People are voting emotionally.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Another cheaply-made straight-to-video thriller, this time one with too much talk and too little action. The interesting plot sees Dacascos as a former assassin who abandons his violent ways (predictably, not for long though) to become a priest, only for his past to catch up with him. What SANCTUARY has in its favour are a number of well-executed action scenes (like the chase through the town, the assassination of a diplomat, the ending) which make the best of their low budget and become moderately exciting in places.Unfortunately, these plus points are countered by a cheap, generic script; non-threatening (but irritating) bad guys and a dark and gloomy look which sucks the life from this film and makes it hard to enjoy it. Mark Dacascos is charismatic as an actor but his range is limiting; Kylie Travis is pretty good as a tough companion but given a weak character. Alan Scarfe is distinctly forgettable as the main villain. They make loads of films like this on the cheap these days, and frankly most of them blur into one another. It takes something special (like Dacascos' DRIVE) to make a film like this stand out from the run-of-the-mill crowd, and sadly SANCTUARY doesn't have that.

Pretty impressed with this thriller. Mark Dacascos has a good on screen presence as the CIA killer-turned-priest-turned-killer-again. The story holds interest and the director steers clear of the usual mad machine gun frenzy Hollywood imagines its action viewers want to see. This is a movie with some style, of an almost modern Gothic feel. Dacascos performs with all the intensity expected of a man facing his past demons. The action is sharp and straight to the point, with no unnecessary flourishes. My only criticism was the standard showdown between hero and chief villain at the end, which was a tad too long. It would be refreshing if this formula was altered to an extent by having the chief villain getting it maybe a lot sooner, and then having the rest of the enemy polished off after as they panic. Instead we have martial arts expert Dacascos pitted against the Schofield Kid from Unforgiven, and the Schofield Kid holding his own for more than ten seconds. This is a minor blip however in an otherwise engaging thriller. Nice little twist in the tail at the end, and as other viewers have observed, it leaves the door open for a sequel, although hopefully not Sanctuary 3, 4 and 5, as that would just kill the original concept. All in all this is a good movie and much recommended.

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 realises 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.I'm a big fan of Dacascos, and I'm constantly at a loss as to why people like Seagal have had big hits but he remains very much part of the `direct to video' stable. This film has a pretty standard plot in that an ex-CIA agent is on the run from the very group that he was once part of. The plot is still passable, what it lacks in originality it makes up for by being pretty dark and gritty. The film has a few action scenes but these too manage to be quite dark and work the better for it, coming off as more than just the usual bangs for the sake of bangs.The direction is pretty good and the use of a gritty film stock makes the dark subject matter feel a lot better for it. A downside is that Dacascos doesn't have too many chances to do his martial arts stuff, going for more traditional action instead. That said, he is still quite good in the lead role. Aside from being moody in the first bits of the film, he is actually quite charismatic despite his character. The rest of the support cast is not so good, they are workmanlike but there are a few really poor performances in there.Parts of the film don't work that well, and this isn't a blockbuster or class act – it is just an above average video thriller. The flashbacks are a little confusing early on, and those that flashback to Luke's childhood are poor and too simplistic. Despite this I enjoyed the film – it isn't anything new but it has a good gritty feel and the dark nature of the film makes it feel a cut above the usual video thriller things.

I turned to this movie late at night mainly to see Mark Dacascos who is nice to look at, and not a bad actor either! I tend to fall asleep if a movie doesn't keep me interested. Well, I felt that, for a cable action movie (on Action Max) it was entertaining and had an actual plot that made sense. In a series of flashbacks, we see the events that shaped Dacascos's character. It's got plenty of guns, a few explosions, a government conspiracy, bad guys, good guys, a possible good gal, and an ironic ending that is both unexpected and appropriate. This is a flick that both guys and gals can watch - lots of action but not any gore. I wish Dacascos luck in catching a mainstream movie and riding it to the big screen. He deserves it!