The Russian Specialist (2005)

Thanks for the memories!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This to me is one of the better Dolph films to come out of the 2000's. I appreciate the simplicity of it but what makes it stand above the rest id the quality in the acting. Dolph is very good as Niko the mechanic. Ben Cross as well as the other guys are very good. The climax in the film makes it for me. The fact that Dolph directed this makes me wonder why doesn't he direct all the films he stars in. The Defender was good too but I like this one better. This is not your typical wall to wall action film, but the action scenes here as well as the shootouts are very good. Nothing new with the story, but it's crafted in a way that looks as if it was new.

Action superstar Dolph Lundgren directs and stars in this explosive and fast-paced action-thriller as a retired Special Forces soldier on a mission of revenge.The Russian Specialist is terrific and surprisingly intense, it makes you wonder, how did Dolph managed to make such a low budget movie look like a high class movie with a big budget.Dolph makes the violence in this movie realistic, you will hear bones crack, necks snap and bullets fly causing damage to whatever it hits. Dolph as a great vision as a director and captures the scenes very well in the movie. The locations are very well chosen for the movie and the scenery is breathtaking, especially the overhead shoots throughout the movie.The cast for this movie is the best i have ever seen in a low budget movie, everyone plays out their role nicely done, Ben Cross does an amazing job with his character and Dolph does a great performance as a very well believable Russian character. This movies belongs on the A-list of movies and deserved a chance in a theatrical release.

This is actually one of the few western movies about Russia and Russians that is not following official propaganda lines like "Russians-are-bad-people" or "bears-walking-in-the-streets-of-Moscow". More modern are for sure something like "no-freedom-of-speech" or "Putin-killed-that-London-spy" :) Anyway, this flick is NOT anything of that mentioned above. This is a story about crime, that's sure, but the movie is very objective with quite OK script and even not that bad acting. And it's actually filmed in Russia, not Prague or other places that would "look-like-Russia" for western viewers. :) There is just one major miss - once again Hollywood failed to find some Russians to play the parts of Russians :) - but hiring Bulgarians is still better that just having Americans pronouncing something completely ridiculous that should sound like "Russian" :) Funny, once more "The Big Swedish" - Dolph - is playing a Russian guy. :) :) Only this time a good one :)

I just viewed "The Mechanik/Russian Specialist". It was a better movie than I expected. The basic plot has been done multiple times and I rate it favorably with other comparable movies. The action was good though in some instances a bit over the top. I would have liked to have seen more character development from the character Nick and the young kidnapped lady. Nick's character was too one dimensional. There were missed opportunities to develop these characters, (especially when they stayed overnight with the family in the countryside. (by the way, Bulgaria seems like it is a beautiful country). I think that the actors that portrayed that family did a superb job. The only real problem I had was during the Early scenes in the movie. The lighting was poor. I could barely see the actors. Overall, I was pleased with this movie.