The Minion

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
The Minion
The Minion.jpg
Official VHS cover
Directed byJean-Marc Piché
Written byMatt Roe
Produced by Claudio Castravelli
Starring Dolph Lundgren
Françoise Robertson
CinematographyBarry Parrell
Edited by Yvann Thibaudeau
Music byJean Corriveau
Eric Wurst
David Wurst
Production
companies
Taurus 7 Film Corporation
Mahagonny Pictures
Distributed by The Kushner-Locke Company
Release date
  • September 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million

The Minion is a 1998 action supernatural horror film directed by Jean-Marc Piché and starring Dolph Lundgren and Françoise Robertson. It was released to television and video in various countries.

Contents

Plot

The film's plot revolves around the coming of the Apocalypse, heralded by the imminent liberation of the Antichrist from the depths of Hell through a certain gateway at the close of one full millennium. This gate can only be opened by a special key, which has been kept guarded by the order of the Templars (who in this version existed since the last days of Jesus). The key in turn is sought out by the servant of the Antichrist, simply known as the Minion, a demonic spirit that transfers itself into the next available host body when his previous one is killed off. His first attempt to gain the key at the close of the year 999 is foiled; the sole surviving Templar of the company charged with hiding the key eventually takes off with a ship to the west, to what was at that time known as the "end of the world", to keep it from the Minion's grasp.

A thousand years later, near Christmas of 1999, two city engineer workers accidentally find a hidden Templar burial chamber beneath New York City. A Mohawk archeologist, Karen Goodleaf, is tasked with the examining the chamber and its contents, when the Minion attacks. Before he can claim the key, however, he is stopped by a man wearing a priest's outfit who kills the Minion's host body with a blow from a spiked gauntlet to the neck and then takes the key for himself. Confused, Karen chases after the man, who eventually introduces himself as Lukas Sadorov, a Templar and former Speznas who deserted the Soviet army after witnessing a massacre of civilians in Afghanistan and was sent by the head of his order to recover the key. Karen insistently tags along with Lukas and eventually gains his trust. After having seen the Minion in action, she proposes they hide the key in a nuclear waste depository built on the grounds of her childhood reservation home, whose lingering radioactivity would theoretically prevent the Minion's host bodies from claiming it. She enlists the help of her grandfather, Michael Bear, a Mohawk shaman who works as a foreman at the depository plant, in order to gain access to the facility.

However, the Minion repeatedly takes over people who unwittingly come into contact with his previous host bodies, enabling him to continue his relentless pursuit. He finally takes over Karen's former archeology tutor Professor Schulman, who is assisting the NYPD in the investigation of the apparent serial murder case, and tricks the police into opening a manhunt on Lukas. After killing Karen's grandfather and donning his radiation suit as a disguise, he tricks Lukas into giving him the key and escapes with it to Jerusalem, the location of the Templar's sanctuary and the gate to Hell hidden within its crypts.

The Minion arrives at the Templars' headquarters just before Lukas and Karen do, taking the Templars by surprise and killing most of them. Bernard, one of the Templar Knights, manages to kill the Minion's host, but in his eagerness to prove himself better than Lukas, he accidentally allows the Minion to take possession of him and thus insert the key into the gate. Lukas and Karen arrive shortly after, and while Karen tries to remove the key from the lock, Lukas battles the possessed Bernard and kills him. Together, he and Karen, although tempted by the Antichrist himself, manage to prevent the gate's unlocking just before the final seal on the door is burst. With the Templars decimated, Lukas decides to rebuild the order, and Karen decides to join him, marking the dawn of a new generation of Templars to guard the gate and the key.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Robert Pardi of TV Guide stated in his positive review that "Despite its bible-bending flights of fancy, this nail-biter builds interest in its supernatural fiend. The story itself isn't much, but the film's personnel have studied the scripture of how to craft rock 'em, sock 'em action sequences." [1] [2]

TheActionElite.com gave it 2 out of 5 and criticized "Its boring pace and lack of action make it a chore to get through so go watch End of Days again instead." [3]

Michael Haag in his book Templars: History and Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons (2009) said, "The budget for this film was $12 million. A pity they did not spend a cent on research (citing that one reference was 600 years out). [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Showdown in Little Tokyo</i> 1991 US action film directed by Mark L. Lester

Showdown in Little Tokyo is a 1991 American buddy cop action film directed by Mark L. Lester and starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee; it was the latter's first American film role. The film was released in the United States on August 23, 1991. It gained a cult following among action fans especially for the chemistry between Lundgren and Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolph Lundgren</span> Swedish-American actor and martial artist (born 1957)

Hans "Dolph" Lundgren is a Swedish-American actor, filmmaker, martial artist and chemical engineer. Born in Spånga, a community in Stockholm County, Sweden, Lundgren became interested in martial arts at a young age. This would lead him to hold the rank of 4th dan black belt in Kyokushin karate and become European champion in 1980 and 1981. In 1982, while studying to get a master's degree, he became the boyfriend of singer Grace Jones. He moved to New York City with her and started taking acting classes. In 1985, Lundgren had a breakthrough role playing the lead villain as an imposing Soviet boxer named Ivan Drago in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky IV.

<i>The Punisher</i> (1989 film) 1989 film directed by Mark Goldblatt

The Punisher is a 1989 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Mark Goldblatt, written by Boaz Yakin, and starring Dolph Lundgren, based on the Punisher character from Marvel Comics. It was shot in Sydney, co-starring Louis Gossett Jr, Jeroen Krabbé, Kim Miyori, Nancy Everhard, and Barry Otto.

<i>Masters of the Universe</i> (film) 1987 American superhero film directed by Gary Goddard

Masters of the Universe is a 1987 American science fantasy film based on the Masters of the Universe franchise by Mattel. The film was directed by Gary Goddard, produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, and written by David Odell. It stars Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Jon Cypher, Chelsea Field, Billy Barty, Courteney Cox, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Meg Foster. The film follows two teenagers who meet He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, who travels to Earth with his friends to stop their archenemy, the evil Skeletor from obtaining a cosmic key that will enable him to take over their home planet of Eternia and the entire universe.

<i>Universal Soldier</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Roland Emmerich

Universal Soldier is a 1992 American military science-fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, produced by Allen Shapiro, Craig Baumgarten, and Joel B. Michaels, and written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin. The film tells the story of Luc Deveraux, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, a former U.S. Army soldier who was killed in the Vietnam War in 1969, and returned to life following a secret military project called the "Universal Soldier" program. However, he finds out about his past, though his memory was erased, and escapes alongside a young TV journalist. Along the way, they have to deal with the return of his archenemy, Sgt. Andrew Scott, who had lost his sanity in the Vietnam War, and became a psychotic megalomaniac, intent on killing him and leading the Universal Soldiers.

<i>The Mechanik</i> 2005 German film

The Mechanik is a 2005 German-American vigilante action film starring and directed by Dolph Lundgren, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Bryan Edward Hill. The film co-stars Ben Cross, Ivan Petrushinov, Olivia Lee, and Raicho Vasilev. Most of the film was shot in Bulgaria and there are many Bulgarian actors in the cast as well.

<i>Jill Rips</i> 2000 American film

Jill Rips is a 2000 American film directed by Anthony Hickox starring Dolph Lundgren, based on a 1987 novel by Scottish writer Frederic Lindsay.

<i>The Saint Takes Over</i> 1940 American film

The Saint Takes Over, released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth of eight films in RKO's film series about Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris. George Sanders played Templar for the fourth time. Sanders made one more Saint picture the following year. Wendy Barrie played his latest romantic interest, in her second of three appearances in the Saint film series.

<i>The Peacekeeper</i> 1997 Canadian film

The Peacekeeper is a 1997 action film directed by Frédéric Forestier, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Michael Sarrazin, Montel Williams, and Roy Scheider. The film follows U.S. Air Force Major Frank Cross, who is the only man who can prevent the president being assassinated. He must also prevent an impending nuclear holocaust. The threat is from a terrorist group, which has stolen the President's personal communications computer; it has the capability of launching the U.S. arsenal. The film was shot on location in the city of Montreal, Quebec.

<i>Direct Contact</i> 2009 American film

Direct Contact is a 2009 American action film written, produced and directed by Danny Lerner, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Michael Paré, Gina May and Bashar Rahal. The film was released on direct-to-DVD in the United States on June 2, 2009.

<i>Missionary Man</i> (film) 2007 American film

Missionary Man is a 2007 American action film co-written, directed by and starring Dolph Lundgren.

<i>Command Performance</i> (2009 film) 2009 American film

Command Performance is a 2009 American action film starring and directed by Dolph Lundgren, also written with Steve Latshaw. The film co-stars Melissa Smith, Hristo Shopov, Dave Legeno, and Lundgren's real-life daughter Ida Lundgren in her feature film debut.

<i>Skin Trade</i> (film) 2014 Thai film

Skin Trade is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham. It stars Dolph Lundgren and Tony Jaa, alongside Michael Jai White and Ron Perlman. Lundgren wrote the film with Gabriel Dowrick and Steven Elder, while John Hyams performed uncredited script revisions.

<i>Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning</i> 2012 American science fiction action film by Hyams

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is a 2012 American science fiction action film directed by John Hyams, who co-edited with Andrew Drazek, and wrote the screenplay with Doug Magnuson and Jon Greenlagh. It stars Scott Adkins with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, who both reprise their roles from the first film, alongside newcomer Andrei Arlovski. It is the sixth and final installment in the Universal Soldier film series.

<i>Small Apartments</i> 2012 American film

Small Apartments is a 2012 American independent black comedy drama film directed by Jonas Åkerlund. It tells the story of Franklin Franklin, played by Matt Lucas, who by mistake kills his landlord, Mr. Olivetti, played by Peter Stormare. The cast co-stars Dolph Lundgren, Johnny Knoxville, James Caan, Billy Crystal, Juno Temple, Rebel Wilson, Saffron Burrows and Amanda Plummer. The screenplay was written by Chris Millis and adapted from his own novella. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 10, 2012.

<i>Ambushed</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Ambushed is a 2013 American action thriller film directed by Giorgio Serafini, written by Agustin, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, Randy Couture, Gianni Capaldi, and Daniel Bonjour. Lundgren, Jones, and Capaldi would go on to work with Serafini in Blood of Redemption and Puncture Wounds.

<i>Dont Kill It</i> 2016 American film

Don't Kill It is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed and edited by Mike Mendez. Written by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, it stars Dolph Lundgren as Jebediah Woodley, a demon hunter who travels to Mississippi in the hopes of destroying an ancient, homicidal demon. Kristina Klebe, Tony Bentley, James Chalke, and Miles Doleac appear in supporting roles.

<i>Black Water</i> (2018 film) 2018 American action thriller film directed by Pasha Patriki

Black Water is an American action thriller film directed by Pasha Patriki. It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren in their fifth collaboration, specifically the second time they appear as on-screen allies. The film was released direct-to-video in the US on May 25, 2018.

<i>Acceleration</i> (film) 2019 American film

Acceleration is a 2019 American action thriller films directed by Michael Merino and Daniel Zirilli. The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery, with a supporting cast of Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Liddell, Danny Trejo, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Natalie Burn, who also produced.

<i>Scarlet Nexus</i> (TV series) Japanese anime television series

Scarlet Nexus is a Japanese anime television series adaptation of the video game of the same name. It is produced by Sunrise and aired from July to December 2021.

References

  1. "Fallen Knight".
  2. Robert Pardi (2000). "The Minion". TV Guide . Archived from the original on 2017-12-10.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  3. Eoin (7 September 2017). "The Minion AKA Fallen Knight (1998)". TheActionElite.com.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  4. Haag, Michael (2 July 2009). Templars: History and Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons. Profile Books. p. 342. ISBN   978-1-84668-153-0 . Retrieved 22 May 2011.