'Dolph: Unbreakable' is an inspiring testament to survival of the fittest
The Swedish action star battled and defeated cancer, like the disease ever stood a chance.
Cancer should have known better than to mess with Dolph Lundgren. Haven’t they heard the tale of a guy breaking into his house, only to run away when he saw a family photo and realized who he was stealing from? Did they hear about him putting Sylvester Stallone in a hospital for eight days? One of those is legit fact while the other remains a fun rumor, but they spin the same thread. He’s a true tough guy, not just on screen.
It’s Lundgren’s battle with the deadly disease that bookends Andrew Holmes’ inspiring documentary, Dolph: Unbreakable. While the movies have done their best to show you that the Swede is killable, reality defies that idea. Still, it’s a shot to the gut for the viewer seeing him suffer during his treatment and recovery. It wasn’t just a single tumor or fight with cancer, but a years-long contest that nearly put the guy on his death bed.
When I mention “survival of the fittest” in the headline, it’s as much of a testament to his strong mind as it is to his ironclad body and build. Lundgren is renowned for his MIT-level smarts, and the doc sheds a light on his time at the school and the brevity of his rise in the entertainment as at least a partial reason for his decision on a career. Could the man have been a successful scientist? Sure, but we wouldn’t get that legendary bad guy in Universal Soldier who collected ears and wore them like a necklace.
It’s his sharp brain that allowed him to keep a tight spirit during the toughest months of his life, like when the cancer was spreading and doing a number on multiple areas of his life. He filmed the final Expendables movie while getting treatment, as he did several movies for a few years. If you didn’t hear about this battle, that’s because Lundgren preferred the comfort of privacy as he fought for his life. That’s a choice that the late Chadwick Boseman could appreciate; taking on the beast of a lifetime without the scope of everyone’s camera.
Lundgren’s romance with Grace Jones is given a healthy spotlight. This was an area that I was mostly foreign to when it came to the details, which is the great thing about a well-made documentary. They entertain and teach you at the same time. Jones saw Dolph as eye candy and a nice guy to have on your arm, a relationship twitch that can be both good and bad in the long run.
The making of Rocky IV provides the movie with many highlights, chief among them being the friendship that blossomed from the professional connection. After auditions and conversations, it was Stallone who handpicked Lundgren to be his Ivan Drago. They trained together and actually hit each other during filming when they were doing the boxing scenes. It was Sly who gave Drago a redemption arc in Creed II.
The Michael B. Jordan-starring sequel allowed the Russian antagonist to have a nice father subplot with a younger Drago who takes on Jordan’s Adonis. That screenplay choice meant the world to Lundgren, who carried a complicated relationship with his own dad. Unbreakable dives headfirst into the Lundgren family dynamics when Dolph was a child and teen. Abuse of all kinds and a tough-to-please aesthetic with his father only made the star of this movie stronger as he climbed the ranks of the kickboxing and movie world.
Lundgren still sports plenty of youth as he heads towards 68 years of age in November. Seeing him during interviews shows the power of his voice and soul haven’t diminished. He works out routinely and still makes movies, even if they are ones destined for a Walmart bin. In the end, acting is acting and a paying job is a paying job. Lundgren has gotten the chance to get behind the camera as well, directing eight movies. Against the odds of immigration and cancer, he’s done things his way.
Dolph: Unbreakable proves the toughness factor of its star, showcasing his duality of body and spirit as well as pulling back the curtain on his rise to fame. It reminds us that the greatest success stories always involve true grit and determination, along with a few breaks and help from famous co-stars and friends. Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger each gave interviews, along with Randy Couture and family members.
Consider this another strong documentary from ScorG Productions, a film factory that has given entertainment fans inside looks at hockey enforcers, Danny Trejo, Grant Fuhr, Michael Bisping, Phil Heath, and now Dolph Lundgren. If Adam Scorgie is involved in the making, the movie is going to be dynamite.
Don’t miss this one, 80s and 90s action movie fans. In all honesty, there’s something for everybody in Lundgren’s tale. Inspiration will follow.