Meshing the increasingly popular phenomenon of extreme sports with the bombastic pyrotechnics of an action-thriller might seem a surefire way to capture the young male teen audience. "Extreme Ops," however, is liable to turn even them off, as it's such a lame, empty-headed and exceedingly dull movie. The story--what there is of it--is pretty simple: Four American daredevils and the European camera crew that films their stunts for commercials set down in a deserted resort on the Austrian-Serbian border. But the resort is also the hiding place of a Serbian war criminal, Slobodan Pavle (Klaus Lowitsch), who has faked his death so as to escape being put on trial in a world court. Fearing exposure, he decides that the interlopers must die.

The rest of "Extreme Ops" is a cat-and-mouse affair as Slobodan and his henchman set out to hunt down and murder the extreme sports crew, who have only their wits and talent to rely upon in the face of grave danger. Actually, they don't seem to be in much danger at all, as it takes more than half the film before the bad guys even make their appearance, and their fate is decided in a mere few tossed-off minutes at the movie's conclusion. In between, there's some mild T&A, a few unimpressive action sequences, a couple of talented British actors (Rupert Graves, Rufus Sewell) slumming and, if you look quickly, the great Klaus Maria Brandauer ("Mephisto") in a forgettable cameo as one of the killers. Granted, director Christian Duguay ("Screamers," "The Assignment") has always been a hack, but this one's bad even for him. Starring Devon Sawa, Rufus Sewell, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras and Rupert Graves. Directed by Christian Duguay. Written by Michael Zaidan. Produced by Moshe Diamant and Jan Fantl. A Paramount release. Action/Thriller. Rated PG-13 for violence/peril, language and some nudity. Running time: 92 min