This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!This movie is one of the best movie Dolph has made. It look so good. Is like candy for the eyes. Go Dolph!

Dolph Lundgren wears two hats in his 2004 action-thriller "The Defender." Not only does he star as the hero in "The Defender," but also he directed "The Defender." Mind you, the Swedish straight-to-video star would have starred in this international intrigue actioneer anyway, but original director Sidney J. Furie, who helmed the groundbreaking Michael Caine spy thriller "The Ipcress File" and the Marlon Brando oater "The Appaloosa," had to drop out of the project in preproduction because of health-related issues. The great news is that Dolph pinch-hits a home run with this non-stop, $6-million dollar, shoot'em up that comes packed with surprises galore. No, Dolph has done better movies, principally Hong Kong director John Woo's made-for-cable action epic "Blackjack," but "The Defender" does qualify as one of Dolph's better direct-to-video action-thrillers.Scenarist Douglas W. Miller combines the plots of two cinematic classics, John Frankenheimer's "Seven Days in May" (1964) about Pentagon generals staging a coup against the President and Brian G. Hutton's "Where Eagles Dare" (1968) where British Intelligence creates a situation to lure Nazi moles in their organization out into the open. Of course, "The Defender" is nowhere near as intriguing as either "Seven Days in May" or "Where Eagles Dare," but it is at least ambitious enough to mount something on a grand scale. In "The Defender," a bespectacled, cigar-smoking U.S. President (Jerry Springer of TV's "The Jerry Springer Show") dispatches his African-American National Security Adviser Roberta Jones (Carolina Lee-Johnson of "The Saint") to meet with an international terrorist, Mohamed Jamal (newcomer Geoffrey Burton of "Inn of the Damned"), ostensibly a Bin Laden type to seek a peace initiative. Initially, Jamal appeared in an introductory scene where he brutally interrogated our iron-jawed hero during the Gulf War. The setting--a venerable hotel that once served as a retreat for the Royal Romanian family--lies about 40 miles outside of Budapest. The staff has been given the day off when the conference is held. Jones warns longtime security chief Lance Rockford (Dolph Lundgren of "Detention") that nobody must know that this meeting is being held because it could be political dynamite for the President. What Rockford doesn't know is that . . . well, you'll have to see for yourself because this constitutes one of the many surprises that occur throughout "The Defender." Meanwhile, as director, Dolph doesn't waste a moment in this bullet-blasting gunplay. The action occurs largely in a hotel in Europe with Dolph crosscutting to the President meeting with his advisors, etc., in shots set in Washington, D.C. Of course, in faraway Romania, the cameo-clad villains pour out of the woodwork like angry fire ants, and our heroes are constantly have to duck fusillades of machine gun fire. What Lance doesn't know is that one of his own team belongs to the other side. This is just one of the surprises that Dolph springs on us near the end of the movie. "The Defender" is a lot of fun and the ensuing surprises in the storyline should hold your attention throughout its 90 minute running time. The performances are adequate and the production values look good for this straight-to-video thriller. Dolph Lundgren fans should get a kick out of this tidy spy versus spy saga.

Spoiler: A short scene not (too) relevant to the plot is described in this comment.I found it on TV while having dinner and kept watching it because it seemed interesting. I immediately started noticing obvious jokes/situations, such as the one where they are preparing for the attack and you can see Lance through a sniper's bullseye, he follows him as if he was aiming for a few seconds wanting you to believe it's one of the bad guys, until Lance salutes him. Now, that looked like a desperate attempt to be smart, didn't it? There are plenty of situations such as this one in the film, but still, the acting wasn't bad and the story kept you going, hence 5/10.

I don't like action movies all too much but I got this film and it was very good. I haven't seen many Dolph Lundgren movies except Rocky 4 and He-man but El Protector was a very good film. If all his films are like this I shall watch more.The idea is quite good, involving terrorists and quite brave for todays current situations. The film has a strong plot which helps because it is almost all action. It never stops. Lot's of gunfights, punching and kicking and explosions. This is good fun.Dolph Lundgren is quite a good actor for the genre he works in I must admit. He's still also in excellent shape considering Rocky 4 was 20 years ago.I also must say I liked the music. I am a musician myself and would like to get into the movie industry through that, and the score in this film is interesting.This is overall a good movie, worth your time.