Movie Title: I Come In Peace
Genre: Action, Crime, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Craig R. Baxley
Writer: Jonathan Tydor and David Koepp
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley, Matthias Hues, Jay Bilas, Jim Haynie, David Ackroyd, Sherman Howard, Sam Anderson, Mark Lowenthal, Michael J. Pollard, Jesse Vint, Alex Morris
Review: Jack Caine (Dolph Lundgren) is a tough-as-nails detective that's dealt with every kind of criminal activity on Earth. But when his latest case involves someone - or something - using random citizens to create a drug that's out-of-this-world he must partner with a by-the-book FBI Agent (Brian Benben) to stop this extremely alien drug trafficker from ending our world. It's endorphins, explosions, and extraterrestrials that utter... I Come In Peace!
I Come In Peace was a great discovery for me during the famed video store days of the early 1990s. It's action-packed, it has aliens, and it stars action icon Dolph Lundgren - what's not to like?
The plot is rather clever even though it's a bit derivative of the Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action classic, Predator. The story goes... an alien (Matthias Hues) has come to Earth to extract endorphins from humans and then manufacture a narcotic that will revolutionize the drug trade across the universe. But when bodies start piling up, one being Caine's partner, this rogue cop takes on this planet hopping punk with explosive results. How can you pass that up?!
Like most action movies of the time, I Come In Peace falls into many of the standard issue tropes, but it without a doubt stands out thanks to a unique villain, an interesting premise, inventive camera work, a sense of humor, an overload of gunfire and pyrotechnics, and more action than your typical macho movies of the '80s.
Dolph Lundgren's burned out cop is tough and smart, while Brian Benben's officious FBI agent is up-tight and nagging, but they work so well together. Many of the mismatched cops in movies don't always work, but these two are great together. Betsy Brantley plays the coroner and Caine's girlfriend, respectively. She has fun with their relationship both on and off the clock. But it's the imposing and the intimidating Matthias Hues as the bad alien - Talec. He towers over Lundgren and really gives him a run for his money in the action scenes. He's like a combo of the Predator and the Terminator. Both good movies and a combination that works perfectly for this movie.
My only complain is the first half of the movie takes a bit too long for the plot to kick in. The alien is never really figured out until much later in the movie, but that doesn't mean that you won't be intrigued. The slow burn of the plot doesn't gel too well with the fact-paced action. But after you watch the last 30 minutes, you're gonna need a nap. It's non-stop shootouts, chases, and explosions! Oh, my!
The real star of this picture is the stunt and special effects teams. I have never seen so many movie explosions in just one movie in all my years watching these things. I think this latest viewing may have singed my hair! The fight scenes are pulse pounding, the chase scenes are relentless, and Matthias Hues does some of the craziest stunts you'll ever see; that's mainly due to the fact that they couldn't find a stuntman to match the 6'5" athlete. It definitely has re-watch value!
If you're looking for a butt-kicking good time with Dolph Lundgren going all deadly DEA on an intergalactic dope-slinger who hails from beyond the big dipper, then prepare to beam up a beatin' with I Come In Peace.
Fun Fact: The project was initially titled "Lethal Contact" (as it was first written in 1984 as a spec script by Jonathan Tydor). The production, filming and international title is "Dark Angel", and was released as such worldwide, before it was changed to I Come in Peace for the late U.S. release, because of two other existing movies entitled The Dark Angel (from 1925 and 1935).