The Human Shield
| The Human Shield | |
|---|---|
| File:Humanshield.jpg | |
| Directed by | Ted Post |
| Written by | Mann Rubin |
| Starring | Michael Dudikoff |
| Distributed by | Cannon Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Human Shield is a 1991 low-budget American action film from B-movie film studio Cannon Films. It was directed by Ted Post and written by Mann Rubin and[1] stars Michael Dudikoff and Tommy Hinkley. It is about a former government agent who must save his diabetic brother from Iraqi abductors.[2]
The film is initially set during the Iran–Iraq War. A colonel of the U.S. Marines has been hired to train the Iraqi troops, but he disagrees with the targeting of civilians by the Iraqi Army and he unsuccessfully attacks an Iraqi military leader. During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the colonel's brother is captured and held hostage in order to lure the insubordinate colonel into a trap.
Plot
[edit | edit source]In 1985, during the Iran–Iraq War, Colonel Doug Matthews (Michael Dudikoff), is a U.S. Marine hired to help train Iraqi troops to fight off the Iranians. He arrives somewhere in the northern part of Iraq only to discover that stormtroopers are killing people in the nearby village. Doug disagrees with this and attacks Dallai, the leader of the Iraqi troops, but loses.
In 1990 (five years later), in August, at Baghdad Airport, the news reports that Iraq has invaded Kuwait and that all foreign nationals are to be evacuated. Ben Matthews (Tommy Hinkley), Doug's diabetic brother, who is a teacher, is taken away from his wife and child by Iraqi guards for interrogation and is held hostage to lure Doug in to a trap.
Cast
[edit | edit source]- Michael Dudikoff as Colonel Doug Matthews
- Tommy Hinkley as Ben Matthews
- Hanna Azoulay Hasfari as Lila Haddilh
- Steve Inwood as Ali Dallal
- Uri Gavriel as Tanzi
- Avi Keidar as Sager
- Gil Dagon as David
- Michael Shillo as Joe Albalo
- Roberto Pollack as Bashir
- Irving Kaplan as Sid Cromwell
- Gilat Ankori as Laura Matthews
- Megan Lawson as Laura's Baby
- Michael Eleazar as Iraqi Officer
- Avi Cohen as Blackmarketeer
- Gilya Stern as Stewardess
Reception
[edit | edit source]Emanuel Levy of Variety magazine called it " a lame, small-budget actioner that exploits its political context without delivering the expected thrills of the genre." [3]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- The Human Shield at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- The Human Shield at Rotten TomatoesLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
 | This article about a 1990s action film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1991 films
- 1991 action films
- American action films
- Films set in 1985
- Films set in 1990
- Films set in Iraq
- Films set in Baghdad
- Films shot in Israel
- Films set in Washington, D.C.
- Films set in Jordan
- Films directed by Ted Post
- Golan-Globus films
- Gulf War films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- English-language action drama films
- Films about hostage takings
- Films about brothers
- Iran–Iraq War films
- Films about the United States Marine Corps
- 1990s action film stubs