Michael Jai White teaming up with martial artist Marrese Crump… yes please!
When news broke out that they were remaking Sudden Death, one of my all time favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, I was obviously perturbed. How can you remake greatness? But then, it was announced that it would not be a remake, but a sequel, and Michael Jai White would be the star. After that, I was like “Ok, that could work.”
Add to that Marrese Crump, the exceptional martial artist who battled Tony Jaa in The Protector 2, and color me sold. Now, we have our first look at the new trailer for the film, titled Welcome to Sudden Death. Take a peak:
Is there anything this guy can’t do at this point?
I’ve stated many times before how Scott Adkins deserves to be the biggest action star in the world. So much so that you’re probably tired of hearing about it, but I don’t care. I’ll say it as much as I want, and I’m going to keep saying it until he gets his due.
Now, Scott seeks to prove that very case with Legacy of Lies, his newest film from director Adrian Bol.
An ex-MI6 agent is thrown back into the world of espionage and high stakes to uncover the shocking truth about operations conducted by unknown secret services.
If there’s any movie that proves Scott’s worth as a leading man in big budget blockbusters, this is it. This is without a doubt the best looking movie Scott has done so far. Director Bol and his cinematographer Simon Rowling drench the film in a beautiful aesthetic, reminding me of the look of movies such as John Wick & Atomic Blonde.
Scott himself plays his most complex character yet; Martin Baxter, a defeated man who must regain his honor as he tries to save his young daughter from the brutal underbelly of the world he used to reside in, and he plays Martin fantastically. Seeing him convey all the emotional complexity that a character like this requires proves he is the action genre’s most definitive leading man. Hollywood, please do the right thing, and give this man his big budget blockbuster.
He is aided by the excellent story crafted by director Bol, who also scripted. Falling somewhere between Commando and The Bourne films, this is a damn great espionage story with twists and turns at every turn.
And yes, this is more of espionage thriller, so there’s not a whole lot of action, but when there is, it’s beautiful. The amazing Tim Man was the fight choreographer on this, and he gives us some exemplary beat downs, such as a cage match with Baxter early in the film, and an incredible one on one with Baxter and the character of Edwards, played by Leon Sua. These two give us such a lovely face off that you come to expect from a movie starring Scott Adkins. Great stuff.
We also get quite a few shootouts and car chases, where Scott gets to show off his inner John Wick. This is absolutely some of the best action filmmaking Scott has ever been involved with. Kudos to him and the rest of the cast and crew.
Are there any issues? Unfortunately, yes. The ending, or endings, leave you a bit perplexed.
*SPOILERS* Ok, here’s the lowdown: Martin’s daughter Lisa is kidnapped by Russian agents, and he has 24 hours to hand over a disc that contains top secret files or they will kill her. Helping him obtain the files is Sacha, the daughter of a Russian journalist, who Martin knew. She wants to expose the corruption and needs the files to do so. After they obtain the disc, they have an exchange on a bridge: Lisa for the files. A shootout ensues. Sacha escapes with the files, Russian agents get killed, and Martin is gunned down.
We then cut to Martin, who has survived but is in really bad shape, in a rusty prison cell, where presumably he’s being kept as revenge for the files getting out, as well as to protect certain agencies’ secrets. After visiting, then reconciling with Martin, Lisa then explains to Trevor ( CIA agent who has been chasing Martin all movie) that she is in possession of top secret information that will be sent to “the right people” in the event something happens to her or Martin.
Cut to: After Sacha gives a speech on a news platform after she has exposed the files and the corruption, we see Lisa at a private school with Martin working the dining area, now released and fully recovered from his injuries. At night time, we see Sacha arrive at the door of Martin’s living quarters. She knocks, he opens the door, and after getting over his surprise, invites her in. Unfortunately, we see that Sacha has been followed by Russian agents, who are undoubtedly very angry about her exposé, and probably with Martin as well. A Russian official then gives the go ahead, and the agents to go after them. Fade to black.
Seriously, this movie ends like 5 times, and the one they picked to go out on was the worst one. It’s a bit of a cliffhanger, and I hate cliffhanger endings. I always say, never put the cart before the horse, and that’s exactly what they do here. It is what it is.
But other than that, I thought this movie was great, and the perfect example of why Scott Adkins should be headlining big budget Hollywood action movies. Hollywood producers, please take notice. This is who we want in our blockbusters. We want Scott Adkins. And we are not going to shut up about it until he’s in them.
A solid genre mash-up with some very ultimate action!
Over the years, I have discovered that, as an ultimate action movie fanatic, I share a lot of the same taste in action with our fellow fanatics from Great Britain. The Brits truly have a love for the action genre as much as we do, and it shows. Matter of fact, they may love action movies more than we do.
Just to name a few, you have Edgar Wright, who proved it with his beautiful love letter to the action genre that was Hot Fuzz, Youtuber Rossatron with his fantastic video essays on all things action, and action phenom Scott Adkins has shown his appreciation for the genre over and over again in many of his films with frequent collaborators Isaac Florentine, and British action visionary Jesse V. Johnson.
And just recently, British filmmaker Ross Boyask made the awesomely stunning throwback to 80s action I Am Vengeance: Retaliation starring former WWE wrestler, and fellow brit, Stu Bennett. Also, I can’t forget my good friend Eoin Friel over at The Action Elite.
They truly love action movies, and love showing their appreciation for it. Now, another British filmmaker, Matt Routledge, has stepped up to be the next one to present the beauty of the action genre in the badass action/horror hybrid Tribal: Get Out Alive.
Tribal stars Zara Phythian and Ross O’Hennessy as members of a security firm who are hired to clear the property owned by a rich, obnoxious asshole. But, as the team makes their way through the vast, seemingly abandoned place, they realize they’re not alone… and the inhuman inhabitants don’t take too kindly to trespassers. Now, the team must engage in a brutal fight for survival toGet Out Alive.
Yeah, this movie rules! A full throttle, take no prisoners style flick that features just as many fervent chills as it does awesome thrills! Basically, my kind of jam. Director Matt Routledge, screenwriter Johnny Walker, and the entire cast and crew have put together the kind of movie I was bred to love, and I sure as hell loved this!
Playing like a cross between 28 Days Later, Aliens, & The Raid, Tribal manages to be an exceptional tribute to the kind of movies we grew up loving, while forging its own path to be a badass action/horror epic all its own.
Routledge’s direction is a huge reason as to why this whole endeavor works. He packs the film with such a great deal of tension that is at times absolutely nail biting. He also perfectly visualizes the action, which garners him major points from me. Kudos to you, good sir.
That reminds me, the action. We get some bloody good action here. And when I say bloody… I mean BLOODY. Neck slashes, impalings, zombie bites, ripped off flesh, etc… This movie has the gory goods in spades. Brutal with a capital B. But don’t worry, the gore doesn’t overshadow the action, because Routledge (himself a martial artist) makes sure he satisfies the action crowd with some truly badass fight scenes.
Fights upon fights, Routledge showcases some excellent choreography throughout the proceedings that is performed phenomenally by his cast of performances. Particularly Zara Phythian.
Phythian, who I recently discovered earlier this year when she was featured in the documentary Real Men, is truly a force of nature. The level of asskicking this woman displays within this movie is enough to make any action fan fall in love. She is without a doubt the future of martial arts action stars. Hollywood, please take notice. We want Zara!
All in all, this is the type of movie you should be watching right now. It was made for action lovers, by action lovers. And it is a thorough reminder why the action genre reigns supreme, no matter where you’re from.
Our resident Fast & Furious expert ranks The Fast Saga films from ultimate to most ultimate!
Welcome to my coverage of the Fast & Furious franchise. I’ve been writing about them nonstop in the lead up to the next installment: F9. Now, that ended up being a moot point thanks to a certain virus which shall remain nameless. Fortunately that means we have time to reflect and rank. So, in honor of several more months until F9’s release here is a definitive ranking of the The Fast Saga franchise from best to worst.
This is the movie that really launched a franchise. Everything else was warm up. This is when they made a shared universe, when they went balls to the wall on their stunts, and when they put everyone in the same room. By bringing the entire team together there were all kinds of personalities rebounding off each other in a vibrant and dynamic way. Add in the beautiful setting of Rio de Janeiro and the ridiculous heist scenes and you’ve got yourself a winner. I own this sucker on Blu-Ray.
Best Stunt: Paul Walker and Vin Diesel absolutely RAVAGE the streets of Rio de Janeiro with a one ton bank vault strapped to two street race cars. Vin Diesel then kills like twenty corrupt cops with a BANK VAULT. I’d never seen anything like it and I never will again.
Most Ridiculous: The aforementioned bank vault. A one ton vault should NOT move the way it does and yet…
Hot on the heels of the wildly successful fifth entry the team reunites for ‘one last ride.’ This time they’re engaged in international espionage trying to prevent some macguffin from being stolen by a big baddy. In this one the crew fights their anti-selves and Han & Gisele fall in love. With all the elements from before but higher stakes and faster cars you have to love its bombastic elements. Bonus points for Letty coming back from the dead. It’s also the last time you’ll see the whole crew together in its original form.
Best Stunt: Three cars shoot grappling hooks into an airplane’s wing and bring it crumbling down while Vin Diesel and The Rock pummel bad guys inside.
Most Ridiculous: Vin Diesel rams his car into the guard rail thus launching himself into the air and perfectly catching Letty Ortiz in the sky and subsequently landing on the hood of a car without breaking a single bone. Physics don’t work like that.
We get to see this new iteration of the crew take on a new adventure after major changeups from the film before. It feels much more like the Team Toretto dynamics we adore paired with an incredibly icy Charlize Theron villain, Cipher. This movie finally cements a weird continuity between all the movies and gives us something to appreciate of Jason Statham’s character. I love the zombie car idea and even the early race in Cuba sets a gold standard for Fast content. Their globetrotting continues, this time going to Greenland of all places.
Best Stunt: Hundreds of Cars pile up on an armored limo, controlled by Cipher remotely and zoom across the streets of New York.
Most Ridiculous: Same thing. You really think there’s no such thing as traffic in New York?????
Humble origins. Moody vibes. Vin Diesel stealing DVD players out of eighteen wheelers. It feels very much like the California movie of its time. It managed to borrow heavily from Point Break without ever feeling like Gone in Sixty Seconds. It’s weirdly invested in character for an action movie and these days feels incredibly low stakes. Still, you have to respect Paul Walker’s braggadocio and Vin Diesel’s looming menace.
Best Stunt: Vince hangs off the side of an eighteen wheeler while its driver attempts to shoot him with a shotgun and Diesel/Michelle Rodriguez try to save him.
Most Ridiculous: Looking back the idea that they were stealing DVD players to offload on to the streets? Not even drugs. Just- DVD players…. Weak sauce if you ask me.
This movie ranks so high up because it gave us three things: Justin Lin, Chris Morgan, and Han Seoul-oh. The epitome of cool meets an Alabama boy moved to Tokyo. With a soundtrack all its own and impressive car stunts everyone admired Tokyo Drift even if they couldn’t explain it. Just low stakes enough for us to appreciate the Yakuza-adjacent gangsters and ignore some of its more obvious shortcomings it still demonstrates Lin’s adept direction and camera department as well as his emphasis on practical stunts. Also, the Vin Diesel cameo at the end guaranteed sequels and this makes it an important stepping stone.
Best Stunt: that final car race down a steep hill in Tokyo Drift wins all the merit it deserves for being nerve-wracking. Cars glide in a manner we didn’t know was possible.
Most Ridiculous: Sean Boswell’s character ‘Lucas’ isn’t just outright murdered by a Yakuza ganglord for insulting his nephew.
It’s dumb. It’s goofy. It’s an exercise predicated on a handful of scenes from the previous two movies. It helps show weak franchise legs and spinoff potentials while upping the ante as far as fights and stunts go. Johnson and Statham do a ton of heavy lifting but props go out to Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby for holding their own against the infamous bald meatheads. The split duo aesthetic guided this movie from start to finish but often times its too smart for its own good and does some unnecessary work cracking jokes. Still, its entertainment incarnate in that I don’t remember this movie perfectly anymore and could easily watch it in installments. Not bad, just not- exciting.
Best Stunt: Statham drives an eighteen wheeler literally chain-hooked to a helicopter and when they get yanked into the sky several more eighteen wheelers chain-hook on to them creating a train of flying eighteen wheeler rigs literally just hanging out in space.
Most Ridiculous: in that exact same sequence The Rock grabs the chain with his bare hands and just kind of holds a helicopter to a chain tether. But…. This movie has a litany of these moments so ignore this comment.
This movie has a lot on its plate to handle. With Letty written off and a return to the Toretto story it had to return audiences to this universe without jarring too thoroughly. It can’t take too many forward steps (hence the drug running story) but it has to push forward (hence the addition of Gal Gadot.) It’s not an inherently bad movie it just makes a few criminal errors. 1. It wastes Gadot terribly. She’s relegated to ‘flirty girl’ the entire time and does nothing. 2. Its finale happens in a dark cave with little sense of spectacle or geography. It’s locked into a squat finale with such simple action. Coming off of the high of Tokyo Drift this movie pales in comparison but it does do the work of setting up Fast Five and thus earns its mark as simply a franchise entry and not a ‘franchise notable.’ Minus points too for the incredibly confusing name.
Best Stunt: Paul Walker launches a car right into an evil bad guys body, crumpling him under the weight of an entire car.
Most Ridiculous: that you can cross the Mexico-US border with precision drivers in STREET RACE CARS. They’d need like insane tires to get traction on all that dirt, not to mention a crazy suspension.
There’s nothing inherently WRONG with this movie per se but it does exist as a product of its time. Directed by John Singleton this movie does all the things people think of when they think of this franchise. Scantily clad women. Bombastic caricatures of humans. Ridiculous setups for even more ridiculous car stunts. Set in Miami this movie is worlds apart from everything else Fast related and one could be forgiven for skipping this movie entirely. It introduces so few people of import and really just demonstrates a lateral move for Paul Walker’s character. The best it gives us is Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges as an action star and I have to be thankful for that.
Best Stunt: the finale features Paul Walker launching his car onto a boat. Apparently that’s a THING that just happens in this franchise a lot.
Most Ridiculous: Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson race two dudes for their cars and win. The dudes have to give up their cars. I’m sorry. What!? Tens of thousands of dollars and you just GIVE IT AWAY? Highly unlikely thank you.
Seriously, who is naming these things? Such a confusing system. James Wan’s foray into the Fast franchise yielded something so hyperkinetic and disco strobe I genuinely loath it. The villains are entirely faceless (wasting Djimoun Hounsou AND Jason Statham is a crime). The gimmicks feel a little too macguffin-y for their own good. I know I should love it because they did a remarkable job writing off Paul Walker (a feat everyone thought they would fail.) Still, there’s a thousand needle drops and it’s overloaded with leery camera gazes (much more than your average Fast movie.) It’s the worst version of Fast and the thing people point to when they want to complain: Cars flying through skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi. Michelle Rodriguez fighting Ronda Rousey in floor-length gowns. It demonstrates summer action movies at their worst: over-bloated monstrosities filled to the brim with gimmicks and fast editing but completely lacking any form of substance up until the very last second.
Best Stunt: Paul Walker and Vin Diesel launch a Lykan Hypersport through not one skyscraper but two before bailing out at the last minute and destroying terracotta soldiers in the process. OR several cars just parachute out of the sky and land on the highway immediately driving up to an armored convoy.
Most Ridiculous: Backed into a corner Vin Diesel makes the bold choice instead of fighting his way through a phalanx of cars he just- falls off a cliff. With a reinforced chassis and powerful tires and insane seat belts he can do that but the fact that he chose to do it just seems utterly unconscionable.
What do you consider the most ultimate installment of The Fast Saga? Which Fast & Furious feature is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
I love hunting for obscure Ultimate Action Movies. The way I like discovering them is choosing a film-maker and watching movies from their back catalogue. Not knowing, when I press “Play”, if the film I’ve selected will be a masterpiece or barely watchable garbage. After sifting through the rubbish, I’m left with a few interesting artifacts and golden nuggets to share with you here. Think of it as a public service.
The action movie film-maker I chose to revisit this time, is Godfrey Ho. A now retired director from Hong Kong, born in 1948 as Chi Kueng Ho. Usually I return to directors who made something impressively awesome. Not this time. The only Godfrey Ho action movie I’ve watched is the notorious Bad Movie Robo Vampire (1988). The one with this infamous poster & cover art. Robo Vampire is not so much a coherent movie, as an assemblage of different films spliced together. Learning that Ho used that same cut-and-paste technique to become a big part of the 1980’s Ninja boom intrigued me.
The trashy exploitation posters and cover art sealed my curiosity. And I have a suspicion awesome and exciting cover art will be the best thing about some of these films.But where and how to begin? From his first film in 1973 to his last in 2002, he churned out 149 releases. Over his twenty-nine year career, that averages more than 5 films per year. In 1988 alone, he somehow released 39 different movies. Not far off one per week. Imagine being a Hong-Konger, trying to keep up with that year’s new releases.
At the rate of one a week, it would take me nearly three years to watch them all. That would be bananas. Clearly I need to be smart and picky with Godfrey Ho’s back catalogue. Glancing through Godfrey Ho’s substantial IMDb page, it looks like you can divide his work into three eras:
Respectable quality Hong Kong Kung Fu
Cheap 1980’s action movies with Western export in mind. These are where the cut-and-paste exploitation movies can be found, and what I’m most looking forward to
Then back to reasonably budgeted martial arts in the 1990’s, seemingly intended mainly for his home market
Because I know almost nothing about classic Kung Fu, I want to sample at least a small number of them. For the avalanche of cut-and-paste action movies, I’ll aim to try whatever catches my interest. Outrageousness of the cover art and IMDb rating will play a part in that selection. Armed with this game-plan, I’m both looking forward to, and dreading this. Now let’s start!
On Saturday I started with Godfrey Ho’s very first movie: The Blazing Ninja (1973). Partly because the beginning is a good place to start. But mostly because of the cool title. The producers included Joseph Lai and Tomas Tang, whom I gather Godfrey Ho would work with for a long time to come. It stars Yi Tao Chang (credited as Philip Cheung), Sony Tanaka and Ronny Lee, none of whom I’ve ever heard of. The story is something to do with Chinese rebels and Japanese bad guys.
The film opens with a character wearing a black-and-yellow jumpsuit like that work by Bruce Lee. A fact puts The Blazing Ninja in the Bruce Lee Exploitation category of movies, called Bruceploitation. Despite this being the first classic era Hong Kong Chopsocky I’ve ever watched, I instantly enjoyed it. Fights were breaking out every few minutes for no reason whatsoever. Many Seventies Kung Fu cliches were present including crash zooms; incongruous and badly dubbed English language; the punch and kick sound effects; grainy and poorly transferred film and a funky soundtrack that was probably bootlegged from other movies. Yes, I know these are flaws I’m not supposed to like. Yet they added to my enjoyment.
Then, around half way through, The Blazing Ninja lost nearly all momentum. The fighting mostly stops to be replaced by drama and story. Neither of which hold up. The acting is too poor to carry the drama. The story is hard to follow nonsense. Then there’s the blatant anti-Japanese sentiment which caught me by surprise. The title was misleading as were the ninja. There was no ‘blazing ninja’. Instead there was a small group of Japanese henchmen who were referred to as ninjas.
Disappointingly, none of these so-called ninjas wore the customary ninja costume, nor did they do any recognisably ninja stuff. Clearly the classic ninja formula hadn’t yet evolved when this film was produced. The ending is also surprisingly abrupt, with a simple “THE END” title card. No closing scenes. Not even end credits. Maybe this is normal for Hong Kong films from this time. I’ll find that out as I watch more of them.
On balance, The Blazing Ninja isn’t bad. I enjoyed the entertaining cheesiness, and the faults and flaws made it unintentionally funny. However, the dramatic elements dragged the pace down too much for me to wholeheartedly recommend it. As a first commercial release by an inexperienced production team, it’s a commendable first try. Whatever they made next, I hope involved more fighting and less drama.
Article by: Hywel Price-Evans who currently works in the Martian turbinium mining sector. He is passionate about cutting off the oxygen supply to Martian colonists, and discovering obscure action movies from the home video era.
This article is a follow up on the author’s original review on the Ultimate Action Movie Club sub-reddit which can be found here, be sure to follow our weekly “What Did You Watch?” /r/UAMC discussion here!
Megan Fox is back! Anyone from my generation can remember her as the hypersexualized woman from the Transformers movies. During the pandemic a tweet thread surfaced demonstrating why Fox left the big screen for a good long while. The good news is, after a short hibernating period, we have NEW Megan Fox projects and it looks like she’s going the Charlize Theron route with her leading role in Rogue (2020).
Rogue features Megan Fox leading an elite unit of soldiers on a rescue mission in Africa. When things go wrong not only do they have to kill a gang of rebels they are also being stalked by a “horde of ravenous, enraged lions they encounter.” Knowing M.J. Bassett’s credentials as a horror director there are strong horror vibes here, but ya know, with lions.
This thing bears all the hallmarks of those straight-to-DVD action flicks Lionsgate makes a living off of. Sometimes those things pan out, but more often than not they’re a mess – even for their action. They’re never bad. They’re simply the lowest common denominator of action movies. I’d watch this thing mostly out of curiosity to see Megan Fox back in action (sans CG Ninja Turtles.) She’s got a handful of projects coming out now or soon and seems to have more control over her career. I hope this movie helps distance her from the “troubled motorcycle girl” she played in TWO Transformers movies. As for the director…
M.J. Bassett’s bona fides seem legit. Did you know she started as a nature photographer and documentary maker? Combine that with a resume stacked full of these kinds of movies and this seems like the perfect amalgam of content for her. I mean we’re talking episodes of Ash vs. Evil Dead, Power, Iron Fist. She’s got the credits for Solomon Kane (a movie I saw at Blockbuster a LOT but never got around to watching) and the infamous Silent Hill: Revelation. Was that really that big of a movie? Is that some major international selling point? I’ve never played the game nor seen the movies so I may be out of the loop on this one.
Anyways, Rogue drops August 28 – normally the dead zone for summer movies as we’re all wiped out from Blockbusters. Now that Tenet isn’t coming out soon we’ll have to content ourselves with this movie just to scratch some sort of itch. Think it’ll be a good drive-in movie? I’d really love to go to the drive-in and NOT catch Trollz World Tour if I can help it.
Another ultimate indie actioner that you should definitely check out!
I’ve met many great people since becoming a writer of action movie reviews. Maybe one or two numbskulls, but the majority of everyone else has been super awesome. Particularly Lee B. Golden over at Film Combat Syndicate. Lee has provided us at the UAMC with a heads up or two about exciting new action films, and introduced me to quite a few great action movies; past, present, and future.
One of those films he introduced me to was Die Fighting.
Released in 2014, Die Fighting is an extraordinary action movie featuring some of the most blistering fight sequences ever captured on film. What Writer/Director/Fight Choreographer/Star Fabian Garcia and his cast & crew put together was nothing short of exemplary.
Now, he and his Z-Team Films partners have returned to do it again. And this time, they need your help.
Garcia has started a crowdfunding campaign for his latest action epic The Hunt: Savage Within. If you click the link below, you will be provided with all the juicy tidbits of what this exciting new story entails.
Described as “a gritty action/sci-fi similar in tone to great action/sci-fi properties and franchises like Predator, The Terminator, The Thing, and Japanese manga series, Akira.
I don’t know about you guys, but that already sounds absolutely fantastic. I can’t wait to see what these immensely talented action filmmakers put together. But however it turns out, I already know it’s going to be a blast!
Steven Seagal had a successful career in the crowded market for action movies in the 1990s. He distinguished himself from other action stars by being an expert in the Japanese martial art Aikido. When watching it on the screen it seemed to be a more elegant and seemingly effortless way of defeating opponents compared to the impact-based fighting techniques in most American action movies. In addition, he created an on-screen persona that remained unchanged in almost all of his movies, which is characterized by an attitude of constant superiority and righteousness, and complete invincibility when engaged in combat.
Currently he is mostly being known for making one bad movie after another, eccentric behaviour and numerous accusations of sexual misconduct against him. I really want to put these things aside for this article, and go back to a time when a new movie starring Steven Seagal was something to look forward to. And I will argue that from this period Out for Justice (released in 1991) was his best movie.
In Out for Justice, Seagal plays Gino Felino, a Brooklyn police detective. One day the petty criminal and drug addict Richie goes mental, and embarks on a rampage together with some of his goons. When his partner Bobby is killed by Richie in broad daylight, things get very personal for Gino. His manhunt for Richie is framed by a sentimental journey through his neighborhood that includes childhood memories and reconciliation efforts with his ex-wife.
Out for Justice was Seagal’s fourth movie, and he was moving towards the height of his career at the time. His first two movies, while being more than decent, were still a bit clunky both in terms of direction and how Seagal presented itself. These things improved considerably with his third movie Marked for Death, while also cranking up the amount of carnage significantly. Then he made Out for Justice.
After that came the Under Siege movies and On Deadly Ground, which were his biggest productions. In those movies he had to share considerable screen time with the villains, and the display of his fighting skills had to take a back-seat more often to shoot-outs, explosions and other large set pieces. When taking all these things into account, Out for Justice and Marked for Death can be considered to hit the “sweet spot” for Seagal’s movie career, I believe.
Out of Justice is completely focused on Seagal, he is in almost every scene. If he’s not, then we get to follow Richie’s exploits. Seagal’s character Gino is pumped up all the time, even when trying to talk friendly to his son and ex-wife. In between intimidating and beating up people he gets to play the emphatic macho with his heart at the right place. He likes to play baseball with his son, but duty gets in the way, of course. He also tells a couple of colorful stories from his childhood when growing up in Brooklyn.
He is extremely patronizing to everyone he interacts with in the movie, and sometimes one may wish that he would just shut up. It never gets really irritating, though, and his larger-than-life behavior only helps to elevate the entertainment level of the movie, and I mean that in a good way. One other noteworthy item is Gino’s outfit when on duty. His guerilla-style shirt and cap may be his take on being an police officer in the urban jungle, that’s the best I can make of it.
The action scenes is where the movie really shines, of course. They are mostly contained to small skirmishes where Seagal cripples his opponents with his Aikido skills. The combat sequences are quite brutal occasionally, and Gino creatively uses his environment and improvised weapons to maximize the damage done to people. There is also a bar fight scene, and I believe it is one of the best action sequences you will find in a Seagal movie. It’s not very fast-paced or even overly violent. He just walks around, pushes and punches people, throws insults, and owns the place with his ego in overdrive. The choreography and editing of all the fights is done really well, and contributes to the intensity of the movie. There are no pyrotechnics or elaborate stunts in Out for Justice, but the movie works just fine without them.
The Brooklyn setting and Gino’s relations with the local community (including the mafia) add a lot of atmosphere, and are an important component of why the movie functions so well. The setting is full of cliches, but director John Flynn captures the ambience and livelihood of the Italian-American working-class neighborhood convincingly. Out for Justice also wouldn’t be as good without William Forsythe’s performance as Gino’s antagonist Richie, who has become a drug-addicted psycho-killer that terrorizes the neighborhood. And he certainly does it well! Whenever he shows up on screen, someone ends up being killed. Apparently Seagal even insisted of having some of Richie’s scenes removed, as he was concerned that Forsythe would steal the movie from him.
Out for Justice is overflowing with adrenaline and brutality, great hand-to-hand combat scenes, and a vivid depiction of the Brooklyn neighborhood. Due to the sole focus on Seagal’s violent escapades and eccentric manners, and a striking performance of William Forsythe as Gino’s antagonist, Out for Justice takes the top spot of his movies in my book, and is one of the movies Seagal deserves to be remembered for.
Date nights are supposed to be fun, so why torture yourself with some deep, philosophical movie when you can watch something interesting yet explosive? Anyone that knows movies understands that the 1980s and 1990s were a special time when guys with ugly mugs were tearing up the silver screen, and we’re going to appreciate the role these films can play in a modern date night. Be yourself in any situation and use tenderfling to win the heart of action movie lovers. For this, experts offer a list of the best action movies.
Top-5 action movies from 80-90s
Bloodsport
First Blood
Under Siege
Judge Dredd
The Terminator
The action movies that we’ve listed here are just a sample of some of the best that this era had to offer. While it might not be fair to list two movies with Sly Stallone in them, they’re both fantastic entries. These movies aren’t just mindless fun, though. These helped launch major careers and changed the way that people view action films. Specifically, First Blood was a social commentary that showed people can be broken through abuse and that they will retaliate when people attack them. The Terminator and Judge Dredd show a future that is horrifying and preventable. You can watch all of these as a popcorn flick, or you can look for the deeper message. The former is probably the way to go when you have a date with you.
Common lessons for life
Another great thing about these movies is that they offer some very surprising lessons for life. Here is what you should glean from each film:
Bloodsport: It’s better to have a strong will than to cheat.
First Blood: Soldiers need more support from their government and community. Violence begets violence.
Under Siege: Never look down on the guys with mediocre jobs. You might regret it.
Judge Dredd: The law can be a tool, or it can act as shackles.
The Terminator: Humans are their own worst enemy.
The lessons that movies teach you are largely up to your interpretation. However, many of the action movies in the 80s and 90s were black and white on their concepts of good and evil instead of trying to straddle the gray line and explain why someone was bad. Best of all, these movies don’t shove the message down your throat the entire time. It’s all the fun you need with none of the nonsense.
Watch action movies with someone special
Watching an action movie is a great pass-time for film lovers. However, a movie night is also perfect for when you have a date to enjoy it with you. You can always try meeting people at the movies, but if you’re looking to settle in for a night of retro action, it’s always good to use a dating site. Using a professional dating service, you can easily sift through the members’ profiles to find people that enjoy these films as much as you. The biggest difficulty of this sort of dating outcome is choosing the first movie that you would like to watch! Action movies are great, but they’re definitely better with someone sitting next to you.
Action films have changed drastically in recent years. Now, there is a lot more focus on style than substance and CGI rather than practical effects. There’s no better genre than the 80s and 90s action films to watch when you’re trying to zone out and relax. While there are many great films from this era, we’ve provided some of the best ones to consider while so you can narrow down the selection. Enjoy the show!
Relax and let Hulk Hogan return you to a simpler – and more ultimate – time of action!
Did you ever convince your parents to buy the ultimate box of cereal featuring all of your favorite wrestlers: WWF Superstars? Like Wheaties, you would find a new “athlete” on the box decked out in all of their spandex and oiled-up glory. My Mom gave in one day and I was pumped to try my first bowl with Saturday morning cartoons. The first spoonful of the hollowed out starry puffs tastes like a cross between Cap’n Crunch and Honeycomb. The second bite didn’t have as much flavor but whatever, GI Joe was on and Cobra was getting their asses kicked. By the time the real American heroes’ PSA came on, you were left with an amorphous, inedible soggy mess.
Just like the cereal, WWF Studios’ first feature film plays on your fandom, draws you in with its glitzy packaging and campy Wrestlemania antics, but ultimately leaves you unsatisfied and wanting something more substantive like steak and eggs with a side of crispy bacon. Speaking of bacon, a similarly hued Hulk Hogan does his very best to carry this movie with his pile-driving prowess and assorted tie-dyed manny panties that no woman can resist.
It’s not a great movie but it’s an entertaining movie and almost everything you could want from a hair-brained plot involving jealousy, revenge, a double-crossing floozy, and a rival redneck wrestling show called “Battle of the Tough Guys.” Here are the top three No Holds Barred action moments that happen chronologically and in order of greatness, just like its wholesome, corn-based breakfast counterpart.
Who in their right mind would think it’s a good idea to kidnap Hulk Hogan in a limousine in order to coerce him into severing his lucrative contract to join a rival network? The greedy, evil businessman of course, who is played by noted sleazy character actor, Kurt Fuller.
The scheme quickly unravels.
Right after the limo driver locks him in the backseat, the Hulkster just starts kicking the crap out of the car as a Soul Glo-inspired track hilariously plays over the scene. This prompts the driver to kick it into high gear and rush over to a standard-issue grimy warehouse chock full of awaiting goons. Once the driver barrels on in and throws it into park, Hogan bursts out of the roof and proceeds to head-butt, close-line, high kick, and uppercut his way through all of them.
All that’s left is the hapless limo driver who Hulk grabs out of the decimated vehicle and menacingly stares down. There are several staredowns in the movie and they are all laugh-out-loud ludicrous. Needless to say the driver soils himself, which further enrages an already irritated Hulk. Then it just kind of ends. A brilliant sequence with a poo-stained climax that craps out rather suddenly as well. After a slick one-liner, he could have thrown him into a toilet or grabbed a toilet to smash over his head. Grab a hose and chase him around for a little bit. I don’t know, anything!
A different group of miscellaneous bad guys make an unfortunate error in judgment when they attempt an armed robbery at a diner that the Hulkster is patronizing with his generic love interest. First off, what kind of score are you expecting from a local diner? More importantly, if you bust in there and see a 6’7”, 300lb mustachioed dude wearing knee-high boots along with light-blue spandex and matching do-rag, you best turn tail and hit the McDonalds across the street.
Hogan promptly rips out a stool and chucks it at the would-be robbers. But what really puts the brakes on their plan is an inexplicable line-up of pies on the counter that he rifles at them with rapid-fire speed. More food gets tossed as Hulk does what he does best and picks them up one at a time and throws them around the dining room as his lady friend watches from under a table. Apparently this gets her in the mood later in a very uncomfortable scene at the motel.
After a rousing round of chucklehead chucking, the Hogan gets a round of applause and a hearty thank you from the waitress that sexually harassed him earlier. As entertaining as this scene is, I was expecting more moves and combos. Give me a pile-driver, a flying elbow off of the counter, a double-kick to the face. Oh well, at least there’s the last fight to look forward to, which is bound to break out the special moves and techniques…
A few of the movie’s story beats are reminiscent of Rocky III but obviously play out differently. Rocky and Hulk’s Rip are over-exposed and top-of-their-game; they are just asking to be knocked down a peg. Mr. T’s Clubber Lang and Tommy “Tiny” Lister’s Zeus are fired up, have something to prove, and are ready to dethrone the king. Both Rocky and Rip have to overcome a loved one’s severe trauma, which encourages them to fight harder than ever.
These narrative elements are necessary to endear you to the characters, raise the stakes, and simply keep things interesting. The final showdown and culminating drama should have a big payoff and deliver a satisfying conclusion for the audience.
Zeus walks his way to a teeny octagonal ring donning some kind of Shredder knock-off outfit as Hulk starts in with his hilarious stare down/huffing routine. The scene is evenly lit and sterile, unlike the dramatic lighting, contrasts, and sweaty haze of the ring in Rocky’s world. Evil businessman’s box seat is literally right next to the ring as he gesticulates and taunts Hogan like a curiously self-assured, caged monkey. It’s goofy.
The action picks up with a lot of punching and even more tossing. The diminutive ring is quickly abandoned as the match spills out into the stands where members of the crowd are no longer safe from the intermittent tossing. If you signed up as an extra for No Holds Barred, you had a better than a 50/50 chance of being thrown at somebody or something.
In between the typical royal rumbling and mild head crushing, the drama plays out as the lady friend gets held hostage and escapes while Rip’s disabled little brother gets knocked down and trampled on. Instead of running out of there and calling the cops, lady friend just wanders back to the auditorium to watch the fight. Little bro’ is ok too, ready to cheer on Rip once again.
The coup-de-gras is decent enough as Zeus ends doing a glorious flying backflop right through the mini-octagon with his legs dangling about. Evil businessman somehow electrocutes himself…he doesn’t even have the decency to be thrown around like everyone else.
It’s an inevitable conclusion devoid of the crazy, off-the-wall stunts and never-before-seen wrestling moves that one would expect from this type of movie. It’s ok but didn’t have near the flavor or consistency of that first tasty bite involving limo jumping and load dropping. The packaging and the promise of a nostalgic, fun time sell you on it though. Yellow shirt-rippers will eat it up to the end but the casual movie streamer who never fully experienced Hulkamania probably won’t get it and switch over to Rocketman or Honey Boy.
Coincidentally, No Holds Barred is streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now! Fill up a bowl of Superstars, and/or a tall glass of bourbon, and remember a simpler time of Saturday morning entertainment filled with consequence-free violence and barebones storytelling.
