Hans Lundgren, the man that would later take the name Dolph, had a much different life in mind when he started his journey to America. After earning his Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Lundgren earned a scholarship to continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) but would elect to quit school and pursue a career in acting after only two weeks.
Here we are going to look back on Dolph Lundgren's career and determine what his best films were. While not all of these films were critical darlings, and some even suffered from being direct-to-video, Lundgren would become known for consistently performing in movies that were so bad, they were good. Whether it be a summer blockbuster or a direct-to-video disaster flick, Lundgren's career has been defined by these films.
7 Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)
Playing Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Zack Reed, Lundgren gets to show his comedic side as he works on the sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Lundgren is often known for his action flicks, with his killer physique and stoic demeanor creating the ideal action villain or hero. But in this film, we get to see the star work on his softer side as Zack Reed learns how to handle a class of young children in unique and attentive ways.
We'd also get the chance to see the romantic acting chops of Dolph Lundgren as Zack Reed begins to fall in love with another teacher while looking for a data drive that houses critical information for a case he is working on. All of this encompasses how much Lundgren has grown as an actor, finally breaking out from his type-casted roles of the standard stoic muscle.
6 The Punisher (1989)
Receiving his first role in a comic adaptation, Dolph Lundgren would perform as Frank Castle in The Punisher (1989), acting as the titular anti-hero. Having lost his family to the violence of the Mafia crime family, Frank Castle sets out to punish all criminals, murdering hundreds of members of crime families. The unique story told within this film sees Frank Castle briefly working alongside the Mafia to save young children from the Yakuza, who are attempting to traffick them. While the plot would remain predictable with the Mafia boss eventually betraying Frank, the most prominent criticism the film faced was its extremely graphic violence, which any fan of the Punisher would take as a plus.
5 Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) would feature not only the latest leading role for Dolph Lundgren but also the first lead role in an American film for Brandon Lee, the son of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. While these two would leave quite a bit to be desired on the comedic front, their chops as action stars would make this an underrated cult classic.
Working together as Los Angeles cops, the two would work to take down the Yakuza in violent fashion, working in the martial arts of both actors, showing that Dolph Lundgren could hold his own with contemporary action stars. Despite these qualities, the film would be a critical failure and lead to Lundgren not working with Warner Bros. again until Creed II (2018).
4 Masters of the Universe (1989)
Following the success of Rocky IV (1985), Dolph Lundgren would be cast as the leading star in Masters of the Universe (1989). Playing the hero, He-Man, Lundgren would get to participate in campy action scenes, squaring off with the forces of evil led by Skeletor while donning garb that shows off his chiseled physique. While Lundgren doesn't look back on this film fondly, stating that it was his least favorite film role, many fans of the franchise flocked to theaters, earning the film millions of dollars. While most cite Frank Langella's Skeletor performance as the shining light in an otherwise terrible film, Lundgren still put a mighty effort into what would become a cult classic.
3 Aquaman (2018)
After rekindling his relationship with Warner Bros., Dolph Lundgren would return to the world of comic adaptations, this time appearing in the DC Universe (DCU) film Aquaman (2018) as King Nereus. Featured in the movie as the father to Mera (as played by Amber Heard), Lundgren gets to take a backseat to the major fight scenes of the film, instead acting as a leader and strong political force. With Jason Mamoa paving the way as the next major action film star, it was interesting to see the old guard clash with the new, both in the plot as well as in the hierarchy of the cast. Lundgren is also set to reprise this role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) before the DCU officially reboots.
2 The Expendables (2010)
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One of the most action-packed franchises Dolph Lundgren has gotten to be a part of is The Expendables, and we're going to focus on the initial film The Expendables (2010). Here, Lundgren's character, Gunner Jensen, would be troubled by substance abuse, growing erratic as the team continued their missions. Lundgren would eventually turn on the team after being dismissed, but would finally see reason and give his comrades vital information for the final battle.
This film would see Lundgren getting the chance to explore a character more deeply than any of his other projects, dealing with a flawed character suffering from personal demons. At the film's end, we would see Gunner in recovery, finally seeking true happiness before Lundgren would be allowed to work in high-intensity scenes in the sequels. Lundgren will be returning to this role once again in The Expendables 4 (2023).
1 Rocky IV (1985)
Dolph Lundgren's first significant role would come in Rocky IV (1985), where he would play the next great threat to Rocky Balboa, "The Siberian Express" Ivan Drago. Establishing Drago's dominance, audiences would witness Drago defeat Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in a brutal boxing match that would lead to Creed's death in the ring. Lundgren's charisma is displayed with the often-quoted line, "If he dies, he dies."
This would all build to the eventual showdown between Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Drago in Russia. While the crowd initially cheered for their representative in Drago, Rocky's performance would prove to be so inspiring that they would turn on Drago and begin cheering for Rocky instead. Eventually, Rocky would knock Drago out, ensuring he earned some small sense of justice for his friend. This performance would turn Lundgren into a star and launch him into his career as an actor that spans Hollywood and direct-to-video films, and even gave him the confidence to pursue writing and directing as well.