Everyone in life must find their own path and carve out their own niche. This can only be accomplished through trial and error, success and failure. Although each man or woman will have a unique story, there are numerous common experiences everyone can relate to. No matter which country someone lives in or what profession they ultimately choose, interpersonal dynamics often mirror the experiences of others.
In Assassination, directed by Peter R. Hunt, Charles Bronson plays a Secret Service member named Jay Killian. Although Killian is used to guarding the President himself, he is charged with protecting the First Lady of the United States. While he considers this a demotion, matters are further complicated because the First Lady herself sees Killian’s presence as an inconvenience.
Occupations often lead to odd pairings and a bodyguard whose subject resents him certainly meets that description. While conflicting interests are enough to make this a tense situation, there are several other layers to the story that reflect common occurrences in the human experience.
Anyone who’s been in the workforce has at some point experienced mutual attraction with a coworker. However, there are times when that attraction is frowned upon. It could be due to the fact that one party may be in a supervisory position. It could be that the company either has a written policy forbidding office romances or an unwritten rule stating they are less than ideal.
In Jack Killian’s case, the woman attracted to him is Lara Craig, who happens to be married to the President of the United States. Needless to say, they are strictly forbidden from becoming an item. As the story progresses, it becomes more and more clear that Lara finds Killian attractive. While she was initially insulting and dismissive, it seems it was all in an attempt to conceal her true feelings.
This becomes crystal clear when it is revealed that the President’s military injury rendered him impotent. A strong Secret Service member capable of fulfilling the roles of a relationship is a potentially threatening presence to a lonely wife starved for affection.
ASSASSINATION, Jill Ireland, Charles Bronson, 1987, (c)Cannon Films
Whoever came up with the phrase that “drummers get all the girls” never saw Secret Service Agent Jay Killian in action. Not only is he the First Lady’s forbidden fruit, he is also the object of desire for Agent Charlotte Chang. Killian has just gone through a divorce and Chang is hot on his trail. She relentlessly asks Killian to spend some “quality time” with her but he does his best to stick to his policy of not mixing work and pleasure.
However, after an exceptionally tough day at the office, Chang propositions him one more time. Against his better judgment, he gives in. When asked how she was able to finally convince him, he replies “You outlasted me,” with a sheepish grin. The next morning, he doesn’t seem to regret his decision. However, after she gives him a ride to the office, she makes the comment “I’ll be even better after the wedding.” It seems Agent Chang doesn’t want Killian to stay divorced for long.
Senator Hector Bunsen has been a good friend of the President’s for a very long time. Although he’s not a member of his cabinet, he remains one of his closest advisors. He’s also one of the few people who know about the war injury that rendered the President impotent.
Through carefully gathered intel, he’s learned of the First Lady’s plans to divorce the President after his first term in office. Fearing that this will destroy the President’s plan of getting re-elected for a 2nd term in office, Bunsen pays contract killers to assassinate the First Lady. For his part, Jay Killian makes several heroic efforts to save the First Lady’s life. He also has more than one face to face meeting with Bunsen, who appears very concerned about the First Lady’s safety and wellbeing.
It is only after tricking one of the mercenaries into confessing it was Bunsen who hired him, that Killian is able to confirm his hunch. Senator Bunsen has been pretending to care about the First Lady’s safety while simultaneously taking out a contract on her life. It is the ultimate contradiction and a scathing betrayal.
Lara Craig is not accustomed to having her every move watched and her every action critiqued. Although she realizes her life is in danger, she desperately longs for a return to a normal existence.
She decides to take matters into her own hands by donning a disguise and making a dashing escape in a non-government vehicle. The only problem is, she can’t outsmart Jay Killian who follows her in his own car. When he tracks her down at the gas station she admits to trying to escape. Figuring it may be easier to evade the mercenaries on the run, Killian agrees to help the First Lady avoid the eyes of the public. Their journey leads them to a train ride, a boat trip across the lake, and eventually to her father’s property.
However, paid assassins don’t give up that easily; they make their most brazen assassination attempt yet by brandishing guns on her father’s property and attempting to kill her in broad daylight. It is at the end of this shootout, that Killian is able to corner a mercenary and force him to admit that Senator Bunsen was behind the entire plot.
Charles Bronson’s portrayal of Secret Service Agent Jay Killian is compelling. He is able to combine athletic foot pursuits, precision marksmanship and expert knowledge to bring his subject to life. As the plot is revealed, audiences will be drawn into the complicated interpersonal relationships as well as the action itself.
Only a man with great training and instincts could navigate the complicated path Jay Killian is given; only a man with great restraint could avoid having an affair with a beautiful woman who eventually admits she finds him attractive. Jay Killian is such a man. If you’re a fan of great action flicks with interesting subplots, make sure you watch Assassination starring Charles Bronson. You’ll be glad you did.
Is the former action star and notable Putin friend really going to go full ‘On Deadly Ground’ on Russia?
We know about Steven Seagal’s unconditional love for Russia, but now things are getting serious. Mr. Seagal just entered the political arena by joining a Russian party that actually has some seats in the country’s parliament.
In doing so, Seagal hopes to step up his efforts as an environmental activist, in his own words: “Without being able to arrest people, when we just fine them, they are probably making more money off the production of the things that are defiling the environment.”
It’s a noble cause, and who knows maybe he’ll even become a politician someday. He would certainly make short work of everyone going against him in case one of the traditional Eastern European parliament brawls breaks out.
We’ve also seen what Seagal does to people who do not care about the environment. His classics On Deadly Ground and Fire Down Below are a testimonial to his activism, when he took down corrupt CEO’s of oil and coal companies as well as local authorities they had in their pockets.
Let’s hope he carries out his new calling in the same way as in his movies, breaking bones and blowing up the property of whoever dumps toxic waste into rivers or drills oil wells in a wildlife sanctuary.
What do you think of Seagal’s new life as a Russian politician? Let us know in the comments below!
The latest reboot to the famous video game franchise still struggles with plot, but provides plenty of ultimate action!
The cult video game returned to the big screen, and raised high expectations from gamers and action movie fans alike. Finally we got an R-rated take on the Mortal Kombat franchise with the fights in all their gory glory! The first two movies and the TV series certainly did not do justice at all to the uninhibited violence of the games.
Video game adaptations surely have evolved since early works such as Street Fighter and their serious trash factor. More refined releases followed swiftly, and the 2000s may have been the sweet spot for the genre with thoroughly entertaining films like Silent Hill, Resident Evil 1-3 and Postal. Since then, the genre has somewhat degenerated into sterile and uninspired celluloid fast food like Assassin’s Creed and Warcraft, with 2020’s surprise hit Sonic The Hedgehog being a positive exception. So let’s have a look where Mortal Kombat takes its place in this spectrum.
The world is on the verge of falling under the grip of Outworld tyrant Shang Tsung if humanity’s chosen fighters lose another Mortal Kombat tournament. Cole is an unsuccessful MMA fighter who discovers his calling, and joins a band of fighters who seek to be trained by the mighty Lord Raiden to prepare for the ultimate showdown with Shang Tsung and his diabolical minions.
Just like its predecessors, Mortal Kombat does not shine in the plot, dialogue or acting departments, so it’s business as usual in that regard. But that’s no problem, the film goes all in on action instead with tons of fights featuring many different characters from the game. The fatalities also keep coming at a good rate, and some of them are delightfully over the top.
Energetic, Ultraviolet and campy Martial Arts Action
The opening sequence and final showdown are both freaking awesome, and deliver high-octane action with a solid fight choreography. And while the fights we get so see in between these two sequences also have their moments, they are thwarted by the usual choppy editing style of modern blockbuster action movies. They also don’t ignite this spark that you need to knock the audience into their seats, there’s no surprises or originality to be found in any of them.
I think no one was really expecting a masterpiece of modern martial arts cinema, and it’s more than okay that Mortal Kombat puts its focus on spectacle, and not on the skills of the martial artists. But I could not help comparing the film with 2009’s Ninja Assassin that delivered everything I hoped Mortal Kombat would do: energetic, ultraviolent and campy martial arts action.
Another problem the movie had for me is that it is way too serious for its own good. A bit more lightheartedness would have been great, after all it’s still a film about people in funky costumes throwing fireballs and ripping each other’s spine out like it is the easiest thing in the world! Instead, we need to sit through many moments that try to create the vibe of an epic drama, but which are somewhat embarrassing to watch. The central character Cole is rather bland, and the generic family-in-distress subplot that was squeezed into the script also does not help to elevate the excitement.
For an R-rated movie Mortal Kombat turns out to be a surprisingly tame crowd-pleaser (which was probably a calculated move by the studio executives to make sure it recovers its budget). It gives us plenty of fights between the many characters from the game, and the occasional brutal violence. In doing so, the film fulfills its duty to the fanbase, and nothing more. It’s certainly worth a watch, but overall takes a too unambitious approach to its template to become a truly awesome film.
The Last Goodbye trilogy director joins forces with rising Malaysian action star Hairul Azreen for this new action thriller…
Pre-production is officially underway in the UK on action thriller, Berzerker from director Ranjeet S. Marwa. Cameras are expected to roll in July with Malaysian actor and action star Hairul Azreen leading the cast.
Azreen is considered an A-lister among the current crop of film talents in Malaysia, and has quickly become a commodity in Malaysia’s film industry, having starred in Adrian Teh’s 2018 military action drama-at-sea thriller, Paskal, as well as in Teh’s 2019 action drama, Wira, which also has Indonesian action stalwart Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, The Raid 2, Beyond Skyline). Both films are currently streaming on Netflix.
Azreen said: “I look forward to joining the BERZERKER team in the UK. The story is great, the locations are great and director Ranjeet and I have been wanting to work together for a while. The opportunity arose with this project and thanks to Ranjeet and the producers that we can now officially begin production soon”
Marwa will direct from a script he wrote with Daniel White. Azreen will play Noble, an ex-con who now walks as a free man, seeking revenge on those responsible for his incarceration. Marwa describes the overall tone and vision of the film as a unique blend of sci-fi classic, Blade Runner, and Prachya Pinkaew’s 2003 Thai barnburner martial arts flick, Ong-Bak.
Marwa said: “I’ve been a fan of Hairul for quite some time. The opportunity never came for us to work together because of our busy schedules. However, I pushed and made sure that the next project was with Hairul and that we’d make something special together”
Azreen can also be seen in the role of Zul in the 2018 Malaysian action sequel, Polis Evo 2, directed by Joel Soh and Andre Chiew as a sequel to Ghaz Abu Bakar’s inaugural 2015 action crime thriller, Polis Evo. Both movies drew critical praise and commercial success at the local box office, with the second film earning 20 million Malaysian Ringgit for its theatrical run.
More recently, Azreen wrapped shooting last fall on director Syafiq Yusof’s third installment of the hit Abang Long Fadil action comedy franchise starring Zizan Rizak.
Marwa, a native of Birmingham in the UK, has cut his teeth for more than ten years behind the lens. In 2014, he commenced with The Last Goodbye trilogy – a world-renowned trio of action films that initially launched with the titular film, and continued secondly with Destiny in 2015, before reaching its climactic finish in 2017 with Remember Me: The Tale of an Old Ghost.
The trilogy eventually led to Marwa’s first theatrical project in 2018 with Citizen Erased, which tells the harrowing story of a teenage girl indoctrinated into the world of terrorism. That same year would see more solemn offerings from Marwa, including a documentary exposing India’s black market organ trade called The Boy Who Never Came Home, and powerful WWII drama Memoirs of a Sikh Soldier. In 2019, he released monochrome horror film, The Missing, on Amazon Prime.
Marwa has since accumulated a phenomenal slate of projects already under his belt for development. He is presently moving full steam ahead with post-production on Exiled: The Chosen Ones, which features Singaporean action star Sunny Pang, alongside Indonesian thesps Hannah Al Rashid, and Oka Antara. Marwa and Azreen have been angling to collaborate on a project for quite some time, and Berzerker presented a golden opportunity.
Djonny Chen (Daemon Mind, Exiled: The Chosen Ones) will produce Berzerker through his Silent D Pictures banner, with Marwa also rejoining Chen to produce via his Rocket Sky High Motion Pictures label. Charmaine Binji and Gurnam Singh Marwa are also on board to produce.
Special thank you to Lee B. Golden III, Film Combat Syndicate founder and editor, for the heads up.
A look back at the fast, loud and feverish action collage video game crossover that was Mortal Kombat II: Annihilation (1997).
The Wikipedia page for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation used to categorize it as a science fantasy martial arts action film. This is an awesome genre classification, and it already provides a hint that we’re in for an extraordinary experience. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation belonged to the first generation of video game adaptations, together with its predecessor Mortal Kombat, as well as Super Mario Brothers, Street Fighter, and Double Dragon.
None of these are exactly considered masterpieces, but they were the first of their kind, so it’s understandable that a success formula yet had to be worked out. It seems many studio producers are still searching for it, considering the quality of movies based on video games that even today’s audiences are regularly exposed to.
The first Mortal Kombat was a solid fantasy/martial arts flick, that introduced us to the characters of the game and had them thrash each other. It also fared not too bad at the box office, and so the inevitable sequel was made. After defeating the evil warlock Shang Tsung in the first movie, the group of martial arts warriors around Liu Kang and Lord Raiden are confronted with the another otherworldly tyrant. Shao Kahn has big plans to annihilate the world, and so it’s time for the next Mortal Kombat.
Almost every aspect of the movie could be considered fairly abysmal if you them look at them isolated and apply the usual standards of movie critics. The list includes the dialogues, the acting, set decoration, story and special effects, pretty much everything. The most peculiar feature about the movie is that if you put all the bad pieces together, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation becomes a feverish collage that takes on an almost surreal form if you can open yourself up for it.
The film has a vibe that is just as goofy and cheesy as that of classic action games, which themselves seemed to have borrowed much of their attitude from 1980s action movies. Whatever happens in the plot department feels like interlude screens between levels, and the characters also move and talk like they’re trapped in an old-school video game. The costumes may seem ridiculous by today’s standards, but if you compare them with what the characters in the original games were dressed like, it’s pretty much spot on! So when looking at it from this particular angle, everything fits nicely together, I think.
The visuals of the film are pure chaos. Sets, costume design and special effects are done in lurid colors, reminding me of a video game that just entered the VGA era, and wanted to proudly display it’s utilization of the full 256-color palette. The film also uses a charming mixture of cheap special effects that include matte backgrounds, miniatures, and terrible CGI that can never be unseen.
Some sets are looking really cool, and feel like a strange blend of motives from Mad Max, Conan The Barbarian, and Dante’s Inferno. Other sets seem to be built from an amount of paper maché that I haven’t seen since the cheap Italian Fantasy films of the 1980s (I don’t really have a better comparison than this).
When we look at the actors and their characters, I think everyone in Team Raiden does their job well enough considering what they were given to work with. Team Shao Kahn, however, goes all in on unbridled overacting with delightfully sadistic attitudes and plenty of sardonic laughter. Brian Thompson is the epicenter of insanity in this film as Shao Kahn.
Blessed with a physiognomy that landed him almost exclusively bad guy roles in his career, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is one of his finest moments, and he goes completely nuts in almost every scene. For the most part, he skulks around in his lair carrying a weapon that looks like an oversized Croquet mallet, with which he knocks whoever talks back to him into the fire pits.
So what about the action? The first Mortal Kombat received a PG-13 rating despite being based on of the most violent games of its time, and the second film also does not show a single drop of blood. A consequence of this choice is that the action in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is fairly harmless, and the style of the action scenes is more reminiscent of the old Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers films than of a serious martial arts flick.
Nevertheless, the fight sequences are pretty solid. They are delivered almost non-stop as the script throws one evil character after another at Liu Kang and his friends, who usually quickly dispose of them. Add to that cheap CGI monsters, explosions and a frantic Techno/Heavy Metal soundtrack, and we got ourselves a gleeful roller coaster ride.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a bizarre movie that is strangely captivating for all the wrong reasons. I think it’s the most memorable of all three live-action films of the franchise that have been released so far, and takes it’s rightful place in the unofficial trilogy of wackiest films based on fighting games next to Street Fighter and Dead Or Alive. It’s fast, it’s loud, and completely out of control. So just lean back and enjoy the madness!
While Kickboxer solidified Van Damme’s martial arts prowess and action movie star power as it launched a franchise all of its own. Yet, while there are some nuanced differences for sure, the two films are quite similar in subject and presentation. Still, the debate has raged for decades as to which film is superior – as well as – which Van Damme would win?
Luckily the ultimate action movie gods have heard the cries of Van Damme fans and the Van Damme man himself has released a new supercut which gives some new insights into how the two films and performances stack up.
In this montage cut “by NLR” posted onto Van Damme’s YouTube Channel, we get to see the best fights, sequences and training montages from both Kurt Sloane and Frank Dux. The music is characteristically 80s-action and I’d like to imagine that Van Damme picked the track himself from his personal cassette tape collection.
So, from watching the montage, as well as doing a thorough re-examination of both films (from memory), this is still going to be a really tough call. The two fighters are indeed similar. Dux learns his skills from Senzo Tanaka including the powerful Dim Mak technique.
Whereas Sloane hones his skills under the tutelage of the famous Muay Thai Kru Xian Chow. Both characters must fight their way through a myriad of different contenders with different styles and approaches before matching up against chief rivals Chong Li and Tong Po.
Both action stars win because it’s Van Damme of course. It’s funny, but if you consider that both these characters exist in the same Ultimate Action Cannon-verse, then it’s not inconceivable that the two might eventually have met in the Kumite one year. If not for the fact that all the sequels for both Bloodsport and Kickboxer introduce new stars in Van Damme’s iconic roles.
Even just picking between which movie is more ultimate is quite hard to choose. As we did our rankings for the Top 10 Van Damme Movies of all time, we had to go with Bloodsport because of its significance both to Van Damme’s career as well as fighting action movies in general.
Ultimately, perhaps the decision should come down to you and your personal preferences, as well as what you value in terms of character development and fighting style. I’m tempted to lean Bloodsport because of legacy again, but as you can see in the montage, Kickboxer has some absolutely stunning sequences that prove Van Damme’s Sloane is an all-time action champion as well.
Let us know which one you would pick in the comments below!
Looking back at how Netflix’s animated series mixed spectacle with shades of ultimate action.
Warren Ellis’ original trilogy enthralled audiences. Its third season demonstrated the show could function outside of its original vision in so short a season. On the tail end of its fourth season, however, the show wavered between its anime action uber-violence and strong character writing. It attempted to write prestige television into an American anime-adaptation, and failed. This final season of Castlevania delivers on high spectacle and action like its previous seasons, but feels so unevenly paced it’s almost punishing to watch.
I’m a sucker for spectacle. Whether it’s the gonzo car action of the Fast and the Furious franchise or the skyscraper fist fights of Godzilla v. Kong I can’t say no. Castlevania delivers on spectacle. It revels in its graphic depictions of violence. The camera whirls and swings through high-flying sword fights and whips around with blasts of magic. The medium of animation gives its fight sequences limitless capabilities and the show utilizes that medium to its utmost potential.
Season four of Castlevania really doubles down on that spectacle with an artistic flair. Previous seasons of the show developed a knack for action. Every little trick and tactic of high quality anime fights were employed to maximum effect. This season upped the ante so much it bordered on artful abstraction. In one sequence Carmilla the vampire queen slaughters monster after monster until the blood on her floor forms a reflective pool. In an all out area attack the room explodes turning blood streaks against frames of white while Carmilla screams her agony into something wholly artful. When fights peak and villains go down screaming the animation reduces to squiggles and dots. It’s hypnotic and certainly conveys the over-the-top qualities of its fights.
The anime style really suits the show. Characters bound through armies of undead, practically teleporting, wending their way with a sword slicing limbs with effortless grace. The show draws strongly on Satoshi Kon’s seminal Cowboy Bebop and Berserk by dropping comedy into the gut-wrenching gore-filled brawls. Unfortunately season four leans into the hyperbolic qualities of anime. Its comedy comes across as jokes a teenager would think is funny.
This final season’s sense of pacing is utterly atrocious for something with ten full episodes. The show easily bifurcates into two specific halves: big monster fights and exposition dumps. Almost back to back you can predict every episode of the show. Worse, yet, the link between episodes often feels arbitrary and some episodes end so abruptly it feels unfinished. What worked so well over six or eight episodes stretches entirely too long in season four. Better to truncate the exposition (with its horrendous dialogue) than to waste audience’s time reminiscing on the morals of being a vampire.
The writing of this season feels sophomoric at best and lazy at worst. Characters might recap entire seasons to each other or make half-planned jokes with little skill at execution. When protagonist Trevor Belmont goes face to face with season baddie Death (capital D) he opens with: “You are a thing.” To which Death responds: “I am more than a thing. I am Death.” It’s meant to convey gravitas and scale, but it comes across as the fan fiction of a teenager writing whatever sounded cool at the time. Indeed a lot of the show’s plotting and action can be attributed to “What feels cool.” Even as it attempts to inject some philosophy it punctuates potent thoughts with poor word play.
If anyone’s kept up with the show then they’ve followed decent character arcs. Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard all grow throughout the course of the show. Season three did such a good job of demonstrating character change (at least for Alucard) that my hopes of finishing those arcs in season four were destroyed. Characters turn on each other in two episodes and a big bad from one season becomes a midseason battle. There’s no sense of linear direction, ostensibly because the show did too much in too little of a time.
Great stories can be told in small chunks. Netflix cult hit Peaky Blinders demonstrates you can do it consistently. Castlevania gets to play in such an interesting world with such an action-forward medium and it squanders a lot of its potential in its final season. I say all this because season three really had me on a wire. The show seemed to find firm footing after its largest villain bit the dust, but season four feels more like an afterthought. Given it’s the final season the show ends on a note of finality, but a forced one (and because of its Medieval fantasy setting it draws to mind the reviled ending of Game of Thrones.)
Netflix needs content and it’s leaning into its own brand of anime. Castlevania touched a note of interest to audiences. It told its story and ended, for better or worse. What made it great ultimately led to its downfall as each season had to top its previous one. Its violence turned into beautiful abstraction and its writing nearly parodied self-serious scribing. Only the creative creature design, moody atmosphere, and Southeastern European Medieval landscapes tipped the scales into like territory. For a person who loves spectacle this final season pushed the limit on what I’m willing to tolerate for spectacle’s sake. Perhaps in the next Castlevania property (a new story told in the same world) new writers will find firmer footing than this last season’s.
Ranking the best and most ultimate modern Russian action movies!
Russia and the Soviet Union have a glorious history of filmmaking, but action movies were not part of it for a long time. Since the 2000s Russia has built up a noticeable catalog of genre flicks, so it’s about time that we honor them with a Top 10 here at the Ultimate Action Movie Club.
I have the feeling – and I mean this in the best possible sense – that because of a 30-year head start for US action flicks, many Russian productions have a charming old-school vibe to them, that has disappeared from most American action blockbusters these days. And in addition to kicking serious ass, they also give “outsiders” the opportunity of a glimpse into Russian society and history.
In this list, we’ve only considered films that are more or less easily accessible to audiences outside Russia, and all of them are available on at least one of the usual streaming services, or on DVD/Blu-Ray. So let’s have a look at what Mother Russia has in store for action movie fans!
Stories and films about a mysterious zone popping up in our world are a recurring element in Science Fiction, and Russia was the birthplace of some of the best works of this sub-genre, with prime examples being the novel Roadside Picnic and the movie Stalker. The Blackout continues the Russian tradition of “zone” movies, and upgrades it into a spectacular action flick.
Moscow suddenly loses contact with almost the entire world. Electricity and communications have ceased except for a small area around the city, and the fate of people outside it is unknown. The soldiers Oleg and Yura join a reconnaissance mission into the dead zone, but nothing can prepare them for the terrors lurking in the darkness.
The Blackout is a straightforward affair, and scavenges its plot from many classic Science Fiction movies. The film has an intense and dark atmosphere, with a well done buildup of tension that frequently erupts into violent action. Viewers are treated with a staccato of gunfire, explosions and blood, parts of it almost feel like a war movie. The Blackout is an explosive action thriller, and should be a good time for every action movie fan.
A small group of soldiers that heroically defends their city against an overwhelming enemy, with plenty of bloody slow-motion sword-fighting action? This sounds like a straight-up copy of 300, but Furious has enough going for it to not make it a mere clone.
The film is based on a fictionalized medieval account of the siege of the Russian city of Ryazan by the Mongols. Kolovrat is a member of the Ryazan city guard, and one day a massive Mongol army lays siege to his beloved city. Kolovrat and a band of loyal heroes go on a desperate quest to find a way to defeat their enemy and save the city.
Just like 300, Furious heavily distorts its historical template, and turns it into a violent tale of heroism.It also manages to embed its action sequences into a fantasy-like adventure. Epic battles in the snow take turns with a mystical journey through forests and mountains, with some Russian folklore thrown into the mix. And a thumping heavy metal soundtrack (composed by System of a Down band leader Serj Tankian) is always a good choice for bloody sword action. Furious is a skillfully crafted fantasy epic with great visuals and top notch medieval mayhem.
Before modern Fantasy, there were fairy tales, and the former Soviet Union can pride itself with producing many great entries to this genre. Wolfhound does not deny its roots, and successfully mixes Slavic folklore and mythology with Western Fantasy in the vein of Conan The Barbarian and Lord of the Rings. Based on a popular fantasy novel, the film takes us on a classic quest through a medieval world inhabited by bandits, demons and sorcerers.
A kids’ village is raided by the army of an evil warlord, and everyone including his parents is killed. Many years later, the child has become the mighty warrior Wolfhound. He goes on a mission to escort a princess to her bridegroom-to-be, and during the dangerous journey, Wolfhound learns that a greater destiny awaits him.
Wolfhound’s quest takes us past gloomy castles, misty marshes and savage tribes. Swords clash, monsters are slain, and every five minutes there’s a new adversary for Wolfhound to fight, or innocents who need to be saved. The film is a high-profile production with beautifully crafted medieval villages, and a striking cinematography of the Eastern European wilderness. Wolfhound is a charming old-school romp, and a must-watch for fans of epic Fantasy.
Genghis Khan was the ruler of the largest contiguous empire to ever exist on Earth, and this iconic figure of human history finally received a proper cinematic treatment. Mongol tells the story of his life from childhood until he became ruler of all Mongol tribes.
As a child, Temujin (his name before he became Khan) sees his father getting killed by poison. Soon after, his village is raided by his own tribe. Temujin is abducted by his father’s former lieutenant Targutai, but manages to escape. He becomes a grown man, is enslaved again, manages to escape again, and marries his betrothed. After their wedding night, she is abducted by Targutai. What a story, and this is only the beginning of the film!
Mongol mixes politics, romance and war, but it’s not your average medieval drama, there’s no place for the usual hokum and waffling in this laconic masterpiece. The epic cinematography of the endless and majestic Mongolian steppe creates dream-like pictures of a place that is as distant geographically as much as spiritually from the Western world.
The film also features plenty of great moments for action fans, with bloody skirmishes and large-scale battles. Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan is a perfect history epic with an incredible atmosphere and spectacular cinematography.
A well-done remake is not the worst thing that can happen to a film, and Newsmakers turns out to be a thrilling adaptation of Johnnie To’s Breaking News.Crime is running rampant in Moscow, and the chief of police decides to turn a planned manhunt into a reality TV show. During the operation, a gang of robbers gets trapped in an apartment complex and takes some hostages. PR officer Verbitskaya wants to exploit the siege for the production, but her big moment is seriously hampered by a squad of police detectives who have some personal beef with the criminals.
Newsmakers does not show us the prettiest corners of Moscow, and creates a gritty and realistic setting. There is plenty of social commentary in the film, and it also works as a satire on the endless hunger of TV stations for new formats, no matter how stupid. The action is seamlessly integrated into the story, and has a brutal realism reminiscent of genre classics like Heat. The shootouts are incredibly intense, and are filmed impressively with a calm camera work that captures the mayhem in all its bloody details. Newsmakers is a hard-boiled action thriller with an interesting story, great characters and insane action sequences.
The brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are for Russian Science Fiction literature what Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick are for the US branch. Dark Planet is based on their novel The Inhabited Island, and director Fyodor Bondarchuk turned the 1969 classic into a spectacular blockbuster movie.
Space explorer Maxim Kammerer crashes his spaceship on planet Saraksh. He makes contact with the locals and integrates quickly into the society of the country Fatherland, which is in a constant state of war with his neighbors. Maxim tries to intervene to change things for the better, but his actions have grave consequences.
Dark Planet tells a story with an epic length of 3.5 hours split into two separate movies. There’s a lot of food for thought about the human condition in its facets in it, but it is far from being a dry philosophical treatise. Maxim visits an impressive variety of large set pieces in this colorful but dystopic world, and the action scenes are also pretty awesome.
Tank battles, car chases and martial arts duels may seem a bit out of place in an otherwise thoughtful Science Fiction film, but it all fits together nicely, and the action certainly helps to keep up the pace. Dark Planet is an excellent example of a modern and action-packed Science Fiction film done right.
Sports dramas can just be as exciting as action movies when they are able to tell a gripping story mixed with adrenaline-charged sequences of athletic competition. Legend No. 17 is a biopic of Soviet hockey legend Valeri Kharlamov. The film follows his life from the humble beginnings in a bush-league team up to his rise to fame in the national hockey powerhouse CSKA Moscow.
Friendship, love and tragedy, Kharlamov’s life appears to be prime material for an epic sports movie. The film also gives us a glimpse into the daily life and troubles of people in the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s, and vividly illustrates some of the absurdities of the political system at the time.There are some great moments of hockey action throughout the movie, but the absolute highlight are the last 30 minutes which are devoted to the first match of the legendary Summit Series between the USSR and Canada in 1972.
You’ll think you’re watching an action movie, with high-speed pursuits and violent clashes between the Russian and Canadian players, and the camera always in the middle of all the mayhem. Sports action doesn’t get much better than Legend No. 17., and the film is right up there with genre classics like the Rocky saga.
Timur Bekmambetov jump-started Russian action cinema all by himself with his Night Watch and Day Watch films, that gave us an exciting blend of action, fantasy and horror. Supernatural beings, the Others, live unperceived among humans. A fragile truce has been instated between the forces of the Light and the Dark after centuries of war. Anton is a clairvoyant on the side of the Light who discovers a prophecy that may shift the balance of power forever.
Bekmambetov succeeded in creating an engaging plot, interesting characters, and the gritty setting of winterly modern-day Moscow where sorcerers, vampires and demons lurk around every corner. The first part can be considered an overture to some extent that introduces us to the characters and the mythology. The second part is all about the ultimate showdown between the Dark and the Light, and a lot more action-packed.
Supernatural beings going against each other in an urban environment is the cause of plenty of mayhem, such as cars driving up skyscrapers, magically supercharged elevators, and a big finale that is just crazy beyond belief. Rarely we come across a movie these days that is has tons of action, a captivating plot, and great characters. Night Watch and Day Watch have it all.
Watch Night Watch and Day Watch on YouTube movies here:
The Scythian continued the trend of first-class historical and fantasy movies from Russia, and turned out to be the most spectacular Russian entry to the genre so far. Lutobor is a loyal servant of the Russian king. He becomes entrapped in a conspiracy, and needs to flee from his land to rescue his family from the grip of the seemingly savage tribe of the Scythians. Together with honor-bound Scythian warrior Marten, he takes up the long and dangerous journey through the steppe.
One man’s quest through dangerous territory is an archetypal plot, and The Scythian is a fairly straightforward movie in that sense. What sets it apart is its atmosphere, cinematography and stunningly intense action sequences. The film shows us a barren, but beautiful world, and almost every shot uses the vast open spaces of the Crimean steppe as a backdrop.
The world of The Scythian is filled with violence and tragedy, and almost every man is a warrior or bandit. The fights are exciting to watch, and perfectly choreographed and filmed. The violence goes over the top quite a few times, and the action scenes have a raw and almost intimidating intensity. The Scythian is lifted to greatness by tons of brutal action, a unique setting, and a cruel, but enchanting world.
Many action films these days feel like video games due to their excessive use of CGI, but only Hardcore Henry can claim to be the real McCoy. Just when one thought originality is dead in the action genre, director Ilya Naishuller landed a slam dunk and created the ultimate first-person action movie.
Henry awakes in a secret lab, and realizes he is a cyborg. A mysterious supervillain tries to capture him, and a relentless hunt ensues. The story doesn’t really matter, even though it’s not as stupid as it may sound. Hardcore Henry goes for pure madness, and the camera attached to Henry’s forehead will make you experience action sequences from a spectacular and sometimes nausea-inducing perspective.
The film delivers non-stop action, it’s showdown after showdown with grenades and bullets flying left and right. Hardcore Henry has a bodycount that makes Stallone’s 2008 Rambo look like a PG-13 movie. Every new confrontation is more violent and explosive, and the finale is an appropriate climax that cranks up the mayhem just when you thought it couldn’t get any more insane. With Hardcore Henry, Ilya Naishuller created the best Russian action movie, and one of the best genre flicks of the 21st century.
Martin Campbell combines ‘Nikita’ and ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ in his new film ‘The Protégé’, coming this August.
For people familiar with the action genre, Martin Campbell needs no introduction. He is best known for James Bond fans for the highly acclaimed box office hits GoldenEye (1995) and Casino Royale (2006), which opened the eras of Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the longest-running cinematic franchise in history. Other merits of the New Zealand-born director includes the BBC miniseries Edge of Darkness in 1985, the futuristic dystopia No Escape in 1994, and two movies that meant the return of Zorro played by Antonio Banderas: The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005).
Four years after The Foreigner (2017), where Jackie Chan stalked an IRA deputy minister played by Pierce Brosnan linked to a bombing which caused the death of his daughter, Campbell returns with another thrilling, revenge-oriented film: The Protégé, starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson and written by Richard Wenk, known for The Equalizer (2014), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) and the 2016 remake of The Magnificient Seven.
Formerly known as The Asset, this production will follow the story of Anna (Maggie Q), “the world’s most skilled contract killer” according to the film’s synopsis, which will embark on a personal vendetta when his mentor and father figure Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) is murdered. All we know is that an enigmatic killer known as Rembrandt (Michael Keaton) might have something to do with Moody’s death and Anna will come across him, beginning a seductive game that will lead to thrilling fights, chases and explosions as the recently released trailer showed us, brilliantly edited over a version of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”.
Campbell is known for bringing back old collaborators and The Protégé is no exception: director of photography David Tattersall joins the director for the third time after Vertical Limit (2000) and The Foreigner, while editor Angela M. Catanzaro from the aforementioned movie also returns in her fourth collaboration with Campbell: she also edited Warriors (2013) and Reckless (2014), two unaired TV pilots.
Wolf Kroeger will be in charge of production design, 18 years after Beyond Borders (2003), Campbell’s dramatic thriller which had Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen romancing over the world’s hottest war zones in Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya underlined by James Horner’s ethereal and soul-touching soundtrack.
So, what can we expect of The Protégé? Naturally, a similar pacing and visuals as we had in The Foreigner since both Catanzaro and Tattersall are returning. The cast list also includes Patrick Malahide, who appeared in some 90s action classics like The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) and The World Is Not Enough (1999). But perhaps the biggest connection lies in the 2010 series Nikita and The Thomas Crown Affair, the caper with two big-screen adaptations protagonized by Steve McQueen in 1968 and Pierce Brosnan in 1999.
No doubt Anna seems heavily inspired by Nikita Mears, played by Maggie Q herself in the third adaptation of Luc Besson’s 1990 movie La Femme Nikita: a contract killer who sports tight leather clothes and uses seduction as a weapon in more than one occasion. Anna even sports the same haircut as in her days before she was hired by Division, the organization that turns the her into a government assassin.
The seductive game between Maggie Q and Keaton is extremely similar to the interactions between Thomas Crown and Vicki Anderson/Catherine Banning (played by Faye Dunaway and Rene Russo in 1968 and 1969, respectively) in Alan J Trustman’s story: “I’d really like to see you again, under different circumstances”, Rembrandt tells Anna, over a posh dinner.
“These are the best circumstances you’ll ever see me in”, she replies. In both versions of The Thomas Crown Affair, the insurance investigator knows Crown committed the crime and he admits the guilt, but neither of them stop playing this cat-and-mouse game that involves, as expected, sex leading to a romance between the declared enemies.
The action scenes involve a bike chase, a building escape where Anna abseils down with a fire-hose while shooting goons, and wonderfully choreographed (and quite intense, the hits really hurt!) hand-to-hand combats. The film was shot in Romania and Bulgaria, and we’ve had already a taste of what Tattersall’s colorful cinematography can offer, including a birds-eye shot of some colorful skyscrapers at night, presumably in one of these Eastern European cities.
No doubt Maggie Q will look extremely beautiful and seductive when taken by the camera. One of the biggest achievements of Martin Campbell, who has worked with gorgeous actresses like Julianne Moore, Famke Janssen, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Eva Green, Blake Lively and had his beginnings in the erotic industry back in the 1970 (see Eskimo Nell and The Sex Thief)certainly knows how to make a lady look dashing in each of his movies whenever the story calls for it.
A revenge-oriented plot may sound repetitive if we think that Campbell’s most recent films like Edge of Darkness (2010, a film adaptation of the BBC miniseries) and The Foreigner had a father avenging the death of his girl. However, this time, revenge has a more professional tint as Samuel L. Jackson’s character is another contract killer murdered by someone in the same business.
Nevertheless, The Protégé surely has a lot in store to surprise us and it’s quite refreshing to see action movies that go to the point in a era where a lot of philosophical subtleties, complexities and dramas seem to take too many screentime with some unnecessary over-complicated plots.
An ultimate action classic from your childhood is surprisingly still great now… but still for kids.
Martial arts comedies have been extremely popular in Hong Kong for decades, but martial arts action from the US was a dead-serious affair for the most part in the 1980s. The success of The Karate Kid showed that a more light-hearted take on the genre could also work, and films like No Retreat No Surrender followed in its footsteps. The release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990 triggered a small wave of kid-friendly martial arts flicks such as 3 Ninjas, Sidekicks, and of course Surf Ninjas.
The movie’s title is a bit misleading, if you’re expecting a Point Break/Revenge of the Ninja crossover, you’ll be disappointed. While there is plenty of fighting involving ninjas they rarely are on surfboards. A unique thing about the film is the inclusion of a Sega Game Gear as a key plot element which gave us one of the most unashamed product placements in movie history. The film was co-produced by Sega, and a game accompanying the film was indeed made for their fledgling handheld console.
Surf Ninjas tells the story of brothers Johnny and Adam, and their friend Iggy, who one day are suddenly attacked by ninjas in their father’s restaurant. Martial arts master Zatch comes to their rescue, and reveals to them that Johnny is the righteous heir to the throne of the kingdom of Patusan. An adventurous journey begins to free Patusan from the grip of evil cyborg Ninjutsu master Chi and his army of minions. Johnny’s quest is aided by a mysterious video game on Adam’s Game Gear that foresees future events.
Compared to all the polished (and mostly animated) kids movies released on the big screen in current times, films like Surf Ninjas seem to radiate a goofy and chaotic charm at best. So one may be tempted to say that much of their appeal is simply due to nostalgia. To test this theory, I conducted an important experiment and exposed my eight-year old daughter to some of the old-school classics. She found them thoroughly entertaining, just about as much as contemporary Disney productions. Now that this is settled we only need to have a look at how Surf Ninjas fares for adult audiences these days.
The plot is not overly exciting and somewhat chaotic, but that’s no problem, there’s never an idle moment. Surf Ninjas also has a rather chill vibe with laid-back characters who are always in the mood for cracking jokes. When there’s no silly humor, there’s action, and the movie delivers a ton of it. The style of the action scenes is comical martial arts at its best with a pretty awesome fight choreography, in a similar vein as the classic Ninja Turtles live-action movies. Skateboards, chopsticks and an octopus are all turned into weapons (”Eat squid!”) by Johnny and his friends.
Whenever there seems to be a shortage of ninjas, master Chi does a phone call and orders a new batch. I believe this type of phone calls happens off-screen in every action movie featuring ninjas, how else would we explain the endless supply of them? Where they spontaneously emerge from remains one of the big mysteries of the action genre to this day, but in any case we should all agree with Chi: We need more ninjas!
Father and son, Ernie Reyes Sr. and Jr., make a great team in kicking plenty of ass as Zatch and Johnny. Before Surf Ninjas, Ernie Jr. already gathered some experience in the movie business. He played the kid in Red Sonja, and had a role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, where he showcased some pretty solid martial arts skills at a young age. Somehow his career never took off after Surf Ninjas, which I think is a shame because he had the talent and looks needed for bigger roles.
The insane combo of Leslie Nielsen, Tone Loc and Rob Schneider also joined the cast of the film. Tone Loc’s role as doltish, but well-meaning cop that accompanies the kids on their quest to Patusan because he needs a vacation, seems more suited for a stoner flick than Surf Ninjas, it’s a truly bizarre performance.
Leslie Nielsen does his Leslie Nielsen thing as incompetent cyborg tyrant Chi in a bonkers costume, and is fun to watch as always. His role is pretty small, but he has a couple of great scenes. The old running for a ringing telephone gag never gets old. And then we have Rob Schneider in an early movie role, and in Surf Ninjas he already fully embraced his calling as goofy sidekick with zero relevance for the plot. Daft humor is his trademark, and it fits perfectly into the film, plus he gets some really funny lines. He was also 30 years old when playing a teenager in Surf Ninjas.
Surf Ninjas is a slightly demented feel-good romp from beginning to end. If you watch it with your kids, it will be perfectly fine and harmless action entertainment. If you’ve watched it when you were a kid, it will give you a chill overdose of 1990s nostalgia. For everyone else, it’s a film that is best enjoyed slightly intoxicated.
