Sanctuary
Sanctuary
R | 01 January 1998 (USA)
Sanctuary Trailers

Luke Kovak is part of a covert group within the CIA that works on illegal black ops involving blackmail and assassinations. When his boss orders the murder of one of the team, Luke realizes how expendable they all are and gets out (taking proof of their activities with him). He now lives as a priest until the group start to get close to tracking him down.

Reviews
BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
BA_Harrison The previous Mark Dacascos movie I watched—buddy kung fu flick Drive (1997)—was hugely entertaining nonsense, with a lightweight but fun plot, likable characters, and very impressive martial arts scenes; Sanctuary, made the following year, is the antithesis of that film, a joyless thriller that takes itself way too seriously, suffers from lifeless direction, and which completely wastes the extraordinary fighting skills of its star.Dacascos plays CIA agent turned priest Luke Kovak, who finds himself pulled back into the violent world of black-ops espionage by his ex-boss Dyson (Alan Scarfe), who is keen to lay his hands on an incriminating tape that could prevent a senator from becoming security adviser at The Whitehouse. A confusing narrative structure that involves numerous dreary flashbacks, coupled with a plodding pace and a lack of martial arts makes Sanctuary a B-movie bore from start to finish.
zerozx "...that this movie deserves a solid 7even." It offers the mainstream things that you would expect from a solid middle class Action-thriller.D The story centers around Luke Novak (protrayed by Mark dacascos), a former secret underground CIA killer who has escaped his past life as a killer, to lead a life as a peaceful priest, only to get caught up again with his past, upon meeting a former ally who asks his help. His former boss and his henchmen soon find out about his whereabouts and are starting a merciless vendetta against their former soldier...The plot and the setting of the movie, plus the action displays a very solid atmosphere and entertainment.The lead actor Mark Dacascos shows his versatility and demonstrates that he is more than simply just a Martial Artist, while exactly this aspect is actually his real talent which over the years hasn't been promoted for a greater main stream public. Yet in this case, and considering the Genre of being a dramatic Action thriller, this tiny little flaw can be overlooked, and be promoted into a solid B. The role of Luke fits remarkably well for Dacascos, since he seems to have a rather peaceful personality, and hence indicated in one of his interview that he intended to be a monk, something that really reflects that priest character that he displays.Sanctuary is a movie that is worth buying. A Solid 7even...
FedMex I managed to catch "Sanctuary" on a night with nothing else to do but flip through the cable channels. I stumbled upon this film simply because i recognized Mark Dacascos from the "Crow: Stairway to Heaven" t.v. series. Needless to say I started watching and actually became somewhat enthralled by this film. The acting is above what i expected considering this is a straight to video movie. The action sequences were directed well, and the story had a surprising amount of depth to it. Not only the entire "conspiracy" like aspects of it, but also the struggle of a man who has chosen to turn away from all he had ever known to be. The flashback sequences were awesome, showing a disturbing yet intriguing look into a strange form of raising children. Ultimately, it was the closing shot of the film ( I won't give it away, but I must say that being Catholic made this especially cool) that just made me say "WOW." In summary, a surprisingly good late nite movie that is actually worth seeking out. The actors deliver well and the plot is enough to keep even the most easily distracted somewhat entertained.
magilvilla This is a very well made thriller. It tells the story in flashbacks. Sometimes a little hard to follow, but very interesting. The action scenes are good. Mark gives a good performance. The ending leaves the possibilty of a sequel, which I wouldn't mind seeing.