The Ultimate Weapon – 1998 – Hulk Hogan
I’ve seen a few movies with Hulk Hogan from the heydays, the Ultimate Weapon isn’t one of them. Neither is it from the true heydays nor have I seen it before. One of the reasons I missed it is of course that I didn’t actively look for it. Plus that his looks on the cover don’t really resemble that iconic look when he was in his prime. Of course, he’s still a muscular guy in this one but you can tell that he’s aged and probably hasn’t worked out as hard as he used to. I don’t mind, we all gain age and get different perspectives over time.
I’m used to his long blonde hair with a bald spot or a high hairline that he had in many of the movies I watched in my youth. Mr. Nanny, Suburban Commando, and No Holds Barred. Either he has had hair transplants or waters a toupee in this one. Nothing wrong with that, there are many stars known for that. Sean Connery probably being the most famous one. I’ve also heard rumors about Piece Brosnan but I don’t know if it’s true. The bottom line is that his appearance is not what I’m used to.
The storyline is about him being this mercenary brought in to do the “dirty work”. He finds out that he’s been double-crossed and gets pissed. One thing leads to another and he ends up destroying what cost an infamous gunrunner 20 million bucks. Now this gunrunner gets pissed and seeks revenge. At the same time Cutter (Hulk Hogan) is about to retire, get married and connect with his long-lost daughter who is now a stripper and doesn’t want anything to do with her father. You get where this is going right? The bad guys come after his family attempts to rape his daughter in front of him and kill his soon-to-be bride. Will they succeed? Of course not!
On a whole, The Ultimate Weapon is kinda a mix between Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Predator with the same. The mountain of muscle in this case being Hulk Hogan instead of the former Mr. Universe. There are no aliens as in Predator but there is the hired gun brought in to be double-crossed and there is the father-daughter relationship and the unstoppable, almost all-mighty mercenary in retirement. Of course, The Ultimate weapon is a rather low-budget flick and doesn’t have the directional or acting skill of the compared movies. It’s kinda fun and entertaining but it’s still very wooden and unimaginative.
You get how it ends. I don’t need to tell you that and if you take it for what it is you might find it worthwhile. It won’t g down in history as something, neither a classic nor a nostalgic piece on cinema. But you might find it a flick that not everyone has already seen and you will actually find a different Hulk Hogan at least to what I see before my mind when I close my eyes. He’s not a great actor but he has a nice voice and a natural presence.
