Cover-Up (1991)

The people who made "Cover Up" made the mistake of casting the imposing but wooden Dolph Lundgren as a reporter / political scientist(!); they gave him a lot of lines, when he looks more comfortable flaunting his chest muscles and killing people with his bare hands (or with weapons). There is one good fight scene, one good stunt (at the very end), and one good explosion; other than that, the film is so dull it could put you into a coma. * out of 4.

Dolph Lundgren ("Rocky 4") and Louis Gossett Jr ("Officer and gentleman") reunite. After fun action movie "Punisher" this stinky little thriller is massive disappointment. Robert Cettl argues in his 2009 book "Terrorism in American cinema: an analytical filmography, 1960-2008" that the film reveals an alarmingly realist insight into US-Middle Eastern politics and terrorism since the 2000s, dealing with a al-Qaeda-esque terrorist organization and the conspiracy theories that some believe the US government is using the Middle East as a cover-up. Maybe it's true , maybe not. The movie still sucks.Lundgren wanted this movie to be different than his earlier movies. I really understand the need to make something else than action movie , I really do. However Lundgren simply isn't convincing as a journalist , much less as a journalist that can't fight (it's simply unbelievable that someone looking like Lundgren wouldn't know how to fight). Lundgren is also not bad action movie star , but when you put him in a role that REALLY requires acting skills (like the one here) he will be painless to watch. Louis Gossett Jr is here reliable as always.The plot here is incredibly simplistic and predictable. It's annoying that "Cover up" never really explains why and how something are happening here. There is very little action and it's definitely forgettable. Only the suspenseful climax with ambiguous ending is somewhat memorable."Cover up" is slow , dull , actionless and just plain bad. I give it 1/10.

Great rainy day film, and a gem from this period.Not sure about the low ratings -- this is a solid action movie, and more, it's far more intelligent than a lot of similar movies from that time. An interesting, rather complex plot, and it's good and dark, something many of those other films lack.I really liked the ending as well, not really what one expects from this kind of film and the final shot is quite memorable.As far as this era of action films go, its an 8. In the bigger picture, still gets a six from me for being above average. Which is saying a lot, because most of these 80's/90's mercenary/military movies are 4's.I first saw this on a tape of old cheesy movies a friend had made when they were a kid, and was surprised and thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember being quite creeped out during a scene where you see the effects of a deadly nerve gas on people. Check it out.

Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett Jr reunite (I'm guessing because after The Punisher, there was a huge demand to see Ivan Drago team up with Chappy Sinclair to beat on more bad guys.)in Cover-Up a movie about a chemical weapon being taken by terrorists who then look to use this mysterious chemical to wipe out fifty thousand people during Good Friday. However there is a conspiracy in the works...in that conspiracy lies in the fact that for some unfathomable reason Louis Gossett Jr and Dolph Lundgren agreed to be in this lame thriller. Yes i'm saying this material is below even Dolph Lundgren. I had recently discussed this movie with E-Filmcritic writer David Corneilus who wrote an article about Oscar winners who should send back their gold statue, naming Louis Gossett Jr as a worthy contender for the fact that he was in Firewalker with Chuck Norris, The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren (Which even though how fun it is, it is beneath Gossett's talent), Iron Eagle (Likewise) and Toy Soldiers with Keith Coogan. I reminded him of this movie which I said he had actually worked twice with Dolph Lundgren. His reply was of "YIKES, forgot about that one, for good reason." Yes indeed.I had seen Cover-Up back when it came out, back when I was 18 and for the most part didn't remember it leaving much of an impression in one way or another. Now years later on rewatch, all one can say is how truly grotesque the movie is in it's ineptitude. Part of the problem is that it has Dolph Lundgren. I know someone might get the impression that am taking a swing on an obvious target but I do want to say that Lundgren has always been far more likable in presence than Seagal. Cover-Up has Lundgren basically run around wussified and not even once throwing a punch until near the end of the movie. It is nothing short of hilarious when Lundgren tries hard to convey emotion in which he flexes his eyebrows and speaks in the same monotone he did in any other movie he was in. Indeed Lundgren seems half asleep the whole time, even when being interrogated by Louis Gossett Jr and he won an Oscar for playing a drill instructor. Then of course there is Louis Gossett Jr who plays the role so by the numbers you could intertwine this with any other movie he has done. Although Gossett Jr manages to provide an unintentional laugh in how he goes off in a huge speech about "Not starting your own revolutions as you see FIT!" It is a parade of bad acting in which Gossett Jr comes off the best and Lundgren coming off second best. (Not good) The whole movie itself is just a bunch of useless talk about who is planning on killing whom, despite the fact we know all of this and in its content the movie fails to really come up with a credible reason of what is going on and what the bad guy truly wants to accomplish. In other words it is slow, dull and just plain bad. People rack on The Punisher that starred both Lundgren and Gossett but at least that movie moved. Cover-Up just remains inert in the moronic plot threads it weaves. The tag-line of this clunker says "If the lies don't kill you the truth will..." Well if the truth doesn't kill you, watching this movie will.* out of 4-(Bad)