After starring in more than 80 films, Dolph Lundgren has rightfully earned his place in the Hollywood Hall of Fame.
Known for his incredible height and his uncanny ability to portray some of the most iconic roles of all time, Dolph Lundgren has gone on to define the genre of action films for an entire generation.
In this article, we’re taking a look at the top ten Dolph Lundgren movies of all time.
10 Best Dolph Lundgren Movies
Who doesn’t love to watch classics? If you’re thinking about some great movie titles, your mind might wander back to Dolph Lundgren’s golden oldies. Here are the top 10 Dolph Lundgren movies of all time.
#10. Silent Trigger (1996)
An action thriller film that is considered to be one of Dolph Lundgren’s career defining movies, Silent Trigger is in a League of its own.
Loaded with special effects and action sequences, Dolph Lundgren plays the role of Waxman, a former Special Forces soldier who starts working as an assassin for a top secret government agency.
The film takes place in a series of flashbacks, and Lundgren’s performances are equal parts emotional and action, leaving the audience stunned at his range.
The visual style of the film is unlike anything the actor had ever done before, earning him tons of praise from critics for his experimental choice in this role.
And while this film was straight to DVD and was largely considered to be a lowbudget production, Lundgren’s performance still managed to knock it out of the park, earning Silent Trigger occult following among action movie enthusiasts.
#9. Skin Trade (2014)
Featuring the undertones of a theme as dark as human trafficking, Skin Trade features Dolph Londgrent, playing the role of Detective Nick Cassidy, paired up with actor Tony Jaa, who plays a Thai agent.
Together, the two men travel to Asia to bring down a human trafficking ring run by a Serbian war criminal who murdered Cassidy’s family.
And while the plot definitely has a lot going on, Lundgren manages to hold his own in the film, delivering a powerful performance.
What most people don’t know is that Lundgren actually wrote the screenplay for the film himself after he started researching human trafficking and felt like this was a story that needed to be told.
The film pays a nod to one of the many action films that the actor had starred in back in the 80s, with its simplistic plotline, with critics describing it as a one-man army film featuring energetic action sequences and memorable stunts.
#8. Joshua Tree (1993)
Speaking of one man army movies, Joshua Tree was originally titled Army of One, with Dolph Lundgren playing the role of a former race car driver who begins living a life of crime after the death of his mother.
Dolph Lundgren’s character, Wellman Anthony Santee, who works with his friend Eddie Turner to sell stolen cars to earn money.
The movie starts on a suspenseful note, prompting the audience to keep watching to get some answers. Santi’s character ultimately ends up in jail, and once he gets out, he mistakenly kidnaps a deputy Sheriff, Rita Marek, played by Kristian Alfonso.
Not only does the film feature some pretty great shootouts and action sequences, but as the story goes on, we learn more about the emotional side of Londgrid’s character, which really adds to the story.
The film is a signature 90s action flick with Dolph Lundgren playing the perfect badass antihero who we keep rooting for.
With his witty one liners and great on screen chemistry with Kristian Alfonso. Joshua Tree is one of Lundgren’s best performances to this day.
#7. The Punisher (1989)
Any movie that’s based on Marvel Comics is bound to be a great hit with the audiences. And when you take a role like that and give it to an actor as great as Dolph Lundgren, the world is definitely in for a treat, which was exactly the case with The Punisher.
Dolph Lundgren plays a role of former police Detective Frank Castle, who becomes a crime fighting vigilante named The Punisher after the ruthless murder of his family.
And while the movie did not receive the sequel that it was originally supposed to, critics believed that Lundgren’s performance did justice to the character, where he even performed all of his own stunts by himself.
The film is as close to a comic book adaptation as it gets. Lundgren has specifically been praised by the critics for his wit and humor that brings some lightheartedness to this otherwise dark film.
#6. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Behold Your Savior A blockbuster Cyberpunk film, Johnny Mnemonic has been one of the most unconventional projects that Dolph Lundgren has ever starred in.
Starring as a coldblooded assassin against Keanu Reeves, this film is set in a world where megacorporations have a strong hold on the entire world.
Johnny, played by Keanu Reeves, is a Mnemonic Courier who discreetly transports sensitive data for corporations in a storage device implanted in his brain, all at the cost of his childhood memories.
Being on the run from the Yakuza, the real question is now, will the data be extracted in time before it destroys him?
While Johnny Mnemonic failed to impress at the box office, critics suspect that it was only because the film was way ahead of its time.
The movie has since then gained a cult following, with the actor’s performance specifically standing out for having some scene-stealing lines and action sequences.
#5. Men of War (1994)
A classic action film, Men of War stars Dolph Lundgren in the role of Nick Gunar, a former Special Ops soldier who was offered a job at the Nitromine Corporation to strongarm the natives of a South China Sea Island into abandoning their land, letting the Corporation take over their mineral resources.
Nick gathers a group of his soldiers friends for the mission, but when he gets there, he is stuck in a moral dilemma when he sees how peaceful the natives living on the island really are.
Forced to make the choice between his friends who want to stay loyal to the Corporation and the people of the island who give Nick something to fight for. Dolph Lundgren is excellent in his portrayal of this complex character.
Unlike the actor’s other films, this one is a slow burn and most of the action takes place right at the climax, giving the audience something to keep waiting for.
Dolph Lundgren’s performance in the film has remained unforgettable to this day, with the film’s gritty and hard-hitting plot.
#4. Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Meeting the early 90s Showdown in Little Tokyo has a certain nostalgic quality to it. A classic buddy cop film featuring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee has two La cops working together to bring down the acoustic crime syndicates.
The film is fast-paced, action-packed, and even hilarious at moments. Lundgren plays the role of Sergeant Chris Kenner, who was an American raised in Japan.
When he has partnered up with Brandon Lee’s character, Johnny Murata, an American of Japanese descent. Kenner has to put aside his loathing for American culture to try and take down the bad guys.
And while the film follows a pretty predictable trajectory, it is a chemistry between the two actors that makes it worth the watch and a prime 90s action flick that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
According to the film’s director, Mark L. Lester, he purposefully exaggerated the action sequences in the film to resemble comic books and video games, which helped the film gain occult status.
#3. Dark Angel (1990)Â
Combining the classic cop film with some humor and a whole lot of science fiction, you get the 1990s hit Dark Angel, where Dolph Lundgren plays the role of Det. Jack Caine, who becomes involved in a series of mysterious drug-related murders in Houston, Texas after the death of his partner.
Taking place around Christmas time, the movie is packed with some crazy twists and turns as London’s character suspects that the criminals he is dealing with are not from this world literally.
In a story where it’s Dolph Lundgren versus Aliens, Dark Angel is pretty similar to movies like The Terminator but holds its own when it comes to the plotline and of course, some action-packed performances, along with an explosive car chase scene that you will never forget.
The final showdown ends with Lond Gren jumping and kicking the alien into an exposed pipe, where the character tries to save themselves saying I come in peace and Londgren retaliates with and you go in pieces, asshole.
With one-liners like these dark angel is definitely a masterpiece.Â
#2. Universal Soldier (1992)
Directed by Roland Emmerich, this quintessential action film features Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as two soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam.
Years later, they are reborn as modern day soldiers who are once again up against each other as a result of a top secret military experiment aimed at creating superhuman Warriors.
Universal Soldier delivers exactly what it promises. A showdown between two of the greatest action movie heroes of all time. In a series of action and emotion-packed sequences.
Combining science fiction with action and drama, Universal Soldier is one of London’s most memorable roles with all the ingredients of a classic.
Although the movie was not appreciated well by critics, it was loved by audiences around the world.Â
#1. The Expendables (2010)
If you’re looking for an old school classic action film set in modern times the Expendables delivers all of that and more.
After Dolph Lundgren’s iconic role as Ivan Drago in Rocky Ford 2010 the actor once again partnered up with Sylvester Stallone to work on the first of what would go on to become one of the most successful film franchises in the world the Expendables.
Not just the loner Dolph Lundgren but the idea behind the Expendables was to take some of the biggest names in the actual world Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and put them all together on the same screen paying tribute to the action films of the 80s and 90s.
Dolph Lundgren plays the role of Gunner Jensen a dangerous and crazy chemical engineer who is slightly off the rails but still talented enough to be on the team and appear in all 3 installations of the franchise becoming a fan favorite.
With a rating of 6.5 out of 10 on the IMDb website, the Expendables outranks all previously mentioned movies.
We hope you enjoyed this list of Dolph Lundgren movies. Dolph Lundgren is a movie legend, and he has done so many great films.
From his role in Rocky IV to his work in the Expendables series, there is no chance that we would be able to name all of the best movies with Dolph Lundgren in it.
These top 10 movies listed here were chosen based on how entertaining we found them, how well they hold up over time, and of course their box office success.
The entertainment industry is always changing and growing, and there are new actors being discovered all the time. But thankfully we will always have a place in our hearts for Dolph Lundgren movies, and I don’t think that is ever going to change.
Do you agree with our list? If you have any suggestions or comments please shoot them down in the comments below. Â
