Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Command Performance Blu-ray Movie Review

Dying's easy, rock n' roll is hard.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner November 15, 2009

Immediately following my recent review of Direct Action, I’ve been given the opportunity to review another Dolph Lundgren action gem, titled Command Performance. Released direct-to-video in 2009, Lundgren’s latest outing is a labor of love for the aging action star, who not only headlines the cast, but also wrote and directed the feature. I guess I shouldn’t be terribly surprised to see him stepping into the directing chair, since I’d imagine he grew tired of starring in shoddy low-budget films, directed by aspiring filmmakers that have less of a grasp on the action formula than Lundgren possesses. I can’t entirely say the end result is a success, but at least Command Performance surpasses the quality of anything Lundgren’s starred in during the past decade.

The military establishes a makeshift camp outside the concert hall.

Joe (Dolph Lundgren) is the superstar drummer of a rock band who landed the opening gig at a Russian benefit concert, attended by the Russian President and his two young daughters. Following a rousing performance before thousands of screaming fans, Joe stumbles onto a backstage plot to kidnap the President and demand a hefty ransom from the Russian Government. Calling on his experience as a former member of a Los Angeles biker gang, Joe sets out to eliminate the mercenary kidnappers, and free Russia’s top leader.

Command Performance doesn’t deliver a shred of ingenuity during its 94 minute runtime, but that’s not exactly the reason we subject ourselves to action films of this nature. At the end of the day, all we ask for is a reasonable basis for mayhem to ensue, and several well-staged action sequences. In that regard, this should be seen as a success. The basic structure of the storyline plays out like a Die Hard knock-off, with a rogue tough guy eluding capture during a hostage crisis. Throw in a damsel in distress for the hero to rescue, a tragic history between the leader of the kidnappers and the president, and you have the recipe for a basic run-of-the-mill action fest.

Unfortunately, all is not well with Command Performance. After watching Direct Action and this latest feature, I’m beginning to wonder if Lundgren is struggling with a mid-life crisis. Playing the drummer of a rock band isn’t exactly something we’d expect from a 52 year old actor, unless he’s desperately trying to rewind the hourglass of time. In one of the many hilarious scenes in the film, Lundgren playfully flirts with a young pop star, who remains surprisingly attracted to him despite his age. I’m sure Lundgren still views himself as a bit of a lady’s man, but the mutual attraction between him and a much younger women struck me as a bit creepy.

Despite the shortcomings in the plot and Lundgren’s desire to look half his age, there are several positive aspects of the production worth mentioning. First off, the acting from the majority of the ensemble cast is quite impressive. Hristo Shopov delivers an emotionally layered performance as President Petrov, Dave Legeno commands the screen as the leader of the mercenary kidnappers, and Zahary Baharov turns in a noble performance as Joe’s sidekick in the fight to free the hostages. On the downside, Lundgren appears to be sleepwalking through his performance, barely mustering an ounce of depth in a role that dominates the screen. His female counterpart Melissa Ann Smith is equally off-putting in her role as the American pop star Venus, but I’m cutting her a bit of slack due to weaknesses in her portion of the script.

The second positive aspect of Command Performance, is the pleasure derived from several well-staged action sequences, and the hefty body count that continues to grow with every passing minute. I’m not sure what kind of biker gang training turns someone into a walking killing machine, but by the time Lundgren’s dispatched his tenth foe, you’ll assume there’s far more to his history. Some of the more impressive kills involve a drumstick through the head (not the chicken kind), a brutal knife to the throat, and a pipe through the chest. If I had to rate the movie solely on the action, the overall score for this section of the review would be far higher.

Command Performance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 24Mbps), Command Performance looks better than most low-budget productions in the action genre, but still falls short in a couple of areas. Fine object detail is average at best, appearing a touch on the hazy side in most scenes. Facial close-ups contain a higher degree of clarity than distance shots, but still never approach the proficiency of the finest high-definition transfers on the market. Matters don't improve significantly with the color spectrum of the image, since it wavers back and forth between yellowed hues in the corridors of the concert hall, and cool blue hues around the makeshift military camp. This is likely accurate to the source material, since I suspect a degree of filtering was used to push the colors in a certain direction. Rounding out the analysis of the transfer, black levels offer sufficient depth, but contrast slips from time to time, failing to differentiate between the darker shades of nighttime or low-light interior shots. A perfect example is the scene just after the 19-minute mark, where a gunman creeps up behind a rooftop sniper, and puts a bullet in him. The black outfit worn by the sniper blends into the background of the nighttime sky, making it impossible to make out the silhouette of his body.

While I can't say Command Performance deserves praise for this high-definition presentation, it still offers action fans an experience worth visiting.

Command Performance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similar to the video presentation, the lossless audio track seemed far better than I was expecting for a direct-to-video action offering. If you're like me, you've probably grown accustomed to childish sound effects, generic music, and weak dialog on a release of this nature. Thankfully, Command Performance reverses that trend, opening up the surround field for some truly rousing action sequences. Punches sound unique when they hit various portions of the body, bullets ricochet from speaker to speaker, and the booming bass of explosions extend from the initial impact through the residual rumble. Similar to the proficient effects, I was impressed with the variety in the musical score, which elevates the film above a simple mind-numbing action production. Listen closely to the musical performances in the early portion of the film, and you'll notice an excellent level of clarity, as well as an enveloping feel throughout the soundstage. Lastly, despite my complaints about the script and line delivery by Lundgren, I can at least admit the dialog replication in the audio mix is entirely positive. From a volume standpoint, the various elements in the track are all balanced with care, preventing any one element from overpowering another. In the end, the lossless mix is a good rendition of a low-budget sound design, but shouldn't be classified among Hollywood's audio elite.

Command Performance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only extra included on the disc is a collection of standard definition trailers for recent films from First Look (Command Performance, Direct Action, Monster, Direct Contact, and The Code).

Command Performance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Command Performance won't hold a candle to 90% of the action films currently available on the Blu-ray format, but in case you find yourself in need of a good way to kill 90 minutes, it might be worth your time. If you consider yourself a long-time Dolph Lundgren fan, you've likely been waiting for a role that will reignite his career, and I'm sorry to say the wait is not over. His acting skills have never been the catalyst of his success, and the story continues with this release. However, I'm intrigued by the directing prowess he displayed in the completion of Command Performance, meaning he may have a new opportunity to reinvent his career. I suppose time will tell.