Sanctuary
release year: 1997
genre: espionage action
viewing setting: home DVD, 9/8/04
synopsis: A government assassin finds that there's no escape from his former life, not even if he becomes a priest.
impressions: Mark Dacascos, from the right angle and with the right lighting, looks like a young Jean-Claude Van Damme. It's uncanny. In this movie, he plays a former member of a nasty assassin organization that fits somewhere in the government. When I say nasty, I mean it: they get kids and raise them to become assassins. Long story short, he left because he got sick of the backstabbing (and I mean that literally) but they've been on his trail ever since. When his new life starts getting destroyed by his former co-workers, he finally decides to fight back. There was a surprising amount of character development and backstory here, and a fair bit of action.
things to watch for: The guy who played the "Schofield Kid" in Unforgiven is a major bad guy here.
something this movie has that no other movie has: a secret hideaway in the middle of a homeless dwelling place
acting: Mark Dacascos does well with both the fighting and the acting. The Schofield Kid is a nasty young assassin, and the guy in charge of the assassin corps does a good job with his role too. The blonde love interest doesn't have much to say or do, but she looks good in a t-shirt.
final word: Good but not great, worth seeing.
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