Movie Review: I Come in Peace (aka Dark Angel) (1990)
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley, Matthias Hues, Jay Bilas
Director: Craig R. Baxley
Writer(s): Jonathan Tydor, Leonard Maas Jr.
Studio: MGM
Rating: R
Official Bar Score: 
Vice cop Jack Caine (Lundgren) is having a bad day. To start things off, a group of yuppie drug dealers called The White Boys kill his partner and set their sites on him. This gets him stuck with uptight FBI agent Smith (Benben), who never read a rule he didn’t adhere to. Then, as if things couldn’t get worse, he gets caught in the crossfire between an alien drug dealer harvesting human endorphins (Hues) and the interplanetary cop chasing him (ESPN’s Jay Bilas before you knew who he was). It’s up to Caine to take down the drug dealers wreaking havoc in Houston, one explosion at a time.
Don’t front, you loved this movie back in the day just as much as I did. It’s an excellent mix of plot holes, one liners, and surprisingly well crafted explosions that are the envy of late eighties/early nineties straight to video b-movies. Hell, had it been a little bit more tightly constructed and had a little bit more star power (read: bigger budget), it would probably be mentioned in the same vein as “Kickboxer” and other movies of that nature.
The fact is, all it’s missing IS a star. Dolph Lundgren tries really hard and does a decent job, but he lacks the charisma of, say, a Van Damme or Steven Segal. The problem is that without that star quality behind the explosions and one liners, things have a tendency to fall flat at times despite everyone’s best efforts. It’s impossible to say something is great when it’s obvious that someone is trying so hard and producing something mediocre. It’s not awful, but Lundgren’s wooden performance is what keeps this from being a cult classic.
Still, watching this with a more mature eye, I have come to realize that “I Come in Peace” (which I refuse to call “Dark Angel” on principle) is exceptionally well made for a low budget actioner, and the one liners and classic moments have held up well and will stay in the hearts of those that were fond of it back in the day. Now go in pieces assholes.
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when did they call it dark angel?
It was called Dark Angel everywhere else but the US, and when they released it on DVD they slapped that title on it for some reason. I like “I Come in Peace” better.
They Live was way better.
Dolph Lundgren is the man. What was that movie with him and brandon lee? That movie sucked.
Showdown (Throwdown maybe?) in Little Tokyo.
It wasn’t that bad. It was the shit in middle school. I liked it better than Masters of the Universe.
Dolph Lundgren Top 5:
1) I Come in Peace
2) Army of One
3) Rocky IV
4) The Punisher
5) Jill the Ripper
That list is indisputable.
It is disputable because you forgot universal soldier!!! Plus, Rocky 4 is number 1, followed by universal soldier, the punisher, i come in peace, masters of the universe
Good point. Revised indisputable Dolph Lundgren top 5:
1) I Come in Peace
2) Universal Soldier
3) Army of One
4) Rocky IV
5) The Punisher
Jill the Ripper was alright for a piece of shit though.
Jill the Ripper was called something else too. I can’t rememember though.
and what about red scorpion a dolph classic but yes other than that you do have a good list there