Plot: What’s it about?
Ray Carver (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is one of the coldest assassins in the business, but his latest assignment had an unexpected problem arise. Carver was in Prague as part of a mob conflict, as one side hired him to eliminate some key players from the other side’s forces. While Carver was able to gun down most of the targets, the main one was able to escape. With the critical target still alive, a Soviet assassin named Aleksey Andreev (Dolph Lundgren), also known as The Wolf. But Carver isn’t content to let someone else clean up his mess, so he is intent on finishing his assignment. The events lead both men through dangerous scenarios, as the mob war erupts around them. In this kind of environment, loyalties can switch in an instant, so neither man can be sure of who to count on. As both men close in on the target, it looks as if they will have to face off to see who will get the job done. But which man will prove to be the ultimate assassin?
If for no other reason, One in the Chamber is worth a look thanks to Dolph Lundgren. He is classic in this movie, with loud tropical shirts, corny one liners, and of course, handing out violence. I’ve always been a fan of Lundgren, so I am glad he was given a role he could shine in here. The movie overall is not that memorable, but Lundren’s turn is a highlight for sure. I think people will also appreciate the well executed confrontation between Lundgren and Gooding, as it is quite fun to watch. Aside from Lundgren, the cast is passable at best, but the action usually kicks in often to distract us. The opening scene is excellent, but the film then hits the brakes for a while before the pace picks back up toward the action slant. The story is well worn, with an assassin out for redemption, but it works fairly well here. The main reason to watch is Lundgren with his awful wardrobe and fun performance, so action fans will want to check out One in the Chamber.
Video: How does it look?
One in the Chamber is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. The movie looks terrific in this presentation, with no real issues I could detect. Some scenes have intentional wear, but aside from those instances, the visuals here are clean and show off fine depth and detail. I was impressed with how much subtle detail was visible, such as textures on clothes or fine detail in background elements, great stuff. The colors are bold and bright, especially when it comes to Lundren’s shirts, while contrast is stark and remains well balanced throughout.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is quite good and lets the film’s action scenes pack a nice punch. The action is usually gun oriented, so the blasts sound deep and powerful, but in chase scenes and hand to hand to fights, the surrounds still kick in to liven up the atmosphere. The music also gets a lot of life in this track, while dialogue is clear and clean at all times. So a nice track that handles the small details well and lets the action shine. This release also includes English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes a brief behind the scenes piece, as well as a DVD version of the movie.
