Missionary Man (2007)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Instant Favorite.

How sad is this?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Ryder (Dolph) is a mysterious man on a motorcycle who rides into a dusty ol' southwestern town. Knowing only that he always carries his bible around, and that he likes tequila, be befriends a family of Native Americans, but makes enemies with the local (and prerequisite) evil land baron, Reno (Tompkins), and his goons. Reno even tries to get some bikers to take Ryder down, led by the charismatic Jarfe (Enos). Reno wants to take the land from the Indians (if you can still call them that?) and build his own casino. But Ryder doesn't approve of his ruthless, murdering tactics, so he deals with them the only way they understand: with some shotgun justice! Will Ryder rip the bolo ties off this new crop of middle-aged punks? The idea of Dolph as a preacher on a motorcycle who comes to clean up a town sounds good on paper. And in some ways it does work. But this rehashed plot is nothing new, and it lacks a certain verve. Taking liberally from Pale Rider (1985), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Billy Jack (1971) and Walking Tall, 1973 (to name a few obvious examples), thanks to some boring, talky bits and some weak, jerky, short fight scenes, a lot was left to be desired from these "Dolphings With Wolves".We don't want to go too hard here, as there are some cool parts herein. John Enos of Bullet (1996) and Stealth Fighter (1999) fame unquestionably steals the movie as Jarfe. He only shows up towards the end, but he should have been the main villain instead of Reno. As stated earlier, Missionary Man boasts a cool concept, but it's just so derivative, it becomes hard to be invested. To overcome this, there should have been more excitement and edge. The movie needed a literal and figurative punch-up.And it doesn't hurt that the colors on the DVD are all weird. Supposedly there were some technical issues that weren't resolved in time, so the movie has a washed-out, grainy look that doesn't do it any favors. But if you always wanted to see Dolph instead of Lamas in an episode of "Renegade", here you go. Plus Lamas' name in "Renegade" is Reno Raines, and the baddie here is named Reno. Coincidence? But there's no denying Dolph is cool, and his CSI-like trading of his sunglasses for granny-style reading glasses is a nice touch. But his coolness alone isn't enough to overcome the flaws of Missionary Man. The bottom line is the Missionary Man concept should have gotten a better execution.Yes, it's run-of-the-mill plotwise, but there are some definite standout moments. It's tough, but we just can't put our full blessing behind Missionary Man.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

"Universal Soldier" tough guy Dolph Lundgren has written, starred in, and directed a hard-as-nail but hackneyed revenge melodrama that he cobbled together from such past hits as "Billy Jack," "High Plains Drifter," and "Pale Rider." Clocking in at a lean, mean 93 minutes, Dolph has all the clichés covered. If you like your revenge movies predictable as blood gushing from a belly wound where the bad guys get their heads blasted off, this is the ticket! There are no surprises in "The Missionary Man," but Dolph lets the formula smolder like a steer being cooked on a spit so you can savor the wicked villainy of the white underworld who believe that they are indestructible. Some of the acting by the homegrown Texas cast is amateurish, but you'll forget these quibbles when our rugged, enigmatic hero goes into a kill mode for a catharsis of a showdown.Ryder (Dolph Lundgren) cruises into a small Texas town terrorized by white criminals to pay his last respects to a fallen comrade who died under mysterious circumstances. It doesn't take tall, dark, silent Dolph in sunglasses to make an impression. He wears glasses, reads the Bible, and likes to do shots of tequila. The bad guys line up to take it like guys and do they ever more get taken. Jarfe (John Enos III) is the leader of a notorious motorcycle gang and he and his army are summoned to silence Ryder. There is something almost supernatural about the way our quietly spoken champion navigates the dangers. Essentially, it all boils down to an Indian reservation trying to build a casino and the local thugs trying to get in on the action. When they cannot convince one Indian to back down, they kill him and make it appear to be a drowning death. August Schellenberg is good as an older Indian named White Deer.The last 30 minutes is a solid smack-down that makes the previous 103 minutes of build up tolerable. No, "The Missionary Man" isn't high art, but there is an art to taking something this familiar and making it work for the zillionth time. Bravo, Dolph!

This is the first Dolph Lundgren movie I've seen in many a moon and I found it an entertaining modern day take on the classic Westerns of old, mainly Shane, High Plains Drifter and most of all Pale Rider. Dolph does a good job of playing the mysterious preacher who rides into town and takes care of the local bad guys. This is the perfect entertainment for a Friday night with a few beers. Dolph also directed this movie and that really impressed me he has a definite talent for that and I hope he directs a few more, preferably with a slightly bigger budget as this was undoubtedly a low budget movie but one that I found much more rewarding than many a Hollywood blockbuster. Whilst many of the supporting actors won't win many awards some of the young cast were very good as was the two main villains. My one complaint was the colour of the movie I found it a little too colourless but I suppose it gave it a cool look. Thumbs up for the final shoot-out too with a nice final line from Dolph before he rides into the sunset.

I really did not enjoy this movie. I am a fan of westerns, a fan of action, and a fan of movies with religious undertones. I was most let down by the main character. Reading the synopsis, I was given the impression that the protagonist would be a lot cooler than he was. He said about 100 words in the whole movie, and had very little personality.The plot could have been the basis of quite a good movie, but this was appalling. There was very little life in any of the characters, and the best actor (the only good one) is Jarfe, the biker. The only reason I gave a two instead of a one is the atmosphere that the film has. It is quite well done, except for the fact that there is the sound of wind in every scene.