- NEMESIS * *
* (1993)
First Gruner movie I saw. Directed by Albert Puyn. Gruner plays Alex, a human with cyborg implants, who has to battle a terrorist group. Turns out that the government has been infiltrated by cyborgs and that the
terrorist group are the good guys. It's up to Olivier to save the day. Lots of gun fu and martial arts. Wasn't too impressed.
- SAVATE * * * (1994)
Gruner is a French ex-soldier, Joseph Charlemont (there really was such a feller), who has a score to settle with a German soldier played by Marc Singer, in the Wild West in 1865. He meets up with a pretty girl and her brother, part of a group of farmers about to be swindled out of their farms. To help them, and fight his nemesis, Olivier joins a no-rules fighting tournament. Plenty of martial arts action in the ring at the end, which even features a Capoeira stylist with whom Gruner has a good bout. Some gun fu to enrich the mix. Quite satisfying actioner, no surprises plot-wise, but not as exciting as some of the later films. Nice to see him in a such a different environment though. (See poster below.)
- AUTOMATIC * * * (1994)
Gruner plays Automatic J269, one of a line of artificial human servants with an emphasis on defense and security. He witnesses one of the company's board members assaulting a woman in his office one evening, and accidentally kills him while defending her. (Automatics are programmed not to deliberately kill a human being.) The company president promptly shuts down the building - under the impression that J269 is a rogue - and imports some mercenaries to finish both him and the woman off, to prevent bad publicity at the launch of the latest model Automatic the next day. It seems a spectacularly stupid way to go about avoiding publicity, but there is some justification for the overkill. The film provides a newer spin on the old Robocop "android replaced with a new model" plot, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. All the action takes place in the locked-down building, and Olivier plays four roles (all Automatics). He also choreographed the fighting. There's a nice twist in the tail as well.
- SAVAGE * * * (1995)
Gruner's family is slaughtered by a bunch of thugs. He loses his mind
and lives in the wild. Cue Olivier with wild hair and his kit off.
In a cave he encounters ancient spirits which possess him, giving
him the strength and power to exact his revenge. Verdict: worth seeing,
though not among the very best of his films.
- MARS * * * (1996)
Gruner (Caution Templar) has to battle the powers that be in the form of a powerful
company. Cool action. Worth seeing. One of his better films.
- VELOCITY TRAP * * * (1997)
Gruner is a thorn in the side of a crooked politician who has him
framed for murder. He gets assigned to a ship taking $40 billion of
revenue from more than 30 planets to the bank - the society of the
film having reverted to cash because of online crime. An amusing sequence
shows a bored Gruner trying his best to keep himself busy while his
3 crew mates are in hibernation for the 6-month journey. The ship
is automatically dropped out of FTL speed when sensors encounter an
asteroid ahead - put there by some cash-strapped criminals. It is
up to Gruner and the hastily-awakened navigator to extricate themselves
from a sticky situation: hunted by the thieves who are trying to steal
the cash before the ship plows into the asteroid. Great action through-out
with a plot which trips along nicely, and Gruner showing a flair for
comedy - all in all my favourite Gruner movie so far. Solid martial
arts sequences. A ripping yarn which should be seen by any action/Gruner
fan.
- MERCENARY * *
* (1997)
John Ritter hires Gruner ("Hawk") and friends to avenge the death
of his wife at the hands of the international terrorist Phoenix. Insists
on going along. The gig turns out to be a set-up and everyone except
for Gruner and Ritter gets wiped out. Most of the action happens in
pitch black darkness and can hardly be discerned. The film doesn't
hold the interest for very long and has no distinctive features. It
is also hard to accept Ritter in the role of a bereaved husband hellbent
on revenge. The best line is his though: in the middle of a combat
situation no less - "I did get my start as a TV repairman, you know."
- MERCENARY: THICK AND THIN (1997)
I haven't seen this but it seems to have been well received. Supposed
to be the sequel to Mercenary. He is hired to fetch a rich
man's wife from the South American jungle.
- INTERCEPTOR FORCE * * * (1999)
Olivier and his team are sent to investigate what they are told is a plane crash in Mexico, only to realise that it was actually a UFO. They find themselves in pursuit of a wily shape-changing alien. The team has 24 hours to contain the situation before a nuclear airstrike is launched. The Mexicans are terribly clichéd but at least the alien is cool. Olivier gets to display his martial arts skills against the Mexicans, but the alien mostly just beats HIM up! I always knew you'd need more than a nuclear blast to get rid of an ex-French Navy Seal ... The film is dedicated to Olivier's father.
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