bkoganbing Michael Dudikoff did not leave behind any of his martial arts skills in not doing an American Ninja film with The Human Shield. He's an ex- marine who is on a mission of mercy to rescue his brother who served in the Gulf War and married a nice Iraqi girl. Unfortunately he got left behind the lines and is now a prisoner. The brother is also a diabetic.Having watched the film I still have no idea what was going on other than brother Tommy Hinkley was used as bait to bring Dudikoff back. He actually had been there before when we liked Saddam Hussein and saw him as a bulwark against Iran. Iraqi General Steve Inwood has a personal score to settle with Dudikoff.The Human Shield is a strangely actionless film for an action adventure martial arts item except for the last 20 minutes or so.I like Michael Dudikoff, he does fit the action adventure mold quite well. But throughout his career he got inferior items like this one.His fans should like it though.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS**** The film has the distinction of being the first movie made since Gulf War I that in fact takes place before it actually happened when the USA was on good terms with the Iraqi Saddam Hussein regime; Remember that famous video of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfield shaking hand with Saddem after having the US deliver him the very WMD, Weapons of Mass Destruction,that it accused him of having, which in fact he didn't, that started Guf War II in 2003! In here we have former US Special Forces man Doug Matthews, Michael Dudifoff, going to what was then at peace with the US Iraq to get his brother out of one of Saddam's prison who's being held against his will by the Saddam-lookalike Iraqi Gen. Ali Dallal, Steve Inwood.It's been five years when Matthews slashed Dallal's face in trying to prevent him form wiping out a Kurdish Village in Northen Iraq. Now with Matthews' brother Ben, Tommy Hinkley, a diabetic switching planes at the Baghdad Airport Dallal has him arrested on trumped up charges in order to get at his brother Dugh for what he did to him. This sets up things for Doug to secretly travel to Iraq to rescue Ben and at the same time start up a relationship with Gen. Dallal's wife refugee worker Lila Haddin, Hanna Azoulay Hasfari. We soon learn that Lila only married Dallai to keep him from having Doug, whom she was in love with, killed if she didn't? That's some arrangement isn't it!****SPOILERS*** Only worth watching for the action scenes where Doug ends up doing far more damage to the Iraqi Army then what the entire US coalition did to it back in both the first & second Gulf Wars. We even have Doug do what the US was unable to do in destroying Iraq's elusive WMD's at the end of the movie along with Gen Dallal, who got a really hot send off, who's evil plans to murder Dough only ended backfiring on him. As for Doug together with Ben Lila and her 4 year old son Ali Jr they had no trouble at all checking out of Iraq with the Iraqi military and secret police totally hapless to stop them.

bronsonskull72 Michael Dudikoff stars as Doug Matthews a soldier who returns to Iraq to save his brother Ben (Tommy Hinkley) from a sadistic Saddam Hussein look alike who is using him as bait to get revenge on Doug in this mildly diverting Dudikoff actioner which starts off slow but provides a few good twists and is less racist then most. Steve Inwood is especially good here.

MichaelM24 The first film to be made that references the Gulf War, THE HUMAN SHIELD finds Dudikoff heading to the Middle East when his brother is taken prisoner just as he's about to leave Iraq with his wife and daughter. Like any good brother, Dudikoff gets mad and decides to kick butt in his quest to free his little brother. Sneaking his way into the country, Dudikoff sets out to track down the diabolical dictator who headed the abduction and provide a good example of family values. Though I haven't seen the film in a while, I remember it moving pretty well and containing some decent action scenes, and I recall the climactic fight between big brother and big bad guy (in the big bad guy's stronghold, of course) to be pretty exciting.