INTRODUCTION
A brief chronology of meeting the director, stuntman, stunt coordinator, screenwriter and artist Jesse Johnson.
Jesse Johnson - there is so much in this sound! Despite the fact that the Briton has been steadily making films since 1998, the first acquaintance with this director for most viewers was with the film "Wild Dog" (2017) with Scott Adkins. And this acquaintance was not the most pleasant. Thanks to the presence of Scott in his film based on his own script, the film attracted attention to itself, as well as to the director himself. And then "Wild Dog" name Jesse Johnson I immediately became alarmed at any mention.
But the director's next film is a comic book adaptation "Accident" (2019), which turned out to be of a completely different quality, with a very good cast and choreography Tim Man and directing "Guy Ritchie on Minimum Salaries." This film rehabilitated Jesse, but, as they say, an aftertaste remained. That's why from the long-awaited "Triple Threat" (2019) with a nuclear cast one could not expect a masterpiece. And so it happened - the film turned out to be very average, and in some aspects it was completely non-existent. And with this film, Jesse has already clearly formed the image of an unstable director in terms of the quality of the film product and has become a real triple threat to the entire genre.
Probably, from that moment no one expected anything good from Johnson. But suddenly he releases a cheap, but quite strong and tube action movie "Collectors" with an excellent tandem Scott Adkins и Louis Mandylor. Perhaps the “tax collectors” came to the viewer because they did not expect anything from them. What comes next is no less unexpected "British Psychopath" (2019), which completely rehabilitates the British director, showcasing Jesse as one of the best B-movie directors in the action genre. And the continuation "Collectors" (2020) only strengthens this status. This is what constant practice means!
True, in 2019 it was also published "Mercenary", but I have nothing to say about it - I didn’t watch it. But what can be said for sure is that over time, Johnson's films began to stand out for the overall increase in the level of drama, cinematography, acting skills of busy artists and direction, despite the fact that they were still "B" category with meager budgets.
So, a new release from Jesse Johnson “Hell hath no fury” (in the Russian release - “Hail Mary”)
SYNOPSIS
French citizen Marie Dujardin, branded a traitor by her countrymen, is rescued by American soldiers on one condition: to survive, she must lead them to a cache of gold that is being hunted by the Nazis, the French resistance and the Americans.
REVIEW
This time, old Jesse returns with a military action movie, but not just like that, but without the participation Scott Adkins! But with Daniel Bernhardt in the unexpected role of a fascist officer! And this time Daniel has a full-fledged supporting role, and not just the role of a bouncer or a chav with one line of two words, who falls with two or three blows from the protagonist. The “collector” also plays one of the main roles. Louis Mandylor (TV series "Chinese Policeman"), as well as Dominic Vandenberg ("Gangs of New York", "Mercenary") and as the central figure of the events - little-known, but spectacular Nina Bergman ("Doom: Annihilation", "Chemist")
What I've liked about it for a long time Jesse Johnson (I would never have thought that I would praise him) is that his films tell completely different stories about completely different characters. Although they have one thing in common - there are practically no truly good people among them. These are killers, mercenaries, collectors, crooks, bandits or gopniks. But what can you do: about times, about morals, about trends... Otherwise, the variety is quite extensive. Jesse knows how to surprise and no one can predict in what setting and what his next film will be about.
"Ave Maria" in this sense is no exception. The characters here are ambiguous, and the story is unconventional. The film can hardly be called a full-fledged action film, since here the story is in the foreground, and the action is strictly to the point. And I regard this as a virtue. What made me respect Johnson even more as a director was what Jesse told the magazine in 2019: Taekwondo Life Magazine on the importance of elevating story and dialogue in action films. And this film is the embodiment of this concept. This is true: the story, the acting, the dialogue, the relationships "Ave Maria" and his other films are the British forte. Due to this, the viewer’s attention should be retained in a good movie, even with meager and cheap action.
Those who are accustomed to Jesse Johnson It's already hard to be intimidated by the visual quality of his films, so in this case you can relax and pay attention to the content rather than the form. To criticize such a movie for being cheap is not at all correct and only those who are accustomed to glossy production will do this Marvel Studios, who watches movies only with their eyes and cannot see an interesting story behind the cheap production. IN "Ave Maria" There are, in my opinion, two main qualities of cinema: interestingness and unpredictability. And the main character creates intrigue: who is she - a victim, a hero or a master manipulator? She walks a tightrope between all the roles throughout and just when you think you have it all figured out, the film takes a turn in the other direction. One of the main advantages of the film, of course, is the comeback Louis Mandylor, who, as always, plays the role of an American major who wants to get gold with the help of his captive. His hero’s colleagues also turned out to be quite atmospheric, I believed them.
ACTION
As mentioned above, the action is not the main thing here. There is not much of it here and it is set up as simply and primitively as possible, but not repulsively. It reminds me of something "Wild Dog". There are good moments, but martial arts are missing, despite the presence of such a master as Daniel Bernhardt, there are only shootouts, stabbings and a couple of punches. And also fountains of blood in the style of Tarantino, which is why the film is rated R.
SUMMARY
With talent Jesse Johnson It’s the same story as with that gopher: you can’t see it, but it’s there. And not everyone will see it. I personally saw it and added the film to my collection. Yes, you can find fault with Johnson for a long time, he is not a genius, he does not bother much with the visuals, and most viewers, as soon as they see the trailer of his film, will immediately turn it off. However, Jesse does a good job of demonstrating that you don't need a monster budget and CGI to make a good movie. A good story told through good acting and good direction are elements that still cannot be replaced by special effects. That's why they have become a rarity in the genre. "Ave Maria" - this is the case when a film is simply interesting to watch and its cheapness does not in any way discourage it. And it’s clear that this is not a blockbuster, why judge it as a blockbuster?
What is good Jesse Johnson - you don’t expect anything special from him, but in the end after watching you are not left disappointed and no pandemic is a hindrance for him - he still films cheaply, consistently and in his own style. The main thing is not to expect more from him than he can give. I personally love B movies and have completely changed my mind about this director a long time ago.
PS Fans of cool action should pass by, but fans of just a good niche movie with a good story and acting should watch it.
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Tags: Hell Hat No Fury, Jesse W. Johnson, Dominic Vanderberg, Daniel Bernhard, Louis Mandylor, Nina Bergman
Tags: Hell Hat No Fury, Jesse W. Johnson, Dominic Vanderberg, Daniel Bernhard, Louis Mandylor, Nina Bergman
Kazakh businessman Ibrahim Akdrashev played one of the Nazis; in the film he rides a motorcycle as part of a convoy. When they didn’t know the plot yet, they joked that he would play the Kazakh Stirlitz, introduced to the Germans. It seems that the filming took place in Belarus.
Fun fact, thanks, made me laugh))
Daniel Bernhard is very picturesque as a Nazi. Right here in "Seventeen Moments of Spring"
I agree, but on the other hand, does he look like a German?)
You-Ra,
Well, probably more than Leonid Kuravlev, I often, when I watch military chronicles, am amazed at how improbable the Aryans are of the Ryazan hari)))