The Perfect Weapon

Swedish films have always been a part of me, that does not really match. Well, some films are ok, but very few swedish films makes me feel excited. Maybe it is because Sweden is known for being obsessed, what i like to call " The Svensson Husvagns Syndrome ". This diagnose ( that does not exists in medical papers, yet ), is basically what happens when swedes want certain movies. It is supposed to be swedish drama comedy, with jokes so flat, that you want to roll down the mountain of depression. This is what happened in 2010, when we got Änglagård 3 ( also known as ( The End Of Civilization ). This film proved my point, that if this is the best we can get, then we might as well kill ourselves. And i almost did, but thankfully i was saved by Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme with Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning on blu ray. But of course, there are swedish films that i consider to be wonderful, films that should have been seen by 7 million swedes in cinemas. Take the cult film Evil Ed ( new released by Arrow Films on blu ray in a wonderful edition ) as an example. A funny and classic splatter film, that was one of the best swedish films of the 90´s. Then you have the Easy Money ( Snabba Cash ) films, where we were given proof that swedish action films can work. It is all about how much passion you have, for making films, and making a good casting choice as well. In more revent years i have actually found some more positive surprises, especially in smaller independent films, such as Tjuvheder, directed by Peter Grönlund. One of the best swedish drama films i have ever seen, and still one of the highlights of swedish film history. It is a very brutal and sad film, but the acting is really good, and the atmosphere of the film works so well with the characters. I am happy to say that a change have at least happened with swedish films, there are new directors out there who don´t want to to traditional swedish films, and i am pleased about that. Because that is what we need more of. So on a morning show on TV4, earlier this year, they had a morning guest called Titus Paar, who is a swedish director who have made several films in Sweden. But he actually made his way to Hollywood, and this got me curious. His passion is B action films, including fantasy films. When i heard his story, i was curious. A swedish director who loves B movies, that is just perfect. So i got a chance to see his film The Perfect Weapon on dvd, a film he filmed with Steven Seagal in China. I just had to see how one of his films are. Since i know how Seagal usually is, why not see him in a science fiction action film, directed by a swedish man ? Is this the best Seagal film in over a decade, or is this another release that you might as well avoid at all cost ?

In the year of 2045, America have turned into a controlled state, where dictator The Director ( Steven Seagal ) is in control of everything. All enemies of the state will be assassinated, by the best professional assassins. The most effective assassin of them all, Condor ( Johnny Messner ). But when he fails a mission, to kill an opposition leader, the state makes sure that he has to be killed. Now, everyone that used to be on Condor´s side, is out to get him. Somehow, Condor has to find a way to survive, and finish the biggest threat The Director.

Knowing that this film is directed by a B movie lover from Sweden, does of course affect my view on this film. Because if there is something we need in Sweden, it is young directors making B action movies. We used to have a icon known as Mats Helge Olsson, who directed a number of B action classic films, such as The Ninja Mission. But i think we need a new B movie king from Sweden, and if Titus Paar decides to make more B movies like The Perfect Weapon, we could be waiting for something tasty. From the beginning, i is very clear what The Perfect Weapon is, a science fiction action film, made to fans of classic B movie ingredients. So is this any good ? I would say that The Perfect Weapon is a film that will most likely be appreciated by fans of straight to dvd action releases. And if you can accept that, then this could be something in your taste. My personal view on this film is very mixed. You see, since this is a film with Steven Seagal is in the cast, you know he is going to be acting really bad. And he still does. But this film is actually much more fun to watch than many of his dvd releases, because the story is really strange. You have a hitman story, mixed with a futuristic look, and martial arts fighting scenes that comes out of nowhere. So this is without a doubt a typical action 90´s mix, made to make men in my age ( almost 40 years old ), remember the violence VHS days. I will say this, even if this film makes no sense at all, you do get to laugh. Because some of the action scenes are so bad it becomes entertaining ( for a while ). The biggest problem for me is that the film tries to be too cool, and that does not work. The characters are not anything you care about, so it all comes down to the action scenes. As long as the characters shoot each other, or fight, we get at least some kind of B movie entertainment. A part from this, The Perfect Weapon is not a film that you will remember. If director Titus Paar really wanted to make a futuristic action, that would be remembered, i think he could have done a lot of improvements. With stronger characters, and more well made action scenes, this could have been a fun ride. As the film stands now, it is just a straight to dvd action film with some funny cheesy action scenes. It is nice to see actor Richard Tyson here, probably known best for his evil character in Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenegger. His character in The Perfect Weapon is one of the few people you would like to see more of. Steven Seagal acts like he always does, speaking to himself in a mirror, where only he exists. The best character in this film, is The Doctor, played by actor Kevin J. McGrath. He looks stone cold, and deliver the best cheesy dialogue. Maybe swedish director Titus Paar will make a film one day that might actually make a difference for swedish film directors. The Perfect Weapon does not prove his ability yet, but i know he will return with something better than this. Hopefully it will include ninjas, cyborgs, and swedish IKEA workers, infected by a zombie virus. I might actually have the best idea for the best swedish film ever here.

Rating: DD

You can find the scandinavian dvd and blu ray release of The Perfect Weapon down below, on this link to Studio S Entertainment.


http://www.studiosentertainment.se/the-perfect-weapon/