How Scott Adkins singlehandedly keeps the Ninja genre alive and kicking!
10 years ago, there was a major attempt at revitalizing the Ninja movie subgenre. 2 major ninja movies saw release. Well, one major release and one DTV one, but it was still major to us action fans. The Wachowskis’ Ninja Assassin and Isaac Florentine’s Ninja, starring the ever amazing Scott Adkins, brought ninjas back to the forefront, if only briefly.
Now, as a huge fan of Florentine & Adkins, I was fully expecting their ninja movie to be the superior one. But alas, that wasn’t the case, as the movie was enjoyable, but slightly disappointing. Isaac has even come out to say he wasn’t entirely too happy with the end result himself.
But 4 years later, he got a second chance. 2013 saw the release of Ninja 2 (or Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear, whatever that means), where Isaac stated he wanted to go for a more simple, grittier meat & potatoes revenge story. But would that do the trick? Let’s find out…
“Ninja Master Casey Bowman finds himself on a bloodthirsty quest of furious vengeance after his pregnant wife is brutally murdered…”
Now… this is the epically badass ninja movie we were expecting back in 2009! Scott & Isaac come back to the ninja genre with guns blazing as they make in my opinion one of the best ultimate action movies of the decade! I’m not kidding. I put Ninja 2 up there with movies like John Wick, The Raid, and Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s that’s ultimate.
First things first though, we must all give thanks to the future action legend in the making, Scott Adkins. For being not only a great actor, but an amazing action performer. His ability to convey emotion is matched only by his gift to perform the most incredibly choreographed action sequences this side of Jackie Chan. Salute to you, Mr. Adkins. From all of us action lovers around the world. You are a godsend.
But not just him. Oh no. We must also give thanks to Isaac Florentine for championing the action genre and continuing to try and take it to its greatest heights with every new movie he makes. You are without a doubt the best action director of our generation, and we here at UAMC salute you. Please never stop.
Now, because this is the mostly the Scott Adkins show, the supporting cast doesn’t really get to make an impression. Majority of the people in the movie are just bad guys that Casey beats up. Even Mika Hijii, returning from the first movie as Namiko, Casey’s love interest (now his wife) doesn’t get to do much in this one.
The only other cast member that makes an impression is heir to the ninja throne Kane Kosugi as Nakabara, Casey’s senpai and closest ally throughout the movie. The son of ninja movie legend Sho Kosugi, Kane is every bit the scary badass that his father was. And his martial arts prowess is just as great to watch. Keep making the old man proud!
And speaking of action, this is some of the finest action sequences I have ever seen. Even as we get incredible action movies now like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Triple Threat, and Avengement, the action scenes in this movie still holds up. Every fight in this movie is choreographed to maximum perfection.
There is not one dull fight in the entire movie. Not one. Credit to fight choreographer Tim Man for bringing the greatness to the fights in here. He is quite possibly the best fight choreographer working today, and this movie proves it. And if you disagree, I will fight you (just kidding, but not really).
Any issues? Other than the lack of memorable supporting characters, no. This movie is ultimate action movie perfection, and it’s about time it gets the recognition it deserves for being a new action classic.
So when it’s time for ultimate action movie night, and you’re tired of watching The Raid & John Wick again, put on Ninja 2… or us here at UAMC will sneak into your house ninja style and force you to by Samurai sword. Damn… kinda went too far there, didn’t I? But seriously, watch Ninja 2. It’s awesome!
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Sylvester Stallone is an actor synonymous with making action movies of the highest order – but that may be about to change.
According to mounting speculation online, the Rambo legend could be about to make his first foray into the world of horror.
Stallone recently met with Jason Blum, the head of Blumhouse Productions and writer James DeMonaco, best known as the writer of the first four films in The Purge franchise.
However, the meeting could just as likely be a discussion over an altogether different horror project, albeit with the same writer as The Purge.
What does appear likely, however, is that Stallone is at least considering a horror movie.
Working with Blumhouse is a particularly appealing prospect, given the studio’s burgeoning reputation for critical and commercial hits like Get Out and Happy Death Day.
Stallone has largely steered clear of scares in his career to date.
The closest Sly has come to horror was 2002’s D-Tox, a psychological thriller that bordered on being an out-and-out slasher flick and is a lot more fun than its negative reviews suggests.
What are your thoughts on a potential Sly Stallone horror / action movie? Let us know on our Facebook page or in the comments below!
For the ultimate love of action, sports and speed racing!
Days of Thunder is something more than the typical Tom Cruise action film. The very title of the film both identifies with the speed of a racing car and the competitive atmosphere of the sport. However, there’s something deeper in the title of the Tony Scott-directed and Robert Towne-written film.
The title refers to the days we all have that are full of excitement and wonder. It calls us back to the days of our youth when we were first exploring the world and seeing what it has to offer. It makes us reflect on exercising our freedoms for the first time as young adults and moving out beyond our parents’ domicile. This is all reflected in the lead character of Cole Trickle, a race car driver from Eagle Rock, California.
Trickle is a young guy and someone who quickly reveals his humility to the older and more experienced crew chief, Harry Hogge, who goes onto become a close friend and trusted ally of Trickle as the events of the film unfold. We see ourselves in Trickle because, in our youth, we were like Trickle. We wanted to experience life in the fast lane and feel the freedom life can bring. Trickle eventually finds himself maturing in the face of an incident that engulfs him and his friend, Rowdy Burns. It’s what causes the character to question all he has known throughout the film. It’s his major character moment and one that might happen to us if we were in such a circumstance.
The film’s principal photography started around Daytona Beach, Florida, and Charlotte, South Carolina in early 1990. Delays occurred with this film because of arguments between Scott and the producers, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, over how to set up a shot. It sometimes involved Towne too. Idle for hours, crew members sat for many hours, who allegedly accumulated so much overtime, they went on vacation for a full month after filming finished. The movie’s completion date kept being pushed back with filming eventually reaching completion at the beginning of May, which was three months after it had been originally scheduled for.
The unit production manager, representing the studio on the location or set, went directly to Bruckheimer and Simpson, who told them the schedule did not matter anymore. The latter two producers spent $400,000 alone on a vacant storefront in Daytona Beach, Florida, which they turned into a private gym. A Days of Thunder neon sign was lit up over the gym. Simpson had a closet of Donna Karan dresses to give to women his assistants discovered on the beach. Parties were held with friends such as Tone Loc, a rapper. Towne’s wanting to scrap different barn scenes when he was not happy with either of the barns that were built to his specifications increased the film’s cost.
Notably, the budget of the film ($35 million) doubled to $67.1 million in today’s dollars. It would need to make $100 million to break even, which was rare at the time. With Cruise not winning an Oscar for Born on the Fourth of July, more of the original budget was cut on the film. After shooting completed, the filmmakers allegedly realized they had not filmed Trickle’s car passing the finish line at Daytona, which is pivotal. The cars used for Trickle, Burns, and Russ Wheeler were given to the production by Hendrick Motorsports. Hut Stricklin, Tommy Ellis, Bobby Hamilton, and Greg Sacks, all professional racers, worked as stand-in drivers. The cars were raced on three occasions. The cars would be raced in 1989 at Phoenix and again at Darlington and Daytona in 1990. For Trickle’s car, it was sponsored by City Chevrolet, which is owned by automotive professional and former car racer, Rick Hendrick.
Hans Zimmer composed the score and Jeff Beck accompanied on guitar. It was the first of many films Zimmer had on a list he was going to compose for Jerry Bruckheimer. The theme song of the film, “Last Note of Freedom,” was sung by Whitesnake’s David Coverdale when Cruise requested it. The vocal parts were recorded in 1990’s Los Angeles when they had a day off from their Slip of the Tongue Liquor and Poker world tour. To this day, the hard work that put this film together remains a hallmark and testament to how great its legacy has been.
Getting Harry Hogge to Come Out of Retirement
At the beginning of the film, we find Tim Daland attempting to get Harry Hogge out of retirement. Daland’s focus is getting Hogge to lead Trickle’s pit crew. Hogge is not so sure himself at first. He is reluctant to get back in after becoming engrossed in controversy. Additionally, he does not know if this driver he is going to see is worth their weight in gold. Hogge is living out on a farm and has a quiet life.
It’s a prime example of the experienced and world-weary professional being brought out of seclusion for another go at it. The audience can understand Hogge’s reluctance and Daland’s excitement about this new racer. We see the two diverging viewpoints on Trickle and it represents the early divergence that is growing between the two friendly professionals that eventually turns into something else entirely.
When Burns finishes up on the race track with Hogge and Daland alongside him, he finds out there’s a new racer who wants to drive his car. Initially, Burns is not so excited about the idea. It’s his car. Why would he want someone new coming into jumping into his ride? Trickle arrives on a motorcycle and, as he gets into Burns’ car, the latter moves onto the motorcycle. It’s quite evident from this that each man is territorial about their rides and do not want others on their ride.
It would be probable to assume this is likely among others out there. Trickle wants to win Indy but sees all the work he has to do to get going. Trickle passes the first test, which is setting a fast time in a private test Hogge has for him at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. While initially Hogge is not crazy about Trickle because of the latter’s unorthodox racing style, the two will eventually become very good friends and allies throughout the days of thunder that are ahead. It will test the two men as sides are established and professional lines are crossed.
Let The Games Begin
Trickle begins racing with the new Chevrolet Lumina that Hogge built for him. Because of his unorthodox racing style, Trickle has problems adjusting to communicating with the crew and driving the larger NASCAR stock cars. He is also intimidated by Rowdy Burns. Trickle finds trouble finishing the races because of this. Being new, it’s not surprising Trickle would have trouble adjusting to this.
It’s ironic to an extent that Trickle and Burns start as rivals and eventually become good friends. It shows the respect these men grow for one another as the film continues. Trickle is also plagued by blown engines and crashes but not a sonic link. Hogge begins to help Trickle further when the former reveals he does not know much about cars. It helps Trickle at Darlington when he can overtake Burns and win the race. It shows that he ends up becoming as good a racer as Burns.
At the Firecracker 400 in Dayton Beach, Florida, Trickle and Burns end up being injured in an incident on the race car track. It is the moment that changes both Trickle and Burns’ lives forever. Not only does it bring the two men together but it also leads to Trickle confronting his deepest fears about the job he chooses to do for a living.
The confrontation of his demons leads him to struggle in the work he’s doing. During this time, Trickle forms a romantic relationship with his neurosurgeon, Dr. Claire Lewicki, a neurosurgeon at Halifax Hospital. She helps him return to his older self. NASCAR President Big John’s pushing for Trickle and Burns to get along will not only lead to friendship for them but an important alliance that will take down Trickle’s new rival: Russ Wheeler.
In Comes Russ Wheeler
Just as Trickle is recovering, Daland announces he is bringing in Wheeler to take Trickle’s position. Daland now has two teams with a second car being driven by Wheeler. This is where the schism occurs between Hogge and Daland. Hogge has a great deal of disapproval about this move because it only causes further problems for Trickle. In this position, Hogge feels responsible for helping Trickle get back into the game.
Daland’s abandonment of Trickle is almost a forfeit when he brings in Wheeler. It is truly sad what happens when the two men have to go their separate ways at North Wilkesboro. Wheeler blocks Cole’s path during the pit stop, causing Trickle to purposely crash into Wheeler’s car, where Trickle and Hogge are both fired. It’s evident here of just how far apart Trickle and Hogge and Daland are from one another at this point. It’s sad to see these men change their courses.
With Burns having to undergo brain surgery because of a broken blood vessel, he asks Trickle a question: will he race in Burns’ car to make sure the sponsors pay him? It’s a question that makes Trickle take pause. He saw what happened to Burns and he does not want to face the same. Additionally, Daland has not been supportive of Trickle and he has Wheeler to contend with. Reluctantly, Trickle says he will and brings Hogge along with him. It is another testament to some of the irony of the film. Daland is now on the outs with Trickle and Hogge, who he brought together at the beginning of the film. The latter two characters did not wish to have much to do with one another. Now, things are reversed with Trickle and Hogge going against Daland and Wheeler. Hogge gets a new engine to replace the old one, which shows signs of failure and metal in the oil pan. Wheeler then strikes.
He takes out Trickle, which leads to the latter’s car having malfunctioning transmission. It’s where Daland comes back to help Hogge. The two men drop the gauntlet and put Trickle back on the track. When Wheeler predicts Trickle is going to attempt a signature move, the former does a different one, which causes Trickle to win the Daytona 500, his first. This represents his ability to overcome his fears and past trauma that he has endured. He becomes something more here and works with Hogge to make it happen. The two become very good allies and friends throughout the struggle. This is revealed, especially toward the end after Trickle celebrates with his pit crew and sees Hogge sitting by himself. The two men compete in a footrace as the film ends.
Will The Days of Thunder Ever Return?
It’s a question the audience is left at the end of the film. We wonder if this marks the end of the days of thunder. Will they ever return and come back? Like at the beginning of the film, these days are marked by the chaotic excitement that comes with the proving days of entering the sport. Yet, that’s a metaphor for anything in life such as a new job or a new school. It all comes down to the hard work and perseverance that can be seen across this film.
Some characters such as Trickle and Burns have lots to overcome while some like Hogge are experienced and have been through the gambit. Because of Towne’s writing and Scott’s direction, along with the cast, especially Cruise and Robert Duvall, this film rises beyond any Tom Cruise film that’s been out there. It seeks to ask the audience smart questions that we can find answers to as we follow the path of Trickle in the dangerous world of racing. We wonder whether the days of thunder might ever return. With Top Gun: Maverick coming out next year, this gives us hope that we might see Cole Trickle again.
About the author: Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, consumer electronics, the entertainment industry, and a sonic link.
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The second-longest Bond movie gap is about to starting to come to an end!
The title for the 25th James Bond adventure has been finally confirmed as “No Time To Die“, nearly four months after the cast, crew and plot of the movie were confirmed on a short press conference in Jamaica, the cradle for Ian Fleming’s literary hero. When producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli told host Clara Amfo on that day that the film had no title and would be known as Bond 25 for another period, 007 fans were instantly reminded to a situation that took place in 2002, when a press conference was held for Bond 20 at Pinewood Studios on January 11 and no title was yet defined, only to be confirmed two months later as Die Another Day.
With their regular inaccuracy, tabloids insisted that the fifth adventure starring Daniel Craig as James Bond would be called “Shatterhand”, which was nothing more than a regularly rumoured title by fans for many previous entries given the Ian Fleming connection: it’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s alias in the novel You Only Live Twice. Other rumours pointed to Eclipse after a movie industry document listed the upcoming Bond adventure with that working title. The truth is… they weren’t even close. The night before the Bond 25 announcement, the movie was going to be called A Reason To Die. The reliable unofficial site MI6-HQ (www.mi6-hq.com) revealed the name of that title and the fact that Universal Pictures, international distributors of the film, felt it wasn’t strong enough.
Fans were expecting a second press conference, along with a poster or a trailer, to announce the title near October. However, they were caught by surprise on the afternoon of August 20, 2019, when a video was posted by the official James Bond site (www.007.com) where a tuxedoed Daniel Craig walked in a typical Bond fashion to reveal the words.
Why did it happen this way? One can never know, but there’s a chance that they wanted to prevent the title from leaking, as it happened to Skyfall and SPECTRE years before. Not a bad move, but it would have been much better to have the producers introducing themselves on a live video and then transmit the announcement clip. Instead, the YouTube description of the video already announced that “Daniel Craig returns as James Bond, 007 in… No Time To Die”, lessening the surprise effect of the video.
This is the fourth time a reference to death is made in the title of a Bond movie after Live And Let Die, Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day. In the novels, it all boils down to Live And Let Die when it comes to Ian Fleming, although continuation 007 authors like John Gardner and Raymond Benson have used Death Is Forever, The Facts of Death and Never Dream of Dying as titles for original Bond novels. Similarly, Anthony Horowitz used a Latin version in Trigger Mortis, his 2015 Bond book.
Fleming, however, did toy with existentialist reflections on life and death regularly in the pages narrating the adventures of James Bond: there is a chapter titled “Death for Breakfast” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and another one titled “Death is So Permanent” in Diamonds Are Forever. You Only Live Twice also has a Garden of Death in Japan and Blofeld is not only known as Dr. Guntram Shatterhand but as “The Death Collector”, which is, in fact, the title of a chapter in Fleming’s penultimate novel. So, it’s safe to say that although the title isn’t as impactful as anything that originated from the mind of 007’s creator, it does have a small vibe of him.
The typography of the logo also speaks a bit of the film: the overused sans serif fonts like Century Gothic, Neutraface and Gotham seen on the graphic campaigns of the previous four Craig films moved away to bring a bolder and retro-like Futura Black, which was no stranger to many paperback editions of 1970s thrillers. The title treatment for No Time To Die brings a slight resemblance to the days of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond, an eerie evocation of mystery and suspense. It will be fun to see how the title will be translated to foreign countries and if they’ll respect a literal translation or they’ll go with original variants applied for marketing purposes (i.e. The Living Daylights was in some markets translated as His Name Is Danger or Marked for Death).
Now, what do we officially know of No Time To Die? James Bond is not on active duty and living in Jamaica. He comes back in action when his CIA friend Felix Leiter asks him for help to rescue a kidnapped scientist, eventually facing off a villain armed with dangerous new technology. As for the rest, there’ll be three Aston Martin cars: the classic DB5 first seen in Goldfinger, the V8 from The Living Daylights, and the brand new Valhalla whose futuristic design makes it a strange choice for the style of Bond. Apart from Jamaica and the obligatory London, the movie has been shot in Norway, Italy and Scotland. It is understood that in the fiction some of the Jamaican landscapes will double for Cuba, which Pierce Brosnan’s 007 visited in GoldenEye and Die Another Day. Léa Seydoux, Jeffrey Wright, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Rory Kinnear will repeat roles from previous adventures of this cycle. Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Rami Malek, Billy Magnussen, David Dencik and Dali Benssalah will play characters whose function in the story has not been detailed.
But how will the title fit into the story? Casino Royale had the name of the casino where 007 gambled against Le Chiffre, Quantum of Solace wasn’t used in full but “Quantum” ended up as the name of the antagonist’s organization, Skyfall was Bond’s Scottish lodge and SPECTRE was the acronym of 007’s historical nemesis organization rebooted in the 2015 film. Now, who will have “no time to die”? The line can be easily added to the dialogue. Rumours circulated once that the original director Danny Boyle left the project when the producers denied him to have James Bond killed off. It’s highly unlikely that –if true– this idea would have continued into the film that is now helming True Detective’s Cary Joji Fukunaga although the tabloids used all of their sensationalism to shock junior Bond fans. There’s a slight chance that A Reason To Die muted into No Time To Die to give a more uplifting and triumphalist feeling to the movie. Bond will have no time to die as expected, but what about his women, his villains and his friends? Remember there’s a reason to die for all of them as Rene Mathis, Vesper Lynd, Le Chiffre, Judi Dench’s M and Raoul Silva all noticed between Casino Royale and SPECTRE.
Maybe the villain’s scheme deals with time and death, two themes the Bond novels also combined: in the penultimate chapter of Diamonds Are Forever, Ian Fleming wrote: “Mister. Nothing is forever. Only death is permanent. Nothing is forever except what you did to me.” He also put in Bond’s mouth the phrase “We have all the time in the world” as he caressed the dead body of his wife, shot dead by Blofeld, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This was subsequently turned into a romantic song performed by Louis Armstrong for the 1969 film adaptation of the novel and the line was cut from the final print of SPECTRE. The relation between time and life and death was also present in subsequent novels like Nobody Lives Forever, Death Is Forever, and High Time To Kill. One can only wonder how this “new and dangerous technology” can play havoc with the issue of time and combine it with the death of people or maybe the extension of life for powerful elites, but this is just pure guesswork.
We are less than eight months ago for the release of No Time To Die, and while for the characters in the story it may all be a matter of life and death, for Bond fans this has all been a matter of time in the second-longest gap between a movie and another since legal conflicts delayed the release of GoldenEye for more than six years nearly two decades ago.
It’s high time we give some ultimate love to Kurt Russell in ‘Soldier’ (1998).
So what would be our choice for the Ultimate Action Movie in the sci-fi genre not called Aliens, Terminator, The Matrix or Blade Runner?
Does anybody remember a 1998 movie that went by the name of Soldier, stared ultimate action royalty Kurt Russell and was directed by Resident Evil’sPaul Anderson?
It tells the tale of Todd 3465 who was chosen in 1996 to be raised and trained to become the ultimate soldier. We see his transformation and follow his campaigns over forty years until one day, he and his men are confronted by a new breed of super soldier that have been genetically enhanced and leave Todd and his men obsolete. After a duel with the new breed of soldier Todd is soundly defeated, left for dead and is literally thrown out with the trash. But you can never keep a good man down!
Kurt Russell is one of the greatest actors in action movie history. Snake Plissken, RJ MacReady, Jack Burton, Rudy Russo, Cash, Mr. Nobody – his action resume is unrivaled. He is the jacked everyman that all of us can relate to, that triumphs through sheer grit and determination. Here, he faces his greatest acting challenge. Accordingly to Wikipedia, he only speaks a monosyllabic 104 words yet carries the movie through his eyes and physicality. And on a broken ankle that occurred early in filming Now that is acting!
The movie was written by David Peoples, who also cowrote Blade Runner. At the time, it was called a “sidequel” meaning it existed in the same universe of Blade Runner, which was quite unusual at the time. Catch the references to the same battles that Roy Batty (RIP to one of the ultimate greats) talked about on the rooftop or catch the wreckage of a spinner among the garbage heaps.
Here is a movie that is aware of its action DNA and pays homage to it. Apocalypse Now, Missing in Action, Rambo: First Blood II, Commando – they are all in here. Hell, I half expected the Marines from Aliens or Starship Troopers to make an appearance. And what is this Plissken-patchTodd was awarded?
But back to our movie. After Todd gets discarded on a garbage planet, he discovers a human colony that crashed there long ago and are now are hiding out from a universe at war with itself. But in the best of action movie coincidences, trouble comes calling when Todd’s old unitdecides clearing the planet of all human life would be a good training exercise.
But not on Todd’s watch as he gets some old fashioned payback. Lucky for us the soldier leading the hunt is the same soldier that previously defeated Todd in combat and is played by Jason Scott Lee, who played Bruce Lee in 1993’s Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
If you want to relive the best of the 1990s, Soldier is a good place to end up. Don’t tell me the scene where Todd finally shows some emotion and sheds a tear won’t melt your cold hearts. Because that is acting! Ultimate action movie acting! Time to enlist in this soldiers army. Least you become obsolete…
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Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Lana Wachowski set for ‘Matrix 4’
Well, it’s official now. After months of speculation here and there, we have confirmation from Variety that a Matrix 4 reboot will actually happen! Which is exciting! Maybe. For some people.
The biggest news of this news though would have to be the fact that original stars are set to reprise their roles now 20 years after the original sci-fi martial arts action classic first created a surprise box office sensation.
OK, so we can at least breathe easy knowing that Keanu Reeves will in fact be in this new version of The Matrix. We’ve also gotten confirmation of Carrie-Anne Moss’s involvement, so we can assume that Reeves will reprise his role as Neo and Moss will indeed be Trinity.
No word yet on Laurence Fishburne though as his character shouldn’t – theoretically – have a role in a direct sequel. But that’s a pretty easy fix for a sci-fi franchise. Many online have theorized that a younger Morpheus could be in the cards, but for the sake of fan-service, you’d like for Fishburne to be included in some way.
In some ways, it’s been a long 20 years since the Wachowski brothers first released The Matrix back in 1999. Both are no longer brothers, as they’ve both transitioned and are now simply referred to as ‘The Wachowski’s‘. They’ve enjoyed a great deal of commercial success with the two Matrix sequels – Reloaded and Revolution.
As well as a moderate degree of commercial and critical big action flicks like V for Vendetta, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending. No word on exactly why Lana Wachowski will be operating solo without the involvement of her sister Lily Wachowski at this point as they’ve been a writing and directing partnership all the way back to Assassins.
It has to appear though that the number one reason why The Matrix is getting a reboot right now absolutely has to be because of the success of the John Wick franchise. I won’t go as far as to say that “the John Wick movies are basically just The Matrix movies” or anything like that because they are both unique – and The Matrix especially stands out for its pure sci-fi-ness and world building.
BUT – they do share similarities. And many similarities besides the fact that they both star Keanu Reeves as a character with cheat codes enabled who doesn’t say much and looks badass wearing black.
While the two franchises might be aware of each other though, it’s unlikely that The Matrix will go all John Wick or anything. But it is proof that perhaps The Matrix was deserving of a longer run than its original three movie trilogy. So, we’ll watch closely as this reboot develops.
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Get all your 80s and 90s action movie ultimateness here!
We’re back! After a brief hiatus, the Ultimate Action Movie Club website is back online, updated, new and improved. We’ve cleaned up the page for much better site speed and a better viewing experience.
We’re not just on Facebook though. We have official Ultimate Action Movie Channels on all the major social media platforms if you do choose to partake in any.
The Ultimate Action Movie Club was founded by a group of friends who simply loved to rent an old action movie VHS and watch it over pizza and beers on a Saturday night. We’ve tried to remain true to the club’s origins and share our mutual love of the most ultimate movie genre.
While we don’t have any official club rules or anything, we are always open to others who wish to contribute however they can. We have a great group of writers, editors and contributors who do some awesome work covering ultimate action movies.
If you’d ever like to reach out and see about contributing as well. You can follow the info on this “write for us” page!
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I’m a comic book guy. A pretty thorough one if I say so myself. Every Wednesday, you’ll find me at my LCS (that’s local comic shop for you non comic book people) checking out the latest tales from my favorite heroes, such as Superman, The Punisher, and so forth.
I love comics so much, that as I’m typing this, I’m listening to the Avengers: Endgame soundtrack (Track 28 – Portals to be exact). Although, to be fair, I don’t know everything about everything when it comes to comics, but I know enough about enough. One thing I didn’t know about was the character of Accident Man.
But that’s ok, because there’s one man who did know about him. And that man is Scott Adkins.
“After his ex-girlfriend is murdered, notorious hitman Mike Fallon, known to the underworld as Accident Man for specialty in making his hits look like accidents, seeks out those responsible to personally deliver his own brand of vengeance…”
Accident Man was the brainchild of British comic writer Pat Mills. Published in the early 90s, it became the favorite comic of young action movie enthusiast & future action icon Scott Adkins. He vowed that one day, if he were ever to become an actor, to make a movie based on the comic and play the character. So props to Adkins already, for being a man of his word.
Another word Adkins is synonymous with is action. And boy, do we get some mind blowingly great action in this one! Adkins and his frequent collaborator, the great action auteur Jesse V. Johnson, bring you some of their finest work. A movie that follows in the awesome tradition of great British crime thrillers like Get Carter & Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (just to name a few) while retaining its comic book style from the source material.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this amazing cast and the colorful character they bring to life. Characters such as Mick &Mac. Jane the Ripper. Carnage Cliff. Finicky Fred. You may come for the action, but you’ll love it for these characters and the world they inhabit.
But speaking of action, let’s get down to it, shall we? Johnson and his fight choreographer, the incomparable Tim Man, create some of the most blistering fight sequences we’ve seen so far in action movies. Adkins, Johnson, Man and the rest of their team are truly going for the jugular in trying to create some of the best action they’ve done so far. The standout sequence for me has to be the 2 vs 1 fight between Adkins and White & Park. Watching 3 titans of martial arts action go at it is nothing short of amazing. Just the picture perfect definition of ultimate action!
Any nitpicks? The final fight between Adkins & Johnston feels off for some reason. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still an awesome fight. But it just feels like they’re going at a slower pace. I’ve seen people say that it’s because Adkins had to “hold back” because Johnston wasn’t “as skilled” as he is. But if you’ve seen her work before, you’d know that’s big ole heaping of horse crap that’s being spewed there.
What I’m wondering is if it had anything to do with those tight ass leather pants they put her in for the scene. Because if it did… Maybe they should’ve put her in something looser or at least less constricting? I don’t know. Still a great fight though.
But all in all, this was an awesome comic book adaptation that should be seen by action & comic fans alike. So, instead of watching Avengers: Endgame for that 137th time, try watching Accident Man instead. Adkins & Co. deserve it.
Let us know your thoughts on Accident Man on our Facebook page or in the comments below!
Following up the First Wave, here are more action movies to premiere at Fantastic Fest 2019.
So, the big highlights from this second wave rollout is definitely going to be Rian Johnson’s premiere of Knives Out, which stars Daniel Craig and an ensemble cast of some pretty big names. While Knives Out is part mystery, thriller and comedy – it can definitely be considered action!
But, that’s not the full rub of it. The rest of the list does include some more action movie premieres for Fantastic Fest. We have some new international names to check out, a really cool sounding documentary exploring the Kung Fu action-sub genre, and a very awesome sounding VFW by Joe Begos.
If you are checking out the festival in Austin, Texas, these action films will certainly be of our ultimate interest.
ABOU LEILA
Algeria, France, Qatar, 2019
North American Premiere, 139 min
Director – Amin Sidi-Boumédiène
In the midst of the Algerian Civil War, Lotfi ventures into the desert with his lifelong friend S., who hopes to find and kill the elusive, dangerous terrorist Abou Leila.
BLOOD MACHINES
France, USA, 2019
North American Premiere, 50 min
Director – Seth Ickerman
The wild sequel to the Carpenter Brut music video, “Turbo Killer,” shoots you into a turbulent psychedelic adventure of galactic hunters tracking down the soul of a spaceship set to a killer synthwave soundtrack.
IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS
Australia, 2019
North American Premiere, 107 min
Director – Serge Ou
From the Shaw Brothers to THE MATRIX, this wild documentary tells the story of how kung fu films conquered the world from the 1960s to now.
KNIVES OUT
USA, 2019
Special Presentation, 130 min
Director – Rian Johnson
In attendance – Director Rian Johnson
From acclaimed writer, director Rian Johnson comes KNIVES OUT, a fresh and modern take on the classic “whodunnit” mystery genre.
PHIL TIPPETT – MAD DREAMS AND MONSTERS
France, 2019
International Premiere, 80 min
Directors – Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet
After their documentary CREATURE DESIGNERS – THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX, French journalist Alexandre Poncet and filmmaker Gilles Penso deliver an in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film.
THE PLATFORM
Spain, 2019
US Premiere, 90 min
Director – Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
In attendance – Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Somewhere in the future exists THE PLATFORM, a vertically tiered prison where the upper levels have access to exquisite food and the lower levels fight for survival. Level assignments are random, but how long can a prisoner’s luck hold? One man is about to find out.
VFW
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 92 min
Director – Joe Begos
In attendance – Director Joe Begos
In the near future, a new drug called Hype has turned America into a war zone. The addicted are more mutant than human, and they’ve set their sights on assaulting a VFW post in Joe Begos’ star-studded latest.
Let us know your thoughts on our Facebook page or in the comments below!
Universal’s decision to cancel the release of The Hunt has sparked a pretty major debate among film fans as to whether the decision was a justified one.
The high concept horror satire centered on 12 strangers, who awake in a clearing only to discover they have been chose to be hunted in a game devised by society’s rich elite.
Universal decided to cancel the release of the film in the wake of widespread negative press, most notably from President Donald Trump, who branded it “racist” in a scathing tweet.
The Hunt is Taken Down
“After thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film,” the studio said.
“We stand by our film-makers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.”
In all the furore surrounding The Hunt, one important fact appears to have been lost: that Jean-Claude Van Damme made pretty much the same movie more than 25 years ago.
One of JCVD’s most popular movies, Hard Target starred the Muscles from Brussels as Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work Cajun United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance veteran hired help a woman search for her missing father.
Chance soon encounters Lance Henriksen’sEmil Fouchon, a wealth sportsman with a decidedly sinister hobby that sees him hunt homeless ex-soldiers for sport with his friends.
Chief among these friends is Arnold Vosloo’ Pik van Cleef, one of Fouchon’s larger-than-life cronies and a regular participant in his hunts.
Van Damme’s character soon finds himself taking on Emil and his army of fellow hunters in a high-kicking thriller directed by none other than John Woo.
Woo worked closely with Sam Raimi on the project, who was hired as a consultant to help oversee the production.
A high concept actioner that helped Woo gain valuable experience before going on to work with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage on films like Broken Arrow and Face/Off , Hard Target won praise for its action set pieces while Van Damme also earned acclaim for his efforts.
Not that Van Damme or Woo are all that positive about the movie, looking back.
“Hard Target was a bad script, but we had some great action scenes, and John Woo made me look like a samurai with greasy hair,” Van Damme later recalled.
“In some ways, quite a troublesome movie to make, but I’m rather happy with the way the action scenes turned out,” Woo noted.
The first major Hollywood film made by a Chinese director, Hard Target may not be as fondly remembered as TimeCop or Kickboxer but it’s a worth addition to the Van Damme canon, featuring kick-ass action, some neat stunts and a few memorable villains to boot.
Let us know your thoughts on The Hunt and Hard Target on our Facebook page or in the comments below!
