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Cast: Alexander Nevsky, Kristanna Loken, Adrian Paul, Robert Davi, Matthias Hues
A Russian Police Major (Alexander Nevsky) is enlisted by the LAPD to help solve a series of gruesome murders perpetrated against young women by a sadistic sociopathic killer on the mean streets of Hollywood.
Hollywood, California, a serial killer is on the loose. He is preying on Russian women in the U.S. on a vista. As the film opens, The L.A. police department is investigating the murder of a fifth woman. So far there are no solid leads so the Chief decides to call in some help from Russia in hopes of getting more cooperation from the Russian community who is not being very helpful at the moment. They sent the LAPD Police Major, Vladimir Kazatov who just happens to be a loose cannon so the Moscow Police are happy to lend him out. On arrival he is teamed with a partner but that doesn't last long and afterwards he is teamed with a criminal profiler, Emily Smith. But the more they investigate the more the body count grows and once they begin to close in the killer begins to target Emily.
'Black Rose' is billed as an Action, Crime, Drama film but there is not a lot of action in the film. The most action we see is early on during a bank robbery in Moscow. After that the film settles in and becomes more a Thriller/Mystery similar to films such as 'Seven' and 'The Silence of the Lambs' to name a few. It is apparent early on that the film doesn't stack up against the two I just mentioned but this one does hold is own.
Right from the start the story has you hooked because it does a great job of hiding the identity of the killer. This keeps the audience invested and engaged and it is not until the very end that it finally reveals the killer. A long the way there is a tad bit of action, suspense and tension as the killer continues to strike. The film also manages to toss in some humor to lighten the load along the way as well.
The cast did a great job playing their roles, Alexander Nevsky who is a former Mr. Universe and big star in Russia plays the Moscow Major sent to the U.S. to help on the case. Nevsky may not have the screen presence or charm that Arnold has but he handles himself very well here. Kristanna Loken also stars alongside as his partner, she is as beautiful as ever and to me she steals the show every time she appears on screen which is quite a lot. The film also has added star power with supporting roles from, Adrian Paul, Robert Davi and Matthias Hues.
To be honest I wasn't expecting a lot from the film but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. It is not perfect or all that original but it stands well on its own. If you like thrillers like this then I recommend giving it a shot. The film is available now on DVD, VOD and at your local Redbox.
Released by ITN Distribution
*** Out Of *****