2.21.2013

Joshua Tree aka Army of One Blu-ray/DVD release!


I love this film!!!
As much as I love me some solid Dolph Lundgren action, I had only ever heard of this film in 2011. How it passed me by, I have no idea. But I have to say that this easily ranks as one of his best and one of my favorite Dolph Lundgren films.

For a quick recap of my review, click here.

I don't know the whole history or particular's of this film in great detail, but what I do know is that this came out in 1993, the year after Universal Soldier. And apparently this never got a theatrical release, so this kind of began his career in the DTV era. It's directed by legendary stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong (his one and only feature film to his credit as a director) and features an awesome amount of stunts and solid action. It appears to be known as Army of One only in the U.S., but as Joshua Tree everywhere else. Above all though this is a solid piece of Badass Cinema. The kind of action stunt film they haven't made in decades. The kind with real squibs, real stuntwork and not a single trace of CGI.

Shout! Factory is releasing this on February 26, 2013 under the International title Joshua Tree with a widescreen presentation (not available until this release) and a healthy dose of extras.

You can purchase this directly from their website here.

Here are the specs:

Sometimes one man is all it takes.

It’s high-caliber action from start to finish when exotic car runner Wellman Santee (Dolph Lundgren – The Expendables) goes gunning for his money and running for his life after his partner is killed during a botched heist. Sensational stunts and spectacular special effects push the action into overdrive as he captures a beautiful hostage (Kristian Alfonso) and takes off across the desert in a high-speed chase. Six thousand square miles of sand and dozens of turbo-charged super cars set the stage for a bloody, bullet-riddled showdown with a ruthless killer.


Bonus features:

  • Audio Commentary With Director Vic Armstrong And Producer Andy Armstrong
  • Alternate Ending With Commentary By Vic Armstrong And Andy Armstrong
  • New Interviews With Vic Armstrong, Andy Armstrong And Actors Dolph Lundgren And Kristian Alfonso
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Discs: 2Format: NTSC
    Color: Color
    Rating: RAspect Ratio: 2.35:1
    Language: English


    6 comments:

    1. The film came out theatrically pretty much worldwide except for the UK, Germany, and the US for unknown reasons (Dolph came out gloriously of "Universal Soldier"). IT came out in the US last and "Army Of One" is is only a "re-title" of the film to make it sound more like a generic action flick with no confusion with the U2 album "The Joshua Tree". You might think it sounds like a drama or something, but back in the day a lot of westerns and films noirs had such title like "High Sierra" for instance (a movie that is paid homage to in this picture), and this is what this film was meant to be, an old-fashioned modern-day western...

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      1. Thanks for the info! Living in the U.S., I mainly go by my memories. I even remember Showdown in Little Tokyo not getting a theatrical release over here and being so bummed about that. I actually like Army of One more than Joshua Tree as the title. You're absolutely right, Joshua Tree sounds like it would be a drama more than anything. lol.

        But I love this film to death. That warehouse sequence reminded me so much of a John Woo shootout sequence. But the entire film was just a helluva lot of fun and Dolph was just a pure badass in this. I wish Vic Armstrong had made more films as a director. He reminded me of Craig R. Baxley, another stunt coordinator turned director who gave us the triple threat of Action Jackson, Dark Angel aka I Come in Peace and Stone Cold before sticking with television work. Can these guys "please" start making big action films again!?

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    2. Definitely want ot pick a copy of this. It's been near impossible to find a copy in the UK. No DVD has ever been released and the VHS version apparently cut out nearly every squib shot!

      Glad Shout Factory is taking a chance on these small, forgotten flicks.

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      1. Jack, this is a 100% piece of Badass Cinema with Dolph at his best. We had one DVD release here in the U.S., but it was full frame and bare bones. You can actually get it as cheap as $1 on eBay here. But this new release looks awesome. I can't wait to pick it up next week.

        If you get a chance, check out Shout! Factory's website and upcoming releases. They're really working overtime on finally giving us these forgotten gems. I still need to pick up Prison this week!

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    3. Actually SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO did get a limited release in the States, but so small it was on a mere 140 screens (as opposed to 1,200 for MASTERS, RED SCORPION, or DARK ANGEL/I COME IN PEACE)! Warner Bros stopped believing in the film during post when they chopped it off, then almost a year after the US run they dumped it directly to VHS worldwide (except for for a lucky few territories) like they did with OUT FOR JUSTICE the same year.

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    4. Nice! Have this on the Unrated VHS under Army Of One...I wonder what the Alternate Ending is?

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