Bullet Points: Redline (1997)

What do you get when you mix one part Rutger Hauer with one part Mark Dacascos and throw them into a dark, gritty, futuristic world filled with biotech and plenty of unscrupulous characters?

The answer is the Blade Runner-esque Redline…

• Smuggler’s Blues: Wade (Rutger Hauer, Blind Fury) and Merrick (Mark Dacascos, Only the Strong) are smugglers working in Moscow. As the movie begins they have just come into possession of some bio synthetic microchips and the elder Wade is looking to move the chips and then move on to retirement with his lady Katya… that is is if he can survive a drone attack first! The resourceful Wade takes out the drone with a rocket launcher and then makes his way back to the truck filled with his newly acquired merchandise and his comrades. One question that always pops into my mind when I see Mark Dacascos in a movie from this era and beyond is will he be heroic Mark Dacascos or pure evil Mark Dacascos? When Merrick double crosses Wade and shoots him in the head and Katya in the back, I got an emphatic answer. Although Mark’s goatee was a strong clue.
• The Russians Are Coming: Merrick takes off and moments later the Russian military show up and find the bodies of Wade and Katya. The decision is made to burn Katya and put Wade in something called the cybernator… it seems that Wade has been volunteered on the spot to be the first candidate for the resurrection process… a process that through bionic technology can bring a person back to life. And since Rutger Hauer is one of the stars of the movie, the process works and as soon as he can, Wade makes a run for it and everyone knows where he is going…

• One Way or Another: Wade is on the hunt for the man who murdered him, his former partner and friend Merrick. While Wade was being resurrected, Merrick was making inroads in Moscow’s criminal underworld, including orchestrating a hostile takeover and hobnobbing with the Russian mafia and corrupt government officials at nightclubs and meeting with them at the bathhouse. Wade is the closest thing in Redline to a “good guy” and he’s a smuggler filled with vengeance, so to say there’s a lot of distrust to go around would be a major understatement. The closest thing to an ally that Wade finds is prostitute Marina K, who resembles his beloved Katya and for good reason, both were played by Yvonne Sciò. But even Marina K doesn’t seem to be 100% truthful with Wade and as I was watching I couldn’t help but wonder if she would turn on him much like Merrick did, but I also realized why Wade was more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
• Unbelievable: When Merrick gets wind of the unbelievable news that Wade is back from the dead, he knows he has to have Wade eliminated or else all his nefarious plans will go up in smoke. The government is somewhat helpful by flashing Wade’s pictures on Moscow’s Most Wanted and information about the cash reward in bringing Wade to justice… but the amateurs don’t stand a chance against an ex-CIA guy with a burning desire for revenge like Wade. This means Merrick is going to have to figure out his own solution. At first Merrick delegates the work to others, but fortunately for Wade (and the viewers) they fail and that means we get to see Wade take on Merrick, something that by action movie law had to happen.

Director Tibor Takács (Sabotage and Sanctuary) did a great job creating the noir like ambiance for the movie and the action and violence in this dark playground is another highlight of the movie. However the main reason to watch is the stars of the show… Rutger Hauer always manages to feel authentic in any role I have ever seen him in. Then there’s Mark Dacascos. I am not sure if Mark feels the need to really crank up the evil when he plays a villain to counteract the fact that he can also play such a likeable hero, but whatever the reason it works and as much of a Mark Dacascos fan as I am… I wanted to see him get his!

I wanted to include some Bonus Bullet Points, so here they are…

• AKA: Redline is also known as Deathline.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Mark Dacascos feed a man his own severed fingers, then Redline is the movie for you.
• Provocative Line of Questioning: “So boys, what will it be? Ass or pussy?” – Marina K.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Rutger Hauer shoot up some religious statues, then Redline is the movie for you.
• The Name Game: Not to be confused with 2007’s Redline starring Eddie Griffin or 2009’s Redline about intergalactic racing.