Sanctuary

January. 01,1998      R
Rating:
4.8
Trailer Synopsis Cast

Luke Kovak is part of a covert group within the CIA that works on illegal black ops involving blackmail and assassinations. When his boss orders the murder of one of the team, Luke realizes how expendable they all are and gets out (taking proof of their activities with him). He now lives as a priest until the group start to get close to tracking him down.

Mark Dacascos as  Luke Kovak
Kylie Travis as  Rachel Malcolm
Jaimz Woolvett as  Dominic Grace
Alan Scarfe as  William Dyson
Elisabeth Rosen as  Jinx
Monika Schnarre as  Colette Fortier
Nigel Bennett as  Sen. Stephen Macguire
Richard Yearwood as  Ritter Wells
Alex Karzis as  Tic Tac
Richard Zeman as  Capt. Usher

Reviews

Chirphymium
1998/01/01

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

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Tayloriona
1998/01/02

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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Frances Chung
1998/01/03

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

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Rosie Searle
1998/01/04

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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Leofwine_draca
1998/01/05

Another cheaply-made straight-to-video thriller, this time one with too much talk and too little action. The interesting plot sees Dacascos as a former assassin who abandons his violent ways (predictably, not for long though) to become a priest, only for his past to catch up with him. What SANCTUARY has in its favour are a number of well-executed action scenes (like the chase through the town, the assassination of a diplomat, the ending) which make the best of their low budget and become moderately exciting in places.Unfortunately, these plus points are countered by a cheap, generic script; non-threatening (but irritating) bad guys and a dark and gloomy look which sucks the life from this film and makes it hard to enjoy it. Mark Dacascos is charismatic as an actor but his range is limiting; Kylie Travis is pretty good as a tough companion but given a weak character. Alan Scarfe is distinctly forgettable as the main villain. They make loads of films like this on the cheap these days, and frankly most of them blur into one another. It takes something special (like Dacascos' DRIVE) to make a film like this stand out from the run-of-the-mill crowd, and sadly SANCTUARY doesn't have that.

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zerozx
1998/01/06

"...that this movie deserves a solid 7even." It offers the mainstream things that you would expect from a solid middle class Action-thriller.D The story centers around Luke Novak (protrayed by Mark dacascos), a former secret underground CIA killer who has escaped his past life as a killer, to lead a life as a peaceful priest, only to get caught up again with his past, upon meeting a former ally who asks his help. His former boss and his henchmen soon find out about his whereabouts and are starting a merciless vendetta against their former soldier...The plot and the setting of the movie, plus the action displays a very solid atmosphere and entertainment.The lead actor Mark Dacascos shows his versatility and demonstrates that he is more than simply just a Martial Artist, while exactly this aspect is actually his real talent which over the years hasn't been promoted for a greater main stream public. Yet in this case, and considering the Genre of being a dramatic Action thriller, this tiny little flaw can be overlooked, and be promoted into a solid B. The role of Luke fits remarkably well for Dacascos, since he seems to have a rather peaceful personality, and hence indicated in one of his interview that he intended to be a monk, something that really reflects that priest character that he displays.Sanctuary is a movie that is worth buying. A Solid 7even...

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actionmoviestar
1998/01/07

I thought this was going to be an all action, shoot em up, kickin' arse type movie. This was totally the opposite. The movie kind of moves slow and lags behind at times. I expected a lot better from Mark Dacascos because I totally enjoyed the movie "Drive." I felt like it was beautifully well done and the action scenes were astounding. I don't get why this movie would be listed under "Action" because it hardly had any action in it. It was more of a "lite thriller" type movie. I felt like this film could've been much better. This movie is only for people who enjoy movies like this. If possible, I would highly recommend that you skip this Mark Dacascos entry, unless you're a big fan of him.

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FedMex
1998/01/08

I managed to catch "Sanctuary" on a night with nothing else to do but flip through the cable channels. I stumbled upon this film simply because i recognized Mark Dacascos from the "Crow: Stairway to Heaven" t.v. series. Needless to say I started watching and actually became somewhat enthralled by this film. The acting is above what i expected considering this is a straight to video movie. The action sequences were directed well, and the story had a surprising amount of depth to it. Not only the entire "conspiracy" like aspects of it, but also the struggle of a man who has chosen to turn away from all he had ever known to be. The flashback sequences were awesome, showing a disturbing yet intriguing look into a strange form of raising children. Ultimately, it was the closing shot of the film ( I won't give it away, but I must say that being Catholic made this especially cool) that just made me say "WOW." In summary, a surprisingly good late nite movie that is actually worth seeking out. The actors deliver well and the plot is enough to keep even the most easily distracted somewhat entertained.

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