Stallone made headlines last month after seemingly announcing that Creed II would mark his final appearance as Rocky Balboa. Now the veteran actor has taken to Instagram to post a video seemingly bidding a farewell to another of his beloved cinematic creations, John Rambo.
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“Well that was it, that was my final shot. And Rambo 5 Last Blood, at least that’s what they are calling it, thus far,” Stallone says in the video.
“And it’s been an amazing journey, it really has. This character was presented to me in 1980.”
“And no one wanted to do it. As a matter of fact, I was the eleventh choice. People looked at this as almost as a cursed project. I looked at it and said this was an amazing opportunity.”
The Last Rambo Rodeo
Stallone began work on Rambo V: Last Blood back in October, spending over two months filming on the project in Bulgaria.
The film sees Rambo, now working as ranch hand, enlisted to take on a Mexican cartel after they kidnap the sister of a close friend.
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Given his age and the comments made in the video shared online, fans would be forgiven for thinking that Rambo V represents his last rodeo.
RIP Rambo & Rocky
Stallone has already passed the mantle of Rocky on to Michael B. Jordan’s Creed, but we wouldn’t rule out a cameo return in some capacity.
Any future Creed films will likely focus on Jordan’s character, Adonis, and his burgeoning family but there will always be room for a little bit of Rocky, right? Could the upcoming Rambo installment pave the way for a new, younger, replacement to the man himself?
Jackie Chan reveals how he blew his fortune on women, gambling and “generous gifts”
Ultimate action movie legend Jackie Chan has opened up about the women, gambling habits and generous gifts that saw him blow much of his hard-earning film fortune.
The 64-year-old actor opened up about the “insecurity and immaturity” that dogged the early part of his career in his new autobiography “Never Grow Up”.
In quotes picked up by the Daily Mail[via Metro], Jackie Chan opened up about his drinking habits and the time he managed to crash two luxury sports cars in the space of just one day.
Chan first shot to fame as a stuntman but burned through much of those initial earnings on a diet of women and gambling.
“We all knew that if something went wrong, we wouldn’t live to see the sunrise the next day,” he explained in the extract from the book. “We had a short-term mentality which means recklessly spending our money.” Once his career began to take off with films like Drunken Master, Chan continued to splash the cash.
That Action Movie Star Lifestyle
He wrote: “I started to carry large amounts of cash at all times. After you live in poverty, cash gives you a sense of security.
“I like having lots of people around me and every meal was with a big gang. Around 10 years ago, I spent $2m paying for other people’s meals.
“I gave out extravagant gifts too; watches, cars, custom-made leather jackets, cases of expensive wine”.
The tell-all autobiography sees Chan open up about difficulties in his family life and the fact he’s struggled with reading and writing for much of his life.
Jackie Chan Unchained!
“I’ve not been a good father or a good husband, but I did my duty to my son and his mother,” he admits in the quotes published by the Daily Mail. “I behaved so badly because of my deep insecurities. Ever since I was a little boy I’d been looked down on by rich kids.”
UAMC ranks the best and greatest of Sylvester Stallone’s Ultimate Action Movie career!
Sylvester Stallone in Cobra (1986)
From Rocky to Rambo to Tango to… Barney Ross, the Ultimate Action Movie Club is proud to announce that our official rankings are in on the MOST ULTIMATE ACTION MOVIES of the great Sylvester Stallone.
But before all is said and done, we want to offer UAMC fans a chance to bask in Stallone’s ultimate action movie glory by looking back at his greatest action classics. While this list may be different from yours (and we do encourage you to share yours in the comments!) It’s based on a few ground-rules:
Stallone must be the star (or at least clear co-star)
It must be an ACTION movie (but can be split with other genres, like sports, etc…)
It’s ranked on its ULTIMATE-NESS (i.e. the enjoyment from watching it with friends on a Saturday night). NOT on commercial or critical success.
So, for your action movie appreciating pleasure, here are our TOP 10 Sylvester Stallone Ultimate Action Movies! And if you’re looking for more Top 10 Lists to read up on (or argue about with your friends later), here are some more official Ultimate Action Movie Club rankings to check out:
Ah, the Stallone action movie that just keeps hanging on! Cliffhanger (1993) comes in at number 10 but is definitely our number mountain climbing Stallone feature. But seriously, Cliffhanger is peak Stallone and showcases not just his hard hitting side, but also his serious acting chops.
It also puts Stallone in a great position against the criminally under-appreciated bad guy Qualen – played by John Lightgow. Overall the cast is superb, the plot well developed and fun and the action earned and unleashed on ice.
For our full UAMC review of Cliffhanger, you can check it out here! But before we go on, one small bit of UAMC trivia about Cliffhanger. Because the film was such a success, they named the “Rocky” Mountains in which Cliffhanger was filmed after Stallone’s famous character.
We will say that The Expendables – however you feel about it – is worthy of appreciation based on Stallone’s bold vision of a modern dream-team action movie. It’s perhaps not exactly what we at the UAMC would envision for it, but the idea is pretty damn UAMC-worthy to begin with.
Hats off to Stallone (and of course screenwriter David Callaham for his initial script idea) to bringing an entirely new and fresh yet-nostalgic franchise to fruition in the non-ultimate action movie era of the 2010s, and for getting an all-star gang of action movie stars together!
In what will undoubtedly be its own article one day, we dare anyone to make an argument for a more ultimate buddy cop duo than Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. Although it’s well noted that Tango & Cash (1989) may have its own problems (it was off to a rocky start from the beginning with Kurt Russell being a last minute replacement for Patrick Swayze – and man would THAT have been an ultimate action movie!)
However Tango & Cash has aged surprisingly well and is still a smash-em up action movie banger that gives Stallone in particular plenty of room to hit all the action movie marks which made him a multi-decade star.
From just the opening scene alone (which you can watch in its entirety here), Stallone just oozes action movie legacy in a way which – after 1989 and into the 90s – just wasn’t possible for the genre anymore. It’s just classic action greatness for 104 ultimate minutes!
Now to the good stuff. First Blood (1982) might be the most important movie in the history of action movies. Period! While Rocky threw Stallone into the limelight and gave him his movie legacy, First Blood and Rambo gave Stallone his ACTION movie legacy. Who would have thought that the misunderstood Vietnam-vet drifter would go on to become a certified action movie icon – the likes of which simply doesn’t exist for any other action movie star. Not even close!
And while First Blood is certainly not the most action-packed installment of the eventual Rambo franchise (more on that below), it is certainly the most important. So much about who Stallone’sJohn Rambo is comes from this first introduction. His grimace-y face, is brooding inner rage, even his weapons of choice make their debuts.
Plus, there might not be a more despicable villain (or group of villains) than Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle and his band of misfit local police who are pretty much solely responsible for now 5 movies worth of Rambo carnage.
Similarly to First Blood above, it’s hard to imagine what went through a young Sylvester Stallone’s head when Rocky (1976) won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1977. Did the young man from Hell’s Kitchen in New York picture an action movie career spanning forty plus years of starting franchise after franchise and boundless amounts of money, awards and esteem?
The story of Stallone is very much the story of Rocky Balbao, and as ultimate fans of his it’s hard not to see his Rocky franchise as a look into the growth, development and challenges of the great action movie star which he quickly became.
If for no other reason than what it means to Stallone’s introduction to the world, and the birth of his first (and perhaps greatest franchise), Rocky stands out as a very fine film – with just enough “action” elements – to be included on any list of Stallone’s greatest action movies.
And from the original Rocky, we have a very odd segue to 1993’s Demolition Man. While certainly not the same class as movies as Rocky, from an ultimate action movie club enjoyableness perspective, Demolition Man is in a league of its own. This movie is 100% sci-fi action entertainment from start to finish!
Plus, unlike the much lampooned Judge Dredd, as wacky of an actioner as it is, it’s actually a pretty damn good movie that people still remember, talk about, and watch to this day. Stallone got a big paycheck and another box office hit, Sandra Bullock went on to become a huge star, and the world largely decided to forget that Rob Schneider ever existed (and much less was apparently a go-to Stallone funny man sidekick).
Released in the golden age of action movies (read more about that here) Over the Top (1987) is perhaps the greatest living will and testament to the tragically gone-but-not-forgotten Cannon Films. Billed as the next great Stallone action movie franchise, Over the Top was the greatest action movie flame-out ever – and man do we love it for it!
Everything about Over the Top is, well, over the top! To its odd estranged father-son relationship plot, to Stallone’s “lotsa truckers do it” lovable character, to the random arm-wrestling tournament to win-it-all casually introduced in the film’s third act for no reason, it truly is the action movie which keeps on giving.
Cannon would even go on to promote the film with the crazies nation-wide arm wrestling tournament campaign ever (please, please watch the video here. You’ll thank us!) If you’re ever with a group of friends and the prospects of watching Over the Top come up, any card-carrying UAMC member contractually has to drop whatever he or she is doing and watch Over the Top from start to finish then arm-wrestle each other after. It’s the UAMC law!
Oh buddy, now this is where things get choppy for any greatest Stallone action movie debates. Trust us, it’s hard enough to rank Stallone’s Rambo movies by themselves, much less up against the rest of the man’s awesome action movie legacy.
That being said, we stand by our guns and (for the purposes of this list) have to say that Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) is Stallone’s greatest Rambo movie, and his 3rd most ultimate action movie of all time! Why? Because we say so!
And for them ultimate fighting words, we present that the greatest Rocky movie of all time is the UAMC-legendary Rocky IV (to much dismay of Rocky III fans). It’s a tough call, and it’s hard not to include more Rocky’s on this Top 10 list (and more Rambo’s for that matter too). But to us at the UAMC, Rocky IV stands tall as the most ultimate.
Here’s why. It’s the most 80s, coming out squarely in 1985 and sandwiched between Rocky III (1982) and Rocky V (1990). It has the most ultimate training montage of all time. And it hands down has the most ultimate bad guy in Rocky movie history (and perhaps in just any movie history ever)!
We love Dolph Lundgren as Ivan Drago. Drago’s decisive (and eventually killing blow) on Carl Weather’s Apollo Creed was perhaps the most devastating blow to the United States in the 21st century. And we love that after a decades, Rocky Balboa, our hero Sylvester Stallone, was able to effectively end the Cold War. Rocky wins. Stallone wins. America wins!
And with that, we have our number one to unveil. Better than Rocky. Better than Rambo. Better than Tango, Spartan or the awfully named… Barney Ross. We present that Sylvester Stallone’s greatest role is portraying Marion “Cobra” Cobretti and Cobra (1986) as Stallone’s most ultimate action movie of all time!
If Stallone did win the Cold War for America in 1985 with Rocky IV, well he followed it up with an chiseled vision of what an American action movie star’s world would look like for the rest of the golden age of action movie ultimate-ness.
Stallone not only taps into the vein of what makes an action movie star – tight leather jacket, dark aviators, ripped muscles, matchstick toothpick, 0-remorse bad guy wasting, scissor pizza cutting dinners – he becomes the literal representation of an idealized action movie star.
Cobra isn’t a perfect movie by most standards, but by UAMC standards, it’s damn near it. The bad guy (The Night Slasher) is one of our greatest bad guys of all time. Stallone’s demeanor never wavers from slightly pissed off and 100% on cleaning up the scum off the streets. It’d be hard to argue that after Cobra, Stallone’s hero archetype was copied in damn near every action movie after – heck Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and even later era-Van Damme made whole careers off of it.
As always, we have to toss in several more names into the fight. Sylvester Stallone’s career has ranged from the early 70s to today and is still going strong. Even his action movie career is much more than the 10 films mentioned above, and we have to shout-out some of his other strong contenders:
If anything on this list rubs you the wrong way, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let us know your top 10 in the comments below. Sylvester Stallone very well could read this article and will want to know your feedback!
Also, if you’d like to see how the other action movie star’s action movie legacy’s stack up, here are some more Top 10 lists to check out!
How Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee Keep John Woo’s ‘The Killer’ fresh, awesome and Ultimate!
Assassin “Ah Jong” (Chow Yun-fat) has a tender heart in the profession least suited to it. During an assignment at a bar, he accidentally injures the lounge singer Jennie (Sally Yeh) in the eyes. Remorseful, he vows to take one last hit to pay to have her damaged corneas replaced before she goes totally blind.
Unfortunately, the last hit does not go smoothly. Ah Jong kills the mark, but when a little girl is injured in the skirmish, he takes her to a hospital, jeopardizing the mission and giving the police a big clue to his identity. The mob bosses who have him on payroll are not pleased. They not only refuse to give Ah Jong the much-needed money, but also have a hit put on him to cover their tracks.
Enter Inspector Li Ying (Danny Lee). Idealistic and determined to get his man, he pursues Ah Jong, constantly frustrated by the hitman’s cleverness and the bad faith of his superiors. Like Ah Jong, he has a lot riding on the success of his mission.
Initially a cat-and-mouse game between criminal and cop, the story takes twists and turns which eventually forces the two men to team up against the mob bosses, who prove a greater evil than the principled Ah Jong could ever be.
The Killer was one of John Woo’s first international smashes. A mash-up of Martin Scorsese’sMean Streets, Jean Pierre-Melville’s Le Samourai, and Spy vs. Spy comics, it is a movie as excessively stylish and thrilling as it is soulful and somber.
The film’s first shoot-out telegraphs Woo’s approach to onscreen violence. We get a stylish battle with guns blazing and bodies crumpling to the ground in dramatic arcs. The editing is fast, getting the viewer pumped. Then Jennie, in the wrong place at the worst possible time, ends up having her eyes damaged when her face is too close to Ah Jong’s gun when he fires.
Falling back, Jennie screeches and flails, face covered in blood. The effect is disturbing, putting a damper on any “this is AWESOME” feelings the viewer might be having. No spectacle here, only an innocent human being in horrible agony. Woo keeps this ambivalence to violent spectacle throughout the movie. As Ah Jong says, even though he takes jobs to kill “bad people,” somehow good people always end up getting hurt.
In terms of feel, The Killer has much in common with classic film noir. All the old-school tropes are at play: the hitman with a heart of gold willing to do one last job, the good woman who brings out the best in him, the idealistic cop at odds with the rest of the force, hard-nosed criminals who scoff at the anti-hero’s moral code. The tone is as world-weary and troubled as its protagonist.
While his compassion and eventual love for Jennie motivates Ah Jong, his relationship with Inspector Li is the heart of the film. They start as enemies, only for Li to become moved by Ah Jong’s compassion and nobility. When circumstances force the two men to work together, they realize they might not be as different as they imagined.
As Ah Jong observes, both use guns in their work, both have drawn innocent people into the crossfire (early in the movie, Li fires a shot without warning on a crowded tram, accidentally startling a woman with a heart condition to death in the process). By the film’s conclusion, it is the bond between these men which leaves the greatest mark, more than the admittedly lightweight love story.
Some find The Killer too melodramatic. When I first saw the film at a college screening, about half of the audience laughed during the more emotional moments. Some viewers are taken aback by how operatic the acting gets, moments where characters dramatically call out one another’s names or sob openly. Many seem to believe emotional vulnerability is antithetical to the action genre. Even fleeting moments like Bill Duke’s character mourning the death of a comrade in an action classic like Predator can take one aback with such expectations in mind.
However, the high emotionalism is a good match for the film’s excessive violence. It fits because this is a movie all about what makes a badass killer vulnerable, both physically and internally: love, friendship, compassion, nobility. By having him so vulnerable, Woo and star Chow Yun-fat amp up the suspense, making the viewer more intimately connect with Ah Jong’s desire for redemption against all odds.
The film also has odd comedic moments that nevertheless work perfectly. Ah Jong and Li refer to one another by silly nicknames, Shrimp Head and Small B respectively (in older English translations, they were dubbed Dumbo and Mickey Mouse). In one scene, they have a stand-off in Jenny’s apartment and the singer’s impaired vision prevents her from realizing the two are aiming guns right at each other’s faces. She offers them tea and initiates small talk, injecting light comedy into the suspenseful sequence.
The climax is legendary. Set in a church illuminated by candlelight, Ah Jong and Li face their inner and outer demons in one of the most brutal yet beautiful confrontations in all cinema. Emotions run high and the final moments are devastating, putting the viewer through full dramatic catharsis. This is one of few action-thrillers where I have to issue a “make sure you have Kleenex nearby” warning.
The Killer’s legacy cannot be overstated. Its long shadow can be seen in countless Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Baz Luhrmann movies. An American remake has been in the talks since the early 1990s, but one has to wonder what the point would be, since the original remains a vital, exciting experience from one of action cinema’s modern masters.
What are your thoughts on The Killer? Let us know in the comments!
Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn Go Pure Grindhouse in S. Craig Zahler’s ‘Dragged Across Concrete’
I’m old. I’m done with the superhero movies. I don’t care about mythical dragons and rapey idiots with swords. I like my movies real, and about something.I want the good guys to be men, and the bad guys to be repellent.
At the moment, there’s only a handful of guys in Hollywood who are making films I want to see – and first and foremost, is auteur S. Craig Zahler. To call this guy a twisted genius isn’t enough. He’s almost singlehandedly holding the battle-line for hardcore, brutal cinema. And his newest film is his most accessible, and most fun.
I had the pleasure of seeing Dragged Across Concrete at a recent film festival. The movie, as of this writing, is undated in the US, and will be released in my native Australia in February 2019. I cannot wait to see this pulp masterpiece again, and buy the Bluray, and spread the word to others about what a great little film it is.
DAC, like all Zahler epics, deals with flawed men, in a cold, hard world that seems to punish them for their codes and beliefs. The heroes of this film, two cops – Ridgeman and Anthony (well played by the always excellent Mel Gibson and the sturdy Vince Vaughn) – are put on suspension when their arrest of a drug dealer is deemed excessive. Off the job for six weeks, and without pay, the two soon find themselveslooking to rip off criminals to make ends meet.
Seeing how this is a Zahler film, everything turns sideways for the pair, pretty much straight away, and the duo get embroiled in a rather nasty, blood-soaked bank robbery. Since they’recops, albeit suspended cops, Ridgeman and Anthony realise they’re the only ones who can stop the trigger-happy gang before they kill again, and decide to take them down.
Why? Because it’s their job, and as Ridgeman points out, no one else is gonna do it. They’re it! What plays out is one of the most gut-wrenching, sadistic, nerve-shattering, edge-of-your-seat-thrillers in recent years. I can’t remember the last time I was this blown away by a film.
Of course, the premise of the film isn’t the only selling point.Zahler delivers another group of hard-boiled characters who may seem misguided, and even cold-blooded, but have codes and rules. They’re driven and won’t back down from their mission.
UAMC Legend Mel Gibson’s Comeback
Let’s start with Mel Gibson. I don’t care what anyone says. The guy is a living legend, and he’s sensational in the pic. His Ridgeman is tough man who has been beaten down by life and the absurd politics that go with his profession. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing this role.
There’s a scene where Ridgeman goes to talk to one of his informers. He walks into the informer’s designer boutique and calmly tells the employees to let the boss know that Ridgeman is here to see him. The two workers he confronts immediately look him up and down with disdain, but he looks back at them the same, making the pair uneasy. No other screen legend other than someone with Gibson’s cinematic baggage could pull that off.
Vince Vaughn at His Best
With Zahler’s stunning Brawl in Cell Block 99, Vince Vaughn showed us all that he wasn’t just a funny man. He could be a scary bad ass if the situation called for it. Although his Anthony isn’t anything like Bradley from BICB99, he is another tough guy with a sensitive interior in a mucho world.
Vaughn also delivers some comedic howlers in the film that are pretty damn funny.
Again, Vaughn, like Mel, is playing his type, but thanks to Zahler’s clever writing, the characters have edges that make them real, and sympathetic. Vaughn and Gibson also share a beautifully underplayed, but touching, scene that shows Zahler isn’t just some blood-thirsty torture-porn hack.He cares about his characters, and in these two capable actors hands, they come alive.
The Rest of the Cast
Supporting players all do very fine with their scenes, particularly Don Johnson and Jennifer Carpenter , but two of the real surprises here are Tory Kittles and Michael Jai White as a pair of small time crooks caught up in the big time heist. Up ‘till now I was unfamiliar with Kittles work, but after DAC, I’ll be keeping an eye on him. His Henry is guy on the wrong side of the tracks, doing the wrong thing, for the right reason.Roles or performances don’t get any more compelling than this.
MJW, an action regular from Spawn and Exit Wounds, gives an understated performance as career criminal Biscuit – a man who just wants to do right by his friend Henry. Kittles and White are dynamite together. And there’s a great scene between them in the getaway van just after the robbery that is pure magic.
Like all Zahler films, DAC has no problem dishing out the onscreen fatalities. Although more refined in its depiction of violence, there are two rather nasty scenes of explicit bloodshed that are shocking, and repugnant, but extremely watchable. Zahler is the master at making you watch something you don’t want to see, but can’t look away from.
Regular Zahler composers, The O-Jays, are back to give the film it’s beat, and they do a tremendous job. Top tech credits must go to DOP Benji Bakshi for his stylish night-time photography that perfectly captures the noir-material.Excellent work.
I wanna give a shout out to the producers of this film. Not many money people let the creative people do their job and this film is a fine example of a visionary being left alone to create his canvas. Well done Cinestate.
So, if you’re in the mood for an adult thriller that will take you to the edge and back, and is filled with great characters, acting, unique direction and a bleak real-world-view, Dragged Across Concrete is the film for you. Zahler has delivered another masterpiece. Well done, Sir!
From a small country town where not many films played, Kent Church grew up on a steady diet of Coca Cola, horror magazines and action movies on VHS. If the movie didn’t have Chuck Norris or Eastwood on the cover, he wasn’t interested. His one core belief: Arnold Schwarzenneger must be President!! And James Woods vice –President…
Let us know what you think in the comments or on the Facebook page!
Star of the ill-fated Street Fighter movie, an oral history of Mortal Kombat published by Mel Magazine details how JCVD proved to be the jump-off point for the super-violent fighting game franchise fans know and love.
When video game developer John Tobias first pitched his idea for Mortal Kombat to Ed Boon, the head of Midway, he was hoping to hit upon an idea to rival the super-successful Street Fighter II arcade game.
Hitting upon the idea of a “mystical kung-fu game’, Tobias enlisted his childhood friends to put together a demo. Daniel Pesina, who would go on to play Johnny Cage, Sub Zero, Scorpion and Reptile tells Mel Magazine: “I’d been doing martial arts my whole life, so he called me up and he’s like, “Hey, I have an idea for a fighting game, and I wanted to know if you can help me out to pitch an idea to my boss Ed Boon.””
But when Tobias showed his demo to Boon, his boss had other ideas. Ideas that involved Van Damme. “Everyone at Midway rejected it,” Pesina recalled.
“Ed said our idea would never work but liked the idea of a fighting game, so they cancelled ours and pursued a mainstream game with Jean-Claude Van Damme because it would make more money. I was pissed, because I gave a bunch of great kung fu ideas, and they were now going to give them all to Jean-Claude Van Damme.”
However, luck was on their side as Rich Divizio, another martial artist enlisted by Tobias to star in the demo, told Mel Magazine: “Van Damme didn’t wanna do this game, probably because he was already doing, like, Universal Soldier, and he wasn’t going to come down to do a video game.”
With Van Damme out of the picture, Boon proved more receptive to Tobias’ original idea and work on the game began.
One of the key selling points of Mortal Kombat was that it featured real actors, filmed and included in the game. These actors came from all walks of life with Pesina and Divizio both best known for playing extras in the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2. The filming process proved gruelling too.
“We experimented with every martial art move for about three days, eight hours a day, filming and trying to figure it out,” Pesina said.
“Any sort of sophisticated video game animation technology wasn’t around. What you see is videotaped footage of us doing the actual moves.” Van Damme’s indirect influence didn’t end with his rejection though.
While Pesina is adamant that the character of Johnny Cage is based on Marvel’s Iron Fist Danny Rand, one move was borrowed from JCVD: the nut-punch fatality.
As Pesina explains: ”My original idea for his fatality was to punch the guy so hard that his head goes flying off. But then John [Tobias] was like, because Van Damme had said no, “You want to poke a little bit of fun at Van Damme?”
“And I was like, “Uh, what do you got in mind?” He was like, “You can do the splits, and we’ll have him punch people in the nuts.” So I did that.”
Was the game’s familiar “Finish Him” fatalities inspired, in part, by the JCVD classic Bloodsport? Apparently not. That came while working out a way that allowed players to “wail” on an opponent just prior to victory.
As Divizio notes: “Ed [Boon] coined this, he’s like, “Somehow you gotta finish this guy off!” And right there in the room, it was like, Ding! “Oh! That’s a cool thing to say! FINISH HIM!” That’s how shit gets created.”
Van Damme never wanted to be part of Mortal Kombat but in turning it down, he became a bigger part of it than he ever could have imagined.
What are your fond memories of the Van Damme inspired Mortal Kombat? Let us know in the comments!
Now, JCVD returns as Master Durand, Sloane’s trainer. Was Kickboxer: Retaliation as good as the original Kickboxer? Was it as good as 2016’s Kickboxer: Vengeance, Moussi’s first attempt at revitalizing the franchise?
Hollywood as a whole has suffered an increasing amount of criticism from fans all over the world in recent years for its reliance upon sequels, prequels and reboots. The industry feels half of their work is complete by opting to green-light these films, because the audience for them is already established. Who among us hasn’t heard of Kickboxer or seen it multiple times? Well, then surely you know who Kurt Sloane is and care about the character!
However, the audience’s counterargument to sequels, prequels and reboots is simple: Why should I watch them when I can rewatch the original — especially if it was done well? Therein lies the dilemma for Hollywood. But for direct to video (DTV) producers with smaller budgets than the typical Hollywood behemoth (aka Marvel), they need to rely somewhat on shortcuts when releasing their product because they lack both the marketing and advertising budgets to differentiate their film from the scores of DTV movies released every month on streaming services.
Having said that, if you exclude comic book movies, there are very, very few action movie reboots (and sequels) worthy of praise, especially compared to their predecessors. For me, the list used to begin and end with Creed and Creed II.
But after recently viewing it, make room for Kickboxer: Retaliation.
NOW.
Yes, it’s that good.
Kickboxer: Retaliating Vengeance
The 2016 Kickboxer: Vengeance reboot established a new canon for Kurt Sloane (albeit an updated version of the 1989 story), wherein he fights Tong Po, who had paralyzed his older brother Eric. By defeating Tong Po, Kurt hence got his vengeance for what happened to his brother. The original movie was followed by three sequels starring Sasha Mitchell as David Sloane (JCVD’s character Kurt was supposedly killed off-screen, thus making David the new Sloane protagonist, if you got all that). However, the reboot opted to keep Kurt alive, but increase the difficulty level (and decrease the viewer’s believability) of his new challenges.
I mentioned how Kickboxer: Vengeance was a reboot done very well. Part of the reason for that was not only did it manage to make Kurt Sloane’s story fresh, but it wisely used JCVD (the original actor who played Kurt Sloane) — this time in a role as Master Durand, Kurt’s trainer.
Jean Claude Van Damme Still Kickboxing
In Kickboxer: Retaliation, JCVD continues his career resurgence with a new wrinkle in Durand’s story, one which I — and I suspect many an audience member — did not see coming. In addition, the movie uses the legendary Christopher Lambert as the film’s primary villain who controls Sloane’s fate. (Oh, and by the way, he happens to have an affinity for sword fighting, an obvious homage to his role as Connor MacLeod in multiple Highlander films – read UAMC’s review of the ultimately awful Highlander 2 here!)
Casting Mike Tyson as an incarcerated former boxer was inspired; few would argue when I say he is not the world’s greatest thespian. But all in all, he moved well on-screen and didn’t hinder the movie at all; in fact, he more than helped it.
Now to quote many a late-night infomercial voice-over: “But wait! There’s more!”
I appreciated the fact the writers, director and producers involved in the creation of Kickboxer: Retaliation seemed to be fans of action movies. How do I know this? Upon one viewing, I spotted references and homages within the film to the following heavyweights of the genre:
Bloodsport
Kickboxer
Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor
American Samurai
Rocky II
Rocky IV
Highlander
Enter the Dragon
Talk about respecting the source material!
Where Retaliation Ranks in the Kickboxer Franchise
The three Sasha Mitchell-starring Kickboxer sequels were fine choices for rainy Saturday afternoon DTV movies, but don’t do much to add to the original JCVD movie, which I feel remains superb on its own. In my opinion, it’s an uphill battle for a reboot production to breathe new life into a well-respected franchise and succeed. But I feel Kickboxer: Retaliation not only meets the challenge, I may be so bold as to say in two movies it and 2016’s Kickboxer: Vengeance surpass the collective quality of the original four Kickboxer films.
Anyone else here see Kickboxer: Retaliation? What’d you think? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Not Rocky, Rambo or Cobra; but Cliffhanger is another solid Stallone action classic!
Gabe Walker (Sylvester Stallone) works as a ranger in the Rocky Mountains. Informed fellow ranger Hal Tucker (Michael Rooker) and his girlfriend Sarah (Michelle Joyner) are stranded on a mountaintop after Hal sustains a knee injury, Hal and his helicopter pilot girlfriend Jessie (Janine Turner) rush out for an aerial rescue. However, during the attempted rescue, Sarah’s harness proves defective and despite Gabe’s best efforts, she plummets to her death.
Eight months pass. Wracked with guilt, Gabe intends to leave his ranger position behind forever, intent on having Jessie come with him. His plans are interrupted when the rangers receive a distress call, where victims of a plane crash remain stranded in the snow, close to perishing. Though Hal is still bitter about Gabe’s fatal blundering, the two men decide to share one last mission.
However, the call turns out to be a ruse from a group of ruthless criminals headed by ex-military intelligence officer Eric Qualen (John Lithgow) whose plane crashed when they botched a mid-air transfer of money stolen from the US Treasury. Three suitcases packed with millions of dollars each disappeared onto the mountains below. Despite their high-tech gadgetry, the criminals need expert help in recovering it from the harsh terrain.
Gabe and Hal answer the call, only to be taken hostage and forced to aid Qualen’s gang. However, when Qualen decides having one guide will be less trouble then two, Gabe escapes the criminals’ attempt on his life. Hal is left captive, while Gabe joins the recently airlifted-in Jessie on their quest to find the other suitcases before the criminals do and rescue their friend before he ends up with a bullet to the brain.
Not Just a ‘Die Hard knockoff’
Cliffhanger has often been lumped together with all the Die Hard knockoffs released in the wake of that perennial 1980s favorite, but as far as Die Hard knockoffs go, this is one of the best. Combining breathtaking action, a great sense of setting, and brutal suspense, Cliffhanger is still an enjoyable ride for devotees of 1990s action.
The film is often praised for its sense of realism in the mountain setting and stunts (even if many have pointed out the technicalities of rock-climbing as shown in the movie are often inaccurate). I admit many scenes make my palms sweat just thinking about them. Director Renny Harlin keeps the vertigo strong throughout, emphasizing the sheer scale of the mountains.
In a movie full of intense stunt work, the mid-air money exchange at the beginning of the movie is the most praised by fans and critics. Reportedly the most expensive aerial stunt in movie history, it is so impressive that one can say it was certainly worth the money!
Though set in the Rocky Mountains, the film’s climbing scenes were often shot on the Tofane cliffs in Dolomites, Italy. They are gorgeous to behold. However, not every scene was shot on-location. There are some clever uses of front projection and miniatures, which have aged well for the most part. Alas, some scenes were shot on very obvious sets, but overall, the film does a great job in making you believe in the situation and setting, keeping the pacing and suspense at a high pitch throughout.
Stallone’s Gabe Walker is an appealing everyman hero and one of the actor’s best roles of the 1990s. He isn’t a superman, but a normal dude who triumphs through cleverness and knowledge of the mountains just as much as with a good punch.Gabe is opposed by the harshness of the natural world and the ill-will of a truly nasty crew of thieves, and though he isn’t invulnerable, he more than proves worthy of the challenge.
Though relegated to the role of Dude in Distress, Rooker’s spunky Hal is also a fun character and his amusing one-liners are a wonder. When one of Qualen’s thugs starts cracking soccer-related puns while beating Hal to a pulp, Hal eventually fights back, quipping “Season’s over, asshole!” as he sends the guy plummeting over the edge of the mountain. (My favorite scene in the movie, bar none!)
John Lithgow steals the show!
While Christopher Walken was originally approached to play the lead villain, the honors went to Lithgow in the end. I’ve seen some accuse Lithgow’s villain of being too hammy, but let’s be real: this is not a somber drama, it’s a fun action movie, and Lithgow’s histrionic performance is a delight. He’s ably supported by Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, Leon Robinson, Craig Fairbrass, Gregory Scott Cummins, and Denis Forrest as his menacing batch of cronies.
Cliffhanger remains a solid, memorable action thriller. It doesn’t necessarily break new ground as its critics often point out, but not every movie needs to in order to be memorable or effective. A worthy addition to your action movie collection and one I would love to get the chance to see on a big, big screen, just to enhance the thrills. Hang on!
What are your thoughts on Stallone’s Cliffhanger? Let us know in the comments!
UAMC reviews ‘Shiner’ – a solid MMA action flick starring Kevin Bernhardt
Shiner is directed by Seo Mutarevic and stars Kevin Bernhardt (who also scripted), Seya Hug and Shannon Staller in this story of Happy McBride (Bernhardt), a down on his luck former MMA champion who begrudgingly takes a young fighter named Matt (Hug) under his wing while simultaneously trying to book a new fight for himself and reclaim his past glory.
Under his tutelage, Matt quickly fights his way to the top, catching the eye of Happy’s former manager Larry (Brian T. Finney) which generates some jealousy from Happy.
Things become further complicated when Matt begins a romantic relationship with Happy’s beloved daughter Nikki (Staller), whom Happy retired from fighting for to raise her after his wife took her own life. In the midst of this, Larry offers a fight to both men. A fight that will change their relationship, and both of their lives, forever…
A Real MMA Actioner
As an avid MMA fan, I jumped at the chance to review this new take on the world of MMA, and I’m glad I did, because I was pleasantly surprised by this film, mainly the commanding performance from star/writer Kevin Bernhardt. Truth be told, Bernhardt is simply terrific. An actor I admire back from when I saw him in an old favorite of mine called Kick or Die as well as Hellraiser III, it was so great seeing him again. His performance as Happy is such a tour de force of raw emotion and charm. He perfectly plays Happy as someone with a heart, but it’s been buried beneath a cold exterior after years of pain and resentment. The only thing keeping him sane is his love for his daughter and his goal of once again becoming champion, but his past indiscretions make those goals difficult to achieve.
Kevin Bernhardt and a Solid Cast
The character of Happy is at times such an egotistical jerk that if played by anybody else, I don’t think the movie would’ve worked. But with Bernhardt, he is so charismatic that you can’t help but love Happy, even if he gives you every reason not to. And believe me, you’ll have every reason not to. Bernhardt’s script pulls no punches when it comes to portraying the kind of guy Happy is. It doesn’t ask you to like him, painting him in an unflattering light many times. But Bernhardt’s charisma, plus the flashbacks to Happy’s life before with his wife and the love Nikki has for him make you see that he’s truly not a bad guy.
Supporting him are young co-stars Seya Hug and Shannon Staller in admirable performances. The son of K-1 kickboxing legend Andy Hug, Hug does well as the young and naive fighter from out of town with dreams of making it as an MMA fighter. He has a natural presence to him and shows a lot of potential for a young actor. Staller is also very natural in her role as Happy’s daughter. She plays off both Hug and Bernhardt very nicely. Especially Bernhardt. One scene where they discuss her fear of inheriting her mother’s mental illness is very compelling, with both actors conveying a genuine sense of sorrow. I was impressed. Those moments in the script are what resonated with me the most.
Some Ultimate MMA Fighting
Speaking of the script, I also liked the portrayal of the lower level side of MMA fighting that you don’t often get to see in mainstream media. Fighters struggling to get by while competing with each other for a smoker bout was refreshing to see.
In these times where we are blinded by the circus level theatrics of big money fights, we often forget about the guys on the bottom who are basically fighting for peanuts because they have a passionate love for the sport. So lots of respect to Bernhardt and the filmmakers for focusing on the little guys. It is very appreciated.
Now, onto the fighting. All the actors portraying fighters have a great stance and style to them during the fight sequences, especially Hug. He just looks so authentic as a fighter. So natural. So legit. In looking him up, I found no evidence of him being an actual fighter. Could’ve fooled me. I’m guessing that he either trained his butt off for this, or that was just something he inherited from his father. Either way, kudos to him for looking like the real mccoy.
UAMC Recommended
If I had any nitpicks, it would be that the fight sequences were a bit on the short side. I understand why, as the fighting would’ve bogged down the story, and the most important thing here are the characters. But you still could’ve let the fights go on for a liiiittle longer. All I’m saying.
All in all, I was impressed by this. It had a deep, genuine story to tell, and it told it well enough. Hopefully, this will lead to more movies starring Kevin Bernhardt in the future. The man is filled to the brim with untapped potential as a star and writer, and I’ll be here patiently waiting for his next movie. Bring it on!
Interested in checking out Shiner? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Robert Rodriguez has made a first-person virtual reality action movie you can watch now
Robert Rodriguez is taking the action movie genre to exciting new heights with his latest effort: a 20-minute virtual reality short that puts the viewer in the heart of the action.
The Limit sees stars Michelle Rodriguez and Norman Reedus and can only be viewed via virtual reality headset with all the action taking place from the viewer’s perspective. An all-action affair, the film follows in the footsteps of the 2015 Russian-American sci-fi actioner Hardcore Henry, which featured Shalto Copley.
Taking it to “The Limit”
The only real difference this time around is that the action has been captured using “a new cinematic VR format wider than 180 degrees, that bridges the gap between large-format movies and 360-degree video,” according to the distributor’s YouTube page.
Viewers will find themselves immersed in the role of an unnamed rogue agent who teams up with “enhanced super-assassin” M-13 (Michelle Rodriguez) to retrieve their/your identity and take on deadly organization that created them/you.
A Virtual Reality Action Movie
The Limit can be enjoyed on pretty much any VR headset, including the Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR,iOS, Google Daydream View and Windows Mixed Reality.
Best of all, it can be purchased right now from the film’s official website at the special price of just $5 (around £3.90 / AU$6.90). The film comes as 2D and 3D versions while there are also special bonus features and a making of featurette.
Check it Out Here!
A non-VR trailer for The Limit can be viewed below and it looks absolutely bonkers.
What are your thoughts on this Virtual Reality Action future? Let us know in the comments!
