That was an excellent one.

How sad is this?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Dolph Lundgren ("Rocky 4") and Louis Gossett Jr ("Officer and gentleman") reunite. After fun action movie "Punisher" this stinky little thriller is massive disappointment. Robert Cettl argues in his 2009 book "Terrorism in American cinema: an analytical filmography, 1960-2008" that the film reveals an alarmingly realist insight into US-Middle Eastern politics and terrorism since the 2000s, dealing with a al-Qaeda-esque terrorist organization and the conspiracy theories that some believe the US government is using the Middle East as a cover-up. Maybe it's true , maybe not. The movie still sucks.Lundgren wanted this movie to be different than his earlier movies. I really understand the need to make something else than action movie , I really do. However Lundgren simply isn't convincing as a journalist , much less as a journalist that can't fight (it's simply unbelievable that someone looking like Lundgren wouldn't know how to fight). Lundgren is also not bad action movie star , but when you put him in a role that REALLY requires acting skills (like the one here) he will be painless to watch. Louis Gossett Jr is here reliable as always.The plot here is incredibly simplistic and predictable. It's annoying that "Cover up" never really explains why and how something are happening here. There is very little action and it's definitely forgettable. Only the suspenseful climax with ambiguous ending is somewhat memorable."Cover up" is slow , dull , actionless and just plain bad. I give it 1/10.

Mike Anderson (Dolph) is an ex-Marine, now an investigative journalist based in L.A. He travels to Israel to try to get the story on some murders at a military base. A terrorist group called Black October is claiming responsibility, but is that the whole story? Anderson also is attempting to get to the truth through CIA operative Lou Jackson (Gossett Jr.) It seems Anderson is getting close, because several attempts are made on his life. He must uncover the conspiracy before it's too late. Can he do it? It seems Cover Up was an attempt by Dolph to do something a bit more "respectable". There's certainly nothing wrong with trying to change things up and attempting to break away from typecasting - it's just that Cover Up is kind of on the dour, dark and dry side. He's more than entitled to try something different, but it's just a shame that it's this - because it's still trying to keep one foot in the action world with some blow-ups, and maybe some mild shooting and fighting - but it's not entirely a straight drama either. Despite the more serious-minded tone of the film, Dolph still manages to appear shirtless for no apparent reason. Some things can't change, apparently.If Dolph really wanted to break away from the cycle of action movies he was doing at the time, he probably shouldn't have re-teamed with Louis Gossett Jr. after The Punisher (1989). Not that we mind, of course, they make a fine team, but what action remains in this movie is too close to his old work, yet not far enough away to separate himself from it. In Dolph's defense, it's a tough line to straddle. And he does look very cool with his cigar. It really makes you think Gossett was supposed to appear in The Peacekeeper (1997) to make a Dolph/Gossett trilogy, but instead Montel Williams of all people showed up to fill the role.A good example of how this is an atypical Dolph movie comes when there is a scene in a pool hall, and all they do is talk and play pool. In any other movie, punches, kicks and pool cues would be flying. But Mike Anderson is a reporter, you see, not a fighter. Although he is "ex-military" (classic cliché we all love). So what about that? Presumably it explains what fighting does occur later in the movie.The Israel locations are some of the highlights of the movie (and are shot very well by the cinematographer). The King David hotel, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among other sites in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are on show. The climax during the religious procession also gets the local flavor very well. Cover Up may be lacking in overall excitement, but as a travelogue there's certainly something to see.To keep things in perspective, Cover Up is much better than The Last Warrior (2000), Agent Red (2000) and Detention (2003). Cover Up is really not even a bad movie, just a bit on the dull side. Dolph seemed to realize this, because he came roaring back into classic form with his next movie after this, Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991), one of his best and a Comeuppance Reviews favorite. Dolph fans will still appreciate Cover Up, and it makes a good one-time watch.

Mike Anderson (Dolph Lungren) is an ex-marine reporter sent by the LA time to Tel Aviv to investigate the recent bombing of a US army base. There he meets his mate Cooper, who has now hooked up with Mike's ex. Mike sense that something isn't right with this attack, and he's right. A nerve gas has been stolen that can kill up to a square mile of people and it seems a shadowy group called Black October have stolen it. Mike sets out to find out what's up with the whole deal, and just exactly what Lou Gossett Junior has to do with it all.Low on action but high in covert shenanigans, Cover Up is helped greatly by the fact that Lungren, unlike a lot of action stars, is also quite a likable actor to boot. Here he doesn't have too much to do except snoop around, avoid the CIA, and avoid being killed by assassins, but he does find time to sleep with his widowed ex, get into a car chase, and seemingly get into a very violent fight with an actor who greatly resembles Italian b-movie star John Stiener (who, in some sort of time slip, travelled forward in time from a movie set in Rome to kick Dolph's head in - weird). There's your usual double and triple crosses, plus, for an action hero, Dolph really takes his licks here. I liked it for what it was, and when violence appears it's quite strong. Not bad for something to pass the time.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsThis is an early feature of Dolph Lundgren's,that was ,weirdly enough,made after the likes of The Punisher and Masters of the Universe.It's probably one of his better movies though.There is a complex and intriguing plot to follow that requires you to use your brain (a blessing for a Dolph film),and,although director Manny Coto allows the action to slack a bit,things certainly heat up at the end.There is an unfortunate lack of engaging dialogue for Dolph and the rest of the cast to work with and the ending is the very definition of anti climatic,but generally speaking,and certainly in comparison to a lot of other films of it's ilk,this one's great to pick up for £2.99,take home and enjoy with some crisps and beers.***