Kenji, a karate master who keeps to himself, learns of his little sister’s disappearance so he flies to the US to find her and kill anyone who gets in his way. Writer/director Kurando Mitsutake builds a crazy fun action film. His film not a character study and that is perfectly fine. It’s build like an 80’s action film on steroids which mean the characters are okay, the bad guys are really bad and the good guys are not so numerous. However, the fight scenes are many and highly entertaining. The film is built to showcase the fighting and the action, the kidnapping of the little sister is only a reason for the lead to go nuts and fight everyone in his path to get her back. The film is in both Japanese and English adding an angle to Kenji’s travel to the US as he does not speak English and must rely on other Japanese people for most of his communications. The cultural differences are there from that but also seem to be exaggerated for the sake of entertainment.
Tag Archives: Martial Arts
Bloodrayne (2006)
Look at those… sharp swords…?
Crushing every bit of potential for a great movie under the weight of his own abysmal vision, “Bloodrayne” is yet another video game adaptation that fails to deliver to its audience. “Bloodrayne” doesn’t attempt to appease the intelligent movie-goers, yet Boll aims for the young teenagers and utter dimwits by transforming his adaptation from a horror fantasy about a female heroine in to pure exploitation. Prepare for a ton of blatant nudity and sex that has no relevance to the narrative, or any real point, for that matter. Bloodrayne is yet another leather-clad fetishized Goth whose character emphases is based on her line “I have no family, I am an orphan.”
Captain America Civil War (2016) [Blu-Ray/Digital]
It’s amazing what kind of feat the Russo Brothers have pulled off. Not only do they offer up a pseudo-sequel to the continuing saga of “The Avengers” but they also manage to squeeze in a superhero epic, and revenge saga that stretches out over the Marvel Cinematic Universe without ever missing a single beat. “Captain America: Civil War” finally brings the Marvel Universe full circle creating something of a wider scope now that Marvel has been able to acquire and introduce superheroes and characters that were long thought to be incapable of appearing. In just a two and a half hour movie, we’re able to watch a full fledged tale of friendship unfold in the face of a revenge plot, while being given marvelous and overdue introductions to iconic Avenger The Black Panther, and Marvel’s long awaited iteration of their iconic superhero Spider-Man.
Arrow: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]
This is the season that finally broke the fans, prompting the loyal fan base for “Arrow” on reddit to turn a group devoted to the series in to a group about “Daredevil.” The CW and Warner are at a really tough crossroads with “Arrow,” where they somewhat seem hell bent on sticking with what doesn’t work with the series, while pulling back on what does. Yes, they reward fans by bringing back John Constantine from the hell of cancelled television to resolve his television storyline, but he’s on for only two episodes. When Oliver Queen and company find themselves battling the evil Damian Darhk who is all powerful thanks to a supernatural relic, the answer invariably pops up: “Why isn’t Constantine helping them?”
Double Impact (1991)
In the long line of Van Damme action films, “Double Impact” has always been my favorite. Maybe it’s because of the fun premise, or the way the movie balances the green screen to almost be a convincing action movie about twins. I think it’s perhaps because Van Damme proves he can play vastly different characters.
Bloodsport (1988)
It’s nice to know that childhood favorite, 1988’s “Bloodsport” hasn’t aged too much since its initial release. As an artifact of the beginning of Belgium martial arts star Jean Claude Van Damme’s box office reign in the nineties, it’s a fun bit of nostalgia. As an action movie in its own right, it’s a fun thriller and martial arts film that takes a bit from “Enter the Dragon” and feels like what should have been the template for a “Street Fighter” movie. Van Damme plays US Soldier Frank Dux (just go with it), an officer who goes AWOL in order to travel to Hong Kong. After training extensively, he enters a top secret martial arts tournament known as Kumite. Kept hush hush by most of the fighters that enter it, Kumite is a very violent sport that can occasionally end in death.
Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)
Hey, if Sylvester Stallone can get “Creed” why can’t Jean Claude Van Damme get his own go around? “Kickboxer: Vengeance” is a remake/reboot of the “Kickboxer” series where we’re given essentially the same narrative as the original Van Damme action film, except with a few roles switched here and there. As a bid of respect, Van Damme returns to the series playing the enigmatic Master Durand, a martial arts trainer who manages to train hero Kurt for his fight to avenge his fallen brother. Van Damme’s performance is top notch in “Vengeance” and he manages to get some prime action scenes in the film, including one involving an ambush in his temple by a lone fighter.