Starring sexy Dutch bombshell Renée Soutendijk and her stunningly chiseled cheekbones!
Eve of Destruction (1991) tells the heartwarming tale of a smoking hot doppelgänger android with killer fashion sense. Implanted with her creator’s memories and dark fantasies, android Eve VIII rampages across the country, spraying uzi fire and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. This is a tender film, really. Dutch actress Renée Soutendijk (Spetters, The Fourth Man) admirably plays dual roles as the scientist and the robot, while Gregory Hynes (Wolfen, Running Scared) is perpetually exasperated and shouts a lot as the federal agent tasked with stopping the “battlefield nuclear weapon.”
A box office bomb in ‘91, Eve of Destruction has yet to find a devoted cult following, it seems. I’m sure there are pockets of fans out there, but it’s rarely mentioned as a hidden gem. Is it a hidden gem, though? Well, to many, probably not. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my first viewing recently and would watch it again, especially when I’m in the mood to watch a killer android babe being awesome. And when am I not in the mood for that?
Dutch actress and sex symbol Renée Soutendijk nicely contrasts the shy and reserved Dr. Eve Simmons with the sexed up android Eve VIII. Simmons creates Eve VIII in her image as part of a top-secret government project. I’m curious, were there seven other Eve androids that failed first? Anyway, Soutendijk is terrific in both roles. Watching her strutting around big cities and podunk towns in her black pumps, sexy skintight minidress, and iconic red leather jacket, all while firing her uzi everywhere, is a real sight to behold.
Okay, okay, besides Soutendijk’s deep-set, hypnotic eyes, flawless cheekbones, and a body that positively won’t quit—did I mention she’s extremely easy on the eyes yet?—what else is there to recommend sitting through Eve of Destruction? Well, the central conflict is fairly interesting, with Dr. Simmons working against time with a federal agent (Gregory Hines) to track and stop Eve VIII, the ultimate killing machine she helped create. Not only is the android Eve’s physical doppelgänger, but she’s also been implanted with her thoughts and memories. In hindsight, that was probably a bad idea, as Eve VIII malfunctions and goes on a vengeance spree triggered by memories of Dr. Simmons’s dark past.
Eve VIII also has a little fun acting out Eve’s darkest fantasies. One such scene involves Eve VIII picking up a scuzzy man in a rundown hooker bar, something the timid and repressed Eve often fantasized about doing. When one of the sleazy rednecks calls Eve a bitch while ordering her to suck his Johnson, she contemplates for a moment, then seductively crawls towards his crotch before chomping down like it’s a grilled hot dog slathered in mustard. Unfortunately we don’t see the chomping, but you better believe we feel it! That jerk deserved it, but still, ouch!
Hines is a pro throughout, as always. A natural, believable actor, he manages to sell the B-movie premise. He and Soutendijk are probably better than the material deserves, but together they elevate it considerably. The petite Soutendijk isn’t the first woman you’d think of to play a “battlefield nuclear weapon” but that’s part of what makes it work: when Eve VIII goes nuclear, Soutendijk sells it with a simmering intensity that catches us off guard. The Blu-ray box doesn’t say “she’s beautiful, indestructible, and unstoppable” for nothing, after all! The body count in Eve of Destruction puts most slasher movies to shame, with Eve VIII mowing down a staggeringly high number of law enforcement officers and many civilians too. The finale in the New York Subway is dialed up to eleven and suitably implausible for a movie full of implausibilities.
While it’s far from excellent, Eve of Destruction is a cheesy-good sci-fi exploitation flick starring a Dutch goddess and featuring plenty of overwrought action. From here on out, I’ll be spearheading the cult following this movie has long deserved.
Eve of Destruction is streaming for free on Tubi. It was also been released on Blu-ray before, and you better believe I ordered a copy off eBay, because this movie is right up my alley.
The Starfire Lounge 
The lead actress (Renee Soutendijk) red jacket reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer in Into the Night for some odd reason even though it is different 🙂 Also, the image of her protecting that child from danger while uzi-ing a bunch of baddies is like what John Cassavetes Gloria would look like helmed by John Woo 🙂
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I also think of both those characters and films when I see Soutendijk in that red jacket carrying a child.
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