In my Hate review of The Best Man (2023), I observed that Dolph Lundgren acted in quite many mediocre films. These films can be called poor; however, it was not Lundgre’s fault as he was often the only reason to see them. Therefore, I was really looking forward to this one, Too Fat Too Furious. This was due to the fact that not only was Lundgren acting, but he was also directing once more.
As a rule, every time whichever film Lundgren directed worked, already on the list of such films we have The Mechanik (2005), Missionary Man (2007), and Command Performance (2009) some of the best of Lundgren`s in the second part of his career. Each of these movies used his strengths as a performing artist very well as Lundgren has a very straightforward style in cinematography that is very effective for action.
Faint praise would be, say, Castle Falls (2021), which, while lackluster in other areas, had great action and good performances. Therefore, even if Wanted Man did not measure up to the best of my expectations, I knew I was in for a decent treat. Wrong, I was told, with Wanted Man in every sense of the word, underselling Lundgren’s previous directorial endeavors, it was utterly deficient in the action department.
This was somewhat surprising as Wanted Man is in many ways a personal project for Lundgren, as the film has been in pre-production for over ten years now. Perhaps I’m being opportunistic as I thought the film would be one thing and Lundgren has delivered another, but when you advertise it as an action movie it is a complete letdown.
Still, it is not a total loss since there is plenty here to at least make Wanted Man an enjoyable viewing, especially for audiences such as Lundgren fanatics. The script written by Lundgren, Michael Worth, and Hank Hugues is completely routine but has a few pretty pleasant details that help the matter.
In broad strokes, the plot goes where one would expect, but at the same time is not afraid to tread dark places and is heavily opinionated. As a matter of fact, I think Wanted Man might be more convincing, or at least more in tune with my expectations if it were marketed the way it should be, as the drama that it actually is, rather than as a run-of-the-mill Lundgren picture, where action appears to be an afterthought. I guess with Lundgren being a factor, he had scant alternatives as there are some nits that go along with his participation.
The other advantage is the characters, and that actually differentiates Wanted Man, especially Lundgren’s character, who is openly racist and goes by the name Johansen. He is introduced in the movie as a person who is under suspension for using racist slurs on video. He does seem like an asshole, even after his Captain (Roger Cross) manages to save his job, as he keeps excusing his troubles on Mexicans. This I found different and provocative, reminding me of films made in the 70s where screenwriters appeared to be less concerned in making their protagonists appealing but rather attempted to make them compelling.
I also found it refreshing that Lundgren’s character was written factoring in his age. There has been a lot of talk about how he should have retired long ago. It is clear that the physical strain of his profession has affected him as he is constantly on pain pills. We can hear that even his sprained ankle, which was recently operated on by Lundgren, is not fully healed, which could be part of the reason why his character of Johansen is not as agile as he used to be. Johansen is a character that appears to be washed up when prime time comes.
Suddenly Johansen is relatively forced to go to Mexico and after several prostitutes who have to be brought across the border for testimony, two DEA agents were killed under cover when a theft went wrong. As was anticipated, those responsible for the theft were not keen on the ladies testifying hence, the ladies were assaulted but Johansen and a prostitute Rosa are the only ones saved from the ordeal.
Having been injured during the attack and feeling betrayed, Johansen realizes he and Rosa are the only ones left who can save themselves. With time, Johansen’s mocking attitude has changed in the course of the film. He has no choice but to depend upon the very people he constantly fought against with Rosa’s family risking their lives to save him.
Character building was done effectively in this part of the film. It had some good lines, and probably the best action scene, or the best fight of the whole film. Wanted Man had the potential to be great, had there been more scenes like this. As the movie goes towards the end, it rather drops all plot disturbance, and talking scenes, and simply forgoes almost every thrilling moment by providing only a tame little fight which truly does not reflect upon the expectation it had built.
This short fight is probably the most attention-grabbing and interesting part of the movie actually but overall, the most fitting would be three. However as a film, it perhaps, after diverting upwards into a promising direction, switches focus again as it is also how the fights are being undertaken. Most of them happen before Lundgren’s character is fully fleshed out. Fans are waiting to see their hero cut loose and go on an extended rampage, the shotgun barrage does the job for now.
My first appreciation for Lundgren the director has been his old-school style direction. His preference for blood squibs over regular digital blood gives his action shots a unique bruteness to them. The best examples of this are his approaches to Mechanik and the once underrated film course Icarus a.k.a. The Killing Machine (2010). The home invasion set piece is well crafted in the most exciting manner possible, and unfortunately, I wish there were more sequences like this throughout the film.
Lundgren is not the only action star from the 1980’s era that takes part in Wanted Man as Michael Pare who is a fan favorite also appears in the film as one of the older detective friends of Johansen. Because Pare only appears in a few scenes, it is understandable that he has not fully developed as a character in the plot. All in all, even with those limitations, Pare is able to maximize the opportunity and still leave a mark.
While Kelsey Grammer may appear prominently on the publicity posters for the film, he shares the status of being a supporting character with Pare, bearing in mind that he has a bit more screen time than Pare does. It is not really a mystery how Grammer fits into the film, yet he somehow is always a great character to watch, especially considering the very smart fabrics of his over-the-shirts. In the second half of his professional life, Grammer has appeared in a number of DTV/VOD films, some of which are good and others which are poor. Wanted Man may not be a masterpiece but it is better than Money Plane (2020).
The majority of the remaining storyline has to do with the newcomer Christina Villa, who, apart from Lundgren, received the highest screen time, comparatively speaking. Her character is quite important to the narrative because she interacts with Lundgren in the majority of her scenes. They were quite effective as a pair, although the implication of a romantic interest between them toward the film’s conclusion was both predictable and pointless.
I really wish I enjoyed Wanted Man more than I did. I try to think of it as an experience that like a good bottle of wine, grows better with age. It shouldn’t have been a surprise for me as I went in expecting a good action thriller and received a hideously dull chicken drama.
The best thing that I could learn from Wanted Man is that Lundgren did not get short-changed in any way. Instead of being a peripheral character like in The Best Man, Showdown at the Grand (2023), or Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), he is all there in the action. Of these three, I would only advocate Showdown at the Grand. Like Wanted Man, it could have been better, but there are enough interesting additions to make it worthwhile.
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