Though it may not be considered a “Classic” by today’s standards, those among us that appreciate the inherent entertainment value behind “Dark Angel” (aka “I Come In Peace”) know that it’s a unique and original science fiction flick. We always see films about aliens that either want to make friends, diddle women, or invade Earth. How many times do we see a film about an intergalactic drug dealer that comes to Earth to create a super narcotic they can deal in space?
The 1990 action science fiction film is a childhood favorite and one I watched constantly on television as a kid. Thankfully it’s still as great as ever. “Dark Angel” (Or its better original title “I Come In Peace”) mixes genres well, combining a crime revenge thriller, an alien invasion film, and a slasher wonderfully. In the end “Dark Angel” is a wonky and entertaining early nineties action vehicle for Dolph Lundgren who battles a drug using alien in search of the ultimate drug. Lundgren plays Jack Caine, a police officer whose partner is murdered in the middle of a drug bust. During the sting, Caine is forced to break up an armed robbery, and his partner is killed.
Caine blames himself, and is out for revenge when the mob boss Victor Manning goes on the run. Even worse, Manning puts a price on Caine’s head, and Caine barely escapes the assassination attempts at his life. The search for Manning is set aside though when Manning’s cronies are killed and their heroin is stolen. Meanwhile, bodies of victims are found all around the city injected with obscene amounts of heroin. The odd thing is they didn’t die from an overdose. Caine and his new partner Smith discover that the murders are being conducted by a powerful extraterrestrial named Talec who is brutally murdering his victims and synthesizing a new drug that is more powerful than any man made substance on Earth. The deaths are just as vicious as ever with Talec’s machinery subduing his victims with heroin and draining their brains of endorphins.
The action still works considering the low budget, as Caine becomes the target of Talec, and is forced to take down the alien when its hunter is viciously wounded in combat. Director Baxley’s film is still very sleek and manages to create a sense of dread amidst this action film that gradually becomes a battle against a powerful extraterrestrial that will stop at nothing to turn its victims in to guinea pigs with his patented spear and razor disc. What makes the villain even more terrifying is that his origin is mostly ambiguous. We just know he wants to deal his potent drug, and is most desperate to get his job done and get back to his business. He also sports a bad ass mullet. “Dark Angel” is still a very entertaining and unique genre hybrid, and Dolph Lundgren fans will appreciate the treatment on Blu-Ray and DVD from Scream Factory.
On the Blu-Ray, there’s the original trailer for “Dark Angel” as well as a Still Gallery. There’s also a Making of Feature that garners interviews with the director, as well as stars Brian BenBen and Dolph Lundgren. Fans of the man will be happy to see that the cast and crew speak highly of Lundgren describing him as intelligent, warm, and a hard worker who embraced the crew on the film.