Look, I'll start this review by saying: when you see the promotional materials and trailer for the movie “Intelligence Agent“, created by the director and actor Derek Tin, you know exactly what to expect. If you're not into low-budget, slightly crude independent action films, this film probably won't interest you. But if for some reason you've adapted to such films, then you might like this one, especially since Tin has enlisted not one, but two action icons in the third film of his alien invasion franchise. Mark Singer and unique Chuck Norris. Most importantly, it gives each of these legendary actors the opportunity to show off some of that '80s and '90s action movie magic, which I especially enjoyed in the film's finale, where Norris, at 84, takes down enemies with heavy weapons and hand-to-hand combat, demonstrating why he became a superstar in such films back in the day and why I have loved action films since the first time I saw them.”Lone Wolf McQuade” .
It's important to know that this is the third film in the Tina agent franchise, which began with “Agent” in 2017 and continued “Agent of the Apocalypse” in 2021. The first film was short, about 70 minutes, and although it was a little rough around the edges, it had a genuine college feel that made it enjoyable to watch, and featured outstanding action scenes and stunts in the last 20 minutes if you watched to the end. The second film was definitely a bigger budget, increasing the action scenes and presentation as Tin becomes a one-man army fighting aliens ready to take over the world. Again, this is a low-budget film for a niche audience, but Tin knows how to work with the material and creates something better than other independent films of this caliber. In the second part, he also brought in a Star Trek legend. Michael Dorn, which added a little shine to the film compared to the first part.
And now we’ll talk about the new film “Agent Recon“, where Tin again pulls triple duty as writer, director and leading man, playing Jim Young, who was an ordinary man in the first film but turned into a deadly fighting machine after being exposed to alien dust. If you haven't seen the first two films, that's okay as this film can be watched on its own as Tin brings things up to speed at the beginning with a voiceover explaining previous events. In short, there are aliens here, and just like Singer's V, they're up to no good and secretly capturing people one by one. The aliens use a special red dust that turns a person into an evil and ruthless alien.
The only problem for the aliens is that instead of capturing Jim, the dust transforms him from an ordinary man into an unstoppable machine of destruction, turning him into a super Bruce Lee with an insane and ferocious set of skills. Oh, how I wish this could happen to me, but with my luck, I would become a mindless alien robot like everyone else. Okay, let's continue.
Cut to the present day to “Intelligence Agent” where we have Colonel Green (Singer), embittered after fighting this alien horde, and now he and his elite unit of Marines are called to rescue a group of soldiers who have gone missing at a remote military post. To make it more personal... SPOILER...we later learn that one of the soldiers is his own daughter, Captain Lila Rupert (Nikki Lee). In an effort to save his daughter and the other military personnel, Greene reluctantly agrees to take Jim with him, as he does not trust Jung due to having an alien substance in him. Oh yeah, Greene's people don't trust him either.
Jim's former mentor Alastair (played in the second film by Dorn), who is now an AI cyborg who died in the previous film, comes to the aid of Green and Jung. Before Alastair died, he transferred his consciousness into this being, now played by Norris, and this new and improved version of Alastair assists the group in their mission. I loved seeing Norris in an unusual role as he had never played anything like this before and it was just great to see him on screen again.
As soon as Green, Jung and the troops arrive at the post, they are immediately attacked by aliens, led by an even more powerful and dangerous alien. With a threat to the world at stake, they must use all their skills and weapons to fight before it's too late. Just imagine an 80s trailer-style voiceover saying all this and you'll be over the moon.
As I said earlier, Tin's Agent films are independent action films and sci-fi, so those expecting something along the lines of MCU, will be disappointed by the smaller scale and overuse of CGI, but Tin does the best he can with what he's got and manages to create something out of nothing, filling the film with plenty of action scenes involving gunfire and hand-to-hand combat, which also involves himself being a master martial arts, emerging as the next indie action star, taking part in a series of showdowns and showcasing his talents, including knife fighting techniques and brutal hand-to-hand scenes.
Don't get me wrong, and Tin knows it, it's all about Singer and Norris, and I'm happy to say that Tin makes the most of both stars, with Singer taking part in most of the fights in the first two-thirds of the film and Chuck showing off his signature moves in exciting finale. It may surprise you to learn that it is Singer's Green who is the real star of the film, while Jung fades into the background. Green's character arc drives “Intelligence Agent,” providing bittersweet moments toward the end. Singer is at the top of his game in the role and I was thrilled to see him recreate his iconic “V” character Mike Donovan; this role could be a later version of him. Singer also makes a little nod and Easter egg to the classic sci-fi miniseries with one of his lines that had me grinning from ear to ear.
Now Chuck Norris is the real star here, and besides his 5 minutes in “The Expendables 2” and an even smaller cameo in “Hawaii Five-5.0,” he has actually been retired since he last starred in “Shadow of the Past” with Daniel Bernhardt in 2005. There's been a lot of talk about Norris' involvement (or lack thereof) in The Expendables 2, but Tin wasn't going to let that happen, and he actually gives the keys to Norris in the finale, where the iconic movie fighter takes down some alien soldiers with an MP-5 and more. How to use a person like Norris, for whom the audience came? Well, you give him a Jesse Ventura-style minigun and let him run wild.
The last 20 minutes are Norris and Tin fighting their way through the aliens and I'm here to say YES, Norris is doing what he does best. Of course, he's already 84 years old, so don't expect Chuck Norris from Force of Vengeance, but he's still in great shape and shows off his hand-to-hand combat skills, which choreographed by his own son Dakota Norris. It was a sight to behold seeing Norris back on screen doing his thing and my only complaint is that I wanted more. But I'll take what I can get and fans will be pleased with the result as our action god once again, at least once again, becomes a literal one-man army in this worthy DTV movie. I may be a little biased, but as always, I don't care. I was happy and my opinion is the only thing that matters.
Supervised the rest of the fight choreography Nathan People, who is also the understudy of the elite alien alpha, and here People knows a lot about creating military combat design combined with martial arts techniques. The fights are filmed clearly and clearly, a mixture of extreme movements with tighter and more detailed hand-to-hand techniques and joint manipulation. Tin demonstrates why he should make more films like this, and Singer, although his action scenes are mostly shooting, also gets the chance to show a new generation why he was popular in the 80s. Overall, although the budget is limited, Tin manages to create a bigger, more entertaining film for his sci-fi action franchise, and fans of this niche genre will find something to like in it. There's a lot of action, hand-to-hand combat, and two of my favorite movie fighters doing what's expected of them.
Are there any disadvantages? Yes. Will some people make fun of the movie because they don't understand it? Yes. Will fans of this genre find something for themselves? Absolutely. I'm curious to see what Tin has in store for the next chapter as this film once again leaves an open ending and hopefully it can attract even more action stars. Tin is a very talented director who loves the genre and it shows from the first minute to the credits. He can also become a regular feature as an action star in martial arts and sci-fi films as he definitely has the talent and skills.
Marc Singer and Chuck Norris live up to expectations. Norris, of course, has less screen time, but he's here, and the ending feels like 1985. From minigun to karate, Chuck is still in shape and will bring a smile to viewers' faces when he is finally released into the wild to do what he does best, and hopefully he will do a little more for the fans before he career will finally end. In the field of DTV action films where many such films get lost and forgotten, "Intelligence Agent" manages to stand out and deliver on what it promises. Ultimately, that's all I wanted and that's what I got.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Author: John M. Gerva (Action-Flix)
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Tags: Agent Recon, Derek Tin, Mark Singer, Nikki Lee, Nathan People, Chuck Norris
Tags: Agent Recon, Derek Tin, Mark Singer, Nikki Lee, Nathan People, Chuck Norris
Yes.
The previous ones are the ones from Tiger Style Media?
Complete crap, not a movie. The previous two are much better.
Damn, that looks pretty good. I'll have to take note. Thanks.