Dark Angel

Big Dolph Lundgren tackles even bigger Matthias Hues in this fairly enjoyable sci-fi outing from 1990.

Our Dolph plays a tough cop who inadvertently becomes involved in a spot of alien trouble after a hulking interplanetary miscreant murders a group of bad guys Dolph was staking out (and high tales it with the haul of heroin they had in their possession). Why would an alien want heroin you may well ask? Well, it turns out that our alien bad boy has discovered a rather gruesome method of producing an even more powerful drug via it's utilisation.....he simply shoots up unwilling victims and then sucks out their resulting endorphin enriched cranial fluids which he intends to sell back home (where ever that may be)!!!

Hardly impressed with this, Dolph decides to investigate this grisly case but finds himself constantly undermined by a number of shady factions entering the fray.

Matters eventually come to a head when our two mighty leads battle it out in a factory setting (a popular location for action film finales) and Dolph gets to fire off the obligatory final quip before sending his alien nemesis into oblivion.

OK, despite the intriguing premise this is utterly ridden with clichés - the new cop partner, troubles with the girlfriend etc etc etc. Added to this Dolph's acting abilities are somewhat less than spectacular. However.....the film works despite it's many flaws and proves to serve as a fun ninety or so minutes.

At the end of the day, what more could you ask for? Check it out.

While by no means a masterpiece, this is entertaining from start to finish. With a running time of about 90 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, and its fast pace and surprises prevent you from being bored at any point in it. There are a ton of clichés, but the story is pretty original. Brian Benben(whom, I won't lie to you, was the thing I most looked forward to seeing in this, and I wasn't disappointed) is the procedural jerk, and Dolph is the cop who plays by his own rules. The action is excellent and thoroughly enjoyable, with shoot-outs, car-chases and some physical fighting. The editing is fairly good for this sort of thing, and the camera-work is never downright poor. This is non-committal, guilty pleasure fun throughout the entire thing, and that is reflected in the dialog, the characters, the acting, etc. There is a bit of quirk here and there in the writing. I will not give away too much of the plot; all I'll say is that there is, indeed, an alien(with bad-ass weaponry) in this, and the flick is a blast to watch. There is plenty of strong language and a little nudity, and both are gratuitous. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys kicking back with something simple that clearly had effort put into making it something that delivers what it promises. 6/10

I like original movies and this one is. The villain arrives at earth to creates drugs from humans. Great concept, and this drug dealer has some nasty weapons too boot. Good story line, with a odd couple teaming up to solve the problem. In the end, this movie is crazy enough for a entertaining 2 hour. Mike's pick I give it a 7!

An alien humanoid is murdering citizens of Houston to gather stocks of a rare drug only found in the human brain. With the help of a FBI Agent a Vice Cop sets out to stop the killer, whatever the cost.

Director Craig R. Baxley's Dark Angel or Stateside known as I Come In Peace is entertaining and of its time. Written by Jonathan Tydor and Leonard Maas Jr. Dark Angel is surprisingly above average for a sci/fi thriller for the time. The character of Jack Caine played by Dolph Lundgren is partially fleshed out and tries it's hardest to go against the 80's stereotype macho cop.

The other characters are well rounded but it's the delivery and how the actors realise some of the characters that skewer the production including Lundgren. That said, aliens Azeck (the Good Alien) Jay Bilas and (Bad) Talec played menacingly by Matthias Hues steals the show. With his size, white eyes and hair Hues' composure Talec is particularly creepy.

The unlikely pairing of Caine and FBI Agent Smith add that buddy cop element synonymous with action films, similar to Red Heat and Alien Nation and although worn adds some humour. There's an over powering sometime misplaced and intrusive score, that said the lasso extraction and insertion/extraction spike effect are basic but effectively done and sci-fi fans will get a kick out of the spinning blade reminiscent of Predator 2.

There's lots of explosions, gun-play, chases and clichés aside, the partner murdered, cop suspension, no one believes to name a few there's a good science fiction tale.

I was surprised to see such a low rating for this movie. I've probably seen this movie like 10 times. And after my wife found out I'm a Dolph Lundgren fan, I think the first thing she asked me was, "do you own "I Come In Peace"?", because she was already a fan of the movie too. Anyway, if you like sci-fi action movies, check it out.