Trained from childhood to win the Olympic Pentathlon, Eric Brogar (Dolph Lundgren, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER) is at the top of his game in the 1988 Seoul games. When his domineering coach Muller (David Soul, DOGPOUND SHUFFLE) tries to force him to take performance-enhancing drugs, Eric refuses (and manages to win the track event in which fellow enhanced player Rhinehart [Daniel Riordan, ED WOOD] was supposed to place). After falling for American athlete Julia (Renée Coleman, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN), Eric decides to flee to America. In the attempt, Eric is shot in the leg and his teammate Christian (Gerald Hopkins, MIDNIGHT MAN) is killed. Muller loses his job after the shootout at the airport, Eric's defection, Christian's death, and Rhinehart's failure, and he takes his anger out on Eric's father (Erik Holland, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES). When the Berlin Wall comes down only a few months later, crippled Eric becomes embittered believing that if he had only waited his father and friend would still be alive. His drinking causes Julia to leave him and he spends the next several years flipping burgers in a diner belonging to John Creese (Roger E. Mosley, UNLAWFUL ENTRY). After getting mugged by some kids for his nightly six-pack of beer, Eric decides to stop feeling sorry for himself and start training again. When Creese discovers that his fry cook is an Olympic gold medal winner, he starts coaching him with an eye towards fruitful endorsements. While competing in Atlanta, he finds that Julia is now training (and dating) his fencing competitor Mike (associate producer Rob Stull, who competed three times in the Olympic Modern Pentathlon [and a bit of sport for playing a sore loser]), but she is still in love with Eric and soon takes over his training. Meanwhile, Muller has become a Neo-Nazi and has flown to Los Angeles to make an explosive statement at a world peace rally despite the objections of local party member Erhardt (director Bruce Malmuth, NIGHTHAWKS) and Rhinehart, who now runs an L.A. niteclub. When Muller sees a newspaper story about Eric in the newspaper, he makes a side trip to get revenge on his former student. After a couple failed assassination attempts, Muller kidnaps Eric in order to have him witness his planned act of terrorism at the peace rally. Will Eric be able to stop a massacre and win the Pentathlon?

Although intended for theatrical release, PENTATHLON went direct to video in most countries (including the United States), which must have been disappointing to Lundgren - who made his debut in the James Bond pic A VIEW TO A KILL and may be the only action star in MENSA - and co. since it seems that the film was meant to be a departure from the star's usual action fare (RED SCORPION, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO, THE PUNISHER, DARK ANGEL, ARMY OF ONE, among others). While certainly entertaining, the film is more than a little uneven. Julia and Eric barely interact during the first act (although dialogue later in the film suggests that they had more of an acquaintance), then she disappears for another forty-five minutes and has nothing to do with the climactic action setpiece. Soul's villain is also more caricature than menacing (but is at least entertaining), and the whole Neo-Nazi subplot is so thinly scripted. The middle of the film is a bit too feel-good with some corny comedy (although Mosely is likable and has some good buddy chemistry with Lundgren). The sax "love theme" feels about a decade out of date while the equally out-of-place funky end titles music seems more suited to a picture made in the late eighties. The action scenes are all very small-scale (but the stunt work is good), and Lundgren simply curses at his foes rather than spouting the usual action-hero one-liners (if not for the swearing, the film's degress of violence and skin would probably only warrant a PG-13 now instead of the R-rating it was given at the time of release). Despite these many fault, the film is as fun a time-waster as any of Lundgren's other DTV action flick.