The Defender (2004)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Dolph Lundgren

Writer:

Douglas W. Miller (writer)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Fighting The War On Terror.

Plot:

Today - the global war on terror rages on. The United States will not give an inch against terrorists...

Plot Keywords:

Shot In The Head | Shot In The Arm | Blood | Grenade | Betrayal

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Lance Rockford
Jerry Springer	...	President of the United States
Shakara Ledard	...	Kaye
Thomas Lockyer	...	Stevenson
Caroline Lee-Johnson	...	Mrs. Jones (as Caroline Lee Johnson)
Gerald Kyd	...	Morgan
Ian Porter	...	Newell
Howard Antony	...	Parker
Geoffrey Burton	...	Jamal
Iddo Goldberg	...	Scripts
James Chalke	...	Lee
Leigh Zimmerman	...	Reporter
Steven Elder	...	Tech 1
Radu Florescu	...	Aide
Ovidiu Niculescu	...	Officer
Cristina Teodorescu	...	Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Florin Roata	...	Tough
Loredana Groza	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Dolph Lundgren

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Douglas W. Miller		writer

Produced by
Mohamed Ahmed	....	associate producer
Celia Bargh	....	line producer (as Celia Z. Bargh)
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Salman	....	executive producer
Alastair Burlingham	....	executive producer
Irina Chirita	....	line producer: Romania
Stefan Jonas	....	co-producer
Al Khalifa	....	executive producer
Alan Latham	....	co-producer
Philippe Martinez	....	producer
Douglas W. Miller	....	producer
Claudine Strasser	....	producer
Alistair Wilson-Gough	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Adam Nordén

Cinematography by
Maxime Alexandre		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dedan Ouziel
Julian Rodd

Casting by
Jeremy Zimmerman

Production Design by
Matthew Button

Art Direction by
Radu Corciova

Set Decoration by
Ion Tudor		(as Tudor Ion)

Costume Design by
Till Fuhrmann

Makeup Department
Alina Chiriac	....	extra hair assistant
Gabi Cretan	....	head makeup artist
Andreea Dardea	....	assistant makeup artist
Ioana Lita	....	hair stylist
Doru Rita	....	extra makeup assistant
Domnica Sava	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Burdette Anderson	....	post-production supervisor
Gisela Evert	....	post-production manager
Iulian Pana	....	production manager
Marian Pascale	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Irina Bryson	....	third assistant director (as Irina Niculin)
Virgil Nicolaescu	....	second assistant director
Patricia Radoi	....	fourth assistant director
Anatol Reghintovschi	....	second assistant director
Gerry Toomey	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Luca Dinulescu	....	assistant production designer
Tora Dragomir	....	assistant production designer
Raluca Ioanovici	....	set dresser
Sabo Marian	....	prop buyer
Francesca Mauri	....	stand-by art director
Amy Padmore	....	production buyer
Marius Pogaceanu	....	props assistant
Adrian Popa	....	props master
Serban Rotariu	....	storyboard artist
Luminita Costinela Stanciu	....	art department coordinator (as Luminita Stanciu)
Marius Trandafir	....	props assistant

Sound Department
Alexander Buck	....	sound effects editor
Florian Flossmann	....	sound mixer
William Franck	....	sound recordist: second unit
Matt Grimes	....	supervising dialogue editor
Nils Karlson	....	foley editor
Stefan Korte	....	sound re-recording mixer
Frank Kruse	....	sound effects editor
Markus Münz	....	adr recordist
Markus Münz	....	foley recordist
Kai Schoormann	....	sound effects editor
Wilmont Schulze	....	foley artist
Kuen-Il Song	....	sound editor
Markus Urchs	....	boom operator
Hanse Warns	....	sound effects editor
Guido Zettier	....	sound designer
Guido Zettier	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Moise Constantin	....	special effects assistant (as Constantin Moise)
Bob Keen	....	special effects
Scott McIntyre	....	special effects supervisor
Adrian Popescu	....	special effects supervisor
Mark Starkey	....	special effects technician
George Tudoran	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Joerg Bruemmer	....	visual effects
Florian Decker	....	visual effects
Philipp Eckel	....	shake artist: das werk
Ute Engel	....	visual effects
Ralf Wacker	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Georg Wieland	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Levan Doran	....	stunts
Luminita Filimon	....	stunt double
Rasvan Puiu	....	stunt coordinator
Andy Smart	....	stunts (as Andy J. Smart)
Rocky Taylor	....	stunt coordinator
Daniel Visan	....	stunts
Vasile Albinet	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Ion Carangea	....	stunts (uncredited)
Daniel Pasleaga	....	stunt actor (uncredited)
Florin Stancu	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cos Aelenei	....	still photographer
Octavian Andreescu	....	electrician
Lupsa Armand	....	electrician
Daniel Balteanu	....	electrician
Petre Bat	....	second assistant camera
Mihai Burtan	....	focus puller: "c" camera
Daniel Ciobanu	....	generator operator
Grigore Ciobanu	....	generator operator
Marian Ene	....	key grip
Marius Florian	....	second assistant camera (as Jerry Florian)
Titi Gavrila	....	focus puller: "a" camera
Ilie Georgica	....	focus puller: "b" camera (as Georgica Ilie)
Bebe Guta	....	loader
Marian Iancu	....	generator operator
Cristi Lupu	....	generator operator
Ionut Lupulescu	....	second assistant camera
Catalin Nicolae	....	electrician (as Nicolae Catalin)
Florin Nicolae	....	gaffer
George Nicolae	....	best boy
Razvan Paslaru	....	best boy grip
Violeta Rizea	....	clapper loader
Adrian Serbanescu	....	key man
Catalin Simioana	....	Steadicam assistant
Octavian Sotir	....	video assist
Bogdan Stanciu	....	Steadicam operator
Catalin Stoica	....	grip
Remus Tanase	....	best boy grip
Nicolae Vasile	....	electrician (as Vasile Nicolae)
Radu Marinescu	....	grip (uncredited)
Bogdan Stanciu	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Domnica Circiumaru	....	extras casting coordinator
Ramona Munteanu	....	extras casting assistant (as Ramone Munteanu)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eli Calin	....	costume supervisor
Charlotte Child	....	assistant costume designer
Laurentiu Costea	....	wardrobe assistant
Daniela Nicolae	....	wardrobe assistant (as Daniela Niculae)
Ruxandra Nitulescu	....	wardrobe assistant
Carmen Stefan	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Fiona Mackay	....	post-production assistant
Ross Mcfall	....	assistant editor
Yan Miles	....	first assistant editor
Mihai Mitici	....	second assistant editor
Des Murray	....	on-line editor

Transportation Department
Viorel Costache	....	production driver
Nicolae Enache	....	driver: art department
Ionel Ilie	....	driver: Maxime Alexandre (as Ilie Ionel)
Alexandra Margarit	....	driver: camera crew (as Alexandru Margarit)
Adi Nita	....	transportation coordinator
Dragos Popescu	....	driver: Celia Z. Bargh & Gerry Toomey

Other crew
Vasile Anghel	....	assistant location manager
Andra Barbuica	....	script supervisor
Matthias Benner	....	production coordinator: Germany
Irina Bryson	....	extras coordinator (as Irina Niculin)
Ioana Cernescu	....	production secretary
Carol A. Compton	....	script clearance
Luminita Constantinescu	....	cashier
James Cope	....	assistant production accountant
Raul Cosma	....	assistant location manager
Steven Edwicker	....	production accountant
Barry Evans	....	fight consultant
Thomas Mattinson	....	head of production: UK
Mihai Mitrea	....	location manager
Craita Nanu	....	production assistant
Dragos Peciu	....	assistant production accountant
Cara Savage	....	assistant production accountant (as Cara Manly)
Hugh Spurling	....	studio executive
Doru Stan	....	production assistant
Anamaria Telega	....	production coordinator
James Weston	....	armorer
Mirela Pancu	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Sidney J. Furie	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Bauer Martinez Studios
• Defender Production
• Frame Werk Produktion GmbH & Co. KG
• Lucky 7 Productions LLC
• Lucky UKFS
• Media Pro Pictures

Distributors

• Bauer Martinez Studios
• Edito Films (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Force Video (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• France Video Distribution (Fravidis) (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Inter Film (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Prooptiki (2004) (Greece) (video)
• Pyramid Home Video (2005) (Russia) (video)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Visual Entertainment (2005) (USA) (video)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Hyperactive Broadcast  editing equipment
• IndieClear  script clearance
• Molinare Studio  post-production facilities
• Pictorion_das Werk  digital laboratory

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | UK | Germany | Romania

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Brazil:18 | Germany:16 | UK:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | USA:R | Italy:T | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

MediaPro Studios, Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Bauer Martinez Studios

Trivia:

Sidney J. Furie was originally hired to direct this film, but left due to illness during the prep period.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The map used several times throughout the movie to represent Romania is of Western Canada (ranging from B.C. to Manitoba, focused on Alberta, with a huge red area on Saskatchewan).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making of 'The Defender' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Inside

"All this s#!% for nothing."

I'd read somewhere that Dolph Lundgren got into directing a few years ago, when the next in a long line of straight-to-DVD cookie cutter action movies had its director get sick, so Ivan Drago himself just stepped in and took the reins. Then I forgot about the movie for four years.

I'm flipping channels today, and see the first two names in the credits: Dolph Lundgren ... and JERRY SPRINGER. I make a bet with myself to watch it until Springer shows up, and Springer is playing the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

With all this going for it, it should be one of the grandest movies of the 21st century. Except, no.

While not the worst movie I've ever seen, nor the worst action sequences I've ever seen, the action is still choppy, shot from entirely too close a range to see what's going on. The acting isn't terrible (except Dolph, though he's only required to stand there and look chiseled), but the plot is telegraphed in every scene. Every good guy that turns out later to be shady, acts shady the moment they come on screen. Every character who is going to die, the camera lingers on them long enough to give them extra footage for future demo reels. And Dolph's character is named "Lance Rockford." Seriously. I am not making this up.

Every action sequence is essentially the same, just a whole lot of bullet sound-effects and nothing interesting to look at or remember. There was some mumbo-jumbo at the beginning where Lance Rockford was a POW in his past, as if to explain that the character is damaged or something. It's completely unnecessary, as is about 45 minutes of the movie. By the time Lance Rockford is faced with a crucial moral dilemma, I honestly don't see how anyone watching it could care.

There are better places for your action fix, and better places for your Dolph fix. It's currently averaging around a 5.0 on IMDb, which is about right. It's by no means worth a theatrical release, but nor is it Uwe-Boll-quality, either. Guns fire, people shout a lot, and you'll find yourself getting bored when you're not studying the scars from Dolph's face-lifts. But hey, Jerry Springer plays the bad guy, so that's worth a bonus point.

5/10