Every Dolph Lundgren & Scott Adkins Movie:

Here’s every Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins movie collaboration ranked from worst to best. Dolph made his screen debut with a mute appearance in 1985 Bond adventure A View To A Kill, but it was his turn as hulking box Ivan Drago in that same year’s Rocky IV that made him a star. Like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lundgren became one of the defining action movie stars of the ’80s and ’90s, starring in gems such as Showdown in Little Tokyoor Universal Soldier.Adkins grew up idolizing the martial arts stars of the Dolph era and would go on to co-star with many of them, including Van Damme. In his own way, Adkins has kept the flame of that era alive with modern favorites like the Undisputed series or the Accident Man movies. Here’s every Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins movie, ranked.

The Best Scott Adkins Movies, Ranked

5. Legendary (2013)

Legendary should have been a fun departure for both Adkins – who’d loved to play the Punisher – and Dolph, as it’s a creature feature instead of an action film. Adkins plays a scientist who heads to China on the trail of a mystical dragon-like creature while Lundgren plays a hunter who wants to kill it. Instead of a trashy horror flick, Legendary is a flavorless, dull adventure with a bad script and poor CGI. It’s not even the funny kind of bad, so outside of completionists of either Adkins or Dolph, Legendary is best avoided. It’s a shame because a Jaws-style team-up between the leads deserved better execution – or at least a memorable scene or two.

4. Section 8 (2022)

The 2010s gave birth to a movie genre where major stars from previous eras appeared in extended cameos, while the bulk of the movie was fronted by lesser-known names. Section 8 falls into that category, with Dolph, Scott and Mickey Rourke plastered over the poster – despite only appearing in a few scenes each. Christian Sesma’s Section 8 is a generic thriller here Ryan Kwanten’s Jake is let out of jail to serve with the titular rogue unit until he learns their true motives and goes rogue on them. Cue a series of forgettable gunfights, car chases and fight scenes in easily the blandest of the Dolph/Adkins collaborations.

3. Castle Falls (2021)

In addition to acting and directing, Dolph has turned to directing in his later career. He stars in and helmed Castle Falls, an action thriller where a gang of thieves enters a building that’s about to be demolished to recover a bag of money. Adkins and Lundgren’s characters both get caught in the crossfire and have to fight their way out before the building blows. As undemanding Wednesday night entertainment, Castle Falls is a good time. The fight sequences are well staged, while the two leads get parts with a little more depth. Castle Falls doesn’t zero new in terms of story or stunts, but it’s got some charm.

2. The Expendables 2 (2012)

The Expendables 2 upped the ante of the original, casting more action legends like Van Damme and Chuck Norris. Adkins was also added to the line-up as the henchman of Van Damme’s Vilain. While he tends to steal his scenes, he’s not given much of note to do. His fight scene with Jason Statham is a major disappointment too. Lundgren returns as Gunner from the first entry, and not only does he have no real screentime with Jean-Claude or Adkins, he essentially disappears into the background following The Expendables 2’s explosive opening. That said, the film integrates his real-life chemical engineering background into his character in a fun way.

The Expendables 2 probably has the best action of the series, but it’s saddled with the lamest gags too. Norris’ attempt at telling a “Chuck Norris” joke is painful, while most of the other zingers fail to land. The film was also originally filmed with a PG-13 in mind, so when producers decided to bump it up to an R instead, some distractingly fake CG blood was added to the action scenes. Like with every Expendables movie thus far, the second outing has some highlights, but it failed to live up to the pedigree of its cast. Hopefully, The Expendables 4 can break that trend.

The Top Five Dolph Lundgren Fight Scenes in Movies

1. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012)

The fourth Universal Soldier movie Day Of Reckoning is the most unique of the Scott/Dolph outings, and arguably one of the most unique action films of the 2000s period. The story has little connection to previous Universal Soldier films, and instead cast Adkins as John, a man whose family was murdered in a home invasion – seemingly commanded by Van Damme’s franchise hero Luc Deveraux. Much of the film is mystery thriller, seemingly inspired by David Lynch’s Lost Highway, as John uncovers the mystery behind the UniSols while fending off attacks by them. The sequel is also notable for some positively bruising fight scenes.

While Van Damme and Lundgren have little screen time, they both make the most of their big scenes. Dolph is great fun as the latest incarnation of recurring villain Scott and gets a memorable fight with Adkins’ character that ends on a gory high note. Van Damme gets a mournful turn as Luc, with the subtext of the movie seemingly being that Adkins was replacing both the character AND star of the franchise. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning is a dark, nihilistic ride and while it can be a little muddled in intent, it’s something Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins fans must watch at least once.