Today’s quick review: Direct Contact. To get out of a brutal Balkan prison, ex-Marine Mike Riggins (Dolph Lundgren) strikes a deal with Clive Connelly (Michael Pare), an attache from the American embassy. His mission is to rescue Ana Gale (Gina May) from Vlado Karadjov (Vladimir Vladimirov), a warlord who has been holding her for ransom. Everything goes smoothly until Ana reveals that she was never kidnapped and that Mike’s mission has been a setup.
Direct Contact is a budget action thriller about a soldier caught up in a convoluted scheme to abduct a young woman. True to its genre, Direct Contact lays on the action thick. The movie piles on gunfights, car chases, and explosions as Mike and Ana try to stay ahead of their pursuers. The individual stunts are not that impressive, but their volume is unusual for a budget flick, and they are enough to give the film some limited appeal.
However, Direct Contact has a flimsy plot that keeps it from making the most of its action. The setup is typical for the genre: a mission that proves to be more complicated than initially advertised. But the follow-through is mediocre at best. The plot is an arbitrary sequence of chases and close calls with little to tie it together, the villain makes poor decisions that are never acknowledged, and the exposition comes too late to really matter.
As such, Direct Contact adds up to a fairly typical budget action flick. Those looking for cheap thrills and a basic plot will have just enough to keep them occupied. But anyone hoping for groundbreaking stunts, a satisfying plot, or a movie with its own identity will want to give it a pass. Direct Contact delivers on the basics of the action genre, but not with any particular skill or style.
For a more creative action movie with a similar premise, try The Transporter. For a gritty action movie with a modest budget, a similar premise, and better execution, try Close. For a budget action movie with a harder attitude and better gunplay, try All the Devil’s Men.
4.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for mediocre action and little else.