The stars of The Punisher, Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett, Jr. reunited two years later for this dull and forgettable thriller. Dolph plays a journalist who travels to Israel to do a story on an attack on an American naval base. Seems the attack was just a cover for a theft of a deadly nerve gas the U.S. was hiding there. Dolph’s best friend is blamed for the theft and when he is killed, it looks like Dolph will be next.
I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (up), but Dolph is sorely miscast as a reporter. I know in real life he’s got a degree in chemical engineering and speaks a mess of languages, but he just looks out of his depth in this movie. He does what he can, all things considered. It’s just kind of hard to buy him as a cigar chomping newspaperman. It is a little amusing that they have to give him a military background to explain his size and ass-kicking capabilities.
The supporting cast is solid. Gossett is good and is one of the few actors that seem to be able to realistically intimidate Dolph. Lisa Berkeley is also quite strong as Dolph’s old flame. Incredibly enough, this was her only role which is shocking because she has a lot of screen presence.
Directed by Manny (Dr. Giggles) Coto, Cover Up is rather pedestrian. It’s slow to start and it doesn’t help that it lands more on the espionage/conspiracy side of the action fence. We eventually get some car chases and fight scenes, but they are a long time coming. Once we finally do get around to them, they aren’t exactly worth writing home about. (The abrupt ending doesn’t help much either.) Aside from one funny bit involving a concierge at a ratty hotel, it’s pretty much by the numbers in every regard.
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