Category Archives: action

“Skin Trade” Action Movie

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skintrade

Skin Trade is one of those direct-to-DVD movies that ends up being a really good movie and would probably have done well in theaters. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, the story is about the buying and selling of human beings, particularly women, and two detectives from different countries trying to put an end to the human trafficking ring. One cop is from Thailand. Detective Tony Vitayakul, played by dynamic martial arts champion Tony Jaa. The other cop is from NYC. Detective Nick Cassidy, played by Dolph Lundgren. Turns out they are both after the same crime lord from Serbia. Viktor, played by Ron Perlman, runs the trafficking underworld while bringing his family into it at various locations around the world.

Detective Cassidy tracks down Viktor and his youngest son. They have a shootout, and Viktor’s son is killed, but Viktor escapes. The crime lord backlashes at Cassidy by having his men kill his wife, wound him and kidnap his daughter.

Cassidy decides to go after Viktor on his own because he doesn’t trust FBI Agent Reed, played by Michael Jai White. He lands in Thailand. Reed alerts Detective Vitayakul that he is in his country. Both the FBI and Vitayakul go after Cassidy, and he barely escapes as Vitayakul chases after him. Here we get to see Jaa and Lundgren at their most impressive martial arts skills. What a chase this scene offers with speeds through the streets and alleys of Thailand. It ends with an awesome all-out exchange of blows between the two.  Stuff like this makes the movie impressive.

Tony and Cassidy figure out the traitor, come to terms, and work together to take down Viktor and the human trafficking ring.  More hand-to-hand combat occurs, keeping the movie all action. At the same time, the Skin Trade shines through and is better than most movies of this genre. The acting is good. All in all, the movie is worth watching.

“American Heist”

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amercianheist

Directed by Sarik Andreasyan, American Heist is your typical thug movie without anything special to mention. With lines like “It was always me and you against the world.”, originality is lacking big time. Frankie, played by Adrien Brody, is just out of jail. His brother and crime partner, played by Hansen Christensen, is living a clean life after getting his act together while his brother was in jail.  But Frankie doesn’t have any money or a home. He needs his brother’s help to carry out one last heist. The final heist isn’t just for Frankie. Its success will help them both.  Added to the mix are some bad boy rappers, and they don’t really add that much to the movie. Sorry boys.

I wasn’t bored watching the movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good one. There are some points in the movie that I did enjoy, but the story is pretty nonspecific, with Brody carrying the movie on his shoulders by pure talent.  When I see Christensen in a movie, I am looking for the Shatter Glass performance that impressed me so.  Not in this movie, I am still hoping and watching.

Hollywood heist movies are very popular if done right. Movies such as Ocean Eleven, Reservoir Dogs, and The Usual Suspects are fine examples of films that use elements that set them apart from parallel stories.  American Heist is not unique in that sense, which is its downfall. It is a typical movie that needs some panache in order to be good and worth watching.

“The Dead Land” History of New Zealand

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deadlands

The movie takes place in New Zealand before colonial times when Maoris ruled New Zealand. Polynesian people are the ancestors of the Maori. They originated from Southeast Asia and migrated to New Zealand. The movie is about two Maori tribes that have an ancient rivalry.  The conflict has been resolved, and the tribes live in harmony.

Until a young war chief, Wirepa, covets the glory gained in battle by rekindling the ancient rivalry. He violently attacks the other tribe. The Chief’s son, Hongi, survives with a few other members of his tribe. Hongi goes after them with full out assault on revenge.

As a strategic plan, they decide to cross through the `Dead Lands’, hence the movie’s name, The Dead Lands, where it is believed that a warrior spirit lies in wait. The spirit will devour any person who trespasses, adding a haunting tale to the storyline.

The rest of the movie is an action-packed outing, with a bunch of martial arts fighting, blood splattering and other violent plundering. The movie’s backdrop is a beautiful tropical forest, which provides a stark contrast to the story, and the music adds a fair amount of intensity. A standout actor in the upheaval is Lawrence Makoare as the Warrior, who drives his role with vim and vigor, emotion and pure charismatic presence.

The movie is entirely in Maori with English sub titles. Don’t get caught up in the subtitles, just watch the movie, and the story will unfold. I recommend this movie if you enjoy real violence in a rather barbaric fashion that gets under your skin.

“The White Storm”

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whitestorm

If you like John Woo’s classics, you will enjoy this action-filled police tale. It’s the story of three police officers with striking personalities. One of the officers is undercover while the others are on the force. They make great efforts to bring down a major Asian drug lord. The movie is driven by its story with deceptions and betrayals, suspense and some major action.

Directed by Benny Chan, The White Storm is textured with characters who must prove their righteousness, similar to movies from the 80s like Tango & Cash or Lethal Weapon.  The cops are in conflict over their personalities and how they handle the job.  Like one bad cop and one good cop solving a crime together while competing against each other.

The story begins with a brotherhood put to the ultimate test when a narcotics sting operation fails.  Three friends will fight to the end to escape the retaliation of the most dangerous drug lord in Hong Kong.  They are working in the Hong Kong Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau and get caught up in a case with the drug lord. Their sting operation fails, and they are forced to make a devastating decision – two can live, but one must die.

Five years later, the two of them declare revenge for their fallen friend.  But conflict arises, and they end up competing for their own lives. At this point, the story gets really interesting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the movie.

Chan is an award-winning producer and director for the film New Police Story starring Jackie Chan.  He brings action-packed entertainment with cutting-edge storytelling.

“’71” Fast Pace, Intense

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71

I am impressed with 71 since it had me on the edge of my couch the whole time. It was also a lesson about what was going in Belfast during the uprising.

The movie doesn’t let up, either, thanks to the fine direction by Yann Demange and the unbelievable performances by the entire cast. I am so impressed with the child actors in this movie. Sure. Jack O’Connell is fantastic. He reminds me of Steve McQueen, silent but powerful. The children were so heartwrenching, strong and innocent.

Demange throws the viewer into the grit and emotional torture these people went through during the civil unrest. The lesson is more of a concept of what it was like to be in Belfast. There is no backstory, which isn’t needed since we are at war now with civilians. Diabolical situation with just enough dialogue to keep us connected to the story.

The story concerns the very beginning of “The Troubles.” The violent 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland was rooted in the country’s constitutional status. The movie doesn’t explain “Troubles.” 71 is an experience, a slice of life that will forever be embedded in the souls of those who fought in this bloody war.

The story follows one soldier (O’Connell). His first maneuver is a nerve racking riot on the streets of Belfast. He accidentally gets separated from his unit and is abandoned without a weapon. He tries to survive the night alone in a maze-like landscape with people after him. He has no idea who he can trust, but is scared beyond imagination – it’s intense. The movie is so believable, I thought it was based on a true story. But I haven’t been able to determine whether that is true.

Demange challenges the audience at the outset by introducing the soldier’s son. They spend quality time together, so I was emotionally attached from the beginning and continued to have my fingers crossed throughout his ordeal. O’Connell’s breathtaking performance kept me in awe. He drives the whole movie.  I encourage you to see this movie for the talented work of everyone involved.

“Beyond the Reach” Storyline

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beyondthereach

Beyond the Reach is a remake of the TV movie Savages (1974), starring Any Griffith and Sam Bottoms. Both films follow the same storyline based on the book Deathwatch by Robb White.

Directed by French filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Leonerri, Michael Douglas plays a wealthy, cocky businessman, Madec. Early one morning, he drives into a small town in the Mojave Desert. He makes quite an impression with his Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6, asking the sheriff for an expert hunting guide. The sheriff refers him a young, though experienced guide named Ben played by Jeremy Irvine. Ben is poor, and his long-term girlfriend just left him to go to an out-of-state college. Ben takes the job, but he is suspicious of Madec and his “big-money” talk. The two men end up in the middle of the Mojave Desert, and Madec fatally shoots another man by accident. The incident tests the limits of the two men.

The movie is about survival, with Douglas playing a very dark character in a cat-and-mouse game across a barren and brutal desert. If you are a Michael Douglas fan, you know he plays dark, evil characters very well.

The special features include an audio commentary with Michael Douglas, director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti, and producer Robert Mitas, and a featurette called “Six Wheeling: Inside and Outside the Ultimate Ride” featuring the Mercedes from the movie.

Lesser-Known Movies with Well-known Stars

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Son_Of_A_Gun

Son of a Gun from Down Under

Son of a Gun is not a great gangster movie, and I lost my interest about half way through the movie. I turned off the movie when JR, played by Brenton Thwaites, who reminds me of a young Colin Farrell, goes swimming with the gangster’s girlfriend.  The story was too predictable. Don’t get me wrong. The acting was stellar.

The story is about JR meeting crime boss Brendan (Ewan McGregor) while serving a short stint in prison. Brendan protects JR from gang rapes in prison with the understanding he now owes Brendan his life. JR gets out of prison. He breaks Brendan and two other cohorts out of prison. They embark on a heist with a Brendan’s girl (Alicia Vikander) who I mentioned earlier.

What happens next?  The story can be easily guessed , and I wasn’t interested in finding out if I was right.

captive

The Captive

I think Ryan Reynolds made this movie in Canada while his wife Blake Lively was starring in a much better movie being filmed in Canada.  I guess, it was something for him to do, so he could hang with his wife in Canada.

The Captive has a good message, but many plot points are missing, and I suspect that the movie just didn’t have the budget to develop a strong storyline.  The result is several puzzle pieces missing on a rather easy puzzle to put together.  That is aggravating as a viewer.

Using flashbacks and forwards and more flashbacks makes matters worse because the back stories of key characters are the puzzle pieces missing.  If they had added those, I think the movie would have come off like nice little movie with a strong message.

The acting was believable, but like I said, I wanted to know more about the characters’ back story.

laggies

Laggies

Keira Knightley and Chloe Grace Moretz are actresses that I enjoying watching on film because they are believable and have honest performances.  Sam Rockwell, who also stars in this movie, is just as believable. Having all three of them in this simple, splice of life, indie movie is pure joy.

I wouldn’t call this movie a gem, but I would say it’s worth the time to view.  The story is about a woman, Knightley, who follows a different beat from her lifelong friends.  She has a college education, supporting parents, a committed boyfriend, and yet she feels she is missing something from her life.

She meets Moretz’s character, a High School student, with a divorced dad (Rockwell) and an absentee mother.  All four characters discover something about themselves in a rather awkward and thought provoking way.

Vice

Vice

Bruce Willis is a legend. Yet, he picks movies that are poorly produced.  Vice is one of those movies. Tons of wasted material with a lost plot delivered at a snail’s pace.  Bruce Willis is great in the movie, and likely he shot his role in a couple of days.

The movie looks like a video game gone wrong, nothing substantial backs up the storyline.  There are more holes in each scene that I couldn’t watch it, so I had to turn the movie off.

The movie starts with Bruce Willis explaining the futuristic city of Vice like the movie Westworld. Though Westworld was believable and entertaining and Vice is not.