Dark Angel (1990)

Wonderful Movie

Thanks for the memories!

Better Late Then Never

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I loved this film as a kid when it came out, saw it recently and was pleasantly surprised at how well it has aged."I Come in Peace/Dark Angel", at its core, is an action movie that refuses to take itself too seriously, often mocking some of the film's conceits like English-speaking extra-terrestrials. The dialogue is surprisingly witty and in some instances- hilarious, providing lines that are instantly quotable. Dolph, in what is probably his most successful solo endeavor, nails his role as a grizzled veteran detective working to solve the case of his murdered partner. Sure he won't win many accolades from the industry for his performance here, but he certainly doesn't ruin the experience and I'd argue he serves to enhance it. Brian Benben is hilarious here and he delivers his lines with all the wit and snark of a know-it-all federal agent on his first big case. And let's not forget the glorious 80's themed soundtrack by Jan Hammer (of Miami Vice fame).A perfect film to watch when you're in the mood for 80's style action without having to spend too much time in front of your TV. Highly recommended!

Hollywood briefly tried to turn Dolph Lundgren into the next Arnold or Sly after his breakout role in 'Rocky IV', but sadly it just never happened and he was soon relegated to straight-to-video land. It's a shame really, because though he lacks Arnold's natural charisma, he's certainly got more range than Steven Segal, a contemporary whose career did take off.'I come In Peace' (known everywhere outside of North America as 'Dark Angel' for some odd reason) is easily Dolph's best feature film (as the lead). It's a sci-fi buddy cop movie with a premise that falls apart under even the slightest scrutiny, but Lundgren and co-star Brian Benben have good chemistry and the script is occasionally witty.And because it's the 80s (well, 1990), what are the odds that it ends with a joke/freeze frame/feel good rock song? 'bout a %100

I first watched Dark Angel in the eighties - which was impressive as it came out in 1990. However, the reason I keep telling myself I saw it about five years earlier was (a) because I was about twelve at the time and (b) because everything about Dark Angel says EIGHTIES.It's about a nasty old alien who comes to Earth to steal people's endorphin straight from their brains. However, luckily we have tough, no-nonsense cop Dolph Lundgren to sort the rotter out.It's no masterpiece by anyone's standards. When I first decided to watch it again after over twenty years, I worried that it might spoil the memories of my childhood favourite. I'm pleased to say that it didn't. Dark Angel is as ludicrously daftly enjoyable today as it was back in the eighties (sorry, nineties).It treads a fine line between being really dark and serious, and slightly tongue-in-cheek and self-knowing. Not many films can get away with this, but somehow Dark Angel pulls it off.The dialogue may be corny, the special effects aren't really that special, the acting is questionable (and the over-acting from the 'mad scientist' is truly a joy to behold) and you could spend longer listing the plot holes than actually watching the films, but, at the end of the day, Dark Angel is enormously silly fun.If you really don't want to think about plot, story or characterisation the why not immerse yourself in this 'Terminator-esque' action flick from the eighties +1? I defy anyone not to cheer when Dolph finally delivers his cutting put-down to the bad alien near the end of the film!

For actor Dolph Lundgren, I am disappointed that his career has remained at these kinds of films. It is not that they are bad, they just don't seem to be what could fit him character wise. It's a shame that producers and directors don't look for him to star in other films. Instead, Lundgren fans will majority of the time see him in Direct-to- Video releases. I think this film could've had a moderate successful run if it had been released theatrically, but that obviously didn't happen.Lundgren stars as Jack Caine, a Texas cop who likes doing things his own way. While trying to capture a crack dealer named Victor Manning, his partner is killed in the process but in that time gap, another individual comes onto the screen. Matthias Hues is Talec, an alien who will use the crack to inject into his victims to create his own alien drug. In the meantime, Caine has his deceased partner replaced with FIB agent Smith played by Brian Benben. This concept is actually not that bad. Of course, that doesn't stop this movie from having its flaws but through and through, it's a decent fun.The character of Jack Caine is well played by Lundgren. His ability to act quick in tense situations and hand-to-hand combat skills are praiseworthy. And the pairing of Smith and Caine was an acceptable casting choice as well. Benben makes use of his smaller appearance as a character compared to Lundgren. Even though Smith annoys Caine for some time, because Smith follows the book line by line, these characters develop a friendship over time, which is good thing. Their dialog exchanges are humorous as well.Also because of Caine's rashness at his job, he struggles to maintain a healthy relationship with his girlfriend Diane Pallone (Betsy Brandtley). This subplot didn't particularly make the film any less cliché but it did make the story a slight bit more engaging because to some, it may concern viewers if Caine's girlfriend will run into this drug seeking alien. Adding to the fun is Michael J. Pollard, or as others might remember him as, Owen, from Tango & Cash (1989) a year before. Pollard still has the chops to be goofy.Musical artist, Jan Hammer was the score writer for this action film. Unfortunately there was no specific theme but his catchy beats made it enjoyable all the same. This is rare for me. Most of the time if the score to a film does not have a specific theme, it tends to leave me empty but I enjoyed Hammer's music so that surprised me. The look of the alien race that Hues plays is neat too. Although I still think it is cheesy that their insides are made up of molten marshmallow.There wasn't much that was bad here, but for what there was it irked me. For one, the beginning of the alien plot never concluded the Victor Manning plot. Victor Manning was never captured. Why would the writers leave that untouched? Couldn't they just have written an ending for the Victor Manning plot once the alien plot started? Also the ending seemed kind of abrupt. For endings to a film, there should be some kind of a closing scene but this film doesn't offer that. The action was good too even though it still had a mid-80's feel to it...I mean it was filmed and released in the very late 80's so I can understand why.Jack Caine is not the most memorable character in film history but Dark Angel is a fun Dolph Lundgren piece if you're in the mood for a silly cop film with a pinch of outer space.