I Come In Peace (Film Review)

1990 Triumph Films
Directed by: Craig R. Baxley; Written by: Jonathan Tydor and David Koepp
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, and Betsy Brantley
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 91 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 6/10

Police detective and mountain of a man, Jack Caine, wants nothing more than to take down The White Boys, a bunch of boardroom drug pushers responsible for the death of his partner. What he doesn't realize is that he is about to go up against the white boy of all white boys: a pale-skinned, blue-eyed, nine-foot-tall alien who injects his victims with a lethal dose of heroin, then extracts the resulting endorphins to sell as a drug back on his home planet. Caine is a force to be reckoned with against human foes, but can he take down this deadly, hulking extra-terrestrial, who most definitely does not come in peace?
1990's I Come in Peace, aka Dark Angel can't even decide what it's titled, so it comes as a surprise that the movie is so much fun. Dolph Lundgren starred in some small budget dreck, but I Come In Peace is a minor gem in his career cap. Perhaps that's mostly thanks to director, Craig R. Baxley, who eventually became Stephen King's miniseries director of choice (his 3-part Storm of the Century is my favorite miniseries of all time). Baxley is able to ensure I Come in Peace takes its ridiculous plot seriously, but not TOO seriously, and because of this, the film is a ton of fun without just sliding into a sea of camp. Extra credit goes to an insanely enjoyable and energetic Brian Benben as Lundgren's new dorky, yet hyper-confident FBI partner. Benben frequently points out that he has a better position than Lungren and makes more money than him, and he tries to dive into the action just like Lundgren does, even though Lundgren looks like he just rode a lightning bolt down from Olympus, and Benben looks like he just got off his shift at Staples. There are also bonafides in the script here, as co-writer, David Koepp, later went on to write the screenplays for Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man. I Come in Peace might not be up to that level and is certainly no work of art, but a blurry, VHS viewing is the perfect complement to a Tombstone pizza and a cheap six-pack. It probably wouldn't even mind if you burped.