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Sweepers

The U.S. Navy made him the ultimate killer. Now they can't stop him...

It begins with a routine police investigation. A beautiful woman is dead. A detective needs answers. And a newly appointed Pentagon admiral is scrambling for his career and for his life. Suddenly, the inner ring of the Pentagon is being rocked by a living nightmare: a Sweeper-a trained covert assassin, an ex-SEAL scarred by one horrific episode in Vietnam-has gone rogue. And his killing has just begun...

With a searing insider's view of Pentagon politics, retired Navy captain P.T. Deutermann writes military suspense worthy of Tom Clancy and Nelson DeMile. Now, in his electrifying new novel, a powerful ex-Marine and a courageous woman face a kill zone: of deception, ambition, and sweeping revenge...

I always liked the Murphy Sweeper. It was designed by a Chicago street superintendent who was unhappy with the slow travel and rough ride of the traditional 3-wheeled machines at the time so he designed a sweeper to fit on any commercial truck chassis with no special modifications. I tried one out on Long Island in 1990 and would have bought it on the spot if I had the money.

Sweeper start time, effective immediately, does not remove the action to be taken by the respondents

He walks where other men fear to tread. Christian Erickson (Dolph Lundgren) heads an elite team that "sweeps" war-ravaged countries for deadly land mines. He is the best in the business--until his 11-year-old son is killed during a rebel attack. Five years later, he is lost to the world in a foreign country, until a beautiful bomb squad expert (Claire Stansfield) enlists his help in her search for the deadly A6 land mine. Together, they uncover a terrorist conspiracy and come face-to-face with an enemy they never imagined. Torn from today's headlines, "Sweepers" is an explosive, action-packed thriller guaranteed to leave an incredible impression.

Walking monolith Dolph Lundgren is a tragedy-haunted explosives-removal expert on the search for a new type of landmine in the midst of a country devastated by warfare. Much mayhem ensues. This (unfortunately) topical premise is remarkably somber for the testosterone market, but what begins as an intriguing drama quickly turns into a by-the-numbers shoot 'em up. (An intricate opening crawl and a smattering of thoughtful dialogue throughout would seem to indicate that this project may have begun with somewhat more lofty ambitions before settling for the straight action route.) Mild thematic letdown aside, this still ranks as an above-average addition to the straight-to-video adventure genre, with a number of genuinely impressive action scenes, a refreshingly proactive damsel-in-distress, and a healthy awareness of the numerous physics-related implausibilities depicted within. (Mention should also be made of the marvelous African-tinged music score by Serge Colbert.) Lundgren may not be the most expressive actor out there, but at least the big lug knows how to get the job done and look good doing it. So does this movie. --Andrew Wright