoid this movie. The only way this movie could possibly have been worse would if Steven Seagal was the star and then we would have had to watch his squinty-faced joke of a dialogue worst acting out there and body doubles used for scenes that involve more than just Seagal's head :) Yes, this movie was actually that darn bad.

5/5 Classic Dolph Lungren
  by ActionFan (California)
All you need to know is Dolph Lundgren. What is better than slow-mo action sequences, kicks & punches, lots of bullets and blood. If you're an action fan, a Dolph fan or just a fan of entertaining movies in general, you need to see this one. Lundgren plays Mike Riggins, a former imprisoned tough guy who's on a mission to save a kidnapped woman somewhere in Eastern Europe. The action sequences are awesome, the hand-to-hand combat is killer and Dolph Lundgren is nothing short of action-legend status.