All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Guilty pleasure, all the way! I can't put down this movie cause it was a lot of fun to watch it, the director kept it simple, with some wrong doings but those can be excused. It's generic and almost dumb but you'll feel good through the whole thing. "Pentathlon" transforms Dolph Lundgren (oh, in the 1990's, the best of times to watch him!) into a super gold medalist during the Cold Era who defects from East Germany to the U.S., much to the anger of his demanding coach (David Soul), during the Seul Olympics. Living in America, he's a complete nobody, working as a cook but with the help of his boss he has a chance to return to his passion: being an athlete But after the collapse of the Soviet regime and the reunification of Germany, the coach - now allied with a Neonazi group - goes to America to join Nazi group in America, and if possible, to recruit his former athlete to the cause (terrorism, obviously).I think you've already drowned into the amount of absurd throw in just this basic plot line, but to hell with it. As an action flick is quite good, except for the insanely goofs here and there (the one with the gun is amazingly laughable, with the bad using a Walter PPK-like pistol that sounds like a revolver and with a silencer that doesn't work), and some shameless plot holes as well - what bothered me the most was the inconsistence concerning David Soul's character. How in the world someone so loyal to the Communism becomes part of a Nazi group? Nevermind. Works better as a comedy vehicle with positive scenes with Dolph's boss turned to coach, played by Roger E. Mosley. Laughs are granted with this dude. And if neither that can help you, at least the movie offers a quality camera work capturing the splendid and hunky leading man.A severe case of a movie so bad that it's good. Enjoy it. 6/10

How damned stupid could people be, to constitute Germans like in this movie. The Nazis and all Neonazis (not just in Germany) have nothing in common with the Stasi and the DDR. Its kind of an opposite! Do not watch this movie, it just crap and it tells you just crap. Maby Dolph Lundgren is the best thing in this movie and that means a lot! The story is so thin, you can watch trough it after the five minutes. The whole movie is pure waste of time. It's not even funny, like b-movies. Excepting the Nazi terrorists that come up with a rocket to shoot the German ambassador. By the way, David Drummond has the role of the German guy Hundt. Correctly it's spelled Hund and means dog.

****SPOILERS**** Insane movie about big time East German Olympic Gold Medal winner Eric Brogar, Dolph Lundgren, defecting to the west. This was after Eric took all the muck and insults that he could handle from his crazed and obnoxious coach Mueller, David Soul, but finds out that the free world is not what he thought it was. Ending up at a greasy spoon in L.A as a short order cook Eric is very unhappy with his life until his boss Creese, Roger E. Molsey, checking in on Eric, one afternoon.Creese finds a load of newspaper clippings as well as his gold medal and gets the bright idea of having Eric train for the next Olympics. Trying to be a "Rocky" clone the movie fails miserably since Lundgren is so powerful and intimidating in every scene that he's in, as well as him being a former Olympic Gold Medal winner, when he's competing that you feel more sympathy for his opponents then for him. Meanwhile back in East Germany with the communist government out of business Mueller forms a new Neo-Nazi organization to take over the country and bring back the "Good old Days" of German glory. Mueller now has other ideas on his former "friend" and fellow German Eric Brogar. Mueller also didn't forget Eric's betrayal and took time to pay his father Rodolph, Erik Holland, a visit and gave him a hard and strenuous workout that ends up killing him. Eric finds love with his American girlfriend Julia, Renee Coleman, and is starting to get into shape for the Olympics when Mueller shows up in town to start an American chapter of his new Neo-Nazi organization. After failing to take out Eric who ended up hammering a number of Mueller's brown shirts Mueller has his gang storm Julia's home. With a couple of his Aryan Supermen Mueller beat the living hell out of Julia's 70 or so year-old father and shoot Creese who came over to have lunch. Eric who came over later is beaten up and taken hostage by Mueller's goons who plan to blow up a German government "Never Again" rally that is against Mueller's Neo-Nazi party. Mueller is so crazy that he holds off the fireworks until he has a tape of him played on live TV. It's on the tape where he brags about his great ideas for the future of Germany and the world. This gives Eric enough time to escape and stop Mueller and his gang from doing any damage. With the help of the local police Eric finishes off Mueller's Nazi followers. Off-the-wall ending with Mueller getting blasted by Eric some time later when he tries to shoot him at a sporting event, where else, when the alert Julia spots Mueller and knocks the gun out of his hand. Dopey movie with a very predictable plot and with big bad Dolph Lundgren given a little more meat in his role as the hero with some comedy and sensitive, as well as the usual action, scenes. You have to give the Academy Award to David Soul in one of the most insane as well as overblown and ham acting parts of his career. Soul made you realize why Hitler lost the Second World War. Proving what the saying "With friends like him you don't need enemies" really means.

I found this movie a big disappointment. This is sad because it has good actors, good production values and a fine plot. But after awhile it just becomes another dull thriller that runs out of ideas. Dolph is the German gold medalist in the pentathlon who flees to America to get away from his mad Nazi coach (David Soul). Some years later, his coach comes after him and the action starts. David Soul is very good as the coach, and plays the part menacingly and convincingly. Dolph is very good in his role too, and gives one of his best performances ever. There are some good action scenes, but apart from that the whole thing begins to go downhill. This was a pity considering it was released after the excellent Army Of One, which I think is Dolph's best movie by far. Pentathlon is still a good flick, just not as good as I expected. It's still a great movie to watch to kill time. Overall I would recommend you get Army Of One instead though, it's much better.