The film is an action lover's dream. Filled with spectacular gun battles and chase scenes also the magnificent presence of Donnie Yen doing what he does best, overall continuation of the story from episode 3, this film is mostly one man's journey in getting revenge for disturbing his once peaceful existence, his previous life as Hitman or corporate assassin was only a memory until they killed the last living thing he cared about, the they as in his previous employer is now who he is on a mission to destroy completely, while the film is lacking in storytelling, it excels in giving the viewer a very colorful and highly stylized set pieces across several countries, which was quite impressive in my opinion, I also liked the kudo's to the film the Warriors for a particular reference to the DJ and the grandiose finale that had a taste of Sergio Leone spaghetti western sprinkled in for good measure, if there is any time to go back to the theater, well this is the movie to watch, if you are an action film lover, you will not be disappointed with this film.
Reviews
78 Reviews
The Roundup
(2022)
Beast cop
26 July 2022
I thought we would never see the beast cop again after the Outlaws, and this cop is still giving criminals beat downs even worse than first film, the movie had a lot of good comedic moments as well as exciting fight scenes, I am a huge fan of Don Lee, I thought Unstoppable was another good action film he starred in, he continues to get better with each film, the Roundup didn't need fancy special effects or gadgets to entertain an audience, this was that throwback action cop flick, that's filled with excitement and laughs. I hope we see cop Ma again in the future, criminals take note, this dude is handing out a** whooping of various types, thumbs up, one of the better action films this year.
X
(II) (2022)
A little freaky deaky up in those woods
13 April 2022
A bunch of young adult filmmakers find a rural location to do a sex film, they meet an elderly couple who rents the space out to them, little do they know that this situation sets off a chain of terrifying events for the film crew, these geezers are a lot more harmful that they appear to be, I like the characters, because we find out that they are not idiotic in their ideologies about life and all they want to do in life is make money and have a good time in the process, the geezers are horse of a different color, they represent repressed views and feelings, and the visitors make matters worse, I will give the director kudos, I understood the message he was trying to project, and for once a horror movie that held my attention thru out, a slasher movie with a message, very interesting.
The Sadness
(2021)
A tale of madness and depravity
10 April 2022
An ordinary day in the life of a modern couple, turn into total chaos and madness, when the current pandemic in the city turns people into depraved savages, this journey pushes the zombie genre towards extreme levels of violence and gore. This film doesn't have much of a plot, out of control bloodshed and gore is present constantly also certain scenes of sexuality will offend some viewers, this is horror and this film have no problem reminding you of that, overall, not a bad movie, but this one, maybe I should have avoided, I like a good horror film, but a movie like this not meant for me.
Freaks Out
(2021)
Freaks vs. the Nazis
22 February 2022
A quite fantastical adventure that caught my eye out of curiosity, I went into watching this film blind without viewing a trailer, what wonderful surprise this film was in a good way, a rather odd but strange tale of a circus family of freaks caught up the horrors of WW2 and the evils of Nazism thru out the countryside, and how they grapple with being separated from one another, a mix of wizard of oz, X-men and Fellini, they meet various characters along the way in their journey both good and evil, this movie was rather long and some of the scenes dragged along, but it will hold your attention and that matters most, especially the second act of this film, when the drama takes a turn towards action, the war scenes were well staged and unedited as a matter of fact most of the violence was unedited but not in an extreme way, the Nazi army wasn't prepared for these hapless and uncanny heroes and their survival skills was put to good use, which I enjoyed a lot in a few scenes, if this film is available in your area, and you're in the mood for something entirely different than the normal, seek this one out.
Power Book IV: Force
(2022– )
Fish out of water, gangster style!
16 February 2022
How could they make a character that's despicable be so cool, this program manages to do that, we get a Tommy Egan T. V. show set in Chicago, he's virtually a fish out water in the criminal landscape of the city, trying to find a way to be successful doing it the only way he knows how to, by being vicious and ruthless, if you could stomach the language and attitudes then you're going to be O. K.
The criminal element going up against this dude, better be ready, he survived New York, he's only around to make money and won't let anything get in his way, very good first two episodes of this program, looking forward to watching this show, wait till one of my favorite characters show up in that city, Two-Bit, this is one thirsty dude probably just as bad as Tommy, another survivor looking for a come up, the Power universe is very entertaining so far.
The Red Ghost
(2020)
He shows up, then he gone!
1 February 2022
Goofy and aloof with some moments of humor, spaghetti western themed WORLD WAR 2 movie, a Fresh look with how the Nazi's and the Russian dealt with one another in war, loved the action sequences in this film, it had a go for broke attitude with the violence near the conclusion which helped this movie a lot in my opinion, the Red Ghost was a badass when he shows up, but the Russian villagers who were stuck on the farm stole the movie, yes it borrows from previous films, yes it's a little too modern with the dialog, but that not a bad thing, if you can find this film, and have free time to watch an international action film, this one is not bad.
Clean
(IV) (2021)
When the dirt just doesn't come off!
1 February 2022
This is another action themed movie, but I like the character that Adrien Brody portrays in this film, he's a mess mentally and spiritually, who continuously tries hard to redeem himself in spite of his environment. No matter how hard he tries to cleanse himself of his previous life, he finds out that it is next to impossible, it's a slow-moving train script that hinders the production a little bit, the secondary characters support the story very well, but there are bits of material could have been cut out and rearranged in my opinion, that would have made it better, this is a hip hop version of Taxi Driver with more extreme violence with a contemporary soundtrack, either way I found it watchable, because of Brody, he's like a chameleon, he surprises you with his roles and now he flexes a little in the action category, not bad.
1883
(2021–2022)
The hostile frontier
20 December 2021
The poetic narration and beautiful scenery, is necessary and it kind of takes the edge off from some of the graphic nature depicted in this good western program, I like everything about this show, and from the two episodes that are available to watch, the story will become even more interesting, Sam Elliott is the backbone of this program, it would not be worth viewing, if he was not in this show, his portrayal of the grieve stricken cowboy is spot on, he brings a certain conviction to his character, the young actress who plays Elsa Dutton is pretty good as well, these two actors shine in their roles, the two lead actors, well the jury is still out for me, supporting cast is very good also, I love the way Taylor Sheridan tells his stories, he pulls no punches and leaves little to the imagination, and that is refreshing to me, don't tamper with this show, let this vision play itself out, we need a good western T. V. show, something that is a rough around the edges, also we need to know what made John Dutton the man who he is today.
The Last Duel
(2021)
Don't covet anything
1 December 2021
I will keep this review simple as possible, Ridley Scott continues to make interesting film, I had to get that off my chest, two friends that are loyal to each other during medieval times, one is a warrior and a traditionalist, the other is an educated warrior, a dashing ladies' man. They both serve one master, as time progress, one man becomes seduced by power and the other gains a reputation for his skills as a good soldier, the good soldier gets no love from the king and the other one gains title and favor with the king, this sets off a chain of events that is viewed between two men and the victim, being the good soldier's wife, patience is required to observe this story, because it's long and drawn out, but we get to see how it's played towards the conclusion, this is a tale of treachery, deceit, jealousy, hatred, heartbreak and redemption, Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer did a good job , I absolutely enjoyed the last 25 minutes of the duel or battle for honor, it's spectacular, watch this when you have time to spare, it's a long movie, but I liked it.
House of Gucci
(2021)
House of camp and mirth
28 November 2021
The photography, the costumes, the scenery, all good, now comes the hard part the acting, next to Mommy Dearest, this could be the companion piece to that film, this was an unintentional dramedy. The only two actors that escaped this film with dignity was Adam Driver and Jeremy Irons and some of the secondary cast members, Lady Gaga, Al Pacino and Jared Leto came to this party and gave the audience some of the best scenes of overacting in 2021, Jared Leto kept you howling with laughter playing Paulo Gucci, I laugh at scenes that was not intentionally funny, Al Pacino as Aldo Gucci, his portrayal of this person, like that of Big Boy Caprice with a Gucci suit on, Pacino and Leto have a unforgettable scene together that was probably the most dramatic and also the most hilarious, Lady Gaga as Patrizia Gucci did a good job as the villain of this drama, but she went a little over the top with the accent and was hard to understand at times, very ambitious and glamorous production, but it was very campy at times and I believe it was unintentional, I enjoyed watching this film and the cast did a decent job, but the original Dynasty T. V. show was a better program in my opinion.
King Richard
(2021)
Ride or Die Dad!
21 November 2021
One heck of a story, it started right from the beginning of Richard Williams explaining how he had to be as black man from a different era and how he tolerated indifference, it pulled me right in and held my attention, Will Smith embodied that persona perfectly, this movie basically was about survival and the pursue of excellence no matter how much adversity is in front of you, also showed love conquers the multitude of a lot of pain by being humble, a very well put together feel good film which not might be for everybody, and that is acceptable to some degree, because being a ride or die parent could be very polarizing to those who didn't come from that type of environment, it could be conceived as ferocious and demeaning to some people, but we get to see the reasons why and the results from it, two tennis champions, good movie and Will smith gave a very good performance.
The Harder They Fall
(2021)
Blood and Dirt
3 November 2021
A rousing fictitious tale from the west, straight up revenge story with a twist told from a modern perspective featuring a cast of excellent actors, I really didn't care about whether the cast was Black or the western was Black, I wanted to be entertained, and I received that in abundance, that to me is the most important aspect and I wanted to make that perfectly clear in this review,
the director took his inspiration in my opinion from a few of my favorite euro western directors Sergio Corbucci and Sergio Leone also with modern touches from Quentin Tarantino with the witty dialogue, I loved how aggressive the female lead actors were in this film, the secondary actors also stood out they did a solid job, the action scenes were well staged and executed, the soundtrack was also was good, Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba , Delroy Lindo, Regina King knock it out of the park, I want to see more Westerns like this in the future, told from a different view, a fresh look, a lot of the newer westerns look like they were shot in somebody's backyard and have atrocious actors, movie sets and costumes, the last decent pseudo-western I watched was Bone Tomahawk, revive this overlooked genre, there are many stories that could be told, this movie in my opinion is not to be missed, if you enjoy a good cowboy flick, well this is it.
Army of Thieves
(2021)
Safecracker supreme
31 October 2021
I liked certain things about this cute, whimsical heist caper, it had this vibe of chillness about it, maybe because of the European locations of this beautifully shot film, Ludwig Dieter might be a socially inept man-child, but one thing is for sure, this dude was about his mission, at times his silly behavior could irritate the average person, but that is one of the cool things about him, his intentions, while they consider this the prequel to the Army of the Dead, you kind of forget about that while watching this film, it held your attention, and the secondary cast members did a decent job playing their characters, overall a lightweight crime film with some humor and charm, it's O. K. it won't bite.
Titane
(2021)
I just wanted to know why!
24 October 2021
I just want to know what motivated the main character to become what they have become , the beginning of the movie did very little to explain that, also the scenes of violence and shock, did very little to explain anything to me, once we get the second act of the film, it turns into a squeamish domestic drama, but I want to understand the sci-fi overtones concerning the main character
meta physical transformation there was no explanation for that as well, the best thing about this movie was the old man who allowed this monster into his life regardless of who or what it was, this film was dark and messy and the conclusion was quite fantastical with no real purpose.
Halloween Kills
(2021)
Michael Myers next level s%^t
16 October 2021
I didn't like the overall story, but I like the direction of how they made Michael Myers out to be the ultimate monster not only in the streets, but in the mind as well, the kill ratio was pretty hardcore in this film, no mercy , no remorse, straight up slash and destroy, it also tried to tie in a back story and had previous survivors come together to try to bring about an end to the madness that has terrorized their community, but this is only a warm up, the final confrontation between brother and sister next year, overall this is the best Halloween film in my opinion and the most violent one of them all.
Copshop
(2021)
Teddy's Dead, that's what I said!
15 October 2021
A revisionist old school shoot out type of joint, that's what you got and it was O. K. by me, the three main characters kept this film moving, the female cop stole the show in my opinion, she was witty, fast on the draw and didn't take no mess, one thing I really enjoyed a lot was the banter between the characters, a lot of it was pretty funny and intense which lead up to an all-out throw down at the police station, Joe Carnahan did a good job putting this film together, I loved the old school vibe and the 70's style music used in certain scenes, It looks like towards the conclusion that there could possibly be a sequel to this movie in the future, I hope so, this one gets a pass for me.
BMF
(2021– )
Fear as Strength
27 September 2021
First of all, this program got off to a good start, the actors all have great chemistry, that's important also it's not playing out like a soap opera, while the story is episodic, the socio-economic theme of poverty rears it's ugly head and make two young men choose a path where most men dread going, fear is a monster, you don't know how it will strike at you, it's like a thief in the night, some people grasp it and use to conquer their goals, episode one touched on that issue quite a bit, I liked what I saw so far, 50 CENT continues to bring to the public interesting crime dramas that resonate to fans of that genre.
Prisoners of the Ghostland
(2021)
Kitchen sink cinema
15 September 2021
Where do I start with this movie, basically it's live action anime, in my opinion, colorful, weird, wacky and nightmarish in some scenes, I wish the story had maybe be a little more complicated, instead of Escape from New York goes to hell, featuring every genre of film thrown together, Nic Cage get to be what else Nic Cage, playing a rogue who get an offer he can't refuse and we follow with him thru this rabbit hole of weirdness, I had to view this film twice to fully understand what I watched the first time , before I gave my opinion on this movie, overall it seemed to me that filmmaker wanted to make an action film art house style, whether it's good or bad, I'll leave that as questionable, I will leave with saying that this was Kabuki theater with Nic Cage.
Kate
(I) (2021)
Sipping on some BOOM BOOM!
13 September 2021
Mary Elizabeth Winstead saves this action film from becoming boring and generic, forget referring to other films that this movie is inspired by, it tries to have it's own identity was it successful in doing so slightly yes, the criminal element in my opinion dragged this film down a little, the main actors with one exception the gay gangster, all the others were phoning their performances in, and that includes Woody Harrelson he tries to be serious but by the time we get near the conclusion, you don't really care, you want the heroine tear her way thru Tokyo bringing doom to her enemies, this was a platform for Ms. Winstead to show off her physical acting skills and she did a good job, in my opinion, a passable action film, which I enjoyed, maybe a little.
Respect
(2021)
Lackluster and forgettable
8 September 2021
Aretha Franklin was a dynamo musician, singer and entertainer, this film give you very little of that in my opinion, they had the amazing Jennifer Hudson portraying Ms. Franklin but the producers didn't give us a movie suitable for Ms. Hudson's vocal skills, there was a lot of unnecessary focus on her first marriage, not even enough attention to the musical aspects of why we loved Aretha , I did not have a problem with the acting, it was the production values, it came across like a lifetime channel movie, and it didn't have to be that way at all, this disappointed me a lot.
The Suicide Squad
(2021)
Who is Milton!
6 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was hilarious, quirky, gory and had heart, loved the walking Shark, this creature was amazing, the action sequences looked more like a war against these unlikely heroes, but they got down and dirty with it, like they were suppose to, DC got a winner of a comic book movie, because they allowed James Gunn to turn the genre on it's ear, leaning into a free for all territory with the language and unedited violence which may offend some folk, who just want to be be entertained without it, but overall this is the DCEU best entry to date , in my opinion, it was about time, good job to the cast, crew and production team, you did your thing.
Wrath of Man
(2021)
Profile of Revenge
29 May 2021
A thoroughly by the numbers crime heist revenge thriller , a carefully constructed reimagining of French film Cash truck, with overtones of HEAT and City of Industry thrown in for good measure, Jason Statham and Guy Richie continue to get better when they collaborate, Jason does a good job of portraying a grief stricken father who uses patience to get his revenge against the thugs who destroyed a part of his life, the back story , the gun battles and soundtrack were very well executed by the director, the secondary characters did a good job , especially the one who played Bullitt, this dude was slick and dirty , also I liked Jeffery Donovan as the leader of the heist crew, he continues to get better in every film he's in, Guy Richie becoming the go to guy for crime thrillers, I like what he did with this movie , one of the better crime films that is simplistic and uncomplicated , I've watched this year so far.
Army of the Dead
(2021)
Z- TURF
22 May 2021
I turned off my not so serious meter, that goes on and off from time to time, to enjoy this slam bang action crime heist film, Zack Snyder once again bring us epic entertainment, this thing has zombie animals for crying out load, a group of ex-soldiers and crew get offered a suicide mission to remove money from a Vegas casino vault right smack dab in the middle of a Zombie infested area, the only difference is these creatures have rules on their turf, and the intruders better understand that real fast, before going too far into the danger zone, there is a lot of interlocking sentimentality going on with the human characters as well as the Zombies, we get to know each personality as the story moves along we also find that there is an insidious ulterior motive midway into this film, that bring some edge of your seat action , loved the soundtrack , the photography , the action scenes, but this movie was way too long for this type of genre, film editing might have made this film better in my opinion, my favorite sequence was the vault battle between Vanderohe and Zeus the zombie king, the whole action sequence was cool, and kind of a set-up for another sequel in the future, other than that , best action film this year so far in my opinion , good weekend entertainment, not to be taken seriously.
Night in Paradise
(2020)
To live in agony
28 April 2021
If you set out to make a gangster movie in these times. This is how it should be done, right hand man loses his family, the blame is placed on a rival gang, his grief causes him to sacrifice his career in the family on revenge, in order to smooth things over, he has to leave town and settle elsewhere, in a small town he stays with a old gangster and his quirky niece , meanwhile back on the home front , the two rival gangs battle for supremacy, and things don't work in favor of the gang of the right hand man who had to leave town, the big boss wants revenge and don't care how he obtains it, this sets up the second half of this film quite well in my opinion, because the right hand man and the quirky niece both get to know each other and discover they both have their share of grief and sorrow in their life, to which it becomes apparently clear that things will not get better at all, the right hand gets betrayed by his boss and this set off a chain of explosive and tragic events, this story of grief, betrayal and revenge is bloody, unrelenting yet at the same time atmospheric, moody and a beautifully filmed production, the third act of this movie got me applauding , the last Korean gangster movie that I really liked a lot was the Yellow sea, it had all the elements of this movie , the acting in this movie was excellent, it had some unintentional hilarious lines between the main bosses , the main character who portrayed the right hand man was fantastic, the director did a excellent job of not watering down nothing, he gave us , a straight to the point gangster movie, if you like it hardcore and gritty welcome aboard, I recommend this movie , if you enjoy crime thrillers .
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