For someone who has a master's degree in chemical engineering and was once awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to MIT, Dolph Lundgren has certainly starred in his fair share of brain dead motion pictures, the majority of which may or may not have resulted in his gradual decline. You see, after a short but snazzy career in the '80s, poor Dolph found himself slowly sinking into the direct-to-video cesspool with the other muscle-bound has-beens of his generation. A string of low-budget flops pretty much cemented that fact, and soon after our hero decided to pack up his career in order to spend more time with his family. As of 2002, Mr. Lundgren was no longer a working actor. The nation silently wept.

Two years later, Lundgren was suddenly back in the proverbial saddle, tossing out a handful of third-tier actioners that suggested his so-called "retirement" was nothing more than a hasty retreat from impending doom. As of this writing, the guy has quite a few straight-to-video flicks collecting dust on video store shelves across the globe, not to mention those currently in production. Like former action heroes Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Wesley Snipes, it seems that Dolph has finally found his niche amongst the fallen. Unlike his contemporaries, however, Lundgren's recent output actually has a bit more class than you may initially realize.

Take 2004's Direct Action, for example. It's not the best action vehicle the guy has ever lent his talents to, but it's certainly not the worst. Dolph stars as Frank Gannon, a good cop surrounded by a squadron of crooked bastards. They're so dirty, so utterly foul that ol' Frank is going to testify against them in a court of law. Bad idea. Our beloved hero soon finds himself knee-deep in bullet casings as he desperately tries to stay alive long enough to spill the beans about his co-workers and their seedy operations. With the help of a head-strong young rookie (Polly Shannon), Frank dives head-first into an all-out war with those who seek to silence him.

First off, let me just say that our boy Lundgren is in tip-top shape. Sure, he looks a bit sleepy and his face has its share of deep creases, but the guy's physique couldn't be better. He could easily pass for a guy half his age, that is, if you slipped a black bag over his head. Had he appeared more awake and alert, his turn in Sidney J. Furie's (The Entity, The Taking of Beverly Hills) super-charged kick-fest would have been career-defining. It's certainly the best thing I've seen him do in ages, including his superior version of The Punisher. Yeah, I said it. Superior.

The story itself is really nothing to write home about. Frank has to testify against his fellow members of the Direct Action Unit (DAU), an organization which, according to the opening crawler, is an untouchable division of the police force. Because he refuses to play by their rules, Frank spends the majority of the picture running around town, dodging bullets, and trying to get people to believe his story. Pretty basic stuff, really. Nothing ground-breaking here. Of course, I didn't pony up five whole dollars for a bunch of conversations and touchy-feely moments involving Dolph Lundgren and a stable of Canadian extras. Heavens, no. I want unadulterated, balls-to-the-wall action.