9.18.2018

90's Action Attack!: Silent Trigger (1999)

by robotGEEK

Dolph is my all-time favorite action star. More than Arnold, Sly, Chuck and Charles. I wish I could explain my fascination with this guy, but I can't. I just think he's the coolest action star on the planet. So the fact that I haven't seen this until now kind of blows my mind. To make matters worse, this is directed by Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, Razorback, The Shadow), a director I adore. I honestly have no excuse. I guess I was worried it might not be any good, and here, a project starring and directed by two men I admire, was sidelined by me for many years. I should also mention that it wasn't an easy film to come by anyway in widescreen. Knowing how visual a director Mulcahy was, I did not want to settle for a full frame VHS tape or DVD my first time out. If there was any chance of being able to see it in widescreen, then I would just wait for that opportunity. Luckily Amazon Prime is the perfect place for these hard to find 90's action films.

Released in 1999, Silent Trigger see's Dolph Lundgren as a professional sniper, who is double-crossed. After a brief disappearance, he re-emerges for another job, surprisingly hired again by the company that double-crossed him, only to find that he may have been double-crossed again. Along with his previous "spotter", he tries to figure out who's responsible.



Silent Trigger was a solid flick from every angle. Simple in it's premise and approach, most of the film takes place inside a building, which gives Mulcahy ample excuses to get creative with the camera. Kudos to him for still giving the film a slick sheen despite these limitations. The film does venture outside of that building in flashbacks and in it's opening sequence momentarily, but the bulk of the film takes place within an abandoned high rise building under the watchful eye of security guards.

There's plenty of action, suspense and visual flair from start to finish, and while I wouldn't call this one of Mulcahy's best films, it's better than I expected for what it is. Let's just say, I've seen some of Mulcahy's films after this and they bare little resemblance to the once visionary directors previous style and work. But considering this is a pretty standard DTV flick, it's definitely above average. It's a very small cast, with Dolph leading the charge with zero effort and all macho charisma like a pro. And honestly, had anyone else headlined this other than Dolph, I doubt we'd even be discussing it today. It's as good as it is because of his involvement, plain and simple.

In the U.S., Silent Trigger is available on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD in Full Frame (as is the case for most of Dolph's DTV stuff in the 90's). To date there has been no official widescreen release of this film on any format in the U.S., let alone Blu Ray. I am aware that there is a snazzy German Blu Ray out there, which I'll probably snag at some point (I'll need to see if it's region-free). However, I have good news for you streamers. It's available on Amazon Prime right now, and in glorious widescreen, so like me, you have no excuse to finally check this out.


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