"KEEP BUSTIN'."

Skin Trade trailer

This is not just the latest Dolph Lundgren picture, this is the passion project he’s been trying to make for years. He co-wrote the screenplay (IMDb says John Hyams did a rewrite), and originally planned to direct, but instead gave it to Ekachai Uekrongtham, who is best known for BEAUTIFUL BOXER.

c-htAt one point there were rumors that Seagal was going to co-star with Lundgren. Instead we ended up with the more acrobatic all-star team-up of Dolph and Tony Jaa (in his first English role). As you can see, Michael Jai White is also there in a supporting role, along with Peter Weller and Ron Perlman as the skin trader. According to IMDb we should also look out for Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Conan Stevens. The second unit director/action and stunt choreographer is Dian Hristov was Dolph’s stunt double in THE EXPENDABLES 3 and ONE IN THE CHAMBER. He’s also been Seagal’s double through most of the DTV era.

Anyway, looks good to me.

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31 Responses to “Skin Trade trailer”

  1. I recall Dian Hristov was also credited as both Lundgren and Arlovski’s stunt double in REGENERATION as well as playing the fourth and final Unisol initally sent in to deal with the NGU. So in essence, Arlovski fought himself.

    Anyway, this does look good and I hope it gets some kind of limited theatrical release, particularly in my neck of the woods. I had the great honor of meeting Dolph at his book signing last month in California and he seemed very pleased about it.

  2. Looks good to me too.

    BTW, apparently Perlman’s autobiography has been recently released. Just saying. I’m sure he has some cool stories to tell. Probably not about this movie because of sheduling reasons, but I still wanna read it.

  3. The Original... Paul

    October 13th, 2014 at 3:16 am

    Well I wasn’t expecting too much from the trailer because, well, it’s a trailer. But I have to agree that this one looks pretty damn interesting. I particularly like Ron Perlman’s bad guy. If he lives up to the promise of this in the actual film, it could be something special. I’ve no clue how good the action will be because, again, it’s a trailer. Hopefully they get someone to direct it who knows that occasionally the audience wants to see what’s going on in an action scene.

  4. This looks good and I hope to god we get some MJW / Tony Jaa interaction but the thing this trailer drove home for me is that I’ve finally reached the point where I can’t take Perlman seriously in anything anymore.

  5. Why? Perlman is one of those actors, who elevate every piece of shit they are in! (For example he is the most memorable thing in POLICE ACADEMY 7!)

  6. Yeah, I don’t know what it is exactly either. The other day I tried to watch I Sell The Dead, where the framing story is Perlman as an 18th century Irish priest interrogating the main character about his crazy grave-robbing exploits, and after their first scene together I found myself sighing enormously and turning it off. AND I USUALLY LOVE ME SOME RIDICULOUS ACCENTS

    I think I’m just getting old.

  7. I enjoy Perlman most when he just plays it straight, like he did in THE LAST SUPPER.

  8. wonder if MJW,being third billed, is gonna turn against Dolph/Tony or if he is gonna die and have to be avenged or neither? Anyway, what a great cast this is, I can’t wait to see it.

  9. My first reaction to seeing Perlman in anything is always amusement. Same with Steve Buscemi. They’re both among a bunch of faces and personas that I’m always glad to see on the screen, even if I’m not always poised to take them seriously.

    Like Buscemi, Perlman’s better work, like DRIVE, finds a way to underscore that initial reaction with something more nuanced (usually pathos in Buscemi’s case, menace in Perlman’s).

    Plus, Perlman’s a Son of Lee Marvin. That’s a very special club.

  10. Buscemi isn’t the best comparison because he at least has SOME range, even if he doesn’t get to show it a lot outside of stuff like Boardwalk Empire.

  11. I still like Perlman but he’s deep into the Bruce Campbell stage of his career now. It can be difficult to see him as anything except Ron Perlman being Ron Perlman, possibly with a funny accent.

    I 100% blame PACIFIC RIM.

    Anyway, this has all the potential in the world. It’s the director’s game to lose at this point.

  12. The Original... Paul

    October 13th, 2014 at 8:52 am

    Wait… we’re questioning the adequacy of Ron FuckMothering Perlman now? Who ARE you people?!!

    Ok… more seriously… Illinois… I kinda get where you’re coming from. I don’t think I’m at the same place yet because I simply haven’t seen enough of his films, and the ones I have seen I’ve generally enjoyed a lot. Hell, I wish they’d made him the central antagonist in “Blade 2”. (Not that I didn’t like Luke Goss in that film, you understand.) I liked both “Hellboy” films, and I feel that he brought the character to life really well. But other than (ironically) the comic book adaptations he’s been in, I’ve only seen a few films of his, and generally the ones where he takes a relatively minor role. What I’m saying here is I haven’t had time to “burn out” on Perlman.

    He still looks really good in “Skin Trade” though, at least as far as the trailer goes. If you’re going to make this type of action movie, you really need a good charismatic villain to root against.

  13. “Buscemi isn’t the best comparison because he at least has SOME range”

    Are you saying that Ron Perlman has no range? Fuck! He showed more range in SONS OF ANARCHY by playing just ONE character, than most other actors in her whole career, playing dozens of different characters! He is a 60+ years old guy, who portrayed a devil looking comic demon as a badass with an “Well, another day at my job” attitude, who turns into a scared teenager when his father catches him smoking a cigar!

    The actor who played a caveman, a mentally challenged hunchback and romantic half man/half lion sewer dweller has no range?

    Sheesh, some people…

  14. I like Perlman. Funny guy, with a one-of-a-kind face that’s become simultaneously better looking and uglier as he’s aged.

    We need these original character actors, guys like Perlman. Reminds me of the late Jack Palance, who I saw in a recent re-watch of Burton’s BATMAN, and who cracks me up every time with his exuberance in the scene in his office when he says “Is that you sugar-bubs?!”, before he realizes it’s Jack/The Joker, and that he’s fucked, and his exuberance turns to fear and anger. What a great actor.

  15. “…than most actors in her whole career”

    A weird typo, that I contribute to my keyboard falling apart and me being in a hurry when I posted it. I’m sure you all knew that I meant “their career”.

  16. I guess if you haven’t seen QUEST FOR FIRE, THE NAME OF THE ROSE or CITY OF LOST CHILDREN you could be fooled into thinking that the man only does big green screen movies. No, come to think of it, not even then.

  17. Lundgren, MJW, Jaa, and Weller all playing good guys in one movie does seem too good to be true – I really really hope one of them doesn’t die early (likely MJW) and one of them doesn’t turn bad (likely Weller). If this one turns out to be good, I wouldn’t mind a series of these guys dispensing justice all over the world.

  18. Majestyk, do you think that applies to that Amazon pilot (Hand of God) he did too? I dunno if I agree. Even if it was kind of dumb and derivative, it certainly felt to me like Perlman was putting himself out there in a way that Bruce Campbell wouldn’t.

  19. I can’t handle all these great team-ups that are happening now in DTV. I’m so glad I found this site 10 or so years ago and discovered all those great gems, and looks like more are on the way!

  20. Also what does “Bruce Campbell stage of his career” mean anyway? Sure, he is a geek favourite, but also since something like 10 years, he gets some serious mainstream recognition (again) and is (with all respect to Bruce Campbell) not traveling from convention to convention, riding along on his success in BEAUTY & THE BEAST (or HELLBOY).

    (Again: Nothing against Bruce Campbell. He is apparently a cool guy and I really enjoyed him in most what I saw him in. Also riding the convention circle is a harder job than most people think it is.)

  21. Yeah SONS OF ANARCHY alone solidified mainstream recognition for Ron Pearlman for at least the next few years. Well deserved too he’s an awesome person in real life. One of the prides of the neighborhood I grew up in (Washington Heights). To this day he always comes back last time I saw him he was complimenting my friend’s dog.

  22. I guess I should stress that Perlman is still awesome and does lots of great work. But I’ve stopped being particularly psyched to see him in small roles in genre films. It just feels like geek-bait.

    I don’t know. Maybe I just hate PACIFIC RIM so much that it taints everything.

    I mean, seriously? Hannibal Chau? “Where’s my goddamn shoe?” Smug wankery at its worst.

  23. I love everything about this. Especially Perlman. Shame on you. Ron has always worked on everything put in front of him that his schedule would allow. He’s like an “anyone, anytime, anywhere” style prizefighter, and I love him for it.

  24. It’s not like I blame him. He’s a working actor and he takes what he’s offered. I respect that. I blame the filmmakers for overusing him.

  25. Nah, you know what? I’m just being a prick. Ron Perlman’s still cool. Forget I said anything.

  26. Sorry man, I prefer if they “over”use a good actor, instead of a bad one. And I still try to find the one Perlman performance, that was just phoned in. Not all of his roles may have been iconic or memorable, but that motherfucker knows how to convincingly say every line you give him.

  27. Yeah, I thought about what I was arguing for (less Ron Perlman) and realized that wasn’t a hill I wanted to die on. I concede all points.

  28. The Undefeated Gaul

    October 16th, 2014 at 1:34 am

    Phoned in Ron Perlman performances: possibly Bunraku or Mutant Chronicles? I love the guy but have to admit he’s not ALWAYS giving it his all. Definitely seen some performances out of him where it felt like collecting a paycheck the Nicolas Cage way. And thinking of Cage, Perlman wasn’t too great in Season Of The Witch…

    Still like seeing both of them show up though. Perlman and Cage in paycheck-mode is still better than lots of other guys trying hard.

  29. I’m really sorry for this whole tangent you guys. At the time of writing that I had just come home from a festival where I spent most of last week listening to weird bands and drinking absinthe and not sleeping a whole lot, so I somehow forgot about Cité des Enfants Perdus, which is one of my all-time favorites and should earn Mr. Perlman a lifetime pass. Don’t know what I was on about with the range thing.

  30. No problem, Illinois. We are all friends here.

  31. Dolph’s other prostitution-themed thriller, Puncture Wounds, is on Netflix Instant. Hopefully Vern will review it so I won’t say too much, except it reteams Dolph with his Stash House costar (and Step Up alumni) Briana Evigan, and Dolph plays a Gregg-Allman esque longhaired pimp going up against good-guy war veteran Cung Le. It’s a straight-up revenge thriller with some shockingly dark and nasty bits, but also decent fight scenes and a few things I haven’t seen before. The whole movie’s raison d’etre, the fight between Dolph and Le, is way too brief but the movie’s still worth a watch.

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