My love of martial arts and 80s/90s action films is deep so when you get any of those stars involved, I am likely to check it out. The latest, Exit Protocol reteams Dolph Lundgren and Michael Jai White along with Scott Martin, Charlotte Kirk, and Lina Maya from The Best Man director Shane Dax Taylor. Could this flick be the action fans expect or should it be looking for the exit out?

 

Exit Protocol follows an elite assassin whose specialty is eliminating other operatives leaving the business, but it's time for him to walk away. With a target on his back and killers closing in, he must join forces with the very mark he once hunted, as the two fight to survive and break free from the deadly cycle.

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I always go into these releases with some low expectations with just hope that we get some good action especially with these guys involved. As happens most often, despite these two action icons on the box cover it’s actually someone else leading the charge, here being Scott Martin. The film throws you right in with an ongoing narration throughout the film that is kind of annoying. I get they are using it to set the tone and push things forward, but they are not necessary. Maybe it’s Martin’s monotone delivery, but it just didn’t work for me.

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The story is simple enough but does try to overcomplicate it at times for no reason. It’s the kind of story that would have been in tons of films in the 80s/90s and I am here for it but never finds its way out of generic territory. There is plenty of action and even some creative choices, but nothing ever steps beyond things you have seen a thousand times before.

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Both Lundgren and White are in the film as more than cameos complete in on the action, but neither are utilized to their potential or in a way that might