Bullet Points: Maximum Impact (2018)
Turn on one of the cable news networks right now and at least one of them is talking about the tension between the United States and Russia. It is like all of the hard work that Rocky Balboa did to end The Cold War back in Rocky IV is unraveling before our very eyes. But while the waters might be getting muddier and muddier in the real word where the United States and Russia are concerned, it is nice to know that in the fantasy world of the movies that the United States and Russia can still get along.
The cooperation between the two nations is a major piece of the puzzle in the latest Alexander Nevsky project, Maximum Impact, an action comedy that features an all-star line up of familiar faces. The premise… agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service and the United States Secret Service must work together to prevent an international incident that would have a devastating effect on the relationship between the United States and Russia.
- Dream Team: One reason I was looking forward to Maximum Impact was the news that Mark Dacascos and Matthias Hues were teaming up to be the movie’s dastardly duo and I am happy to report the duo did not disappoint. Dacascos plays Tony Lin a former television star turned terrorist (not sure how that happened and I really don’t care). Matthias Hues plays Ian, Lin’s loyal right hand man. When we first see our villains they have just arrived in Moscow and are having some issues with a custom agent after one of Lin’s hired hands screws up… so what happens? The customs agent and the guy who screwed the pooch get shot. Now that we have clearly established that Tony Lin and Ian are the bad guys, they begin preparing for the job they’ve been paid to do by an unnamed man who we only see via video call (played by William Baldwin). Lin, Ian and their hired guns plan on dressing like Russian soldiers and shooting down a helicopter that is carrying the Secretary of State Robert Jacobs (played by Eric Roberts). Think about it, Russian soldiers assassinating the United States’ Secretary of State!?!? That would cause some chaos to say the least…
- Know Your Role: There are a lot of people who crap on the work of Alexander Nevsky, pointing out that he is not a classically trained thespian (something that never has been, nor never will be a prerequisite to becoming an action star) But there is one man who realizes that Nevsky is not the best actor in the world, even more than Nevsky’s critics… that man is, Alexander Nevsky! For a leading man, Nevsky is never afraid to take a backseat when need be and share the spotlight with his co-stars. Nevsky gets it. In fact when we first see Nevsky in Maximum Impact, he is literally “the guy in the chair”. Nevsky, who plays Maxim Kadurin, the tech guy who is the eyes and ears for his field agent Andrei Durov. Durov ends up with a wicked concussion when things don’t go exactly as planned so this forces Andrei and Maxim to trade places and now Maxim is going into the field for the first time and his first assignment, to work alongside the United States Secret Service, more specifically Kate (Kelly Hu). Much like his team up with Casper Van Dien in Showdown in Manila, Nevsky lets Kelly Hu really shine here as he lays out more often than not. But, Maxim does earn his hero stripes when he does some fancy flying to prevent the helicopter carrying Secretary of State Jacobs to his summit meeting being shot down by a rocket fired by the bad guys.
- The Monkey Wrench: With Secretary of State Jacobs safely at the summit meeting, the movie is now over right? Wrong! Jacobs granddaughter Brittany managed to stowaway on the plane, claiming she wanted to experience Russian culture… but actually wanting to meet a member of a Russian boyband she has been texting with on the regular. Maxim and Kate are assigned to chaperone Brittany as she visits a local shopping mall while her grandfather is in his meeting. When Tony Lin learns from an inside source that Secretary Jacobs’ granddaughter is in Moscow, he hatches a kidnapping scheme as his “Plan B” to get to Secretary Jacobs. The kidnapping does not happen as Brittany and her pop star boyfriend end up outsmarting everyone and sneaking off. But when Maxim and Kate find the intended ransom note on the dressing room floor, they believe that Brittany has actually been kidnapped and when they see they shady looking Tony Lin and his crew hightailing it out of the mall they assume they are the kidnappers. We are then treated to the most action packed sequence in the entire movie as we get a car chase with our heroes pursuing our villains on the streets of Moscow. After the chase, both sides spend the remainder of the movie on the hunt for Brittany Jacobs
If I had one complaint about Maximum Impact it is that the action comedy was heavy on the comedy and light on the action. There are a lot of characters who are there simply for comic relief (Tom Arnold’s Agent Barnes and Alphonso McAuley’s Nathan Robinson) plus all the main stars get in their “haha” moments too. All the humor did give the movie a really upbeat vibe and I got the impression that everyone was enjoying making this film. And while I would have preferred some explosions or more of Mark Dacascos’ martial arts on display, but the movie never dragged and the story kept moving.
The movies of Alexander Nevsky are probably best described as an acquired taste. But for me personally, I can’t help but support a guy, who is obviously a fan of the action genre and one who brings together so many action stars of the past. I also can’t help but include some Bonus Bullet Points…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Tom Arnold box Kelly Hu, then this is the movie for you.
- Reunited: Maximum Impact was a Cradle 2 the Grave reunion with Director Andrzej Bartkowiak, Mark Dacascos, Kelly Hu and Tom Arnold.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see some Moscow tourists confuse Mark Dacascos’ character, the former star of Shaolin Cop, Tony Lin for Jet Li and Lou Diamond Phillips, then this is the movie for you.
- Confusing Quote: “You’re yanking my dick right now, aren’t you?” – Kate
- Familiar Faces: In addition to all the names I’ve already mentioned in this review, Maximum Impact also managed to squeeze in Bai Ling(The Crow) as Scanlon, a member of Secretary Jacobs’ staff… Danny Trejo (Machete) plays drug kingpin Don Sanchez. Sanchez reluctantly teams up with the authorities against the Tony Lin led terrorists.
