Now Showing: Nick Fury and His Howling Commandos

 

Nick Fury and His Howling Commandos
Genre: Action/Spy/Thriller
Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: Jay Ellis, Leslie Odom Jr., Nick Offerman, Milla Jovovich, Lewis Pullman, Renate Renseve, Louis Garrell, Garret Dillahunt, D'Arcy Carden, James Earl Jones (CAMEO)

Plot: New York City, 1957. Nick Fury (Jay Ellis) walks down Fifth Avenue with a woman on each arm. It’s Christmastime so their eyes are fixated on the shop windows but Nick keeps his cool gaze straight ahead. When they pass a bookstore, one of the girls spots Ian Fleming’s Moonraker and asks Nick if he likes spy novels. He shakes his head and says they’re too far-fetched for him. They’re interrupted when a fireball explodes at the 5th Avenue Cinema marquee and flames come hurling at us, the reader. A man in a tight red-and-green bodysuit emerges and announces himself as 3-D Man. He begins passing out 3-D glasses to his victims and passerbys but stops when he sees Fury (and his eyepatch) and says “sorry, two eyes required to enjoy this show!”. Fury asks the ladies to please excuse him as he pulls a laser gun from his trenchcoat and says he hates fads before shooting at the camera.

Nick Fury & His Howling Commandos…in 3-D!

Narrator (James Earl Jones):
Nicholas Joseph Fury was born on June 7, 1917 in Birmingham, England. After the death of his father in World War I, Fury’s family moved to Manhattan, where his mother’s family was from. They moved into a small flat with his grandfather Jack. He enlisted in the U.S. Army when he turned 18 and later fought in World War II. During that time, his heroics led to his recruitment by “Happy” Sam Sawyer into the “Howling Commandos,” a special force designated to deal with the most dangerous jobs. After the war, the Commandos went their separate ways while Fury continued to climb the military ranks. He currently sits at Sergeant and, despite mostly losing his British accent, has mixed that fighting spirit with American patriotism.

Fury shakes his head while watching television in a dark room with “Happy” Sam (Garrett Dillahunt). Sam asks Nick what he thought of the tape, which is meant to be part of a military recruitment video. Nick shakes his head and says that they should tone down the praise. He’s a man who did what his country asked him to do in a time of need, nothing more.

As Fury leaves Sam’s office, he senses that something is off. He scans the room for anything fishy but doesn’t spot anything. He then smells something peculiar and says that he can recognize that cologne from a mile away. Gabe Jones (Leslie Odom Jr.) emerges from the shadows with a big smile.

Gabe Jones, the Right-Hand Man. A one-time Negro League baseball prospect who gave up his dream of professional ball to fight in the war. He soon became a valued member of the Howling Commandos, becoming Nick's most trusted ally and mentor.

They hug and Fury says long time, no see. Gabe says they’ve both been busy with their own ventures. Nick looks down to Gabe’s hand and sees still no ring on Gabe’s finger. They joke about both still being bachelors at this point. Gabe’s demeanor changes and he says that he has something serious to talk about. It is about their friend Dino Manelli.

Dino Manelli (Louis Garrell), the Morale-Booster. Amongst the Commandos, he always kept the mood light, even when the circumstances are grim. Dino was an Italian-American matinee idol before serving but has struggled to restart his acting career after the war.

Dino is missing. Nick is stunned to hear this. He asks if the police have any leads. Gabe says that there’s a reason he came here. This job calls for a Howling Commandos reunion. Nick agrees but says that they can’t let Sam know.

Timothy “Tim” Dugan (Nick Offerman) reads through his mail in a white shirt and tie while drinking his morning coffee. His wife Janice (D’Arcy Carden) is cleaning up from breakfast while simultaneously packing Tim’s lunch. He checks his watch and notices that he’s running late for work. They kiss and he reminds her that he has a appointment with his barber after work. As he leaves, he curiously looks at one particular letter from today’s mail.

After work, Tim arrives at his 80-year-old barber and they exchange greetings. Tim sits down for his haircut and the barber asks if he is ready. Tim nods. The barber pulls the lever to adjust the height of the chair but, in reality, it opens up a secret passage underneath where Tim’s chair defends to a secret headquarters for the Howling Commandos. He sees Nick and Gabe and gives them a head nod, noting that it has been a while.

Timothy Aloysius Cadwallder “Dum Dum” Dugan, the Muscle. His undefeated fight record - in both bars and on battlefields - is the stuff of legend. Now a suburban family man.

Before they can tell them about why he’s here, he says that he is happy with his current life and he doesn’t want to be pulled into any of their shenanigans. Nick nods and asks how Janice and the kids are doing. Dugan can’t tell if there is sarcasm in his old friend’s voice. The tension is broken by a flush and a young blonde fella slowly walking out of the lair’s bathroom.

Jonathan “Junior” Jupiter Jr. (Lewis Pullman), Weapons Expert. After the war, he earned an engineering degree from an Ivy League institution and has returned to working with the military.

Nick motions to Junior that Dugan has arrived and Junior says that he could hear. Nick starts the meeting and says that he knows that the Commandos are over. But he also says that they formed a bond for life and that they may notice that one of them is not here. Dugan asks if this has to do with Dino. Gabe confirms and says that he has been missing. Junior fears the worst, that Dino’s downward spiral after his career decline led to its natural conclusion. Nick says that is a logical guess but something else seems up here. He looks to Gabe and asks if his old friend to reveal his secret. Gabe admits that he has been keeping tabs on the former Commandos since after the war. Dugan begins to get angry at hearing that and Gabe says it was just a precautionary measure; if somebody targeted one of them, he’d likely be next on the target list. Before Dugan can respond, Gabe says that Dino’s last known location is a very peculiar one: the Kingdom of Latveria.

“And that would be the same Latveria that is rumored to be a Soviet ally?,” Dugan asks. “Bingo,” Gabe says. Fury stands tall and says that it appears that the Russians are targeting the Howling Commandos. “…fuck,” Junior murmurs under his breath.

Latveria
4,335 Miles Away

The Commandos — Fury, Jones, Dugan, and Jupiter — arrive in style to a landscape much different than Manhattan. They meet up with Rachel (Renate Reinsve), a local woman who has been arranged to be their translator and guide. Rachel takes them to an abandoned warehouse that will be their temporary headquarters during their time here. Gabe starts investigating the files on Dino’s disappearance while Fury gets to know Rachel. When he asks if she has a man around here, she says that she does - prompting Gabe to smirk in the background at Fury’s rejection.

Junior asks Dum Dum about his wife. He says she’s doing fine before asking if Junior has regretted spending so much of his prime years in school instead of starting a family. Junior cracks a smile, happy to be back in the company of his old friends, even if it means they are poking fun at him again. He says that his time in school has actually helped him prepare for this exact moment before opening his briefcase and revealing not clothes but high-tech gadgets. Everyone looks impressed. He says “in case of emergency.”

The next day, the Commandos determine that Dino’s last known whereabouts were at a jazz club called Astra. Fury asks what Rachel knows about Astra and she says just that it is owned by Petr Rustinov, one of the most powerful men in the region. Gabe has a different question: what the hell does Latverian jazz even sound like? She laughs and suggests they go see.

Nick, Gabe, and Rachel enter Astra as Dugan waits outside in case of trouble. He is in contact with Junior, who is at the warehouse working on modifying their vehicle. Smoke fills the air in the low-key but vibrant club. They keep an eye out for Gilles, a young waiter who worked the night of Dino’s disappearance. When they spot him, Gabe says he’ll go track him down. Fury’s focus, meanwhile, is elsewhere.

The music slows down to just the brushes on the drum as a sultry woman enters, dressed in an elegant black dress with red heels. Fury lifts his eyebrow and turns to Rachel. She whispers that this is Nikita Rustinov (Milla Jovovich), Petr’s wife. Since he is a busy man, Nikita is the one who runs the nightclub. But Fury doesn’t necessarily care about any of that. Instead, he watches her left leg emerging from the slit of the dress. His gaze moves up to find her briefly looking at him. He asks Rachel to be excused. She tries to say something but he’s already off.

Outside, Dugan notices something suspicious occurring across the street. He lets Junior know, who says that he’s almost got the vehicle ready. Back inside, Fury joins Nikita at the bar. He tells the bartender to make two martinis. She doesn’t say anything, giving him a cool shoulder. He asks what it is with these Latverian girls. She finally looks to him and asks who said she was Latverian? He apologizes and then guesses, based on her accent, that she’s Russian. She shakes her head and says Ukranian. The drinks arrive and he slides her a glass but she smiles and says that she doesn’t drink so he’ll have to account for both. He asks if she doesn’t drink, what does she do for fun. She looks away again and says “men”. Fury’s smile grows as she takes a sip from her drink. She tells him an address and then casually walks away. He wants to ask her a second time but knows that she wants him to remember it.

Meanwhile, Gabe’s talk with Gilles is going well. He learns that Dino talked about visiting a space travel test site the day before. Outside, the group of men across the street start to approach Dum Dum. He radioes into Junior asking where he is. Dugan bursts into the club and yells for the rest that they need to get going. Security starts to converge on them as Rachel, Fury, and Gabe all follow Dugan out of Astra. Junior pulls up in a red Ferrari 250 and jumps into the passenger seat, telling Dugan that it’s all ready for him. They all cram into the car as the ominous men load into a car behind them. Gabe asks if they could’ve got something bigger before apologizing to Rachel spilling over her.

The Commandos navigate the tight streets of Latveria as the car follows behind them. Junior asks if this has to do with Dino. Gabe says perhaps and reveals the tidbit he learned about the castle. The car in the back bumps and the men begin shooting at the Commandos. Dugan asks Fury what they should do and Fury looks to Junior. Junior nods and pulls a lever to reveal that the car has been outfitted with fiber-glass material that makes renders it invisible. Dugan is stunned but Junior notes that it can only last a few seconds so the need to act quick. Dum Dum makes a sharp turn down an alleyway as their car returns to normal visibility. Gabe checks back and verifies that they lost them. Fury pats Junior on the back and says well done while Dugan looks impressed.

At their make-shift headquarters, the four Commandos discuss what they observed today. Gabe says that the waiter implied that Dino was in Latveria to meet with Petr Rustinov. Gabe suggests they call Rachel in and see what she knows of him. Rachel says that Petr has many different business venture in the region. But his Russian background makes many citizens suspicious of him. The Soviets are using an abandoned Latverian manufacturing plant to test space travel technology and Petr is rumored to be playing a big role. Junior sits up, excited by the sound of potential space travel. Dugan asks why they would want Dino for that before jokingly suggesting that he did act in one of those pulpy sci-fi movies a few years back. They agree that they will visit the facilities the next morning.

In the middle of the night, Fury is unable to sleep. He waits until everyone is asleep before putting on his coat and heading out. He goes to the address that was told to him at the bar. Waiting for him there is Nikita in lavender lingerie and she pulls him inside.

The next morning, the Commandos wake up to Fury’s absence. They initially worry that he was captured. They look defeated but Gabe says they will need to push forward regardless. Dugan pushes back, saying they should wait to hear back from Nick and Junior is inclined to agree. Gabe then says Nick didn’t get captured, he sneaked out. They ask how he knows that and Happy Sam emerges from the shadows. Sam says he’s been keeping tabs on his former Commandos since their dissolution so he’s been in on this reunion all along. He asks if they are ready to go kick some Russian ass.

The Commandos go to Junior’s room where he shows them the gadgets he has been working on. For Gabe is a pair of sunglasses and for Dugan a new bowler hat. They both give Junior a look. He then explains that the sunglasses will provide Gabe panoramic view of his surroundings. Gabe now looks impressed. As for the hat, it will explode if thrown at a high enough speed. Dum Dum nods approvingly. Sam asks if he has anything special for Fury and Junior says that “something has been in the works”.

Their conversation is interrupted by a panicked Rachel arriving at the safe house. They ask what is wrong and she says that Fury is in immediate danger. They ask how she knows that. She gulps and nervously says that she has something to admit. Dugan places his hand on his gun. She says that she is not a native of Latveria but has instead came here because of its historic ties to Transylvania, a place her grandfather knew all too well. Her name is Rachel Van Helsing and she hunts vampires.

Nikita is in bed as Nick gets dressed. She asks where he’s going and he compliments her on her place. She thanks him and then asks why he’s in such a hurry. He says he has somewhere to be and she asks for him to stay a little while. He smiles but says that he can’t. He kisses her before opening the door to find a set of armed guards staring him down menacingly. He instinctively punches one and then begins to fight them but he is soon subdued. Nikita rises from the bed and smiles widely, revealing a pair of fangs.

The Commandos and Rachel arrive at the old manufacturing plant where they believe Dino (and potentially Nick) to be. She is explaining to them what she knows. For the last few months, she has been investigating Nikita - which is not even her real name. It’s Lilith…“Daughter of Dracula,” Dugan says. Gabe and Junior give him a look and he shrugs, saying he knows his mythology. Sam is still in awe that vampires might actually exist. After they break into the facility, they find it to be surprisingly empty. As he starts to examine the industrial equipment, Junior accidentally activates some type of alarm sound. The ground begins to shake before opening up and revealing an underground rail line. Gabe asks if this normal for Latveria and Rachel shakes her head no. Armed Russian guards enter the facility after the alarm and the crew decide to board the train and see where it goes.

Nick Fury wakes up in an underground facility with a skylight dome revealing they are under Klyuchevskoy in Siberia, one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. He looks around and finds that there is no space travel operation happening here. Instead, it appears to be a mass-scale blood harvesting operation. A nurse walks over to him and begins to draw his blood as he is strapped to a medical table like the blood slaves around him. He asks what is going on and the nurse, in broken English, tells him that she is testing his blood. Testing his blood for what, he asks. Nikita (né Lilith) enters and sits on his lap, telling him that they’re testing his blood type. If he is B-negative, he will stay here and provide the sustenance needed for her people to survive. “And if I’m not?” She does a cut throat gesture, smiles, and walks away.

The Commandos arrive on the train to the underground society in Siberia. Obviously their enemies are ready and waiting for them given that they set off the alarm previously. The armed guards form a solid wall blocking their entry before one person emerges from behind and the Commandos are delighted to see Dino Manelli (Louis Garrell).

Dino Manelli is no longer the Dino they once knew. He is now, it seems, a vampire.

Their smiles turn to fear as Dino growls, his fangs in full display. Dugan steps forward and says it is nice to see an old friend, tipping his bowler hat to the guards. Junior’s eyes widen. Dum Dum throws the hat into the crowd and it explodes as the Commandos scatter to avoid it. Fury, upon hearing the explosion, begins trying to find a way to break out of his constraints.

Rachel and Gabe enter down the east wing and she says she is surprised as anyone by all of this. She always thought that the Latverians were helping the Soviets in some way but it is the other way around. The Soviets appear to be kidnapping people from around the world to keep the undead Translyvanian population going. He says that this must have been where her grandfather was killed and she solemnly nods. They soon find themselves surrounded by Lilith’s henchmen. Rachel motions to him to put on his glasses and he equips them to help in their fight. They begin trading the glasses so they both can benefit from Junior’s technology.

Sam, Junior, and Dugan sneak through the underground commune to eventually reach the harvesting operation where Nick is being held. They see him but are once again met by a calvary of vampires ready to attack. Sam asks what they should do about Dino - can he still be saved? The other two say it seems unlikely. Lilith tells her henchmen contain the Commandos so that their blood can be tested. She then thinks on it before saying nevermind, just go ahead and kill them.

Fury, unable to fully escape, asks his nurse for assistance amongst the commotion. She says that she cannot let him free from his constraints but he says that he just has an itch under his eyepatch and wonders if she can scratch it. She lifts the eyepatch to reveal that, underneath, Fury has a mechanical eye that can shoot lasers. He uses the eye to burn through his constraints. He gives a nod to Junior for hooking him up with he new technology and Junior nods back. Fury joins the fight and delivers the fatal blow to his old friend Dino.

Gabe and Rachel arrive and, as the rest of the Commandos fight off the vampires, start releasing the slaves from the blood machines. Nick comes face-to-face with Lilith and asks what her endgame is here. She says she is just trying to keep her people around. He says that he can’t stand for her to use innocent people to achieve that. But before he can do anything, Lilith is hit from behind from Rachel. They handcuff her and say that she’s coming with them.

The Commandos begin helping the blood slaves onto the train to take them back to safety in Latveria. But just when they think they are in the clear, the Soviet army arrives on the scene. Lilith smiles and says this is not over. Rachel punches her to shut her up once more. It is a race against time as they try to get the train loaded up and off-and-running before the Soviets can stop them.

Against the backdrop of the towering volcano, the Commandos fight off the Soviet army and escape back to Latveria. They thank Rachel for her help and Gabe, without the approval of Sam or the others, asks if she wants to join their crew. They are all down with it but Dugan asks if this “crew” is going to be a regular thing going forward. Like the old days. Nick steps forward and says they can all continue to live their normal lives. But when duty calls, they know they have each other. They all nod in agreement before mourning the loss of Dino. Dugan breaks up the moment to say Janice is going to kill him if he misses Christmas, let alone another dinner. They all laugh and head their separate ways.

As Nick heads out, he spots Gabe flirting with Rachel. Junior tinkering with some gadget. Dugan calling his wife to let her know he is on his way back. Sam giving him a thumbs up. He cracks a smile before checking the date and seeing there is somewhere he needs to be himself.

Every Thursday like clockwork, he visits the local nursing home facility with a Christmas gift. He enters room 33B to see his grandpa Jack (James Earl Jones), who is pointing to the clock and teases Nick that he was almost late. Nick laughs and says that he has quite the story to tell.