Comeback of the Year
Daniel Bernhard (Finish 'Em All, Atomic Blonde) (27%)
Daniel Bernhard lit up everywhere with us. Victory in this nomination is, one might say, a summary of his merits, the result of all his work over several years. After all, what is a comeback? A comeback is a sudden return to action after a long absence, and even to some noticeable positions. This is exactly what happened to Daniel. At the same time, we must understand that his return is not a random rein in the tail, not a whim and a fool, or some kind of commercial move by an aging pop star. No. This is the result of long, patient, systematic work. A drop wears away a stone.
Now it is important to maintain and strengthen positions, and then build further upward movement. We think this is quite possible. Bernhard is talented, and the demand for male characters in cinema is still high. You never know what will happen next... Maybe this is Boyka's next opponent, a new Bond, or even a quality dramatic role?
Antonio Banderas (Security, Act of Violence) (21%)
And here is a comeback, a comeback. Lately comrade Banderas spread himself across uneven projects, erasing his macho image in the memory of the audience. But the first unexpected swallow flew into "The Expendables 3" - a funny, bright, lively character with a twist, drama and self-irony, creating a pleasant fuss and looking great in action scenes. He was noticeably different from the rest of the franchise's somewhat ossified, bulky and pretentious characters.
And now, 3 years later, two strong old-school action films from the “pensioners are back in the saddle” series appear, which reveal a new side of Banderas. This is no longer that sweet El Mariacchi, but a brutal and fighting hero. Antonio is in good shape, both acting and physically.
"Security guard" - this is another variation on the theme of “Die Hard” and an accidental hero, not ideal, but just right for the start of Banderas in a new image. The character jokes, shoots and fights, flashing his beard. It has drama and core, there is charm, despite the fact that the film is simple, but it is Banderas who gives it new qualities, even if they do not exist in the script. And it seems to the viewer that the picture is a little better, a little more serious, a little more expensive.
"Vow of silence" - another song, although with the same touch of B-ness. The same budgets, the same simplicity and sketchiness. Here Banderas is no longer joking, but mourning. There is a concept, there is drama, the character is understandable to the viewer, although the script contains many conventions and assumptions.
To look good in fights, Banderas went through a training course, which is noticeable on the screen. The choreography of stars from the sky is not enough, but everything is strong, thorough, nothing superfluous, although it could be better. Which is, in fact, what we want for Banderas. I wonder what further work in this genre will bring him.
Jet Li (Guardians of Martial Arts) (15%)
Comeback Jet Li – this is not a comeback, but rather an episodic appearance. Cameo. But in the classic image of Chinese cinema, an inconspicuous cleaner who turns out to be a master. Through its apparent simplicity and spontaneity, a cunning squint peeks out. We won’t see anything supernatural in the shot from Jet, we can’t say that this is some kind of full-fledged battle, however, for us this is a gift. We see Lee on the screen quite rarely; he has recently moved away from major projects.
Best Screen Fight 2017
Charlize Theron vs. Mobsters and Daniel Bernhard (Atomic Blonde) (15%)
The fight, filmed with the effect of one take, is gradually beginning to come into fashion and "Explosive Blonde" a worthy representative of this fashion. Charlize Theron for the first time she performed in such a role and immediately hit the top ten, showing herself to be an extremely disciplined actress who is able to perform the most difficult stunts and fighting combinations. Fight against bandits and Daniel Bernhard really long, sweeping and dynamic. Theron doesn’t slack off and gives it her all, although you can feel that she is not yet completely at ease, but is already sitting on the edge. In the fight, the space is well mastered, the fighters move along the stairs, lingering on the flights, and the camera relentlessly follows the participants. The climax of the fight is Theron versus Bernhardt, bloody, destructive, exhausting for both heroes. Bernhard shows himself as a strong professional, and Theron reveals his action potential well.
Scott Adkins vs. Martin Ford (Undisputed 4) (14%)
The classic David versus Goliath scheme, which we have seen a thousand times in action films, worked again. This fight cannot be called some kind of unrealistic achievement, but magic clearly works on the audience Strikers. Martin Ford It was supposed to cause horror, but in reality everything turned out not so epic, and the stupid leather mask, grimaces and speeding up the shooting did not save it. In short, the essence of the fight is this: there are two tattooed men in the ring, one small and the other big. The small one is looking for approaches to the big one, and the big one mainly growls and distributes rare blows. The little one at some point receives a blow and is knocked out, but according to cinematic tradition, he rises from the ashes. The viewer knows in advance that the little one is Boyka, so there is no doubt about his uprising and victory.
Scott Adkins vs. Brahim Acchabake (Undisputed 4) (12%)
Theoretically, this battle could be the final one, since it is long, and dramatic interest in it is constantly fueled. Everything is presented from excellent angles, it is expensive, rich, and the editing is competent and intelligible. Another thing is that Brahim Acchabake doesn’t resemble the main boss, and the choreography is not fundamentally different from all other fights. Both fighters alternate blows on the lower and upper tier, sculpt guyver kicks and 360 spinners, but the differences between the opponents are minimal. In addition, the fighters are extremely unkillable: an exchange of blows, a kick in the balls, a crunch in the back - nothing matters, the characters just wince and continue on. Intense fight, but sterile, without aftertaste.
Jackie Chan vs. Rory Fleck-Byrne (The Foreigner) (12%)
Before us is a duel with knives, without any beauty or special choreographic patterns. Linear and quite contactable, although, unfortunately, short. The advantages of this battle are its speed and simplicity, thanks to which Jackie he is mostly himself in the frame, unobscured by wild angles from behind and hysterical editing. And this is already an achievement for a modern fighting game. Of course, Jackie Chan is no longer young and hot, so you shouldn’t expect revolutions from him. But at his age, looking convincing in on-screen combat is worthy of the deepest respect.
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Tags: Acts of vengeance, Atomic Blonde, Boyka: Undisputed, Security, The Foreigner, Antonio Banderas, Brahim Achabbake, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Daniel Bernhard, results of action cinema 2017, Martin Ford, Rory Fleck-Byrne, Scott Adkins, Charlize Theron
Tags: Acts of vengeance, Atomic Blonde, Boyka: Undisputed, Security, The Foreigner, Antonio Banderas, Brahim Achabbake, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Daniel Bernhard, results of action cinema 2017, Martin Ford, Rory Fleck-Byrne, Scott Adkins, Charlize Theron
Finally, Hollywood decided to make a kungfu film:
https://kg-portal.ru/comments/70857-prodjuser-transformerov-poznaet-silu-kungfu/
Well, the unfortunate Europeans have not yet been shown the most interesting thing.
PS: Thanks for the article, I’m glad for Bernhard’s victories everywhere. Shiro can still do it :)
Denis Letov,
We hope that his best projects are yet to come.
Yes, that's right, Bernhard and Theron delighted with their participation in Atomic Blonde. It turned out to be a strong film. In the spirit of "John Wick".
As for "The Foreigner" - as I understand it, China made its own Asian version of the film, where the knife fight in the forest is expanded, and cables are used ((((on YouTube there is a video of the fight, different from the theatrical version. There Chan strangles the enemy .
Vladimir Egorov,
Yes, that's right, if anyone is interested in the full fight, it's here:
But we will focus on the European rental version.